Sometime in 1953 a film called `The Harlem Globetrotters’ was shown in cinemas in Georgetown about professional basketballers who toured the United States playing exhibition games and wowing crowds everywhere with their dexterity, spectacular ball handling and humourous tricks.
The movie so inspired some of the youths of the then British Guiana who were in awe of the `razzle dazzle’ type of showmanship exhibited
that they decided then and there that they too could emulate or at least try to emulate the Curly Neal’s of the Harlem Globetrotters that they decided to play basketball. They did not mix matters and got down to the business at hand of learning to play basketball.
This was without a coach or any experienced player of the game to show them the way.
This was the inauspicious start of the Ravens Basketball Club, a club which is celebrating three score and 10 years of existence today and more importantly the start of club basketball in the land of the Majestic Kaieteur Falls.
The start was made a group of College boys Clairmont Taitt, Lawrence Taitt, Deryck Corsbie, Ken Corsbie, Harry Dyatt, Michael Brancker and Wilbert Holder. Those boys were the nucleus of the future of basketball in the then British Guiana. Those enthusiastic youths purchased a basketball and set about getting backboards (not regular conditions). They did not have the smooth and level hard courts or indoor courts which are in existence today. They had to ask permission from the Youth Council to practice on their ground on the Seawalls and that was the miserable condition for most games including football.
To the initial group of enthusiastic youngsters were added the names of Ronnie Savory, Noel Bacchus and Rickle Smith which brought the total membership to 10 and was the first Ravens Basketball Club.
In the early years, Ravens also had the help of a Queen’s College Master on an exchange system who was very interested in the game and had played a lot in the United States. In November of 1954, Bookers Sports Organisation Sports Officer, Emmanuel MacDonald Bailey, consented to be Patron of the Ravens Basketball Club. Also in 1954 several other basketball clubs were formed notably the Dan River Panthers, the Clowns, the Chinese Red Star and the Swans. Ravens also formed a female team which were the first representative team to tour overseas in April 1957.
It should be noted that the American Troops stationed in British Guiana played basketball here in 1945 but this was strictly amongst themselves as no locals were involved.
Ravens Basketball Club produced stalwarts such as Hewley Henry, the late Godfrey ‘’Chin’’ St Hill, the late Eldon ‘’Rocky Chair ‘’Vaughn’’ the late Wally Murray, the late Charles ‘’Torain’’, Clement, George Sharples, Eon `Watusi’ Andrews and later CARICOM All Star guard and former national captain the inspirational Lugard Mohan.
