Basketball brawl at Sport Hall
By Edison Jefford
Stabroek News
December 21, 2006
Ravens basketball club, once the hottest basketball team in Georgetown and arguably Guyana, may find itself watching the sport from the bleachers when the new season begins owing to the team's escalation of indiscipline.
The club was implicated in its second 'on - court - fight' for this year when high scoring forward, Damian Liverpool threw a punch at Pepsi Sonics' Earl O' Neil when the two teams met last Friday at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall.
The teams were contesting their fifth round fixture in the ongoing Georgetown Ama-teur Basketball Associa-tion (GABA) first division Georgetown League tournament at the Sports Hall.
Stabroek Sport was informed by reliable sources that the high intensity, Liverpool threw the punch at O' Neil at the offensive end of the court after being dissatisfied with a rebounding issue at the other end of the court.
According to the source, O' Neil's teammate and part time coach, Hollinsworth Kacey was also fisted by the rampaging Liverpool after he got in the way to part the squabble between O' Neil and Liverpool.
The top local basketball club is developing an unenviable reputation as indiscipline is beginning to mar its performance. The club is second in the ongoing Georgetown League basketball tournament with nine points in four games.
The club was implicated last summer for its role in a brawl that broke out on the McKenzie Sports Club hardcourt, Linden, in a `grudge' invitational match up against long time rivals Kashif and Shanghai Kings.
National center, Dwayne 'Sugar' Roberts was said to be at the helm of that initial fight and was slapped with a two-year ban from the sport, from venues and all related activities by the Linden Amateur Basketball Association (LABA). However, the Georgetown body revisited Roberts' position and he was allowed to play in the ongoing Georgetown league. Liver-pool, who made his national senior debut this year, has been implicated on a first offense.
President of GABA, Chris Bowman told Stabroek Sport yesterday that an investigation into the matter is ongoing and the results are likely to be released before the tournament continues next weekend.
"An investigation in ongoing, both parties (Pepsi Sonics and Ravens) will be invited to take part in the investigation," Bowman said adding that the results have to be released before either teams can play their next game.
Bowman said that GABA will deal with the matter in the right manner and a decision will be revealed to all relevant parties and "what has to happen will happen" so that the tournament can progress.
"It was a serious incident and I am certain that it will have severe consequences for the guilty party," an insightful Bowman offered, while stating that the association has nothing more to say on the matter before the investigation. Senior national and Ravens' guard, Darcell Harris stated yesterday that the team is yet to discuss the matter at the club level. He said that there was nothing that he could say at the moment because there was no hearing.
"We had no hearing yet, therefore we took no stance on the matter, we are waiting on the association," Harris said adding that after the association meet with both teams, he will have more to say on the matter.
Ravens' coach indicated yesterday that the team was scheduled to meet for practice at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall last night and will also use the opportunity to "come up with a plan on how to deal with the entire situation".
Meanwhile, efforts to contact Kacey, Pepsi Sonics secretary, Bruce Haynes and coach Mark Agard proved futile yesterday. The team's president, Merle Jordon is currently overseas.