Belize not participating in regional basketball tournament
In August 2009 Team Belize got a taste of victory despite placing second in the COCABA Championship held in Cancun, Mexico. The team then proceeded to the Centro Basket Tournament in the Dominican Republic a year later where it played its heart out against formidable opponents including Team Venezuela. But Belize was eventually eliminated from the basketball games. And while another COCABA tournament is scheduled for the end of April there is disappointing news coming out of the Belize Basketball Federation this evening. In a press release issued today the organization stated that Belize will not be represented at the COCABA games. According to the BBF the monies it would have spent investing in the men’s national team will instead be used to develop younger athletes for the under-fourteen through under-seventeen games to be held in Costa Rica in May.
IF THE RIGHT TAXES WERE PAID BY THE RIGHT PEOPLE…………..
WE WOULD HAVE THE MONIE$!!!
WE NEED TO SUPPORT OUR ATHLETES………If every Belizean gives $1.00 we can do it.
Only the poor people pay taxes..the rich can afford to pay the authorities to look the other way. This is the reality which we live in, its a sad one but its true. Crime, guns and drugs seem to pay better to the politicians than sports…sad…very sad….
How much taxes did X-wife pay on her 2-8 mill..it is a shame, imagine the possibilities!!!!!!!!!
Can the excuses get anymore ridiculous? So why are you developing younger players? So when they get to this point they are told this same story?
Sports will always take youths out the poor neighbourhoods and make them somebody. Check the history of the NBA!
All Belizean leaders (elected, nominated or appointed) need to make better decisions if there will be any change!
A black-eye for Belize, and a disappointment for the people.
Can’t our sports leaders do abetter job, and get private support for all of our athletes?
This is an embarrassing development and just underscores the sloth and incompetence of so much of our “leadership.”
The real reason is probably that the players would not come to represent the country again after what they did to Coach Siroki last year!! Cause if the BBF can just disregard a Coach who has a winning record internationally and locally whose to say they cannot do it to the players as well!!! Who would want to play for a Federation who cuts you down if you succeed?!?!
another reason why the youths of belize are joining the gangs. belize government is a dissapointment.
KUCF THE BBF GET PLAYERS THAT ACTUALLY LIVES IN BELIZE TO PLAY ON THE NATIONAL TEAM.TEAM BELIZE,BUT ALMOST ALL THE MEMBERS SPEAKS AMERICAN.WHAT KIND OF TEAM BELIZE IS THAT? THEY SPEND SO MANY ON THESE GUYS TO FLY THEM IN AND OUT OF THE COUNTRY ,TO FEED THEM AND GIVE THEM PLACES TO STAY.I WOULD RATHER SEE TEAM BELIZE LOSE WITH PLAYERS THAT LIVES HERE THAN TO SEE THEM WIN WITH ALL THOSE FOREIGN PLAYERS.GIVE ME A CHANCE TO REP MY COUNTRY.THEY ARE NOT FROM HERE THEY DON’T HAVE THIS COUNTRY IN THIER HEARTS.I WANT TO SEE PLAYERS LIKE MERTE , PRINCE, KEITH ACOSTA,PUPPY LESLIE,JACOB LESLIE,CHENGO.GIVE OUR HOME TOWN GUYS THE BREAK TO SEE THE WORLD FOR US AND TRY THERE BEST.WE HAVE ENOUGH TALLENT HERE TO WIN SOME !@$ MEIN.
Coach Smiling and Coach Gabourel have done a great job in developing our younger players from Belize and then winning a silver medal in the COCABA U 15 tournament last year. They have now qualified for the Centro basket tournament. It is ashame that that team has accomplished the same feat as the men’s but they are not celebrated.
I wonder why we have not heard of any problems with these coaches. they have been just as successful and seem to be getting along ok with the Federation.
@Real Fan – What if the Federation decide to bring in another coach to coach the Under 15 team in the Centrobasket??? For no other reason than they are “not experience” enough!?!? Like what they did to Siroki and bring in a Coach who costs 20 times more and has NO COACHING EXPERIENCE!! It has nothing to do with success in their coaching. Wonder how Smiling and Gabourel would feel!?!?
