– Kwakwani youth gearing for basketball life overseas

OVER the last week, social media was in a frenzy as Guyana celebrated winning their maiden Caribbean Basketball Championship (men’s title), and behind it all was an 18-year-old point guard who hails from a small community located on the Berbice River in Region 10.

Stanton Rose placed his named amongst players like Lugard Mohan, Auric Tappin, Stanislaus Hadmon, Lorenzo Withrite and Leon Christian (just to name a few) as some of the most talented to ever suit up for Guyana, but what separates him from the aforementioned great ‘ballers’, is that he able to bring the ‘elusive’ Caribbean Basketball Confederation (CBC) men’s Caribbean title back to Guyana.

“It is one of my proudest moments since playing basketball, because I am able to do something or play a part in making my country proud and creating history,” Rose said in an exclusive interview with Chronicle Sport yesterday.

Rose, the youngest player to ever captain Guyana at the CBC Championship, left the 10-team tournament in Suriname, as the Most Valuable Player (MVP) for his sensational performances, which also include a tournament-high 41 points performance which came in Guyana’s 104 – 102 double overtime win against St Vincent and the Grenadines.

Rose, who led Guyana to an unbeaten run in the championship, totalled 106 points (third overall), led the tournament in steals, totalling 15 at an average of 2.5 per game, was third in points per game (17.7), third in assist per game, eighth in Rebounds per game and was the fourth best efficient player.

“I honestly wasn’t paying too much attention to stats and all that. Like the game I scored 41 points in, I didn’t care about that, because all I knew was that the team needed me and I had to step up. It was not until after the game then I they told me how much I had scored,” Rose recalled of producing the tournament’s most memorable individual performance.

Rose’s performances didn’t go unnoticed in Suriname, with several scouts reaching out to the 6’2” guard.

“Well right now I’m getting up some transcript to send to some of the schools that are interested in, some asked for more tapes on my games, so that’s the direction I’m heading,” Rose stated, making it clear that his aim is to play in the US collegiate system, where he will also focus on getting an education and also focus on the game and life after the game.

“I think it’s important for me to leave to show the youths in the community that they too can have a chance if they made good of their exposure, stay discipline and so on,” Rose said.

The charismatic teenager, in chronicling his journey in the sport, said he fell in love with the game from watching his father (Stanton Rose Snr) play and soon, he found himself playing with his father.

“I was encouraged to play by my parents, then I would play ‘round the key’ with my father, so that’s how I learn to shoot. But after then, Sister Ann (Gordon) started working with me,” Rose highlighted.

Ann Gordon is the pillar of the sport in the community, being a coach, mentor and most times a parent-figure for the youths in Kwakwani.

“YBG (Youth Basketball Guyana) offered me the exposure, because I remember when Mr. Bowman (Chris) use to come to Kwakwani and hold clinics and that helped a lot. So I won the school title, was MVP, then Dave (Causeway) took me to the Colts and I did my thing after then, but really Sister Ann, Lugard (Mohan), my father and plenty people helped me. Everything I need my father would provide; I owe a lot to my community,” the usually soft spoken Rose lamented.

According to Rose, he’s prepared to do all the hard work and what’s needed of him to take his game to the ‘next level’, telling Chronicle Sport, “this is not about me really, I think I have a chance to be someone for the youngsters in Kwakwani could look up, give them hope and a reason to keep playing the game.”

“There are other talented players in Kwakwani, but not everyone will get the push. I wish we, as in the youths in Kwakwani can get a chance to go out of the community and play more, get a chance to play on the national team like me.

I think they could try to play for Clubs outside of Kwakwani so that they could be seen. The players are good and even challenge me, so I hope someone really give them a chance,” Rose said as he implored corporate Guyana to invest in basketball, especially in his Region 10 community.