Some of the participants of the Digicel Jumpstart Clinic last year, 2015. Photo: Provided

D’Moi M. Hodge and Malachy S. Payne (left) were selected to attend an NBA game in the United States following their participation in the Digicel Jumpstart Elite Basketball Camp in Trinidad and Tobago in September 2015. Photo: Provided.

10 coaches have been invited to be part of the Digicel Jumpstart programme as well. Photo: Provided

Additionally, 10 coaches have been invited to be part of the programme as well.

Sessions are expected to run from 9:00-:3:00 P.M. daily, followed by a Level I FIBA coaching session for the 10 coaches.

Digicel Brand Ambassador and coach Jason A. Edwin, who recently returned from the Americas Team coaching camp in Mexico, is coordinating the programme. Edwin said the 10 coaches have been identified and for the 60 participants, he has given first preference to the boys and girls national team players as the first accepted. The programme is opened to others on a first come first served basis.

“They want basically disciplined young men and women,” Edwin said. “They want to ensure you have a high basketball IQ, you come in and be coachable—those are the basic criteria that have been set.”

Unselfish basketball

Edwin said the personnel coming in will highlight many important areas in developing youth basketball players.

A common practice for the territory’s young basketball players is the tendency to hog the ball.

“Passing is one of the things that would aid during the clinic to help ball players here, to go away from hogging the ball,” he said. “The Europeans, the South Americans, they obviously understand how important it is to move the ball—be a team player—and I guess that’s why they are ahead of the game right now.”  

Edwin said while the NBA doesn’t announce the coach or players who will be conducting the programme ahead of time, Troy Justice, who heads the NBA international operations and started the programme of getting players into the professional league will be in attendance.

Justice, he noted started the program in India which is on the verge of having their first NBA player, who’s currently in the summer D League.

“Our players will be exposed to the game on a whole different level as far as training and preparation, areas that they will stress,” Edwin stated. “In years to come, we’ll see our national teams doing better and we can be proud of them because of these fundamentals and knowledge they will gain.”

Of the players, five will move on from the Digicel BVI market to join players from other Digicel markets at an elite camp. No venue has been named as yet. From there, the best from all the markets will advance to the Digicel NBA Jumpstart camp in the USA later this year.

D’Moi M. Hodge and Malachy S. Payne grabbed two of the eight spots from all the Digicel markets last year and attended the programme in New York, including a tour of the NBA office, attended an NBA game and visited an Adidas mega store. (Dean 'The Sportsman' Greenaway)