Thousands of persons yesterday turned up at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall to pay their final respects to local basketball star Damian Liverpool who tragically died in a motorcycle accident in Suriname on June 29.
Cars lined both sides of Homestretch Avenue and a number of prominent sports persons were in attendance at the service.
Pastor Derek Gaspar welcomed the gathering and later delivered the message while Juanita Liverpool read the Eulogy. Tributes were also read by Liverpool’s colleagues from the Customs Enforcement Unit where he worked and by Andrew Hercules of the Plaisance Guardians basketball Club. The 34-year-old Ravens Basketball Club member’s untimely death has put a definite damper on the basketball community. Former national player and coach of the national team, Bobby Cadogan who was present at the funeral service yesterday, declared that basketball has definitely lost a true warrior.
“First of all the turnout at the funeral today was a reflection of the type of person he was. He was a fearless competitor and the day he died was tragic,” Cadogan told Stabroek Sport.
He added:”Guyana has lost one of its true warriors.”
Cadogan also reflected on the type of player Liverpool was noting that he established himself as an excellent rebounder of the ball.
“He was a true rebounder, he had the knack for it and he established himself in the game as true rebounder, anybody within the range of his elbows once he collected a rebound was sure to be touched,” Cadogan reminisced. Cadogan issued a call for a day of prayer for the basketball fraternity which he said was necessary because of the present state of and the future of basketball.
“Its Ironic how many basketball players and administrators have died in the past few years and I plead for a day of prayer for the basketball fraternity because of the state of basketball and we need to get over all the hurdles we are going through,” Cadogan mentioned.
A few years ago another Ravens player Kelvin Lawrence also died during a vehicular accident in Suriname. Liverpool, who played his last game against McDoom/Diamond for North Ruimveldt will be surely missed by his peers for fearless approach to life both on and off the court. His body was interred at the Le Repentir Cemetery.
