Bajan Basketball Blog

C/o Ryan Holford
No 2 Coral Cliffs, Bottom Bay, St. Philip
Contact: Ryan Holford 423-0973/235-8163


PRESS RELEASE

From March 30 to April 11, 2010, Holford's Academy of Sport will host its 2nd Gatorade Easter Hoops Basketball Coaching Clinic/Camp.

The clinic will run Monday to Friday from 9:00a.m - 1:00pm daily in the first week, and Monday to Saturday during the following week; Good Friday excluded. The clinic will cater to persons between the ages of 9-17 years-old, and will take place at the YMCA.

One of the major reasons behind the clinic is to prepare the students for the upcoming National Sports Council Under-16 Basketball Competition as the standard of play at this level is steadily declining due to insufficient preparation. Another is to reach a younger group of players and build or strengthen their fundamental skills from early.

The clinic will focus on all aspects of the game, but the mastery of the fundamental skills will take priority. Preparing the participants for the game situation will also be a major part of the focus.

Following the clinic there will be a tournament which will run for three consecutive Saturdays (April 18, 25, May 2 all day each day) to further assists schools in getting their teams game ready and to reinforce what was learnt.

The tournament is also open to all clubs and youth groups.

The cost of the Coaching Clinic is $100.00 and same day registration is accepted.

Ryan Holford is the Camp Director and will be assisted by Gillian Martindale and Keith Mayers.

GATORADE is the major sponsor of Holford's Academy of basketball.

Last weekend the BABA 2010 Season was officially launched at the Wildey Gym. Here are some of the sites and sounds from the launch.
We hope to be able to give you more information on the prizes and teams registered by next week.

Keep in Touch with the latest in Bajan BajanBasketball by Joining The BajanBasketbal Mailing List.

Ole Time Thing Come Back Again

Come See:

• CHARLES “SICKY” GILL
• CARL THORPE
• JAMES PHILLIPS
• ANDREW ALLEYNE
• DWIGHT ROUSE
• MARK “BIG CID”CUMMINS
• IANTHAM ALLEYNE
• ANTONE LOVELL
• LEON JORDAN
• ROGER BRANCH 
• & MORE

CELEBRITY GUEST PLAYER: ANDREW “PILLY” PILGRIM

the opening of the BABA league season begins in 1 hour 30 mins featuring a game between Pinelands and Warriors

After a major update on game scores we now see that Cougars & Combined School lead the standings in the Lomar Alleyne Tournament - Pre Season Tournament.

The favourites Station Hill Cavaliers and Pinelands are following close behind.

View the latest standing here
http://www.bajanbasketball.com/common/pages/public/rv/ladder.aspx?mode=0

Barbados' Online newspaper - BarbadosToday.bb has indicated that they will be making an effort to public informed of all of the BABA activities in the coming year. BarbadosToday.bb also expressed and interest in doing interviews and coverage of the games.

Reminding you of more BABA Pre-Season action tomorrow in the YMCA - AKA Basketball City

Cougars is the only team to have played last weekend and they really made a good showing for themselves coming away with a win against defending champions Station Hill Cavaliers.

See the full listing of fixtures here - http://www.bajanbasketball.com/common/pages/public/rv/draw.aspx?

The Lomar Alleyne Pre season Tournament got started last night in the YMCA with a decent crowd turning out. We have the final scores for you.

6:30 PM Game
Cougars           72
Station Hill       68

8:30 PM Game
Warriors         71
DC United      69

Take a Look at the other fixture here http://www.bajanbasketball.com/common/pages/public/rv/draw.aspx?

Local basketball’s modern day Bonnie and Clydes finally revealed their hands as if they were at high stakes poker table, exposing those murky fingerprints all over the sport’s decade long decline.

For too long the blame for basketball’s highly publicised demise has been unjustly laid at the feet of executives past and present.

Even the men in grey and black have endured the wrongful condemnation of the worst injustice in all Barbados’ local sports.

