A number of Guyana’s promising junior basketball players were recently involved in a youth hoops basketball clinic which ended yesterday at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall (CASH).
The initiative which was organised by Green Mango Media (GMM) in collaboration with The Xperience Outreach out of the United States, focused on enhancing participants overall skill levels.
Sessions were also conducted in Linden and facilitated by former NBA player Jermaine Taylor and founder of The Xperience Outreach, Rich Mahler.
The brainchild of the undertaking Amanda Wilson, founder of GMM revealed to Stabroek Sports that organising the clinic emerged out of the need to reignite interest around the sport once again.
“We wanted to do this because it’s something we want to do continuously. We wanted Rich and Taylor to come down because they have never been to Guyana and they’ve been asking if there are good players here because they don’t see Guyana being represented at the youth international tournaments,” Wilson explained.
She further noted that the event isn’t a one-off exercise, pointing out that the team intends to return to Guyana in August as a follow up to not only build on what occurred over the past few days but also to give technical advice and possibly organise a tournament.
“August, we have another clinic coming up and we are trying to get another former NBA player here along with JT… and we are planning a big “Big three” tournament, so all of that is in the works; we are here for the long run. It’s time basketball gets back to that high level.”
Wilson added that she will be encouraging the youngsters to apply for overseas scholarships and other basketball opportunities to expand their outlook on the sport.
Green Mango Media is an overseas-based film producing company based in the United Kingdom with strong ties to Guyana with the objective to promote Guyana through healthy partnerships and sustainable projects with the potential to be successful locally, regionally and internationally. Their clients include the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA), SONY Records, Equatorial Guinea Government and the Guyana Football Federation (GFF).
Mahler is a vastly experienced coach who has worked with the NBA’S New York Knicks while Taylor who was drafted 32nd overall in 2009 by the Washington Wizards is now active in the swiftly growing Big3 league.
