Anderson considers Sunshine Girls’ future

Liverpool, England:

It was a bittersweet day for head coach Marvette Anderson after Jamaica’s Sunshine Girls defeated Malawi 68-50 to end their campaign at the Vitality Netball World Cup (NWC) in fifth place here yesterday.

Jamaica entered the tournament as the ­second-ranked team in the world, but they failed to make the semi-finals for the first time since 1995.

Anderson and her coaching staff, which includes assistant coach Winston Nevers and team manager Faith Hall, have been facing heavy criticism for the team’s poor performance at the championships.

Anderson, who was coaching in her first NWC, said she would be making a decision on her future with the team in the coming days.

“For me, personally, it is something that I have been thinking about, so just give me a couple of days then you will know,” she said. “I was glad that it was over because it gave me an opportunity to really relax now. Since I have been here, it has been an up-and-down battle, but the fact that it is over is more relaxing for me now.

“There is nothing that I can do about the past. and there is nothing that I can do about the present. I have to focus on the present, and the present is getting fifth in the world. I think we did a good job of that, and it is on to the next chapter,” Anderson said.

DISAPPOINTING PERFORMANCE

She said that like many Jamaicans, she is very disappointed with the Sunshine Girls’ performance at the championships because they should have been on the podium.

“The ideal was for us to come here, and based on the team that we had, to be among the podium finishers. The reality is that things happened, and we don’t always get what we expect to get,” she said.

“I think that this team was good enough (to medal) because we have eight players from the last World Championships, and those four players that we added are quality players, but they did their best, and I, as the coach, have to accept it.”

Captain Jhaniele Fowler, who celebrated her 30th birthday yesterday, was the leading scorer for the Sunshine Girls with an impressive 53 goals from 54 attempts.

She received support from Romelda Aiken, who shot eight goals from 12 attempts, Shanice Beckford four from six, and Rebekah Robinson, three from five.