Guyana Amateur Basketball Association (GABF) President Nigel Hinds recently acknowledged that there has been inadequate coaching within the basketball fraternity.
This admission came at a GABF press conference last Friday.
Hinds noted that the lack stemmed from the Federation’s inability to attract suitable persons to the job. “In terms of coaching, the efforts that have been made to attract coaches have not been successful. A lot of it goes back to clubs, lack of a club structure, and financing,” Hinds stated.
GABF President Nigel Hinds
Another factor, he explained, is the absence of support at the school level. “There isn’t an instance in the schools where you can find a dedicated coach, except for a few schools.”
Hinds clarified that this situation could be helped by the Government’s support, whether by injecting funds into the school clubs or ensuring that interested schools have a full-time coach on board.
Another issue highlighted is the need for local coaches to be properly attired and for them to attend games with specific game plans.
The GABF President admitted that his Federation also had a part to play, “What falls under the GABF mandate is that we have a dormant coaching association, and it’s a challenge we have ahead to bring some sort of semblance of progress to having stricter coaches and the essential need for coaches.”
He noted that this was an area that would be looked in to over the course of the year, owing to the importance of having a coach on board for every team.
“I will venture to say that Willon Cameron has played a key role in the Colts’ success,” he explained. Cameron has been coaching the Bounty Colts team for the past two years and has led the team to victory both times.
