The Guyanese senior men’s basketball team finished third in the international goodwill tournament in Paramaribo, Suriname, defeating French Guiana 85-69 to conclude the event on a positive note.
The victory was in the third-place playoff in the four-team tournament. Guyana lost their first game of the competition to the hosts, 62-75.
Team Manager Jermaine Slater said during a brief interview with Stabroek Sport following their return, “I think the guys performed well; we lost the first game because we didn’t get a chance to warm up for the game as per normal at other international events. Our warm-up was 10 minutes before the actual match.
We started to make shots in the second half, but they had already gotten a double-digit lead. We missed a lot of free shots. In the second game, the familiarity with the court was evident and better, and the shots started dropping from the first quarter, and we pulled away and had an 18-point lead and eventually won by more than 20 points. The young guys really performed well; the defence was on point, and we didn’t have many issues.
He further stated that additional international exposure for the team will serve them well as part of their preparation for the impending CBC Championship.
The team consisted of 12 players and four technical officials. The playing roster contained Shelroy Thomas, Harold Adams, Orlan Glasgow, Dominic Vincente, Nikkoloi Smith, Travis Belgrave, Stanton Rose Jr., Shane Webster, O’Quacey Short, Zion Grey, Domair Gladstone, and Yannick Tappin.
On the other hand, the coaching staff consisted of Adrian Hooper and Marlon Rodrigues, while the management team consisted of Jermaine Slater and Warren Wilson.
Guyana defeated Suriname 77-62 in a senior men’s international basketball friendly on Saturday, December 16th, at the National Gymnasium, Mandela Avenue, which initiated the team’s participation in the tournament.
