St Lucia puts faith in former Sunshine Girls’ head coach
Published:Sunday | October 16, 2022 | 12:11 AMOrane Buchanan - Staff Reporter
RANKED FIFTH in the Americas region and 20th in the world, St. Lucia will take aim at one of the qualifying spots on offer at the upcoming Americas Netball World Cup qualifiers, set to start today at the National Indoor Sports Centre in Kingston, Jamaica.
In a bid to bolster their chances of making it to the 2023 Netball World Cup in Cape Town, South Africa, St Lucia have added the experience of former head coach of Jamaica’s Sunshine Girls, Minneth Reynolds.
Reynolds, who was appointed the head coach position back in April of this year, believes the team has had adequate preparation and is in good stead ahead of today’s opening fixtures.
“Preparation has been going quite well, and I expect that the ladies will carry over the same work they did in previous tournaments.” said Reynolds.
At the OECS/ECCB International Netball Series, hosted in Roseau, Dominica recently, St. Lucia were runners up to St Vincent and the Grenadines, suffering a 39-17 defeat in a rain-affected final.
According to Reynolds, St Lucia, who were voted the best defensive team of the tournament, will be hoping to showcase their all-round skill-sets.
“We’re an all-round team, because it’s not only defence, but goals win matches, supported by strong defence. Once our shooters are able to convert, and our defence does their work, we will be very competitive,” she added.
The nine-team tournament, which boasts the best in the region, is expected to be highly competitive, according to St Lucia’s head coach, her group needs to be switched on mentally.
“It means every game you play will take four controlled quarters of consistent netball, both in attack and defence,” she said.
St Lucia will open their account against the Spice Girls of Grenada, and despite not knowing a lot about their playing style, coach Reynolds is of the belief that her team will start their tournament with a victory.
“I don’t know much about Grenada, except that their ranked above us, but in this tournament ranking doesn’t count. It’s who turns up on the day and puts their best foot forward,” Reynolds added.