Junior national player and Eagles rising star Travis Belgrave is expected to be issued with a lengthy ban by the Georgetown Amateur Basketball Association (GABA) for his physical assault on official Rudy Sampson.
The incident occurred on Saturday at the Burnham Court on Carmichael and Middle Streets during the fourth quarter of the Eagles and Pacesetters semi-final fixture.
Adrian Hooper, President of the Georgetown Amateur Basketball Association (GABA) and Eagles Basketball Club, said yesterday, “The disciplinary committee already knows of the situation and I will get feedback from them soon. Within 24 hours I shall know. The GABF is also aware of the situation.”
Sampson, who was one of the three referees officiating in the contest recounted the events of the night, stating: “During the fourth quarter between Eagles and Pacesetters, I called a charging foul on Travis Belgrave. He then began to use abusive language towards so I called a technical foul on him.”
He went on, “I then turned around to retrieve the ball but I was called by one of the officials who alerted me that the player was attacking me. When I turned around, he dealt me a punch which struck the top of my head. Players then ran on the court and held him back. He was quickly ejected from the match and after 20 minutes of deliberation with the other two officials, the game continued. I have made a report to the Police Station and they are looking for him.”
He added, “I was told by the GABF that they will take action against him and that he will be suspended and eventually banned.”
Meanwhile, Michael Singh, Vice-President of the Guyana Amateur Basketball Association (GABF) said, “We will let due process take its course and let the disciplinary committee convene. He is a very passionate player but it’s unwarranted. The kid will be subject to disciplinary proceedings.
