The Guyana Amateur Basketball Federation (GABF) issued a statement yesterday in response to the allegations by head coach of Scorpions Basketball Club, Vijay Panday.
Panday had expressed his disappointment with the GABF, charging that he is always overlooked in the selection of coaches to prepare national basketball teams for international games.
He expressed his grievance after it came to his attention that the GABF had named Mark Agard, Robert Cadogan, Abdulla Hamid and Kirk Fraser as the coaches who will train both male and female teams.
However, in the statement released by President of GABF, David Patterson, it was noted that the GABF has put in place a technical committee under the chairmanship of Vice President Operations – Floyd Levi, to select coaches and players for the upcoming international series.
The committee is also responsible for logistics related to the conducting of training sessions. Along with the chairman, the committee comprises technical representatives of Georgetown (Cadogan), Linden (Hamid), Berbice (Fraser) and Women’s Basketball (Agard), which in the Federation’s opinion was a fair and equitable balance.
Patterson highlighted that these committee members are not the coaches who will train both male and female teams for the international games.
“This committee is there to identify and recommend the players and coaches for the international games,” Patterson said via telephone yesterday.
He added that the GABF had selected a member from Berbice, Georgetown, Linden and women’s basketball so as to get feedback from each area.
The statement went on to explain that at the GABF executive meeting, several persons were proposed as possible coaches but the technical committee will make the final recommendations.
FIBA certification
Meanwhile, in terms of getting coaches to become qualified, during September/October 2010 the GABF with the assistance of FIBA Americas and CBC will be conducting a FIBA Level I coaching clinic in Guyana.
This clinic will be open to all current and aspiring basketball coaches.
Successful participants will be awarded internationally-recognized FIBA certification. It is the GABF intention to mandate that after this clinic, at minimum all First Division coaches must be FIBA-certified.
“We acknowledge that to move our sport forward, not only must our referees be FIBA-certified, so too must our coaches,” Patterson said.
