AS Guyana enters its customary rainy season, outdoor sporting activities are curtailed somewhat, so the Georgetown Amateur Basketball Association (GABA) officials will now turn their attention to staging its annual general elections.
President of the GABA, Trevor Rose, speaking exclusively to Chronicle Sport yesterday, stated that while the weather is a major factor, but greater is the fact that they are without a backboard which he says are currently lying at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport waiting to be cleared.
“Remember when ours was broken, we had to use a spare that belonged to the National Sports Commission (NSC), and after the one in the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall was broken during the Inter Guiana Games (IGG), we had to return it.
“But we have a pair already. It’s just a matter of clearing them now. So with that and the weather bringing a halt to our 2nd and 3rd Division tournaments, we are now focusing on getting our AGM off,” Rose said.
He said that the executives are set to meet this weekend to properly come up with a date which he hopes is before the end of 2010.
“The thing is, most of the executives are of the view that because it’s coming into the Christmas season, if we set it for this year, we wouldn’t have mass participation while some differ, so we will meet this weekend, probably on Sunday to decide; because I know I personally would really like for it to happen now and finish so we can know where we stand on some of the projects that we have started,” Rose mentioned.
One such project is the Burnham Basketball Court rehabilitation programme which is at present in its second phase.
The GABA president said that “we have already completed phase one which is the lights and the  players’ areas and we’re on phase two which I’ve mentioned – the backboards – and after then it’s the bleachers, but we just have to know what’s up with the election and so on and then we’ll know what to do.
“There are many things which we didn’t get to do which we hope to do but like I said, it’s all about knowing what’s up with the election.”
When asked if he thinks the present GABA has satisfied the clubs enough to gain another chance in office, Rose opined that the sport has seen a growth in the amount of clubs/teams being affiliated to the GABA and also, as compared to last year, much more basketball was played.
“Last year we didn’t do as much as this year; I mean, we have successfully moved the game from indoors to outdoors and I think we have made the venue a bit more acceptable and appropriate for not only players but also spectators as well.
“This year we’ve had the Pepsi Street Series play-offs and the 1st and 3rd Division leagues.
“We also had the super wards but I know we could have done a bit more. I think a point to mention too is that we have seen a growth in the amount of clubs. We have both 1st and 3rd divisions, but now we have to see what the clubs think because they are the Association really,” Rose said.
He also said that all of the GABA’s financial records are in order with Treasurer Roger Duff being in charge of that area which he deemed as “very important”.