… says visiting U.S. coach Larry Davis
by Gary Tim
South Carolina, USA (SMS) — Like his players on the South Carolina Lady All Star Basketball Club, coach Larry Davis is perky over their five-day fast-break tour of Guyana that jumps-off this evening.
And, the veteran American instructor who is the sparkplug igniting this historic journey, sees it clutching into the drive to redevelop Guyana’s Basketball.
“Not only for the ladies’ game, but the entire Guyanese basketball vehicle we want to be a catalyst to help steer it to be better, so much better,” he told Stabroek Sports, hours before driving from the base in Greenville to Atlanta, Georgia. There, the 11-member team boarded a Delta Air flight to New York for their connection to the only English-speaking country in South America.
Davis was busy preparing his team for the trip which has engagements in games, clinics and other special activities.
“The team is all excited. It’s a great opportunity to go to Guyana and not only play against the local talent, but also to give testimony of the Christian values of their involvement in sports,” he offered.
“And, to assist the ladies in terms of where they want to go, where they want to be,” he added.
And, yes he did state that the team has religious alliances.
“The South Carolina Lady All Stars is part of a Baptist organization and they have strong religious beliefs and values as to how we should behave.”
Incidentally, among the team’s fringe activities will be a presentation of a collection of bibles at the Campbellville Baptist Church in Georgetown.
Nine female players are in the tour party with Davis and his son, Bobby complementing the squad. Most of the players have toured before, but this time Davis chose the Land of Many Waters as a beneficiary due in part to his strong ties to Guyana.
“My wife, Yvonne (nee Abraham-Singh) is from Mabaruma and my son plays for Guyana internationally,” he said.
However, Davis revealed that plans to have his whole family accompany the team were dimmed as a result of rescheduling snafus. The tour was originally planned for August, but was deferred to allow the Lady All Stars to contest the finale of their national championships after they won the crown in their league.
On the competition side of the tour, the coach is making a point of exposing his players to entertain the Guyanese fans. He says it will be an adjustment going up against players who might be at a different level knowing that the American style differs from what he observes in Caribbean players. “Apart from the camps, we’ll play a couple games so the people in Guyana can get to see the professional ladies, and the ladies in Guyana will certainly want to excel on the same stage too.” Davis proffered.
He said that his group will be happy to get a glimpse of their talent and potential which can lead to improved engagements, interaction and promotion. “Like I had told the Colonel (late Godwin McPherson) and Bobby (Cadogan), this is not a one trick pony. We are looking to do this annually.”
Davis he would do a ‘lesson learner’ from this trip and move for things like fund-raisers on his return to the USA where he has personnel able to endorse and support these efforts.
“Hopefully we’ll help to bring the good crowds back. We know the regular cricket and soccer games get the crowds down in Guyana, but when we start winning I am sure you will see the fans. Everybody loves a winner.”
This writer posits that Guyana would be graced by a team of well mannered and ambitious young sportswomen, a cut above the rest. As a display of their exceptional mannerisms you might often hear the almost blasé use of ‘Yes Sir … No Sir’ or ‘Yes Ma’am … No Ma’am’ when conversing – a standard symbol of Southern upbringing.
“The ladies did excellent in their arrangements, but we’re patting our backs, that is for the other people here and in Guyana who were arranging, day and night.” On behalf of his team he praised the work of Bobby Cadogan, Joe Chapman, Abdullah Hamid, Neil Kumar and David Patterson, as well as Michaela Burnett and the Haynes Foundation.
If all goes as planned, Davis will fulfill a years-old desire. “I see in Guyana those kids run all day and with that they can be real good players with developing the fundamentals and performing them. They just need really solid fundamental work, and if they can take that and put into practice, ‘am tellin’ ya’ ya’ gonna’ be surprised,” he said with a loop on a pronounced southern drawl.
“I enjoy giving back so I have been blessed what basketball and the Lord has done a lot for me. I want us to do well. I want Guyana to do well.” He’s anxious to work with the coaches and players in trying to relay the “foundations we can get basketball in Guyana where it needs to be.”
He said the way forward is to impart instructive criticism, as well as giving the players new information to work with. “You are only as good as the information you get. You cannot stay in your backyard and be comfortable. If you want to progress you have to know what other people are doing and get that teaching.”
Davis opined that the current state of the game in Guyana misses such an approach. “I know they are working with what they have and they are doing a fine job, but they are just not getting the other kind of exposure.” He reminded that in the USA there are people from all over who learn by going from college to college and city to city, thus developing the game rapidly. “You couldn’t do that in Guyana because you didn’t have anybody coming and bringing new information, new technology.”
He reserved his most telling comments for the curtain closer. “I think the men’s team got a lot of talent and I think they need a little more organization and we going to have that.” He said that often in the past Guyana didn’t fully mobilize all its eligible players for international games. So, its squads were ‘under- manned’ and ‘under-sized’, and ran out of options.
“But, I see the new crop of Guyanese players that is available locally and overseas and with that group I think Guyana’s basketball can be right up there at the top … and I really believe that this year if we had fielded the team we had selected to go at the Caribbean champs, I think Guyana would have come in first or second and we just had to build from that.”
