IN their last Centrobasket Championship in Mayaguez, Puerto Rico, a strong contingent of Jamaican women sent shockwaves throughout the tournament by reaching the final.

Their fairytale run, however, ended in defeat as they were soundly beaten by the host country.

But the team of Simone Edwards, then player/coach, Nicole Louden and Vanessa Gidden, among others, had done enough for the other competing nations to take stock.

Two years after that historic achievement, the Jamaican women, now ranked 35th in the world, are on the same mission, hoping to repeat or better the dizzy heights attained.

The journey is likely to be more arduous than before, as only four members from 2010 have been included in the 15-member training camp announced by the Jamaica Basketball Association (JaBA).

The camp will run from June 1-9 to work on strategies and build team chemistry. Also, the local governing body has chosen the Grand Palladium in Point, Hanover, far removed from the cities of Montego Bay and Kingston.

Edwards, now working as the assistant coach, continues to lament the lack of recognition they get from corporate Jamaica, unlike their male counterparts.

This, she said, impacts negatively on how they prepare for a major tournament such as the 2012 Centrobasket Championship for Women to be held in the Puerto Rican city of Morovis from June 12-16.

“I still think we need longer time to prepare for a tournament like this. But I think it still goes down to budget again. We just need more support from corporate Jamaica so we can have a longer time to prepare,” Edwards, a former WNBA player, told the Jamaica Observer in a May 28 interview.

“The problem is,” she added “most of the teams we are going to be playing against — the Mexicos, the Dominican Republics, the Cubas, the Puerto Ricos — have been practising for a month or more.

“And so I think especially when we don’t have a development programme here and as many talents like the bigger, stronger countries, we have to start earlier. I think the minimum time is a month,” she said.

Naturally, teams will be coming more prepared for Jamaica this time around, and with the limited resources at their disposal, the possibility exists for a rude awakening on the Spanish-speaking island.

Even if they fail to match their 2010 performance, a top-three finish would see the Jamaicans qualify for the FIBA Americas Championship, a qualifier for the 2016 Olympics.

However, it was at this stage last year that the weaknesses in the Jamaican team were severely exposed, as they finished fourth in their group behind eventual champions Brazil, Canada and Mexico.

Again, Edwards blamed a lack of support, and she has a strong case too, as Louden and Gidden finished in the top-three in points and rebounds overall.

With so many new faces being drafted, she is already foreseeing a rough ride — one that’s surmountable, though.

“We usually do the one week and we’ve been successful because we had stronger athletes,” said Edwards.

“Now most of the main players, including myself… are not competing… so it makes it a little more difficult. But we have to work with what we have and hopefully, we can pull it off.”

Edwards says she’ll be looking towards East Tennessee guard Tarita Gordon, Tajay Ashmeade, who was fifth overall in rebounding in the Big East, and Switzerland-based pro Rhona McKenzie to lead the charge.

Both Ashmeade and Gordon, along with Angelee Latouche and Christina Mitchell, were part of the successful 2010 outfit.

Despite their success two years ago, Edwards is hoping the level of officiating at the tournament will improve dramatically.

She lamented the poor officiating in matches involving Jamaica in the last event, claiming the referees’ actions were deliberate.

Said Edwards: “Even last year, because they were the host country, the calls are terrible. You have to be leading by 20 points with one minute to go (to win),” she said.

Jamaica are drawn in Group A alongside Puerto Rico, Mexico and El Salvador. The top-two will advance to the semi-finals.