But not to worry, because this current crop of Premier League players is the guilty party for the traumatic fall from grace of Bajan basketball.

And it’s time they own up.

This condemned list, however, doesn’t include Andrew Alleyne, Brian Yarde, Chris Holder and the likes of those who spanned generations to end up playing in their late 30s or 40s in this organised scrimmage which currently masquerades as the sport’s top flight.

No, I’m using those born in the mid70s as the cut-off mark, alphabetically starting from Alleyne, Peter right down to Yearwood, Antonio.

Rest at ease now Gay Griffith, you of 15 long and unappreciated years of Barbados Amateur Basketball Association leadership.

Maybe the refs can finally be exonerated. Well, not just yet.

The present day “top flight” ballers’ latest and most deplorable act came to light at the end of last season when national men’s coach Adrian Craigwell revealed that his senior players were absent from the weekly training sessions.

However, not only were they not attending the practices, they were forgoing them in favour of “competing” in any one of three out-of-season tournaments.

Practice? We’re talking about practice?

Somewhere in Philadelphia a teary-eyed Allen Iverson would be beaming with pride.

Not coincidentally, this is the same generation of players whose early playing days corresponds with the prime of said legendary Sixers number three.

As we speak, only one player from the last ill-fated tour to Tortola currently attends the programme, and the 26 year-old Jason Smith is the elder of the two players at those sessions that would’ve ever represented Barbados at the senior level.

And this isn’t exactly the 1992 Dream Team we’re talking about here.

This is a national squad that has successive sixth place finishes at the last two regional tournaments and could only trip over a single win in five games at a meet devoid of powerhouses Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

In other words, they need all the practice they could get.

When you struggle with mere basics like hitting uncontested jumpers at training in the friendly shooting confines of the Wildey Gymnasium, while showing shortcomings in the ability to play without the ball, then treating practice like a persistent debt collector is tantamount to sabotage.

At least the country’s junior players have had the sense of mind, if not the common courtesy, to hone whatever skills they possess at the bi-weekly sessions.

Then there’s the disturbing disloyalty shown by about five of Craigwell’s own Cavaliers, who have refused to even grace their club coach with a solitary visit.

Et tu Brute?

Such betrayal ranks right up there with that of Judas’, and at least that disciple got 30 pieces of silver for his efforts.

What did those rogue players get from the out-of-season tournaments?

A chance at dividing $1,500 among a team of seven?

An opportunity of scrimmaging against lower level players?

The again, it’s not as if that doesn’t happen in today’s Premier League anyhow, considering the mediocre standards of play that pass for top flight basketball.

It’s purported to be the highest calibre of the local sport, yet there are regular rotation players who routinely miss lay-ups (see: Reynolds, Jermaine), make free throws look like job work (see: Gaskin, Damien) and play the game as if it were a video game with the pass option toggled off (see: Yearwood, Antonio).

And the BABA, the officials or a combination of both are the ones alleged to be involved in stealing of some kind?

What could be more fraudulent than to know people have paid money to watch you go weeks between dunks or 100-point games?

Just last June unsuspecting patrons were robbed of three dollars to see Warriors and Patriots fail to tally 100 points combined.

However, they did manage to combine for 108 missed shots, 41 turnovers and 39 fouls all in 40 minutes of drudgery that setback the shot clock era by some 30 years.

Who’s exactly doing the stealing here?

This isn’t to say that the previous executives didn’t have a hand to play in the sport’s grand demise with their own shortcomings, or that the standard of officiating in this country is of an acceptable quality.

But they haven’t quite fled with the lottery either, not if we’re to go by the evidence of these murky fingerprints.

Rest at ease Gay Griffith, we’ve got the real culprits.

Contribution By Sports Writer Justin Marville

The President's Invitational - Lomar Alleyne Pre-Season Tournament Begins Today with favourites Station Hill Cavaliers vs Cougars.