In an effort to maximise their preparatory period for the impending FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 Pre-Qualifiers, head-coach Junior Hercules disclosed that the management team is exploring the idea of increasing the training sessions to thrice per week at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall, Homestretch Avenue, in Georgetown.
During a brief interview with Stabroek Sport yesterday, Hercules said that the decision to increase the days is rooted in the attempt to improve the eventual team’s match sharpness and competitiveness ahead of the competition.
The provisional roster currently trains twice per week, Saturday and Sunday, at the Homestretch Avenue sporting facility.
He explained, “We require more contact practicing which will ultimately bring us closer to game readiness. I have determined that we have to increase the days so I can have a better feel of the guys’ coordination because we have not gotten any enough playing time. We need to increase the days with the ultimate objective of bringing players closer to game readiness and fitness.”
Hercules pointed out that Friday is the likely day that will be annexed to the schedule, as it will be easier for players to attend who dwell in locations far from the training venue.
“The increase will be one day and we have to consider the distances some players have to travel. Ideally you would like them to be available from Friday to Sunday which is more feasible than adding another day in the week,” he added.
Hercules opined that the increase in the training sessions and the expected intensity that will be employed by the management staff, will eventually begin to separate the players in their bid to seal respective berths on the roster.
“It will start to separate some players from others in terms of their competitive readiness, and ultimately the best case for selection because we are still in the trial period. We intend to step up the training to another gear this weekend,” he said.
The prestigious tournament is scheduled to be hosted during the month of April in the Central American nation of El Salvador. Veteran sport administrator Alex Graham has been confirmed as the Team Manager. The Assistant Coach is yet to be identified for the qualifier.
The GABF provisional roster, which is headed by CBC winning captain Stanton Rose, features both local and overseas based players in the form of Travis Belgrave, Travis Burnett, Akeem Crandon, Delroy James, Anthony Moe, Nikkoloi Smith, Yannick Tappin, Timothy Thompson, Ray Victor, Shaine Webster, Terron Welch, Kevon Wiggins, Harold Adams, Orlan Glasgow, Jamal Gilkes, Israel Yaw, Shelroy Thomas, Richard Semple, Dominique Vincente, Jason Ramrattan, Nathan Saul, Shamar France, Ryan Short, Emanuel Atherly, Linden Adams, and Jonathan Browne.
