‘We just have to be better’

HEAD COACH of Jamaica’s boys’ under-19 volleyball team, Adrian Ramdeen, is cautiously optimistic about the team’s chances ahead of Saturday’s opening game in the Caribbean Zonal Volleyball Association (CAZOVA) U19 Boys’ Championships at the GC Foster College.

Ramdeen said he believes the team has the potential to win the regional championships but admitted it will not be an easy task.

“We can be very competitive,” he said.

“The only thing I can say right now is that we’re at a good place. I don’t want to jump the gun but I think that the boys can win the championship. It’s a possibility, but we have good teams that we’re going to go up against but it all depends on consistency.”

Ramdeen explained much of the focus has been on ensuring the players are ready for the level expected to compete in the regional tournament.

He said the difference between high school volleyball in Jamaica compared to the upcoming championship is vast.

However, he believes much progress has been made in closing the gap.

“We’re in a good place based on where we started with the guys that had limited knowledge on how to play a certain type of volleyball. I mean, high-school volleyball and national-championship volleyball are two different games.

“So we had to improve their skill base and some of them, the skills that they learned, they didn’t learn it properly.”

Drawn in Pool A, Jamaica will face Aruba on Saturday before their second game against the US Virgin Islands on the following Tuesday.

Ramdeen expects the US Virgin Islands to be the more difficult game to contest. However, he admitted he was not knowledgeable about the strength of the Aruban team.

He said they will not be underestimating any opponent as each team will come with the intention of walking away with the championship title.

“It’s a possibility that the US Virgin Islands would be the stronger of the two teams because they have access to the US-based players, so I think they’d be good competitors. For Aruba, I don’t know much about them or if they even have a volleyball culture.”

He went on to say, “We’re not going there to underestimate any team. We’re going to play our best game all the time and that is the aim. We’re not doubting any team. They are coming to win the championship as well, so we just have to be better.”