Guyana senior men’s basketball coach Junior Andrew Hercules has successfully completed the prestigious 15th International Basketball Coaches Clinic, which was staged under the auspices of the Turkish Basketball Federation (TBF).
This was disclosed during an exclusive interview with Stabroek Sport yesterday. According to Hercules, the course differed from previous clinics as it dealt with the professional environment that is required for coaching staffs to develop strategies for opponents.
He expounded, “This clinic was different in that it addressed professional application and assumed the coaching staff and team had the necessary resources to engage and assess the opponent via team films etc. Attending this clinic further exposes Guyana’s basketball resource inadequacies.”
The course, which was approved by the world governing body, the International Federation of Association Basketball (FIBA), was staged from July 2nd-4th via the TBF Academy distance education platform.
In the online event, a 360-degree comprehensive training was conducted by valuable basketball coaches from the USA and Europe, as well as expert conditioners, communication specialist basketball players and academics. It was broadcast in Turkish and English. Coaches attending the clinic following successful completion, received a FIBA-approved certificate of attendance.
He noted that while participation was a challenge owing to the differing time zone, several key areas were highlighted including investment and scouting material. However, he noted that despite the prevalence of the aforementioned areas, success was not a guarantee at this level.
“While the time zone presented a challenge I was able to determine and learn the following: Basketball coaching starts way before the first day of training. It is extremely important to have data and film to understand your opponent whenever participating in international tournaments and games. Preparation investment cannot guarantee success, as in the case of Canada, Serbia, Lithuania and Croatia which spent between 2.5 to 4 Million USD and failed to qualify for the Olympics,” he declared.
“The coaching jargon and applications focus more on players’ strength and not necessarily on the team as it relates to preparation.
“Coaching should prepare as much as possible for almost all in-game situations and players’ roles are specific to a player’s skill set,” he added.
