The selectees for the Inter-Guiana Games (IGG) basketball team that will represent Guyana in the basketball events of the 2010 IGG, which will be held on November 19-21 at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall, will be heading to Kwakwani today for a three-day training camp.
The encampment of the squad, starting today, is geared towards their IGG preparation process, according to the team manager and coordinator Chris Bowman, who spoke to Stabroek Sport when contacted via telephone last evening.
In addition, Bowman said that the trip is a “National Sports Commission programme to intensify the basketball team’s preparations for the IGG.”
The national team’s selectees were identified primarily from the recently-concluded National Schools Basketball Festival and they hail from Berbice, Georgetown and surrounding areas, Linden and Kwakwani.
Stabroek Sport learned that 23 of the 30 players will be joining seven selectees from Kwakwani for the camp and they will be accompanied by head coach of the team Mark Agard. Other members of the coaching team include Julian Haynes and Vijay Panday.
Bowman revealed that for the period of the encampment the selectees will be split into two groups, which are an elite A and an elite B team.
These two teams will be going up against the Kwakwani High School team and the Kwakwani under-23 team as Bowman emphasized that the coaching and management team “wish to have the squad partaking in a number of competition-like games over the weekend.”
“The teams will play in a series of games over three nights because we want to look at the players in a competition environment,” Bowman said.
According to Bowman this is being done because the coaching and management team will eventually reduce the IGG squad to 15, but this wouldn’t be done until after a follow-up camp, which will be held the following weekend.
“This is a good opportunity for the youngsters to practice in a competitive environment,” Bowman stated.
The team will be staying at the Kwakwani Hostel and will be returning on Monday.
Other members of the coaching team include team trainer Ceon Erskine and Lugard Mohan, who will not be accompanying the team on this trip, but will be providing technical support, Bowman said.
