GEORGETOWN - The Guyana Amateur Basketball Federation (GABF) are recently celebrating their greatest achievement as a national team, when in 2018 they won the Caribbean Pre-Qualifying Tournament in their hopes of qualifying to the FIBA AmeriCup 2021.

In 2019, the entity established in 1961 commenced the year selecting new directives, led by Mr. Michael Signh, who was appointed President after being Vice-President of Operations during the past cycle.

Guyana are setting all their sights toward the important international commitment that will start in 2021. A great part of the efforts will be focused on attaining the funds for traveling, which add up to $7,000,000 Guyana dollars, according to the exiting President. Guyana hopes that this amount is contributed by the country's private sector.

“The new GABF is working comprehensively to prepare and finance the national team that will participate in Tunja, Colombia,” said Signh. “We won our first men's title last year in Suriname, a title that has avoided Guyana since the creation of the Caricom Tournament. Guyana's basketball is in a great moment —winning their division in the AmeriCup Qualifiers would bolster our country to an impressive level.”

GABF also announced this week the list of local and international players that were called to the shortlist that will be representing the nation in the FIBA AmeriCup 2021 Pre-Qualifying Tournament. The four-team format tournament will take place from February 22 to 24 in Tunja, Colombia. Joining Guyana in Group B will be the national teams of Bolivia, Paraguay and hosts Colombia. The best two teams in the tournament will qualify to the AmeriCup.

Guyana also are planning on celebrating the President’s Basketball Cup to acknowledge the work of the past administrations that have contributed to the development of basketball in the country.

“As new President, I must continue the progress of my predecessor,” said Signh. “It would be wrong to start to work without acknowledging the efforts of all previous presidents. The President's Cup is a tribute to John Yates, who established the Caribbean Championship, now CBC; to Mr. Godwin McPherson; to Mr. David Patterson; and, of course, our most successful president, Nigel Hinds, who managed many of our programs, such as the U16 CBC Championship in 2014-2015, and a successful 2018 campaign.”

FIBA