What Others are Saying
- Observer West
On The Sporting Edge
By Paul Reid
Source: Observer West / Jamaica Observer
WBA MUST ENFORCE
RULES
In
the recent Game One of the Flow National Basketball
League-West final between Hoopers and Catherine Hall
All-stars at the Montego Bay Cricket Club, one Catherine
Hall player thought he was being fouled and that the
officials were not doing anything about it.
The player appeared about to lose his cool and was
threatening to take revenge when one of his teammates
quietly but firmly reminded him why they were playing
the game. The player took heed and the game, which was
being played in good spirits, ended without any
disruptions. It is ironic then that Game Two last week
Tuesday ended prematurely because of the actions of two
All-stars players.
This kind of on-court leadership we saw in Game One was
missing a week earlier when Leroy Lawrence of
Granville Jaguars reacted to what he thought was rough
play, by slapping Inner-city Avalanche's Godfrey
Rodriques in the face, souring the most exciting
game of the season, a game that took two overtimes to
decide.
The situation could have been worse if Avalanche's coach
Galton Taylor had not told his player not to
react. Taylor and Rodriques are bigger men than I am.
Like the rest of the world, basketball is the
fastest-growing sport in western Jamaica. The teams here
are not as strong as the ones in Kingston, but given the
growth rate it won't be long before a western team
either at the high school level or club level wins a
national title.
Most importantly, the game here in western Jamaica has
also attracted a number of young, bright and dedicated
officials to guide the sport forward.
The Western Basketball Association is the only sporting
body here with its own interactive website and may be
the only one where there is no infighting over money or
positions.
Given all that, it would be a shame to allow the few bad
eggs to spoil things for everyone else by driving away
potential sponsors or even those who simply want to
watch the games in a friendly family atmosphere.
This is why the executive of the WBA must act swiftly
and decisively to weed out those who have little to
contribute to the long-term success of the sport here.
There should be a zero-tolerance attitude taken with
players both on or off the court who try to bring the
game into disrepute and heavy penalties should be handed
out to deter others who even think of following these
misguided souls.
The sport is enjoying a revival here in western Jamaica
with competitions for both male and female at the club
and high school levels and while there is a need for
more, especially in the younger age groups, there will
be no growth unless those in charge take serious actions
to stem indiscipline once and for all.
