Linden is already up in Georgetown’s face and the two teams have not even taken the court yet! Can you imagine what will happen when the two teams hit the floor of the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall for jump ball Saturday night?
The capital city was the first to name its team last Tuesday, but the mining town has responded with a team as equally deadly as the garden city in an effort to ensure a clean sweep in the upcoming three-game series.
President of the Linden Amateur Basketball Associa-tion (LABA), Colin Aaron told Stabroek Sport yesterday that the Linden team for the Guyana Amateur Basketball Federation (GABF)/Wildfire Productions Tournament would be tough to beat.
The tournament brings together the country’s two most powerful basketball territories: Linden and Georgetown for an inter- association basketball tournament beginning Saturday and continuing Sunday in Linden.
The Georgetown Amateur Basketball Association (GABA) named an 18- man squad last Tuesday but the LABA responded on Thursday with a 16-man squad with similar venom as the Georgetown team.
Both teams will be cut to 12 players for the competition. Aaron said that his final team would be named on Friday while head coach of the Georgetown unit, Robert Cadogan is expected to name the final team around the same time.
“We are very strong in the backcourt, it’s our front court that we need to look at,” Aaron said, adding that Linden has the advantage in the centre positions in the back court.
The three players named in the centre positions for Linden are Wismar Pistons’ Nkossi Gurrick, Kings’ Jason Alonzo and Bulls’ Terrence James. If Linden is relying on the position, most likely all three players will be named in the final team.”We have the better big men and our added advantage with (Marvin) Hartman and Julius (Gardner),” Aaron said, giving some insight into who will make the final cut.
Kings’ shooting guard Hartman will be looking for revenge in the series after his team was savagely cut down in the nation-wide first-division final two weeks ago by the Georgetown-based Courts Pacesetters.
Hartman’s teammate, forward Alwyn Wilson completes the Kings’ trio named along with Alonzo. All three players were among the top scorers for the team in the recently-concluded tournament that earned them a call to the Linden squad.
Point guard Gardner could consider his place secure in the side leaving fellow point guards, Jets’ Neil Simon, Royals’ Anson Durant and Pistons’ Nevin Grenville to battle for the remaining slots in the guard position.
Utility Pistons’ guard Trevor Profitt returns to the mining town after a successful run in the East Bank Basketball competition for Barama. His leadership in that tournament was most likely the factor that gave him a chance in his hometown.
Profitt’s teammate, forwards Marvin Tyrell and Quincy Jones will be looking to fill the forward vacuum among Royals’ Mark Richards, Raiders’ Neil Marks and Nets’ Dwight Wickham. The other player on Linden’s 16-man squad is Dwight Cooper.
Aaron issued a warning to Georgetown when he indicated that Linden is coming to the party for a clean sweep and will settle for nothing else. “Georgetown had their time to talk, now it’s Linden’s time to say a few words. We stand a great chance of a clean sweep,” the LABA head said.
Last week at the launch of the event president of the GABA, Chris Bowman, said that Georgetown was the superior team. Bowman was right when he also added that the tournament would settle the issue of superiority in local basketball.
The Linden female squad includes Nichola Jacobs, Kean Fredricks, Althea Byass, Jasmin Pellew, Bobby Bowman, Tiana Badley, Sonia Rodney, Ayana McRae, Kinani Fyffe and Mourice Skeet.
