GABA president Hercules not seeking re-election

Junior Hercules

Junior Hercules, President of the Georgetown Amateur Basketball Association (GABA) says he will not seek re-election when the entity stages its Electoral Congress later this year.

In an interview with Stabroek Sports, Hercules declared: “No! I am not contesting and for two main reasons. I felt as though a structure was added to the GABA administration which is what I set out to do initially. Also, my focus has changed. I recognize while the association is important, players’ development is far more important at this stage and this encapsulates coaching.’

Junior Hercules

According to Hercules, the election will occur between February and early March with a deadline date fixed for March 5th.

“The constitution stipulates that two weeks’ notice must be given to all the clubs with voting rights. Once you register you will automatically have voting rights,” he added.

Hercules, who also holds the portfolio of President of the Guardians Basketball Club, was elected to office on January 25th 2015 at Duke Lodge. He was unopposed after being nominated by Knights and seconded by Colts Basketball Clubs respectively. He replaced then Colts Basketball President Michael Singh.

Asked if anyone has signaled their intention to contest the post he said: “No! I have not received anything official.”

He, however offered:“I think it should be someone who is bipartisan. That person will need the support of persons who understand business administration and the sport. You can’t have persons there who are not functioning.

“Basically there will be a review of my tenure and we will look at the highlights, the things that were put in place, the projects that were completed, the projects that were incomplete and the projects that at least we would like to see completed.”

He said that the highlights of his term include the narrowing of the competitive gap between the teams and also, the introduction of the U23 category.

“I believe we have bridged the gap of High School basketball to U23 as almost 80 per cent of the players that played were either in school or just left school.

“I feel we need stronger club executives for the association to deliver its content. That is an area that needs a lot of attention,” he said.