B-ball Coaches exchange bounces at St Paul’s

A Coaches Exchange Project initiated by the Caribbean Chapter of Partners of the Americas which began in Haiti will bounce off in Trinidad today and will continue until Saturday.

The clinic and workshop for basketball coaches will be conducted by American expert Bobby Lewis. It will be launched at the St Paul’s Street Gymnasium, Port-of-Spain at 9 am. Training of the coaches from Trinidad and Tobago, Haiti and Dominica will be done by Gene Banks, a former All American basketballer at Duke University who had a seven-year career in the NBA. Banks is currently Athletic Director at Bennette College in Greensboro, North Carolina. The programme will aim to improve the teaching ability of Caribbean basketball coaches and assist their ability to develop young leaders through training and competition.

The four-day visit will also introduce the opportunity for similar exchanges of knowledge and expertise in other sports. This with the participation of 140 coaches in all three Caribbean territories there is an increased potential for young athletes to reap the benefits of such a programme. Minister of Sport and Youth Affairs Roger Boynes, United States Embassy representative Mrs Rose-Blass along with members of the Trinidad and Tobago basketball fraternity are expected to be present today at the launch of the workshop. The four-day programme targets disadvantaged urban youth. The Partners of the Americas also hope to raise local awareness of their work in this country, the value of sport and volunteerism in providing a positive influence in the development of young athletes and productive adults.