The 2011 Inter-Guiana Games (IGG) basketball tournament in Suriname next month means a lot of different things to a lot of different people.
For Lugard Mohan, it means coaching for the first time at this tournament, after observing and working with the country’s premier junior athletes all year round as the director of coaching and officiating for Youth Basketball Guyana (YBG).
Richard Mohandatt
For assistant coach and former IGG captain Akeem Kanhai, it is an opportunity to see the game from a different perspective, so that he can further learn and impart his experience to younger players.
For many of the younger players, it will mean representing Guyana for the first time in any sport; while for Guyana, it represents the third opportunity to reclaim the IGG championship, after placing second in the last two editions.
A 19-year-old described the 2011 IGG in a very profound but simplistic way, stating, “I’m training for the biggest tournament in my life… This is what this means to me”. With such passion, desire, commitment and determination, senior classman at the junior level Richard Mohandatt is counting the days for his return to the IGG tournament.
Mohandatt, who currently resides in Queen’s New York, had earlier indicated his willingness to return to compete in this his final year at the IGG level, and is pumped and ready to get back to the land where he honed his skills.
Flashback: Richard Mohandatt drilled this mid-range jumper to help Guyana defeat French Guiana in the IGG 2011 at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall
Mohandatt told Guyana Times International Sport (GTIS) via email that the tournament means everything to him, and he hopes that he can provide the boost needed to help Guyana reclaim the IGG title.
The last time Guyana won the title was in 2007 on court at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall.
Mohandatt began his junior national career the following year, and was called to the team. The IGG was not held in 2008, but Mohandatt was selected on the team. In the next two years, (2009 & 2010) Mohandatt played a significant role on the two teams, and they barely lost to Suriname in the finals. In 2009, Mohandatt and his team mates felt the agony of losing by two, and last year in front of their home crowd, that familiar feeling returned after they blew a double-digit lead and lost by four points.
Kanhai had fouled out of the game, and just as Mohandatt had asserted himself and became the leading scorer, he was also fouled out with 19 points.
With plans of playing at the collegiate level at the front of his mind, Mohandatt said he has been training relentlessly.
“Individual training is coming good over here… I’ve been putting in a lot of work, because I’m exposed to a wide range of equipment over here,” Mohandatt said.
While he wants to be able to help the team, Mohandatt said he was certain the players on the team would have their motivation for training hard as well.
“I’m expecting the team to be really hard-working and committed; because I’ve played with a few of the guys from last year and I know they want this bad, because of the loss last year,” Mohandatt said.
“I’m really anxious to return to help my team, because it’s my last year as an IGG player and I just want to help Guyana get that gold before my time is up,” he added.
Mohandatt said he was very grateful for the financial contributions of the Haynes Foundation towards his trip back home.
He also expressed gratitude to his family, who he said contributed in a significant way to his IGG homecoming.
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