Latest update March 28th, 2024 12:59 AM
Jan 17, 2009 Sports
– major promotion group, others back GABF
By Edison Jefford
A popular promotion company has thrown its weight behind the President of the Guyana Amateur Basketball Federation (GABF), Godwin McPherson’s position on a matter that implicates the Haynes Basketball Foundation (HBF).
Kaieteur Sport understands that Executives of the company met with McPherson to offer support for his stance on aspects of HBF role and involvement with local basketball, which he had articulated in this newspaper.
The company that manages a successful annual basketball event requested anonymity at an informal meeting yesterday until its Chief Executive returns from the United States of America where more details will be released.
However, one of the Executives of the organisation said that they are fully behind the GABF and its action against allowing HBF to manage “certain things in local basketball”, which include the production of a budget.
“We are fully behind McPherson,” the individual said, adding that the company met with McPherson to let the retired Guyana Defence Force Colonel know that they respect and support his stand on the infringement.
The Haynes Foundation had produced a budget to the GABF, which it assured, covers the country’s expenditure to participate at the upcoming Caribbean Basketball Confederation (CBC) Championships later this year.
In addition, the New Jersey–based Foundation had recommended that if Guyana is unable to send a representative to a meeting scheduled for Saint Lucia early next month, then US–based coach, Larry Davis has volunteered.
In presenting the document to the GABF, the Foundation had stated that it is meant to be a move toward a “proactive approach toward ensuring Guyana’s participation at the 2009 CBC Championships” among other things.
Secondly, HBF had recommended the submission of the comprehensive document, which this newspaper has seen, to the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport so that they may be apprised of the various costs attached.
But apparently the genesis of the document did not find favour with the GABF head, who told this newspaper subsequently that the CBC meeting is not an appropriate forum for Davis and HBF must understand their role.
“What can a coach come back and tell a federation?” McPherson had asked sarcastically, adding that “we (at the CBC meetings) discuss serious administrative matters not plan [basketball] plays,” he had smartly retorted.
The GABF president had made it clear that HBF is the federation’s overseas–based agent but sometimes runs the risk of acting like the GABF. He said the HBF is not the GABF and they have to understand their function.
McPherson would have probably preferred a collaborative effort with HBF to produce the budget but the document, which was well put together, was unilaterally done and that seems to be the heart of the matter.
“HBF got to understand that they don’t run the GABF. They should not operate like they run the GABF because they will have a problem with us,” McPherson had warned ahead of a decisive basketball leaders’ meeting.
The promotion company is not the only stakeholder to have supported McPherson on the issue. The President of the Linden Amateur Basketball Association, Uborn Smith also lauded the GABF President’s forthrightness.
However, HBF could argue that they were given such latitude since they were allowed to muster funds to pay Guyana’s way to CBC in 2007 for instance, which apparently gave them the impetus to infringe on the GABF role.
The current position of the GABF could be interpreted as one that is meant to seriously correct the administrative issues of the sport in an effort of moving it forward. This could be a defining year for local basketball.
THIS IDIOT TELLING GUYANA WE HAVE NO SAY IN THE 50% PROFIT SHARING AGREEMENT WE HAVE WITH EXXON.
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