With preparation for the FIBA Basketball World Cup – Americas Pre-Qualifier, in El Salvador continuing on a weekly basis, Junior Hercules, head-coach of the Men’s Senior Team, stated that several foreign based players have signalled their intention to represent Guyana in the championship.
This was confirmed during an exclusive interview with Stabroek Sport. According to Hercules, “Yes, they have signalled their intention of representing their country. It is the intention of the Federation when logically and financially possible to have all foreign players available to train as a team. The Caribbean championship model was one in which the entire team train and stay together for a minimum of 12 days.”
Asked about the status of the team’s preparation, Hercules stated that while the participating players have shown progression during the training sessions, the provisional roster is behind its expected performance level. “Thus far most of the players we have been working with have shown progression in terms of fitness. We are not where we want to be because we don’t have the full complement of players playing together.”
Quizzed about the importance of the tournament in light of the team’s status as Caribbean Champion, Hercules declared, “This is singlehandedly Guyana’s most important tournament on our international journey.”
Despite the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, Hercules disclosed that the expectation for his charges is to compete at the championship and garner positive results. “My expectation is to first and foremost ensure Guyana gets the best players who are able and willing to compete at the highest level. It is also my hope that our best translates into victories for our country.”
Questioned if the GABF is exploring the idea of staging international or locally fixtures as a mechanism to provide the team with adequate match preparation, he indicated, “The possibility is always entertained. The more important question is whether Guyana is prepared to spend on ensuring adequate and safe preparation including friendly, whether locally or regionally.”
The Guyana Men’s Senior Basketball Program, which is the highest ranked unit participating in the first round of the event, will arrive in the Central American nation on April 12. They expected to depart seven days later.
The first round of qualifiers will be conducted utilising a group format, with the top three finishers progressing to the second round of qualifiers slated for July 2021.
Among the four teams that will compete in the first qualifying stage scheduled for April, the Guyanese are ranked 100. Guyana’s peak ranking of 98 was attained in November 2020. The other three nations, Costa Rica, Nicaragua and El Salvador, are ranked 106, 116 and 133 respectively.
Presently, Guyana’s 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.
On the management side, Alex Graham has been confirmed as the Team Manager, while the assistant coach is yet to be identified.
