NEWLY-elected president of the Linden Amateur Basketball Association (LABA) Ms. Dawn McCammon-Barker believes that her executive has the power to drive change, inspire others, and make a lasting impact.

Those were among her sentiments last Sunday after her ascendancy to the top post in Linden.

McCammon–Barker expressed her willingness to collaborate and have open communication as she solicited the clubs to trust her leadership in reviving the sport of basketball in Linden.

She said, “It is through our collective efforts that we will achieve our objectives and overcome challenges.”

No doubt the new LABA president is fully aware of the many hurdles which previous administrations faced, and is willing to take on those challenges, frontally, as a team.

She said, “Let us embrace the journey with a shared vision, and a commitment to our mission of letting basketball win. We are eager to work alongside each of you, harnessing our collective talents, and navigating the path to success.”

Ms. McCammon-Barker outlined that the intention is to focus on youth development, adding, “By creating a nursery, and developing and sustaining it, we can ensure that our existence has longevity, and will continue on for as long as we continue to nurture and guide our youth.”

“It is our intention, as a body, to develop youth basketball, so that the game does not die with me and you. We intend to collaborate with the Ministry of Education to implement the We Got Game basketball initiative in the form of basketball clubs in all our primary and secondary schools, which would be adopted and guided by the LABA,” McCammon-Barker said.

Furthering this intention to ensure that the youths are guaranteed a system to funnel their talents in the right direction, the LABA top official remarked: “We believe that this initiative will manifest a cadre of youths in the sport, thus ensuring its continuity for a very longtime.”

The LABA president continued, “We pledge to have basketball played at all levels on a regular basis, however, this will depend heavily on you the clubs in order for it to happen.”

The LABA will also position itself to have corporate sponsorship for its tournaments, but she told the clubs that they must produce a brand of basketball that will attract fans and sponsors to the game.

The leading LABA official told those club representatives gathered at the Mackenzie High School that their players must be involved in regular training to improve their capacity as skilled individuals whom persons would want to come and watch play.