Joseph Lenny Guy was among the nine awardees of the National Basketball Federation of Trinidad and Tobago (NBFTT) level I licenses distributed at the launch of an initiative of the NBFTT to give structure to the qualification of basketball coaches at the Hasely Crawford Stadium, Wrightson Road on Saturday evening.Guy, the longest living basketball coach in the country was also included in the seven persons who received an Honorary Coaching Certificate.The NBFTT has begun the issuing of level I licenses to nine local past and present coaches who are already in possession of a Fédération Internationale de Basket-ball (FIBA) level I license. They were Joseph Lenny Guy, Barry Stewart, Gordon Felix, Jamal Duke, Lennox Sobers, Clement Holder, Obadiah Asher, Wesley Gomes and Christopher Jackson Charles.
The world governing body for basketball, FIBA will award several local coaches with FIBA level II licenses in October which will ultimately see the awardees granted NBFTT level II licenses according to Obadiah Asher, who is the Technical Director of the NBFTT.Asher said that this will ensure local coaches are both qualified and certified for to handle a team of players.President of the NBFTT, Courtney McNish in his address, focussed on the desire of the federation to rebrand basketball to attract sponsors and spectators.Seven persons were also given the Honorary Coaching Certificates. They were Victor O'Garro, Kenneth Julien, Theophilus Trim, Kelvin Roberts, Zeno Constance, Joseph Lenny Guy as well Margaret Diaz who died last year. Guy, a Humming Bird Silver Medalist, was received with a lengthy applause and a standing ovation from his colleagues.
