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Jun 17, 2010 Sports
– Decision to send Fraser as Coach “upsets” LABA
By Edison Jefford
Three Guyanese were earlier this week selected to attend the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) ‘Children of the World Camp’ in Istanbul, Turkey during the FIBA World Championship and the decision on Kirk Fraser as Coach has sparked debate.
Every National Basketball Federation affiliated to FIBA was offered the opportunity to send one boy and one girl along with a Coach to the Camp. The players must have been born in 1997 or in 1996 with the Coach being no older than 35 years old.
Kaieteur Sport understands that Guyana had selected Akela Brusche, a female from Linden, and a male, whose name we could not ascertain up to press time last night, from Georgetown. Fraser, from New Amsterdam, was named as the players’ Coach.
Reports reaching this newspaper indicated that Fraser, who is relatively inactive and is part of the Guyana Amateur Basketball Federation’s (GABF) Coaching Staff for an upcoming International Series in Guyana, edged out Linden’s, Kester Jeffrey for the trip.
Efforts to contact GABF President, David Patterson and Vice-President, Floyd Levi for comment last evening proved futile, but a FIBA release stated that all expenses for the trip will be paid and the deadline to submit entrants was closed on Monday, June 15.
Technical Director of the local National Federation, Abdulla Hamid, who is also President of the Linden Amateur Basketball Association (LABA), told this newspaper when contacted yesterday that the sub-association is “upset” over the choice of Coach.
“They (assuming the GABF) asked me for my opinion and I said the person should be selected based on merit. Kester does a lot of work with youths and I was pretty much upset when he was not selected though the GABF has made their choice,” Hamid said.
The Linden sub-association President said that his constituency is one of the biggest basketball-playing communities in Guyana and feels disenfranchised when developmental opportunities, as the one in Turkey, always seem to bypass them for others.
“Linden remains one of the biggest basketball playing areas in Guyana and we have not had anyone going anywhere to train. It’s always the people from uptown that get selected. Kester was my choice on merit and they didn’t select him,” he continued.
When reached last evening for comment, Jeffrey criticised, what he called “the federation’s logic of selecting Fraser” to go on the exercise. He said the federation indicated that they wanted to be in a position to develop the defunct New Amsterdam bloc.
Jeffrey stated that development rarely starts at the top. He said the federation has a FIBA Level I Course in September, which would have been more appropriate for Fraser, citing that he does not see how someone with no coaching experience can benefit in Turkey.
“I don’t want to complain but I am kind of annoyed at their choice. I took Royals when ‘Sancho’ left and I rebuilt the team to a competitive unit at all levels and our schools’ tournament is better than many in Guyana, so I feel very left out,” Jeffrey indicated.
The Victory Valley Royals Coach said that his track record should have spoken for itself with a lot of success at all levels of the sport, especially youth. He noted that he has won more than 14 titles at all levels since taking over as Head Coach of the club.
Jeffrey believes that the GABF choice of Coach defies logic. The Turkish Basketball Federation is hosting the Camp in collaboration with FIBA. The opportunity is aimed at providing the young players and their Coaches with an “unforgettable experience.”
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