Guyana’s CBC U-16 squad to be named one month before championships … GABF/YBG to scout overseas players

By Treiston Joseph

Guyana will name their national squad for the Caribbean Basketball Confederation (CBC) under-16 championships one month in advance of the tournament.

This is according to President of the Guyana Amateur Basketball Federation (GABF) Nigel Hinds who was backed by Director of the Youth Basketball Guyana, Chris Bowman on Saturday during the launching for the tournament at Cara Lodge.

With the National School Basketball Festival (NSBF) Regional Conferences currently in progress, Hinds noted that the Federation is keen to give those players  a chance to play before calling them away for national duty.

“We will name the squad three weeks to month before the championship with youth tournament that is going on we don’t want them distracted from what we will be doing during that period they are together,” Hinds stated.

Bowman, the Director of YBG for the past 11 years, is confident that both the YBG and GABF can work together to produce the best teams for the tournament.

“We have a nucleolus of players to look at from Linden, Berbice and Georgetown and it is just to bring them out in time so that they can get accustomed to playing with each other but it is important to know that our core athletes are constantly playing basketball and that I think will aid in how good both the male and female teams are,” Bowman highlighted.

In addition, Hinds pointed that the GABF is also in the process of identifying a few overseas-based Guyanese players to be a part of the national squad that is expected to be named in June.

Meanwhile President of the CBC Glyne Clarke noted that he was happy that the CBC Championships is being held in Guyana, stressing that the event will rejuvenate the sport locally, which happens to be one of the original pioneers for basketball in the Caribbean.

The Championships will begin on July 3 with the male championships and on July 12 for the female championships at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall.