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U17 Jamrockers Basketball Classic tips off in MoBay
August 16, 2024
With National Basketball Association (NBA) presence and support in the form of Tari Eason, the P.H.A.S.E. 1 Academy JamRockers Basketball Classic Under-17 competition will tip off today at the Montego Bay Community College in Montego Bay, St James.
The competition will see six teams, local and international, participate in a three-day event to finish on Sunday, with action beginning at 8 a.m. and ending at 4 p.m. daily.
Eason, who plays for the Houston Rockets, is a sponsor and will be assisting with the event which includes clinics. The clinics will be run by both local and international coaches, with the sessions taking place after competition.
Organisers are expecting the event to boost tourism and the sport through the preseason opportunities for North American teams and by way of its quality.
"This will boost tourism and it is a great opportunity for the players," said Wayne Dawkins, CEO of P.H.A.S.E. 1 Academy. "We have been trying to get basketball tourism into Jamaica so we can get competition without having to spend and go overseas all the time.
"A huge benefit for the players is it will raise the level of competition in Jamaica. Some local players cannot travel because they don't have visas. Building an event here allows those athletes who can't travel an opportunity to experience high-level competition," Dawkins told STAR Sports. "In order for Jamaica to be recognised as a place where athletes can be developed, it has to be seen as a place where competition is happening. The more exposure for the athletes, the more people will see and now look to Jamaica as a place where the athletes are being developed, " he said.
Three international teams, one each from Canada and the United States, and another mixed with players from both countries, will be battling for honours alongside three local teams drawn from Trelawny, St James, and Kingston and St Andrew.
Alton Morris, coach of Hardwood Kings of Canada said he expects his team to gain experience and wants to bring more teams next year.
"Even though we are the youngest team, we are going to be the feistiest and we came here to win. We flew over the ocean not to just take part but to leave here with the trophy," Morris said.
"We look forward to having fun right now and getting better for next year. There are older players so we want to just come and experience that level of competition. We came four days early to experience the Jamaican culture as well," he added.
According to Dawkins, this initiative can bring more investments to basketball programmes in Jamaica.
"If we want people to invest into these athletes then we need to show that we are at par with our international peers," he said.." Apart from the tournament, we will also have a cultural exchange for the athletes so that should be good."
The major sponsors include Tourism Enhancement Fund, Children for Change, Eason Basketball and P.H.A.S.E 1 Global.
