The man who drove Barbados’ hoops success might have already identified the source of its demise.
Former technical director and highly rated FIBA expert Nelson Isley believes the absence of good grassroots coaches has resulted in the country not being able to consistently develop players from primary and secondary schools to play at the next level.
The American-born coach and instructor expressed the sentiment while conducting Monday’s practical segment of a FIBA Level 1 coaching clinic at the Barbados Community College.
“I think that’s what makes the United States such a great basketball country because there are a lot of great high school coaches who develop players that go on to college and then the pros,” said Isley, who led Barbados’ last championship drives in 2000.
“When I left here we had at least five good coaches working with me and they were sort of considered the elite coaches in Barbados, but I think all of a sudden everyone wanted to be like them and no one wanted to be a developmental coach.
“However, you need more developmental coaches than elite coaches because you have to create a pool of players to work with,” he added.
Isley’s comments mirrored those of Barbados Amateur Basketball Association president Derrick Garrett, who recently stressed the need for local basketball to get into the primary schools to widen the pool of young players.
It was the primary reason Garrett’s executive sought out Isley’s expertise in the first place, as the FIBA expert is heading a project to reform the local structure which will begin with developing coaches and players at the primary school level.
“We can’t depend on the school system per se to produce players, so we have to form some sort of pilot plan where the national federation can get those kids at least twice a week where they can work with these coaches and learn the basic fundamentals,” explained Isley.
The Level 1 coaching clinic is slated to finish today, with 35 prospective coaches expected to do both a written and practical test before they can be accredited as certified FIBA coaches that can teach the game at the grassroots level.
“We’ve been having a great turnout and it’s been wonderful so far because they are all asking questions, which is very important, and they also dived into the basketball problems affecting the country,” said Isley of the clinic.
“I saw some negativity when I was here 13 years ago and I think that came from perhaps envy or jealousy that happens in the coaching profession, but with these guys I feel a lot of positive vibes.
“I just hope we would’ve created a decent group of coaches that can go work in the grassroots like the primary schools and that these guys can raise the level of basketball here and get us back to where we once were,” he added.
A draft pick of the then NBA franchise Buffalo Braves in 1971, Isley made a name for himself across the globe by turning around the fortunes of national programmes while training those countries’ coaches.
And Barbados got a first-hand view of the American’s reformation talents when he guided both the men’s and women’s national teams to their respective titles at the Caribbean Basketball Championships as technical director in 2000.