The Guyana Amateur Basketball Federation (GABF) hosted its awards ceremony for the senior men’s team that historically won Guyana’s first Caribbean Basketball Confederation (CBC) Championship gold medal last month in Suriname.
Basketball supporters came out to the GABF ceremony and witnessed the recommissioning of the Burnham Basketball Court
The team, which played unbeaten in the tournament, was led on all fronts by 18-year-old Stanton Rose, who was the youngest captain in Guyana’s basketball history. His outstanding performances led to him being adjudged the Most Valuable Player (MVP) in the competition held at the Anthony Nesty Sporthal in Paramaribo.
During his address at the simple but significant ceremony at the resurfaced Burnham hard court on Saturday night, Rose said, “It was a pleasure leading you guys and my country to the Caribbean Championship and I will keep working, so I can do it again in the future.”
Guyana are now ranked 95th in the world after winning the tournament, moving up from the 117th position which they had prior to claiming the CAC title.
A few of the awardees from the 2018 CAC Senior Men’s Championship team
Overseas-based Kevon Wiggins was the youngest player on the team, aged 17 years, and he was the top scorer in Guyana’s first group game. During his brief address, he noted that he was proud to be part of a championship winning team at such a young age, and noted that he would always represent Guyana, because here is where he belongs.
Coach of the team, Junior Hercules explained that the key ingredient that was missing in the past that this 2018 team had was that the players believed that they could win the tournament. “I hope that this victory will inspire the future generation of ballers in Guyana.”
“To be successful at basketball you need three Ds: determination, dedication and defence. And, defence is what took us to the title,” Assistant Coach Dennis Clarke added.
GABF Vice President Kenrick Thomas, who played a major role in the resurfacing of Burnham hard court, honoured the players’ desire to win every game.
Meanwhile, GABF President Nigel Hinds thanked the players for their dedication and hard work while acknowledging the Coach and his efforts.
Hinds mentioned the significance of the Road to Mecca championship and the warm-up series in Barbados which were pivotal during Guyana’s preparation. He thanked all the sponsors, including Ministers Joseph Harmon and David Patterson who contributed $1 million each out of pocket, towards the team’s costs for participation in the event.
At the end of the ceremony, each player, along with the coaches, was awarded $100,000.
Meanwhile, the commissioning of the Mayor and City Council (M&CC)-owned but GABF-maintained Burnham hard court capped off the evening.
The court recently underwent an $11 million resurfacing project, which was funded by the GABF.
