The newly-established Youth Basketball Guyana (YBG) initiative has released the names of 23 junior players 21 years and under to commence training with the YBG Elite Programme.
According to YBG co-executive officer Chris Bowman in a release from the YBG organization, the 23 players represent Guyana’s premier basketball talent under 21 years old.
The YBG Elite team will practice four days a week from 18:00hrs to 21:00hrs at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall (CASH).
“They are the best junior players in Guyana that we have listed and by mid-season we expect players to be added to that list,” the release stated.
The CASH will also be available to YBG players from 16:00hrs so that players can individually work on their skills prior to practice sessions.
Bowman said that the idea behind the YBG Elite programme is to provide a highly competitive environment for the best of the youth basketball players in Guyana to improve all year round.
Former national point guard and CARICOM All Star player Lugard Mohan is YBG’s director of coaching and officiating, and former junior national coaches Mark Agard and Julian Haynes are also members of the coaching department.
“The environment is going to create the level of players that we are looking for.”
With 23 players Bowman said that the YBG will have two full teams in competition whenever the organisation goes on tours and more players can be exposed.
According to the release players will be added to the YBG Elite team following the National School Basketball Festival (NSBF). The YBG Elite team will supply players for the Inter-Guiana Games (IGG) team.
Bowman anticipates a tremendous improvement to the IGG team and junior teams to come, since the players would have benefited from the competitive and developmental environment created by the YBG initiative.
The 23 players are: Shelroy Thomas, Akeem Kanhai, Richard Mohandatt, Yannick Dundas, Ruel Ritch, Dominique Vincente, Taquain Vieira, Nikkoloi Smith, Geoffrey Larose, Cowen Gittens, Dylan Walker, Sheldron Noel, Marlon Pollydore, Yonnick Primo, Dominique Douglas, Dave Plass, Joseph Gilkes, Linden Fraser, Prince Giddings, Lorenzo Bethune, Brandon Bento, Nicholas Cassius and Leron Jackman.
