SC Ladies basketball team arrive

Sep 19, 2009 Sports

Coach expecting “tough” challenge

WELCOME TO GUYANA!!! South Carolina Lady All-Star basketball team arrive at the Windjammer International Hotel yesterday shortly after disembarking the National Sports Commission bus that brought them from the airport.

By Edison Jefford
The South Carolina (SC) Lady All-Star basketball team arrived in Guyana yesterday after a brief delay for a three-game series against the national female team that began last night at the renowned Cliff Anderson Sports Hall.
The United States-based All-Star team was scheduled to arrive in the country a little after 7am yesterday but foggy conditions forced a two-hour delay that led to an approximately one hour stop in Trinidad before arriving here. National coach Robert Cadogan and Liaison Officer, Dennis Clarke among other Guyana Amateur Basketball Federation (GABF) officers escorted the team from the Cheddi Jagan International Airport to Windjammer International Hotel.
The National Sports Commission bus was used in the escort and as South Carolina Ladies All-Star coach, Larry Davis said, “It was a good trip other than the fog and it was a good flight. We are grateful to Cadogan and (Neil) Kumar”. Davis, who was appointed national male coach in 2007 when the senior team competed at the Caribbean Championships in Puerto Rico, indicated that he expects the games against the local females to be customarily competitive.
“I expect them to play as tough as Guyanese athletes normally do. We understand that we have an advantage because of the level that our (SC Ladies) team have played but I know that they will come out hard in every game,” he said.
The US Elementary, High School and College-exposed coach informed Kaieteur Sport in the interview that apart from the games, the local females will have the opportunity to get involved in interactive sessions with the SC Ladies.
He said that it is always a major boost for emerging players to have the opportunity to be part of networking with other players that have played in both semi-professional and the professional Leagues. It is a win-win situation he said. “Our presence will bring a little more awareness to women’s basketball in Guyana and is a means of establishing a standard that says look if you want to get to the world level here are ladies that have been there before,” Davis stated.
“We intend to work with the national coaches like training the trainers because four days is not enough time to effect any real change among players but if we train the coaches we can leave something behind and that is good,” he continued.
Apart from the games, Davis and the SC Ladies will host a few workshops for both male and female players in Georgetown and Linden on Sunday.
Some of the areas of focus are fundamentals, drills and the philosophy of the game. Davis believes that practice sessions must replicate the game and as such one of the basic philosophies is “when you do drills they must have some importance to what you hope to accomplish in the game”. Practice must mirror game time.
“When a player does a back-screen, block-out, v-cut etcetera, they must understand what they are doing and the impact it will have on the game. If they don’t understand that then I am telling you it is going to cost that team,” he explained.
Generally, Davis believes the goodwill tour will be very fruitful toward the development of basketball in Guyana. The overall aim is to upgrade women’s basketball while taking a more proactive approach for international exposure.