Kevin Lawrence

MEMORIES of Kevin Lawrence, the deceased Ravens Basketball Club player, filled the air at the Wind Jammers International Hotel yesterday, as the family members and players turned up for the launching of his memorial basketball extravaganza which is set for Saturday at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall. The event is said to be the first of many, according to coach of the club, Darcel Harris, since it will be their way of showing homage to Lawrence with whom they had shared fond moments, both on and off the basketball court.
A clash between a Georgetown All-Star and Ravens senior players will be the highlight of the evening which will also see the Youth Basketball Guyana (YBG) Elite squad face off with Ravens’ junior players.
The players will be vying for cash incentives and an array of beautiful trophies and Harris is anticipating a night filled with competitive play, stating “both games will be good; it will see some of Guyana’s top and promising talents in the YBG team along with both Ravens squads and the Georgetown team”.
Meanwhile Kevin’s brother, Richard, spoke with a rather sorrowful tone, stating that it is a bitter sweet return for him to Guyana, given the fact the last time he was here a year ago, was to lay his brother to rest.
“While this is a sad day for me, I’m also very happy because I’m glad to see that people are trying to keep my brother alive and are behind it 100% and I’m sure he would’ve liked it and wanted the same for anyone else. So I’m glad that his friends, the Ravens basketball club, are doing this in his honour,” said Richard (Lawrence).
The older Lawrence described his brother as someone who dedicated a great part of his life to basketball, adding “he let my father down because he was a fine cricketer and my father always wanted him to play cricket, but Kevin loved the game of basketball and that was the sport he chose to play and did great in and we were all proud of him. He was a fine gentleman and great sportsman as well”.
Kevin played the small forward position and was considered one of the best shooters in the game locally and his marksman-like shooting from beyond the arc made him a number one threat to any team, while he would create problems to any defence in marking him, since he also had a good bounce and an aggressive attitude in attacking the basket.
On Saturday, the Ravens line-up will feature Ryan ‘Kobrone’ Guillen, Ryan Stephney, Stephan ‘Penny’ Henry, Rodwell ‘Kobe’ Fortune, Rudy James, Jermaine Slater, Marlon Rodrigues, Esuf Edghill, Travis ‘Cook-up’ Foster, Syria'h Clarke and Dwayne ‘Brown-Sugar’ Roberts.
Their opposition will feature the likes of Courts Pacesetters trio Royston Siland, Stefon Gillis and Travis Burnett, Bounty Colts garbage player Niko Fraser, Akeem ‘The Dream’ Kanhai, Mortimer Williams and Pelham Dorris along with Richard Braithwaite, Cort Elias and Daren Thomas.
Given the fact that the sport is dormant at this time, Saturday’s event will be the first time for the year that senior players will be seen in action playing competitive basketball and with this in mind, Ravens coach is of the opinion that this will be a good way to stimulate fans’ interest back to the game.
“It will be good for everyone to come out and see because we are promising quality basketball on display,” said Harris at yesterday’s launch.
Sunday, March 27, will be exactly one year since Lawrence passed away at the Georgetown Public Hospital (GPH) High Dependency Unit (HDU) after experiencing post-surgery complications the day after the surgery. He had sustained severe injuries to his back and neck in a car accident in Suriname.
His memorial basketball is made possible by Dyna’s Embroidery, Paul Discount Shoes Inc. in Brooklyn New York, Ross Service Station, Cirkel Distributors, Wind Jammers International Hotel, Robin Hunte, Stars Party Rental, Burch-Smith, and A. Alphonso and Sons.   
Admission is $500 and proceeds will go to charity and the Ravens basketball club.

Links:

Guyana Chronicle | Inaugural Kevin Lawrence Memorial Basketball officially launched
Facebook | A tribute to Kevin Lawrence by Astell Collins
Stabroek News | Kevin Lawrence Memorium
Guyana Live | Lawrence Memorial Basketball Extravaganza
Guyana Chronicle | Ravens star forward laid to rest
Stabroek News | A sad moment for the basketball community
 

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