Although disappointed that Guyana fell short in the final of the 2017 IBF Lesser Antilles 3X3 championships, Junior Hercules, Head-Coach of the boys U18 team, said yesterday that he was tremendously pleased with the team’s overall performance.
In an exclusive interview with Stabroek Sport following the team’s return to local shores from St. Lucia, Hercules declared:“I am extremely proud, obviously I am disappointed but I am mostly proud.”
Guyana secured a historic silver medal finish in the championships, losing to Martinique 9-8 in the final Sunday.
Despite fielding an injured Jamal Gilkes, the Guyanese only lost the match in the dying seconds. This was their first and only loss of the tournament.
Guyana earned their place in the final after defeating Barbados 15-1, Curacao 15-2, Antigua and Barbuda 9-7, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 12-4, Aruba 15-4 and Guadeloupe 12-9 in the semi-finals. The next version of the tournament will be held in November in either Barbados or St Maarten.
According to Hercules “When you lose a game which is decided in seven seconds, it’s always a tough pill to swallow. The deciding factor was the injury to Jamal [Gilkes] in the semifinal. That definitely hampered us in bringing the gold home. I think we did extremely well as I honestly believed this format of the game and the composition of the team we would have done well.“That being said, the players themselves have rather admitted that this format is much more gruelling than the traditional five-on-five version. I am extremely impressed how they were able to handle the conditions, whether the Sun or the physicality of the matches, they adjusted well.”
Asked about the quality of the tournament, Hercules revealed: “The male [version] was very competitive. The teams that adjusted more to the climate and the format did better. Martinique was clearly a well-oiled machine from the start, like us they did not lose a game in their group and we were almost bound to reach each other. Guadeloupe and Antigua and Barbuda also presented stiff competition for us in the group stage.
Hercules said he would like for Guyana to field a team at the next tournament.
“I would say the female version was not that competitive with the exception of Guadeloupe and Martinique. I would definitely push for Guyana to have a female team this year as, I see no reason they shouldn’t at this level.
“In order for Guyana to replicate the success and go as far as, winning the tournament, we need to have more tournaments of this kind both male and female. More sensitization needs to be done,” Hercules added.
