‘No indoor facility – no more basketball courses’ – Isley

Unless St Vincent and the Grenadines gets an indoor sporting facility, this country may not get another basketball coaching course in the near future.{{more}}

This was the explicit pronouncement of International Basketball Federation (FIBA) instructor Nelson Isley, as he spoke at the closing ceremony of a Level One certification and re-certification coaching course last Saturday evening at the Xpert Computer Centre conference room.

“I will say this without any reservation; until this country gets an indoor facility, there will never be another [basketball] course here … That may sound harsh, but we cannot continue to have these courses down here without an indoor facility,” Isley pointed out.

Isley, who has previously visited St Vincent and the Grenadines several times, was again here to deliver an Olympic Solidarity Technical Course. However, the course was hampered by issues of poor attendance by participants and the inclement weather conditions.

“Secondly, they [courses] should be done in a time which should be rain free … They need to be done in that time. There should be a mandate from the Minister of Education that the physical education teachers must attend. No ‘do you want to attend’… must attend!” he proffered.

To compound matters, the state of the outdoor multi-purpose hard courts, which is basketball’s only choice for the activity, resulted in the course mainly concentrated indoors, evaluating video footage.

“The conditions of the courts for young kids is deplorable … It’s pathetic! How can any government allow that to happen?” Isley lamented.

He noted that the courts’ conditions would even make it harder for the hosting of courses as a compromise for an indoor facility.

“Those pictures have been sent to important people … Without courses, without equipment you can’t do anything. Players don’t have any place to play; coaches don’t have anywhere to coach,” the FIBA expert underscored.

In spite of the debilitating factors here, Isley said that he will use his position and love for St Vincent and the Grenadines to procure equipment, namely from the NBA, for the country’s basketball programme.

Isley’s hope for an indoor multiplex sporting facility may be a long way off.

At the re-opening of the refurbished Chili Playing Field two weeks ago, this country’s Prime Minister Dr Ralph Gonsalves, whose government made the promise of the indoor facility, stated that it was not possible at this time, since the proposed site, the old Glove Factory building in Kingstown, currently houses the Kingstown Anglican School Annexe.