College teams hail Montego Bay

Western Bureau:

The Montego Bay Convention Centre hosted the inaugural National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA) Preseason Basketball tournament 'Jamaica Classics' on the weekend of November 17-19 and the majority of those who participated are looking forward to 2018.

Players from the seven United States-based colleges all enjoyed their time in the Second City. J.R. Lynch of Hartford, the college which bounced back from losing their first game to take home the trophy, described his experience in Jamaica as 'great'.

"I appreciated the support from the community and I know my team did so as well. This is something we are grateful for," said Lynch.

Lynch added that the whole goal for the weekend was to inspire the kids, and noted that he is not the best player but when he steps on the floor he gives 110 per cent.

"If the opportunity ever comes my way I would definitely come back here and do what I can to help the sport. I hope that a few kids saw the way I play take it and work hard because opportunities will only come to those who work hard," said Lynch, who had four assists, 10 rebounds and a total of 18 points in the final game and was named the Most Valuable player (MVP) of the final.

Adam Miller, associate director of Tulane University, also told The Gleaner that his team really appreciated the warm welcome the city gave them.

"The best thing about Montego Bay is the spirit here, we just felt loved and welcomed, and obviously, it's a beautiful place. We could at the same time have fun and play the game we love, I'm sure these guys enjoyed it and definitely something they will remember for the rest of their lives," said Miller, whose team produced tournament MVP, Melvin Frazer.

Joe Dibari, sports information director of Fordham University, also said they couldn't ask for a better place to spend five days as 'the weather was great, the people were so friendly".