The youth basketball scene is thriving in Cayman. Every Saturday afternoon, girls and boys play in the league at the Clifton Hunter School in Frank Sound.
One of the most avid players is Iain MacRae, a 14-year-old member of the Kings team. He loves the game so much, one day he hopes to be a professional in the NBA.
MacRae has played basketball since he was 6 as well as other sports, but for the past three years he has been totally focused on achieving his hoop dreams.
The satisfaction MacRae gets from playing is “that I know I am getting better every time I practice and I’m getting closer to my dreams,” he said.
The Scottish-Caymanian knows what dedication it takes to succeed as he sees his older sister, Catriona, 16, constantly training and competing in swimming at the high level.
Playing pro hoops is not an idle ambition for MacRae. “When I was younger I tried football, tennis, karate, swimming and rugby but gave them all up as I did not have the same passion for them as for basketball,” he said.
The Cayman Prep pupil is inspired by the Miami Heat’s Dwyane Wade, “because of how hard his childhood was and he still managed to become one of the greatest basketball players ever.”
MacRae rates his teammates Kai Robinson, Keena Robinson and Joseph Graham as the best players on the Kings and is grateful to coaches Victor “Voot” O’Garro and Duran “Trini” Whittaker for their guidance.
“Coaches Voot and Trini have both had a huge impact on my game, with Voot helping me with the basics and Trini helping me with the more advanced and difficult parts of the game.”
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