@SW@GVILLE – Those guys no have Belize in their hearts???? I guess u do not know them at all!!! U no think if any Belizean born player had the chance to go play in NBA, Europe, Mexico or any other country they would not do it?!!? So when Marion Jones won gold medal in Sydney Olympics, u neva jump up and say “she da Belizean”!?!?? So we wah hate pan these guys cause they got the opportunity to improve their skills and get a chance to play ball at a higher and more competitive standard then they are not good enough to represent Belize!!! Go look at half the members of the Mexican national team and see if they born and raised in Mexico!!!! And you can look at that for nearly all the players that play on a National team for Centrobasket or Olympics!!! But it no stop them from bringing in the TALENT!!!
@ Yeah Right ,SOUNDS LIKE YOU KNOW ALL OF THEM MY BROTHER.THEY ONLY COME TO PLAY FOR THE MONEY,LOOK AND MARLON GARNETT, HE DIDN’T WANT TO PLAY BECAUSE THEY WOULDN’T PAY SOME INSURANCE FOR HIM.IF HE HAD BELIZE IN HIS HEART THAT WOULDN’T HAVE MATTERED.YOU PLAY BECAUSE YOU LOVE THE COUNTRY AND YOU WANT TO REPRESENT US NO MATTER WHAT. THEY ARE ABROAD AND THEY HAVE THAT OPPORTUNITY TO IMPROVE.WHY WERE THEY DISQUALIFIED? THEIR PARENTS MIGHT BE FROM HERE,BUT THEY ARE NOT.THEY MIGHT HAVE BELIZE IN THE BLOOD BUT NOT IN THE HEART.I AM NOT HATING ON ANYONE,I STILL CHEER THEM WHEN THEY PLAY.WE HAVE GUYS WHO ARE VERY TALENTED HERE,BUT THEY DON’T GET THAT EXPOSURE BECAUSE WE DO THINGS ON FAVORITISM HERE IN BELIZE.IT WAS NOT AN OPEN TRY OUT THEY HAD.THEY INVITE WHO THEY WANT AND THOSE AMERICANS.SOME PEOPLE MAY NEVER REPRESENT OUR COUNTRY BECAUSE OF STUFF LIKE THAT.I COULD UNDERSTAND IF THEY WERE BORN IN BELIZE, BUT MOST OF THEM WERE NOT BORN HERE.THE REASON WE DON’T HAVE MANY PLAYERS GOING TO PLAY ON A PROFESSIONAL LEVEL IS BECAUSE BELIZE DON’T INVEST IN SPORTS LIKE THAT.ALL THE GOVERMENT DO IS TAKE THE MONEY.LOOK AT THE CITY CENTER AND THE STATE THAT IT IS IN.HOW MANY FOOTBALL TOURNAMENTS THEY HAVE FOR THE YEAR?I ONLY KNOW ABOUT ONE BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT THEY HAVE EVERY YEAR,AND THAT IS LIMITED TO PEOPLE WHO ARE WORKING.SO HOW CAN WE SEE TALENT IF THESE GUYS OUT HERE AREN’T GETTING A CHANCE TO SHOWCASE IT .WE HAVE A LOT OF YOUNG AND UPCOMING GUYS WITH MAD TALENT BUT DUE TO LESS TOURNAMENTS MOST OF OUR YOUNG KIDS CHOSE GANGS BECAUSE THEY DON’T HAVE ANYTHING ELSE TO DO.MARION JONES DIDN’T REPRESENT BELIZE PLUS SHE IS A CHEATER,WE CAN’T BASK IN GLORY OF A CHEATER.HER MEDALS WERE STRIPPED AWAY FROM HER WEREN’T THEY?.GIVE OUR HOME BREAD ATHLETES THE OPPORTUNITY THEY DESERVE.
JAH KNO … MI WANDA DI SAME TING DEH WHY BAY WI NUH KNOWN DEH A FARRIN FI DI TALENT SIMILIAR. A BADMIND TING DI GOVERNMENT CARRY PON DI BELIZEAN MASSIVE AN MUSS END DIS LUUU (!@%KERY) DI GOVERNMENT A FLING PON WI. MEK DI WERL KNO SEH WHO JAH BLESS … NUH BLOODCLAT GOVERNMENT NUH CUSS !!! YU ZIMMI