Local basketball team begins US tour tomorrow

By Ryan Haas
Reporter-SKNVibes.com

Campers from the Reach One, Teach One programme will begin their tour of the US today.

BASSETERRE, St. Kitts-THE nation’s top basketball players will depart the Federation tomorrow (Nov. 5) around 2:30 p.m. to begin a competitive tour of games against colleges in the United States.

The matches were scheduled as a part of the Reach One, Teach One basketball camp, which has been a staple in St. Kitts for the past four years.

Director of Sports and Head Coach for the team, Dave Connor, told SKNVibes that the selected men will have an opportunity to play Nova Southeastern University, the Florida Institute of Technology, Flager College and Rollins College during the November 5-11 tour of Florida.

“We were only able to get four games, but we had a lot more games offered to us. It was just the monetary constraints of staying too long and traveling all over the US that would prevent us from playing more while we are there.”

The squad selected to play is comprised of Captain Naren Maynard, Javed Williams, Levi Fyfield, Rymal Browne, Graeme Browne, Taslyn Hodge, Dane Rawlins, Ian Carr and Devin Rouse.

A large portion of the team was selected from those who attended the Reach One, Teach One camp (held from August 6-18 this year), but some of the men were selected from the top teams in the St. Kitts Amateur Basketball Association.

Connor noted that not only would the matches allow players from St. Kitts-Nevis to showcase their skills and possibly gain scholarships, but it would be used as an opportunity to promote the Federation’s culture and tourism offerings.

“This is our first venture overseas to promote St. Kitts-Nevis and not just our basketball. These teams will want to know what tours to go on and which hotels to stay at. We are going to be promoting St. Kitts-Nevis as a whole.

“The opportunities would be there at halftime to take a few minutes and speak to the audience, encouraging them to travel down to St. Kitts-Nevis,” he said.

Connor described the tour as the next evolution in the Reach One, Teach One camp, which has helped six players receive scholarships to date and has seen many celebrity players assist in the coaching, including former WNBA players like Rushia Brown.

Following this year’s tour of the US and the completion of the eventual construction of an indoor basketball facility, Connor said the next step would be for St. Kitts-Nevis to begin inviting college teams from the US and UK to the Federation for tournaments.

“We are looking to do the tournaments down here, possibly two per year. I am saying that once we are able to start a college tournament, I can foresee where within the next three to five years it could become something that is televised.

“It has been done in the BVI and St. Thomas. If they can do it, then we can do it,” he said.

Connor thanked the many partners who have been with the Reach One, Teach One programme throughout its years including the Ministry of Tourism, Sports and Culture, Digicel, LIME, C&C Caines Auto Services, Avis, S. L. Horsford’s, To God be the Glory Sports, Cyril White, Wendell Pemberton, Arthur Jeffers, Rymal Browne, Nashorn Maynard, Jenise Bass and countless other coaches and teachers.