Guyana to open tournament against Bahamas tomorrow

GUYANA’S team to this year’s FIBA Centrobasket U-17 tournament will depart these shores today for the Dominican Republic, where they compete in the eight-team tournament from July 26 to 30.
Drawn in Group ‘A’ of the tournament, that features Bahamas, Dominican Republic, Guyana, Jamaica, Mexico, Panama, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands, the Lugard Mohan-coached team will bounce into action on opening day.
The Guyanese side will open their campaign against the Bahamas on July 26 at 13:00hrs, followed by a clash with Puerto Rico on Thursday, July 27, and then close off their group-play against Mexico on July 28.
Teams will play in round-robin format for three days, after which, the top two teams from each group will advance to the next phase, where the first-place team of Group A will oppose the second-place in Group B and vice versa.
The winners of the semi-finals will advance to the ‘gold medal match’, while the losers will play for the bronze of the continental event.
The top three teams from the tournament will qualify to the FIBA U-18 Americas Championship 2018, to be played in St Catharines, Canada, June 11-17, 2018.
Nigel Bowen, Tramine Brown, Kelmar Carmichael, Akeem Crandon, Shamar France, Roydon Glasgow, Jether Harris, Andrew Johnson, Jermaine King, Kevon Wiggins, Anthony Yanson and Jahleel Young are members of Team Guyana, with Mohan being assisted by US-based Kenneth Avent on his coaching staff.
Meanwhile, Mohan said that while he’s optimistic of a good showing at the championship, he’s peeved at not having the services of one of his best players Jordan Alphonso.
Alphonso was the ‘backbone’ of the team that finished second at the CBC U-16 tournament when the event was hosted in Guyana last year.
The former Marian Academy student, before returning to the U.S., was considered the best youth player in Guyana, and played a significant role in the team’s success.
Mohan in a recent interview told Chronicle Sport that “the best player is not available, so instead of going there with our strength, we’re weakened, but, we still have to compete and, like I said, I’ll do everything to ensure that the guys maximise their potential.”
The Guyana Amateur Basketball Federation (GABF) stated that they expect the high level of basketball competition in the Dominican Republic will expose the players to the intense training required to succeed at the international level.