The Cayman Islands Hoopsters want young basketball talents to shine at home and abroad this year.
On the local front, the developmental program has both a select Under-16 and Under-19 team competing in division two of the Digicel Men’s National League. Among the standouts on those teams are Juawon Ebanks, Albis Amaya, Jamel Winton and Naithique Jackson.
The competition is serving as good preparation for team and individual camps the boys will attend in Florida this month and July. Among them is an Amateur Athletic Union tournament in Orlando on March 28-30.
The group is also pleased with the performances of young players in California who have been groomed by the program. Shemar Lindsay, Diego Smith and Daniel Quinland of Capistrano Valley Christian High School and Rueben Barnes, Maynor Brooks, Christopher Collins, Justin Nalty and Phillip Webb of Santa Clarita Christian High School featured in the semifinals of the 2014 California Interscholastic Federation Southern Section Boys Basketball Playoffs. The boys were cheered on by supporters such as Felicia Connor, a Caymanian female player who serves as point guard for Capistrano Valley’s girls varsity team.
Santa Clarita won the game, 52-45, to book a spot in the finals against Renaissance Academy. The tournament featured a total of 25 teams from Southern California. Santa Clarita, ranked third in the region, won the Heritage Basketball League and received a first-round bye. Capistrano Valley, ranked 10th, beat the number two seed – Bellarmine-Jefferson High School – to advance to the semis.
All of those happenings reflect positively on the not-for-profit group’s mission, which is “to train select athletes between the ages of 10 and 18-years-old through the provision of travel experiences overseas, which affords opportunities for future pathways in higher education and sports pursuits.” The goal is to make young people empowered through the discipline required in basketball while being equipped with the tools to become exceptional student-athletes.
The Cayman Islands Hoopsters has held community events like car washes and bake sales and, due to the overwhelming amount of donations, the group was recently able to share baked goodies with the Cayman Islands Scouts Association and the Meals on Wheels program.
To date, the Hoopsters have received monetary donations from the Caledonian Group; Cayman National Bank, Dart Ltd., Lions Club of Grand Cayman and Foster’s Food Fair. The group is hopeful that this financial support will continue from other local businesses.
For more information, email [email protected] or contact head coach Daniel Augustine at 938-0185.
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