National U-17 Basketball team fit for Centro-Basket Championships – Mohan
By Michelangelo Jacobus
With the Centro-Basket U-17 Championships mere days away, the Guyana National U-17 team has been training intensely for the last week as they aim to be the “fittest team at the Centro-Basket U-17 Championships”.
The team is encamped at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall (CASH) and is under the tutelage of Head Coach Lugard Mohan, Assistant coach Willon Cameron and overseas based Player Development Specialist Kenny Avent.
Speaking to Guyana Times Sports in an exclusive interview, Head Coach Lugard Mohan noted that given “the limited time allowed for the final team to train and gel together as a unit, preparations are coming along nicely.”
He also pointed out that while the competition level will be at a very high standard the mindset of the National U-17 team is to go out and perform to the best of their ability.
Three of the U-17 players going through their drills at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall
“They will play their hearts out,” Mohan assured.
The head coach acknowledged that Guyana may not be the most skilled team in the tournament but would play aggressively with fitness as their watch word.
“We are working on our defense which will be our main focus at the championships” noted Mohan.
According to Mohan Guyana has been dealt a blow with US-based player Jordan Alphonso being able to make the competition.
“He really got the guys together last year (at the CBC U-16 Championships); his level of maturity will be sorely missed as well as his leadership which really showed in the team’s performance.”
The Centro-Basket Championships which is being hosted by the Dominican Republic in Santo Domingo will begin on July 26 and will continue until July 30.
The Guyanese team will depart for the Dominican Republic on July 25 where they will barely have time to rest before playing in their opening Group A game against the Bahamas one day later.
They will be pitted against Puerto Rico and Mexico on July 27 and 28 respectively in the remaining two group games.
The teams competing at the championships are the Bahamas, the Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Mexico, Panama, Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands and Guyana.
