NEW Guernsey Basketball Association president Pete Beausire has confirmed that this season’s men’s Division One will have five teams. ‘For the first time in seven years we’ve got five which is fantastic,’ said Beausire.
‘It’s where the action should be. Everyone should want to play Division One and have an aim to play Division One.
‘We’ve tried to encourage players who were playing in Division Two to come up.
‘The problem with players coming up to One from Two is the experience required and the speed of the game in the top division.
‘Teams haven’t wanted to move up as a team because they do feel they’ll not be able to compete as a team.’
The 25-year-old Beausire replaced Pat Ogier as president at the association’s recent annual meeting.
Last year the top division had only four teams and there were views that it had become repetitive and stale.
In the league shake-up, he announced that his own side, title-winners Le Mont Saint, would split into two teams.
Le Mont Saint Fiat will contain New Zealander James Tracey, Nick Leale, big man Nick Lawlor, guard James Robert and four other players from the folded Division Two outfit, La Fraternelle Allstars.
Beausire will feature in Le Mont Saint Subaru alongside his brother Mike, Jan Renouf, Mark Barnett and Rachid Frihmat.
Former island player and St Martin’s footballer Pierre Jehan is also expected to come back to the sport to help out.
Collins Stewart have also re-jigging their two sides.
Now called Collins Stewart Heat and Collins Stewart Inferno, one of them will contain experienced players such as Ogier, island coach Jeff Stuart and island captain Nigel Govett alongside up-and-coming players such as Scott Rowe.
Last season’s Division Two most valuable player of the year, Joel de Woolfson, also enters the fold.
The other side will be led by Adam Farish and will feature Andy Stephens, Liam Smyth and players up from Division Two such as Anthony Safari, Kevin Holland and Jim Rowe.
The other top-flight team will be the Island Under-21s.
Beausire is excited about the new set up. ‘It’s going to be good,’ he said. ‘The teams are even across the board and at the moment you can’t say who is going to win the league, which means it’s going to be competitive all year.’
On the island representative stage, Beausire announced that the Guernsey women’s team that had such a successful time in Rhodes at the Island Games will enter the south-west counties competition for the 2008-2009 season.
‘It helps raise the profile of Guernsey basketball as we’re not really known in the UK community and, from our experience in Rhodes, we know that we can compete at a UK level,’ he said.
‘Plus it’s going to give players more experience and to develop their individual games.’
Beausire is also on the lookout for new referees.
Top European official Roger Harrison will be in the island in October to run a course.
‘We need referees,’ said Beausire.
‘Currently we have eight qualified referees and ideally we would like 20 in place.’
He also wants to get more children on the island playing the sport.
‘We’re currently looking at the eight to 10 year olds to try and get them to learn basketball,’ he said.
‘Once the schools start we’re going to start a rookie league. The coaches will be the island men’s squad.
‘We’re going to get them to give something back into the basketball community.
‘We want to bring the kids eventually into the development league and then the actual league structure.’
The GBA’s long-term goal is to build their own basketball hall where they can play their league matches, train and run junior coaching sessions.
‘Ideally we’d like our own facility,’ said Beausire.
‘Going forward that is something we want in place one day. We’ve got to find land and money.
‘In a 10-year plan we’re confident of it happening, but not in the short term. Some of the other sports have done it like cricket, table tennis and bowls. Look at them.’
Article posted on 17th August, 2007 - 12.00am
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