National 3×3 Basketball Coordinator, Junior Hercules, affirmed that the expectation is for Guyana to be competitive at the ongoing Islamic Solidarity Games in Konya, Turkey, with the primary objective of qualifying for the knockout stage.
This was declared during an exclusive interview with Stabroek Sport yesterday. Hercules explained, “This 3×3 Guyana team is composed of skill, experience, and grit. Led by Guyana’s most experienced captain. While there is little known content about our opponents we believe they are well prepared given the historical and religious significance of these games. I expect the Guyana team to be able to compete with the goal of achieving the first objective of coming out of Group B. First two advance to the group of five.”
The Guyana 3×3 team comprises Stanton Rose Jr, Travis Belgrave, Nikkoloi Smith, and Harold Adams. The Guyanese have been drawn into Group B alongside the likes of Iran, Maldives, Uganda, and Mauritania.
They will open their campaign today at 11:15 am against Mauritania, before facing off against Uganda in their second fixture at 12:40 pm.
According to Hercules, a game plan has been constructed to enhance the team’s strength despite the obvious uncertainty associated with playing against nations for the first time.
“That being said, we have prepared a game plan to allow us to optimise our performance given the uncertainties. We expect to win every game we play and that mentality has been consistently communicated by both myself and the captain Stanton Rose. We have four of Guyana’s best individual players for which I expect a lot of offensive firepower. Our team preparation was decent except for consistent warm-up games. Nevertheless, we believe our game plan is a simple one which I believe allows for clarity and increases the chances of execution.”
