Infrastructure and coach development are part of YBG 2024 plans

In pursuit of its main objective, to develop and nurture young basketballers, Youth Basketball Guyana (YBG) has faced many challenges in the past. The lack of facilities for schools to train and be adequately ready for tournaments is its principal challenge, but YBG intends to work on infrastructure development during 2024, and the plan is also to work on coach development.
In an exclusive interview with Guyana Times Sport, YBG Co-Director Chris Wayne Bowman expounded on the following: the need for facilities to be built for schools, in order to have them ready for tournaments; the development of coaches; and the need for many more tournaments.
“It’s challenging at this stage, because of the lack of facilities. Facilities are a challenge, not only centralised facilities in Georgetown, but across the country. This is school basketball, in which very few schools have the opportunity to train or practice year-round; so, we want to continue to push development, and really look at how we can address that area in terms of strengthening the infrastructure,” he explained.

“We want to see coaches, and more persons involved in coaching, at the school level; so, coach development is another major focus. And (we want to) continue to push as many tournaments as possible,” he explained.
Youth basketball is being played in Regions 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 10, and YBG is expending efforts to have teams from Regions 2 and 9 participate in these school basketball tournaments in 2024.
“Currently, we are playing basketball in six regions, so we are playing in Regions 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 10. So our current school basketball network (is in those regions), and I think the big push is (to have) Region 2 (get involved). We have been trying to get Region 2 on board, and also Region 9, where we have St Ignatius (school).
“Those two regions…we are hoping to at least see teams coming out from those areas come 2024,” Bowman declared.