By Floyd Christie
The Washington DC Jammers began their one-week tour of Guyana on Wednesday and as part of their visit the team along with their staff will be hosting a coaching clinic today from 1 pm at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall (CASH).
The DC Jammers are here primarily to challenge a National President’s select 12-man team in the Godwin McPherson Memorial Tournament, which began last night at CASH.
However, the visiting team’s itinerary also includes the coaching clinic to allow them to share their expertise with the local basketball community.
The clinic which is aimed at developing basketball locally is the most recent of the many steps being taken by the Jammers to expose local players to international basketball.
The team’s management has also been working with overseas-based Guyanese players, assisting them to acquire scholarships to various colleges overseas.
At a press conference on Wednesday shortly after the team’s arrival in Guyana, Manger of the team, Dennis Baird shed some light on the efforts to take Guyanese players to greater heights in the basketball arena. Baird emphasized that the “enhancement of basketball in Guyana” is one of the team’s major objectives and they have been working toward this throughout the 20 years that they have been gracing Guyana’s shores.
As such, Baird stated, the team’s management has been primarily responsible for enabling some of the good players in Guyana to acquire scholarships and play in college.
“I know simply about six Guyanese players who received scholarships,” Baird stated as he pinpointed players such as the team ’s 6’9” centre and co-captain Lancelot Loncke, who was born in Linden.
Loncke has etched his name on the basketball stage in the United States, having been awarded the All-American Player for three years and Louisiana Small College Player-of-the-Year, among other honours.
Other outstanding players that fall under the DC Jammers umbrella include the team’s 6’9” forward/guard and captain, Dexter Martin, who was born in Georgetown.
Attending the High Point High School in Maryland, Martin was awarded Athlete-of-the-Year and he was also the leading scorer in the Goucher College Basketball team.
Baird added that even after his team departs he hopes that with the funds generated from the current Godwin McPherson Memorial Tournament and other basketball events staged by the GABF, the national team would be able to obtain sufficient finances to participate in next year’s Caricom Basketball Confederation Games.
The national basketball team that competes beyond these shores usually comprises mostly DC Jammers players and Baird assured that this cooperation between the overseas-based players and the locals will continue.
“I look forward to a few members from the DC Jammers representing Guyana again,” Baird stated as he recalled past international tournaments in which the national team participated, with support from the DC Jammers.
According to Baird the most recent event of that kind was approximately two years ago when the national team competed in Puerto Rico with eight DC Jammers players on the squad.
Today’s clinic is free and is open to all those who which to attend.
Among other plans on the DC Jammers agenda for this tour is a trip to New Amsterdam tomorrow, to compete against the New Amsterdam senior basketball team.
