…. GABF to make a pitch to NBA point guard Darren Collison

GUYANA’S female basketball team were drawn in Group ‘B’ of the Caribbean Basketball Confederation (CBC) tournament, which will bounce off in neighbouring Suriname, from June 15 to 22.

The tournament this year, which will serve as a qualifier to FIBA’s AmeriCup, will see the Guyanese placed alongside rivals Suriname, Dominican Republic and Barbados, while in Group ‘A’, regional powerhouse Bahamas will face Cuba and St Vincent and Grenadines.
While the male team’s highest placing was second (1994 Georgetown), in 1996, behind Karen Abrams and head coach Linden ‘Sancho’ Alphonso, the Guyanese women won the coveted female CBC (then known as CARICOM Basketball Championship) title, defeating Jamaica 67-55 in the final at the Jean Pierre Sports Complex in Trinidad and Tobago.
Speaking to Chronicle Sport yesterday, Nigel Hinds, president of the Guyana Armature Basketball Federation (GABF) said he’s happy to see the Guyanese female basketball team back in regional tournaments and pledged his association’s every effort in ensuring that they be given the same preparation as the men’s team.

According to Hinds, the GABF will be looking to the Diaspora for Guyanese-born female players, just as it looks to recruit the men, in order to strike a balance with the local players.

Meanwhile, with regard to the men’s team Hinds said the GABF will be making efforts to reach out to Indiana Pacers point guard Darren Collison, whose parents are former track and field stars for Guyana.

“We had tried before, and I think we will make another pitch again,” Hinds added.
“What we want is the best team to represent Guyana. There are still some restrictions with regard to how many non-nationals we could have and so on, so we’re looking for Guyanese-born players,” said Hinds.

Guyana teams featured at every tournament under Hinds’ tenure at the helm of the GABF, with their best finish being fifth place in 2015, behind former Indiana Pacers and Dallas Mavericks shooting guard, Rawle Marshall.
Marshall, 35, went undrafted in 2005 after a stellar collegiate career with Oakland University in the NCAA, but was picked up by the Mark Cuba-owned Dallas Mavericks to start his NBA journey.

“Rawle is a pretty gifted player, one of the best I’ve seen suit up for us and is a really fit player, so once he’s still playing and healthy, we would love to have him,” the GABF boss reminisced.

Hinds also mentioned that the Gordon Brothers, who play in Europe, are also strong targets for the GABF to blend with the GABF’s local selections.
As it relates to coaches for both teams, Hinds said that will depend on the calibre of players they are able to attract.

Guyana men’s team are placed in Group A with long-time rivals and hosts Suriname, along with Grenada, St Lucia and St Vincent and the Grenadines.
Group B will bring together Haiti, Bermuda, Montserrat, Barbados and Antigua & Barbuda.