Former President of the Guyana Amateur Basketball Federation (GABF), Colonel (ret’d) Godwin McPherson was laid to rest yesterday at Litchfield Village, West Coast Berbice following a church service at the Church of the Transfiguration in Georgetown.
McPherson who stood at the helm of basketball since 1991 died Monday last at St Joseph Mercy Hospital after being hospitalized due to a stroke.
Several dignitaries attended the funeral, including Minister of Sport Frank Anthony, CARICOM Secretary General Edwin Carrington, leader of the main opposition party, PNCR leader Robert Corbin, army Chief of Staff, Commodore Gary Best and other top flight GDF officers.
Also in attendance were President of the Linden Amateur Basketball Association (LABA), Abdullah Hamid, President of the Georgetown Amateur Basketball Association (GABA), representatives of the GABF and players from various basketball clubs around the country.
The basketball administrator was 62 years old at the time of his demise and much was said about the love he had for sports and particularly for basketball.
According to Cecil Chin, former FIBA referee and GABF technical director, he had asked McPherson in 1991 to head the federation after he had successfully managed the Guyana Games.
From the period 1991 to 1993, tournaments were being played in and out of Guyana with both male and female (senior and junior) teams competing.
In 1994, Guyana hosted its third successful CARICOM Championships which were previously held in 1981 under John Yates and 1988 under Colonel Carl Morgan.
During this period (1991 to 1994), referees were sent to Jamaica and Trinidad and also in Guyana to recertify and aspire for the FIBA license. Guyana was also involved in tournaments in Suriname with their Dutch counterparts.
However 1995 was a big year for basketball as it was the first time ever that a junior national team (male) participated in a tournament in the USA with a high degree of recognition and success.
Early in 1996, as President of the GABF, McPherson attended an important meeting in Trinidad and Tobago to help a flagging CARICOM basketball executive.
His contribution to that meeting helped to direct a new way forward and he left as first Vice President of the Caribbean Basketball Confederation (CBC) with responsibility for planning and administration.
He was no stranger to Caribbean sport so his knowledge and expertise were sought and fully accepted. He continuously promoted the game of basketball in Guyana and in close association with colleagues in the USA he was able to assist in the acquisition of sponsorship and scholarships for players and officials. In 1996, the Colonel managed male and female teams for the CARICOM Championships in Trinidad and Tobago. The male team placed third and for the first time ever the females were crowned champions of CARICOM basketball.
In 1997, as acting President of the CBC in Jamaica, he enhanced Guyana’s position to host the junior tournament which was scheduled for 1999.
In 1998, managing the defending female champions in Belize, he was very disappointed when the girls lost to eventual winners, The Bahamas, in a gruelling and ‘hard fought’ semi-final.
He returned to Guyana with a strong desire to ensure that the basketball fraternity would become competitive and succeed at all levels again. At the time of his demise he was still heading the basketball fraternity.
But it was not all bright and beautiful for McPherson as he was often put under scrutiny by many for his stand on certain aspects of basketball and most recently when Guyana failed in its bid to host the CBC Championships.
