Team officials explain loss in Guatemala
They didn’t come back with the gold medal they had their hearts set on, but today the Belize National Under Twenty-Two basketball team sat down with the media to report on what happened in Guatemala at last week’s regional tournament. According to the coaching staff, Belize was at a disadvantage even before the first whistle blew, when it was discovered, much to our chagrin, that two of the other participants, namely Nicaragua and Guatemala, had stocked their rosters with players who were well over the age of twenty-two. Still, after losing an official protest, the decision was made to play ball. The man voted as the tournament’s Most Valuable Player, Richard Troyer, says despite the uneven playing field, the Belize Under Twenty-two National Team has nothing to be ashamed of.
Richard Troyer, Tournament M.V.P.
“Nothing really went wrong, just the first game we didn’t play too well together. But the rest of the games we played really well. Just at the end, I guess maybe we lost concentration and started looking at the calls by the referees and stuff and that got us off track. Guatemala had probably the best team out of everybody you could say. We could have beaten them; we went to overtime with them. And Nicaragua, we just wanted to kick ourselves because they beat us. El Salvador, we beat them twice; that can say we’re better than them. But Guatemala was the best I guess you could say, but nothing we could not have overcome.”
Belize lost its first game to Nicaragua by a score of eighty-one to sixty-nine, but rebounded in the second game to down El Salvador seventy to sixty-one. Guatemala posted a ten point victory over the boys wearing the blue, red and white in Belize’s third game and when the same two teams met again, Guatemala needed overtime to relegate Belize to the bronze medal round. Belize then made quick work of the El Salvador team to bring home the third place trophy.
But while the team finished almost at the bottom of the four-team competition, it appears that Belize lost the Guatemalan invitational tournament, not on the hardwood, but in the back room where our local administrators were clearly outmanoeuvred. News 5 asked the team’s management why the matter of the age restriction was not raised at the technical meeting prior to the start of the tournament.
Patrick Jones
“Matthew, looking at the team and seeing the score sheets that came out, it’s obvious that there is talent, on the court there isn’t a problem. But it appears that it’s the administration that continues to fail our athletes. What’s your take on that?”
Matthew Smiling, Assistant Coach
“Well that’s true in some sense. The invitation for one was sent from August. We didn’t start until the beginning of October. So we had three weeks and a half to prepare for the tournament. They even told us over there that they had informed Belize about that we could bring two or three player over the age limit. We weren’t informed as coaches of that. We don’t know if that is true or not. That’s up to the administration. But like you said, we have talent and I wish we could exploit our talents to the fullest and like Mr. Gabourel always said that we took a half loaded gun. And the other teams they came with their guns loaded. So if we had taken our loaded gun, I know we could have brought back the gold medal.”
David Lacey, Manager, Under 22 National Team
“It’s remarkable that the issue was never raised. The invitation was clear, the name of the tournament suggested or indicated that it was an under twenty-two tournament, and so we proceeded on that basis. I would have thought it would have been more forthright of the host country to have touched on this at the technical meeting, but evidently they chose not to do so.”
Patrick Jones
“This is an invitational tournament and we all know that the host has the right to write the rules and change them as they will. Didn’t Belize know this going in?”
David Lacey
“We knew that a host country could do what they wanted, but as with any host, you would expect the host to display courtesy towards its guest. If Guatemala had wanted to do this, I would have expected them to send a letter telling us. And if they did, that letter did not reach us on the coaching staff.”
Matthew Smiling
“We have to look after our own, we have to take care of our own business. And on that point I would like for Belize to know that Paul Swasey and also Leon Williams really need some help, and if we could get the finance for treating their injuries because they are players that will make the senior national team eventually. And if we take care of their injuries now, it won’t be a problem later.”
Both Swasey and Williams suffered knee injuries during the tournament, but according to the team’s physical therapist, Harold Zuniga, the injuries do not appear to be career threatening.
