Barker seeks support for b'ball coaches league

With a burning desire to develop basketball in Jamaica, President of the Jamaica Basketball Coaches Association, Ludlow Barker, is seeking funding to put on the fourth staging of the Coaches Summer League, a basketball camp for children under the age of 10.

Barker said that the association has been seeking funding since the main sponsor walked away at the end of the programme last summer.

The Calabar High School coach, however, is adamant that the programme must go on as it is an instrumental part of the Jamaica Basketball Association's plan to grow the sport.

"The purpose of this league is to develop basketball from the ground up.

Crucial point

We have realised that we need to start at this level if we are serious about harnessing talents," Barker said. "Most of the kids start playing basketball when they come into high school, in comparison to most of the players in first world countries who start from the age of six."

Barker said that he and his colleagues are currently seeking sponsorships, but their tries have proved futile so far.

"We have a team right now seeking sponsorship. But we need all the help that we can get," Barker said.

According to Barker, Jamaica has vast amount of talent in basketball waiting to be unearthed.

"We are Jamaicans. We always have raw talent and that is why it is important to start to develop that talent from such a tender age. If we continue to do this, 10 years from now we can have the product that we want and the players who can compete with the best in the world," Barker said.

The competition is set to begin in July.