National coach sees abundant talent

 

By Morissa Lindsay

After eight days of intense training, the Barbados senior men’s basketball team has received wonderful praises from head coach Devan Blair who said not only is the talent there among a crop of young talented players, but their ability to catch on quickly is impeccable.

On the final night of training yesterday at the Garfield Sobers Sports Complex, Blair who is from the United States of America and coaches in the NBA G-League, said he is excited for the future of basketball in Barbados based on what he has seen so far from 20 plus players who came out to be part of a mini training camp.

“I am not doing any new drills I haven’t done before but I have had teams where I have had to explain it three, four, five times before they comprehend it. These guys get it on the first try and so that is a testament to coaches on the island and these guys having been previously coached well.

“But it is also a testament to them and their basketball IQ and knowledge which frankly I didn’t know what I was walking into, I didn’t know what level it was and I don’t mean that as a bad thing, it was just ignorance I didn’t know. And so seeing where we are at just means my plans, Francis (Williams BABA President) plans, I think can go a little quicker than maybe we had previously anticipated,” Blair explained.

Due to the Coronavirus pandemic, Blair was unable to meet and work with the team and he described it as an exciting time to work with the senior men’s national team.

He also shared his thoughts on Barbados basketball talent and the possibility to being match-ready to compete and win games as early as next year once all goes according to plans.

“I think our talent is really good. I didn’t know exactly what to expect coming down here to be completely honest. But I am leaving more excited than when I came and I was very excited coming down here; but having seen the guys, having worked with them these past eight days now my excitement is through the roof. I think we have a crop of guys here, all of them have an opportunity to compete for a spot on our national team, and we are not making those decisions right now. This was an invite only. These are the guys who we think have a shot and I am really excited by the guys that have been here,” Blair said.

He added: “The goal is to be ready by the next tournament window and fingers crossed that is next summer. Ultimately that is out of our control but it should be next summer. So, the plan for right now is getting down here this week and making sure we got something started because we haven’t had this for two and a half years. So, the plan for this was let us get people in the gym; let’s get coaches in the gym, let’s get excited, let’s lay out my vision for how we are going to play. That was the goal this week and the next time I come whether that is February or when summer hits then we are preparing to play, compete and win.

“We have players overseas and we don’t have commitments right now and we haven’t asked for commitments, we aren’t at that stage. All we are doing is opening the dialogue and starting building relationships and if they want to play they are welcome with open arms so that is where we are right now. This was our springboard and let us use this for the next time I come back. We are serious and it is time to win games.”

In any sport having a home is a necessity and Blair while he agrees believes that for Barbados that may take some time but in the meantime he advised the players to take advantage of what they do have such as the newly refurbished National Sports Council gym.

“The more access our players can have obviously the better. I don’t know if you guys have seen the new weight room back there but Sabrina (Wood – National Sports Council accountant) did a terrific job of putting it together. She deserves all the credit in the world and my point and emphasis to these guys at the end of practice is going to be, ‘you have the tools, you have the facilities; there is no longer an excuse to not be here working’.

“Obviously, some of these guys would not be here, some of these guys are going to the States playing high school, playing college, in which they have access to the facilities. But for the guys that are here in the summer time we have to take advantage of this. Would it be great if we have a gym available all the time? Of course, not the reality of the situation right now but we are working towards that. Can we get another court, can we get another area that has a roof so we can play when the weather doesn’t permit? That is obviously not something that gets solved overnight but that is what we want to head to, but in a perfect world we have another indoor gym for our national team. Can we get to that point? Hopefully, we are certainly going to try and if we get there then the sky’s the limit on where we can go because guys wouldn’t have an excuse anymore,” Blair expressed.

Blair first visited Barbados five years ago for the NBA/Digicel Jump Start programme and that is where he saw an opening to help make a difference. He also said that he is here for the long haul as long as the Barbados Amateur Basketball Association led by president Francis Williams would have him around.

Going into his eighth season as a NBA G-League coach, Blair with his years and level of experience strongly believes he can make a difference in local basketball and that also prompted him to apply for the position.

“To be able to come into a place like that which has the talent, has the ability and I just have the easy job of coming in and getting people excited again. That seems like a great opportunity outside of falling in love with the people, falling in love with the culture. The other part of it is my job back home, the NBA G-League. I’m going into my eighth season.

“At the end of the day I don’t have the opportunity to facilitate change. It is business, we are there to win basketball games, get players better and help the NBA clubs win basketball games. That is our job at the end of the day. Here it can be bigger, we can impact kids’ lives whether that is through scholarships and getting them an opportunity they wouldn’t have had through basketball. Opening their eyes up to other opportunities they didn’t think were possible before and that doesn’t just go for these guys but if we have success at this level then it just trickles down,” Blair said. morissalindsay@barbadostoday.bb