Asks Daniel Haynes

IN EXACTLY seven days, Guyana will begin their journey for basketball gold when they play their first game in three games at the Inter-Guiana Goodwill Games. However, the question remains: Is there enough time to select a 12-man team from a 21-man squad and have them game-ready. The first squad initially comprised 16 players selected by National team coaches Junior Hercules and Naylon Loncke over two days of trials from October 1 to October 2, during the play of the National Schools Basketball Festival (NSBF). This first squad was later amended by the Guyana Amateur Basketball Federation (GABF) upon clarification by GABF president Nigel Hinds.
“We, the GABF, made changes to the squad to encompass more Kwakwani and Linden players, after watching the Schools Basketball Festival which Kwakwani went on to win.” Hinds went on to clarify that it was the opinion of the Federation that the new squad would provide the best opportunity for the National team to be selected.
The Guyana Chronicle was able to speak with selector and head coach Junior Hercules on the changes made to his squad.
“I was given two days to shortlist a team, during the period of the school games and it wasn’t communicated that the school games would have a weigh-in. I believe that if that was the case we should have deferred the selection process,” said Hercules.
Hercules was also of the opinion that he and Loncke shortlisted the best team during the selection period. “It was based on several criteria which took into account the individual talents of the players as well as their ability to fit into a system and play cohesively.”
The time period, however, to choose a 12-man squad, soon ends for Hercules who feels he has been placed in a tight position, since he will be narrowing down the 21 players to 12 on Sunday.
“It is a bit disadvantageous and it has left us with a shorter timespan since of the 16 we had 9 guaranteed players and a remaining 3 who were ‘maybes’ while the other 4 were backups,” said Hercules.
In the past national teams have had over one week to practise offensive and defensive sets while working on their fitness. This time, the coaching staff will be dealing not just with the task of finding the right fit, but getting that right fit to comprehensively learn systems in time for their first game next Friday night.
The 21-man squad go into encampment tonight, with their first training session from 19:00hrs to 21:00hrs.