Raw talent needs experience – Dawkins
Published:Monday | January 15, 2024 | 12:05 AMOrane Buchanan/Staff Reporter
A 10-MEMBER team representing the PHASE 1 Basketball Academy will depart Jamaica on January 25 for the January Jump Off basketball tournament at the David Psnak Jewish Community Center in Davie, Florida.
The tournament, being used by the Jamaicans as a way to boost their skill sets, will go from January 26 to 28.
According to Wayne Dawkins, founder of the PHASE 1 Academy, there is a lot of excitement within the team, which gets better with every trip.
“They’re excited as, for some of them, this experience is very new. Some have never travelled before, so there’s a lot of excitement. The team is getting better, as raw talent needs experience to come out and it also needs better competition,” said Dawkins.
Dawkins pointed out that his decision to participate in a tournament overseas tied in with his belief that young players needed to get up to speed with their North American counterparts.
“It has been hurting us on the international stage, as playing high-school basketball in Jamaica, which comprises of about six to 10 games and you’re done, and that is about one week of basketball in North America,” said Dawkins.
The Phase 1 Academy founder, who is also technical director of the national Under-17 team, said, while three members of the travelling team participated in the recently concluded National Basketball League (NBL), the preparation was far from ideal.
“Three of our guys (Romario Millis, Micah Swaine and Derjean Royal) played in the NBL, which lasted for about six months, playing against grown men in Jamaica. But the style of play is so different because you could play in the NBL for six months and still not be able to perform against players your age. So that’s why we have trouble with international competition, because not even the best basketball in Jamaica really prepares our kids.”