GUYANA’S Stanton Rose Jr will have to wait a little longer to bounce off his National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) career after it was reported that a player from the opposing Lubbock Christian University (LCU) tested positive for COVID-19.

Rose, who was making his NCAA Division Two debut for the San Antonio, Texas-based St Mary’s University, was scheduled to face LCU in back-to-back matches on December 11 and 12, but, the player told Chronicle Sport yesterday that for now, they await a word from the NCAA on their other engagement.

According their clash with Dallas Baptist University on December 18 and 19 is still on schedule.
“It’s definitely a set-back because we’re not sure if we will have those two games back. We don’t know if teams will want to travel and come, or, if the school will want us to travel to certain places because of the high COVID-19 numbers,” Rose said.

At the moment, his team’s doctor is the one calling all the shots. “So if they said we can’t go certain places, then I guess that’s it.”
Rose, the 2018 Caribbean Basketball Confederation (CBC) Championship’s, Most Valuable Player (MVP), moved to San Antonio, Texas after accepting an offer from the University of St Mary’s.

Prior to his move in April this year, Rose suited up for Jacksonville College and Panola College at the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) level.
Rose had told Chronicle Sport that he was anxious to get back on the court, especially taking into account that he thinks he has something to prove.

The point guard noted that coming from Guyana and playing in the NJCAA, provided the much-needed help to first allow him to balance playing a tight schedule and the classroom – something he wasn’t used to doing while in ‘GT’.

He also stated that his stints at Jacksonville and Panola colleges proved to be the perfect catalyst to the NCAA level after receiving many offers, following his sensational historic performances at the CBC Championship, where he propelled Guyana to their first Senior Men’s crown.

Meanwhile, Rose was adamant, that at any given time, he can be called upon to represent Guyana, telling Chronicle Sport that “there’s nothing more beautiful in basketball for me, than putting on the colours of my country and making them proud”.