Guns' coach and Sports Minister Andrew Fahie, celebrates his team's 69-66, OT win over Young Legs,. He also coached reigning softball champs West End Warriors. Photo>Dean "The Sportsman" Greenawy

TORTOLA—After 15 years at the helm and leading them to their biggest victory of the season—a a thrilling 69-66, overtime victory over rivals Young Legs—Andrew Fahie, who is also the Minister of Sports, has resigned as the Guns’ coach and from involvement with the West End Warriors Softball team, who are the reigning BVI Softball Association champions.

“Today I am officially resigning as the Guns’ Basketball coach/Manager and from any affiliation with the said team and any other teams whether in the BVIABA or any other amateur sporting Association,” Fahie said in a prepared statement.

“In life one has to always know when enough is enough, and I have come to the conclusion that it is time to leave the scene and totally cut my association/participation and all ties with the Guns basketball team and any other team,” he added. “My decision to take this course of action at this time is solely due to the increasingly high demand on my time now more than ever in my duties as the elected representative for the First electoral District, Minister of Education, my community, Church and my family.” 

Fahie said the time required to be a coach/manager of any team he has been involved with and to properly train and prepare them to compete at a high level has become quite a challenge lately. He said one of his personality traits is that anything he sets out to do must be done properly, to the best of his ability and at a high standard.

“However, at present, due to my other commitments this has not been the case lately with my involvement in sporting organizations especially the Guns Basketball team,” he noted. “My full departure from any role with the Guns Basketball team is a bitter-sweet one in that after 15 plus years of good memories, but no championship, is the bitter part but knowing that I am leaving behind a talented group of guys that I predict will stay together to win the championship this year is the sweet part.”

Fahie wished the team well and prayed for the continuous growth of basketball and  wished all Amateur Sporting Associations in the Virgin Islands, including the BVIABA, the best for the future.  “As Minister of Education with responsibility for sports, I ask that this decision that I have made be accepted as one where I can dedicate more time and energies in the total development of our young people in sports and education territory wide,” Fahie stated. “As well as dedicate more time to my constituency, family and other areas of my life that at this stage of my life, urgently needs my full attention. In the interim the team will select the person to fill the void created as a result of the decision I have made to ‘move on.’”

Fahie said it was a pleasure being associated with the Guns and his other teams whether in basketball or softball. “However, like the old saying says ‘all good things must come to an end and every man should be wise enough to know when that time has come and do the admirable thing, which is to bow out gracefully,’” he said. “I will always cherish the memories but it is time for this “sun” in my life to set so that I can put my full attention to ensuring a brighter tomorrow for all the people of these beautiful Virgin Islands in all facets of life including sports.”