The Guest Speaeker - Cllr. Wheatonia Dixon Barnes Ambassador Lin Songtian Ambassador of the People's Republic of China Our Honoree - The Secretary General of FIFA Africa The President and members of the L.N.O.C.

• Lone Star Communication Corporation

• Friends of LBF in the USA

• The Joint Implementation Unit/UNMIL

• The Officials and Members of the LBF Family Head/Members of Sporting Federation and Associations Member of the Fourth Estate Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen

On behalf of our Staff and the entire Basketball family in Liberia; of which you are an inseparable part, we gladly recognize the privilege to salute your presence here today. Your choice to grace this occasion with your presence, which could be just as needed for other calls, is an example of your commitment to societal progress. Let us therefore observe a moment of silence for fallen souls lie Jimmy McCarthy who pass away on Thursday, July 19, 2007 at the J.F.K. Hospital. Prior to his death, Jimmy McCarthy served as Head Coach of LPRC Oilers Basketball Squad and headed the Technical staff that qualified LIBERIA for her First all Africa Games. He is a former basketball player and will be remembered when it comes to the games. The late Jimmy McCarthy played for Mighty Barrolle and long with the Late Jim Holder, Jemes Minor, and Christian A. King amongst other.

Barely 15 months a nd 11 days ago, the honor was upon us to have been inducted as the 15th President of the Liberia Basketball Federation and to use the cliche of our times, "the first woman President" of this noble institution of our Federation's 2006 official closing program, which marks our 460th day in office, we can proudly boast of a well structured institution that is not only sufficiently aware of the demands of this institution but also the efficiency and tenacity with which such work is done. Today we can proudly mention as avalanche of achievements that has unceasingly characterized our leadership beginning with this very minute to even the technical landmarks. These however have not come without a few pitfalls or hurdles and to not mention the pity of the past is to be economical with the truth. As is said, "You need a little bit of rainfall to appreciate the sunshine". Let's therefore navigate the state of affairs at the LBF upon our ascendancy.

EDIFICE:

It is an open secret that our toilet facilities were a no-go area as our drainage system was in a deplorable condition particularly when it rained thus leaving the playing court flooded and our offices inundated with water. The appalling state of our toilet facilities was further worsened by the lack of running water. Our decent and dedicated referees were painfully robbed of quietude and the convenience of rest due to the extensive looting that characterized firearm hostilities, which engulfed Monrovia, during the so-called "world-war one, two and three. Windows glasses and tables for referees at the time would have been seen as luxury, without which they were yet expected to perform excellently.

But the demands of these problems, which we instead saw as challenges, only strengthened our resolve to deal with them head-on. With the recommitment of my staff and their willingness to effectuate a significant mark of achievement, we together as a tea, immediately embarked on the thorough renovation of the entire LBF facilities as well as its administrative staff. The leakage in our conference room only further showcased the pity of some other unprivileged offices in our building. this ranges from an uninhabitable ticket booth, to the lack of storage facilities and offices for certain key officials. We, acting strictly within our means, repaired when needed and replaced where necessary all items and facilities of the LBF.

These actions included the reconditioning of the toilets with a partition in the female toilet as well as the installation of a water clset or commode. Our referees ensure the renovation and refurbishing of their offices beginning with the replacement of window glasses, purchase of curtains, rugs, tables, overhead fan, reinforcement of wondow bars and the list is endless. This achievement triggered a wave of repairs and renovation in all offices and facilities of the Sport Commission, which of course came with a mammoth cost in view of our dwindling financial state. We purchase water cooler, chairs, desks and electronic including electrical appliances and strengthened our communications link with local and foreign bodies.

As alluded to earlier, our pitfalls fortunately constitute merely a modicum of the legion of activities in which we willingly engaged as well as those visited upon us. On the sunny side of events apart from the many renovation works we have barely numerated, we attended some international meetings and conferences, which we all know cost staggering sums that prove much heavy for a Liberian Federation to bear on its own. We however like to admit in this same breath that our predecessor shares in this credit for setting the pace.

HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT & FOREIGN TRAVEL Our responsible referee and technical committee member not being satisfied with material improvement worked with us and ensured the travel and participation of one of our referees in a referee-licensing course in Cote D'Ivoire. We did not only attend these international meetings for the sake of being there but exerted ourselves to the effect of being elected to international posts. Liberia has been elected President of the Zone - III Commissions for Women and Youth Basketball FIBA Africa and Vice-President of the Central Board/FIBA Africa, and with this honor comes a huge web of responsibilities not only abroad as an international committee but also at home as a responsible representative at national or club level.

While we as commissions are expected to tailor the development of women and youth basketball in Africa, we equally carry the burden of showcasing the most enviable example of how well women and youth must behave when they particularly represent their countries and/or clubs. Societies the world over are guided by laws and norms as a measure of control to ensure the pleasure and safety of the actors as well was the non-actors. When our perceived mistreatment reaches fever pitch in a process, the victim is the fact hero and the cheat is presumed to be the hoodlum.

But when you hi-jack justice, you then disparage your heroes and by extension canonize the hoodlums, if your own standards are anything to go by. We must realize that for every action whether positive or negative, subliminal or conspicuous is never without a reward or a consequence. We have scored victories before. Hence, just as we have to be magnanimous in victory, so must we be gracious in defect. Logic dictates that loyalty is foremost to the greater good of the mother set. A penalty is imposed or a pardon granted on assumption that the offender would be seized by an attack of conscious to sway from the very proclivity that brought upon him or her, such a fate.

We as institution are obliged to honor the decisions of our parent bodies when as element of dysfunction is unfortunately determined in our disfavor. We remain aware that there has been disquiet about the Ivorian fiasco, which paints an ignominious picture of all that we represent as an institution and as a collectivity of civilized individuals. We however, implore the wisdom of patience that we all await the verdict from FIBA Headquarters before passing judgment on the matter. Given is meager financial resources and couple with the fact that unlike other national federations and associations that receive periodic grants and subsides from their parent bodies, the LBF can be a partly described as the most improved and most successful national federation of all times in Liberia. The LBF has instituted straight fiscal discipline in a bid to actualize a comprehensive and functional allotment system, which is operated on a need basic. Of our total income for the fiscal year, we committed twenty-five percent of teams, sixty-five percent of LBF operations which encompasses expenses ranging from referee remuneration to repairs and maintenance leaving a manageable balance of ten percent currently secured in our official bank account. We played host to our Sierra Leonean counterparts through the kind sponsorship of the Lone Star Communication Corporation. Pythons and Oilers basketball teams traveled to Guinea to honor the twenty-first Men's Championship in 2005. Pythons and Invincible Eleven participated in the twenty-first Men's Champions this year in Cote D'Ivoire just a few weeks ago. Today, we will accord honors to those who have earned them and award laurels to those who deserve them most.

We however like to admit in the same breath that our predecessor shares in this credit for setting the pace. The LBF now is an embodiment of the de facto "Sport Commission" it was intended to be as evidenced by the many programs actualized through the enviable cooperation and assistance of our trained and dedicated staff. We were directly instrumental in the launching of the 1st National female soccer fund-raiser here in the edifice of the sport commission for their participation in their international engagement. This proved to be very successful. We have a pending international Women and Youth Basketball Commission meeting in Abuja, Nigeria slated for November 2006. We expect the visit of CBS male team from Togo and a female team from Cote D'Ivoire between December 14 - 16 2006. All of those achievements into a rigorous national league and the fulfillment of international engagements and calendar.

In recognition and appreciation of LBF's active re-entry into the mainstream of international basketball, FIBA honored the LBF via the presentation of a golden medallion and two molten basketballs. FIBA gave ten pieces of referees' jerseys and also presented 12 DVD of programs on the Japan Congress, a meeting which we missed because of some financial and technical limitations. FIBA also in appreciation of LBF's improvement reviewed upon request of our leadership a debt of USD 4,200.00 accrued over the period 1964 - 2005. Following several appeals and exchanges on the matter, FIBA - Africa waived a total of USD 3,220.00 thus leaving a balance of USD 980.00.

For FIBA International the same effort was applied and we now have merely a debt of USD 10.00

We further like to acknowledge the immense contributions of the following individuals and institutions, listed in on preferential order, without whose help progress would have been impossible:

• Mr. Jonathan A. Mason

• Ambassador Lin Songtian

• Mr. Varney Gbessey

• Mr. Marbue Richards

• Mr. Orea Wright

• Mr. George Dimerson

• Ms. Julia A. Zoegan

• Cllr. Wheatonia Dixon Barnes

• Mr. Adam Kiawa

• Mr. Alphonso Blie

• Lone Star Communications Corporation

• Ministry of Youth & Sports

• Liberia National Olympic Committee

• Joint Implementation Unit of UNMIL

• Urban Hotel

• A-Hope Foundation

• NPA Management

• JIU UNMIL

• Friends of LBF in the USA

• Dr. Grace Ann Binkins

In closing we salute all those who have directly and indirectly contributed to the promises of the future and plead for the indulgence of those who have yet to show faith in our quest to deliver on these prosies.

You have again demonstrated that the value of an institution can also be measured by the quality of friends who so selflessly identify woth its needs.