Seven coaches from western Jamaica are presently taking part in a Federation of International Basketball Association (FIBA) International Level Two certification course at the GC Foster Sports College in Angels, St Catherine.

The week-long course that ends tomorrow is being put on in association with the Jamaica Basketball Association (JABA) and Jamaica Olympic Association in association with FIBA and the International Olympic Committee and is open only to coaches with Level One certification.

Deon Williams, a vice-president of the Western basketball Association, Sheldon Pearson, Douglas Reid, Dwight Clare, Dave Black, Cleon Morgan and Ricardo Blair are all taking part in the course.

According to Williams, it is hoped that their participation in the course will benefit the game here in western Jamaica, as the coaches would have been able to impart more knowledge of the game to their teams.

Starting last year, the WBA had ruled that no team would be allowed to take part in any competition unless they had a certified coach on their registration.

The WBA in association with JABA had put on a Level One coaching seminar at the Montego Bay Cricket club prior to the start of last season.

The seminar at GC Foster, will cover a wide range of technical and supporting topics according to a release from JABA.

Edwin Pena - international basketball expert out of Puerto Rico is the main presenter for the course and he will have with him Dr. Akshai Mansingh - Sports Medicine UWI; Mrs. Patricia Thompson - sports nutritionist; Dr Herb Elliot - anti-doping advocate and Alf Remikie - Lecturer G C Foster College.

This certification ensures that all basketball coaches are equipped with the proper knowledge of methodological proceeding to used in imparting the technical element of the game to players, the JABA release also said.
 

By Paul Reid, Jamaica Observer.