Following the announcement that Guyana will stage the Caribbean Basketball Confederation (CBC) U16 male and female championships, Guyana Amateur Basketball Federation (GABF) President Nigel Hinds said funding for the event will be realised through several avenues.
Guyana won the right to stage the CBC tourney which will be held July 2nd-9th.
The CBC U-16 Championships will qualify three teams to the 2017 CentroBasket U-17 Men and Women’s Championships.
In an invited comment, Hinds said the entity has received commitments in for financial assistance from the Ministry of Education, noting the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) is also expected to assist in this regard for the executives and officials.
According to Hinds, the participating teams will also assist financially towards their participation and accommodation.
Hinds, though, said that his greatest concern is for the facilities to be upgraded “so we can feel proud to stage the event.”
Asked about the individuals that could be in contention to coach the teams, Hinds said, “Nothing has been finalized, Lugard Mohan will play a key role in that part but at the end of the day, the federation will make a determination as to who the coaches and manager of the teams are.
“In my mind, Lugard is well suited but we will look at all the options even overseas. Generally I believe since it’s playing at home, we should have coaches from Guyana,” he added.
Questioned if the Youth Basketball Guyana (YBG) events will be used as a major criteria for team selection, he said, “It will go beyond that, obviously that will be the core. All eligible persons born on or after January 1st 2000 will have an opportunity to prepare in the sessions”.
Hinds further said “The GABF will ensure to bring in persons from a number of schools and a wide cross section will be utilized to select the team.”
