Bowman calls for improvement of sports architecture to ease challenges to facilitate youth development

– As Titan Bowl and Tertiary Knockout tournaments get underway

The National Gymnasium on Mandela Avenue was well-occupied as scores of students turned out on Friday to witness action in Youth Basketball Guyana’s 13th edition of Titan Bowl, and the third edition of Tertiary Knockout basketball tournaments which brought the curtains down on 2024 school and youth basketball tournaments.
The Titan Bowl XIII (boys and girls U18), and Tertiary Knockout (boys U21) tournaments are being contested simultaneously until December 15th, and action starts at 3pm daily as seventeen schools showcase their talents in the battle for supremacy.
Speaking with Guyana Times Sport, Youth Basketball Guyana Co-Director Chris Bowman explained the difficulties faced with youth development and the need for improvement of the sports architecture. Bowman said, “This tournament, we are happy that we are able to start today, but we should have started yesterday. And we don’t know how it will go tomorrow, and our semi-finals and finals have to be played on Sunday. So that’s the kind of difficulties that we have had. So, it’s just a reflection, I think, overall, in terms of the larger sports architecture, in terms of development. And that needs work, you know. So, YBG, we’ve been here for 17 years. We have done the National School Basketball Festival for 17 years. We are going to be around for many more years, but it should not be this hard.”

He answered the question on the impact the tournament has on new recruits ahead of the new year when he said, “It’s a good question, because the school basketball year sort of starts in September, when the new academic year starts. So, for a lot of teams, they would have had players leaving at the end of June or July, and they would have had new players being promoted in September. So, really, it’s the first assessment in terms of what to expect for next year’s regionals and next year’s festival. So, it’s the first assessment. So, it’s really important in that regard, indeed.”
The first game contested was a veritable rerun of the National Basketball Finals, with Kwakwani Secondary taking on President’s College and again reigning supreme in securing a 22-4 victory, led by Malia Samuels. Kwakwani demonstrated superior ability to put the ball through the nets.
This publication has been made to understand that the tournament would not have been possible without sponsorship from Francis-Lau Boyce Construction Co. Ltd., ENET, John Fernandes, and the National Sports Commission. (Omar McKenzie)