US Basketball coaches at work in the Emerald Isle - Courtesy GIU
GIU – Two basketball coaches from Ohio are on island this week as part of the Reach One Teach One basketball camp for junior and senior players. Lead Coach, David Shoemaker said they will be looking out for outstanding players who could possibly be recruited to play basketball at colleges in his state.
Shoemaker said at the opening ceremony on Sunday evening that he has invited the local organizers to coordinate a visit of a team of the top players to Ohio for the month of October. “I can’t guarantee you that you will be selected by a school but I can assure you, they will get to come and see you. It will be up to each of you to work hard and give it your best,” the coach told the athletes.
The camp is being hosted by MC Media Inc and the Warren Cassell Foundation in collaboration with the Ministry of Sports and began on Monday at the Brades basketball court. Presently there are 50 junior players who are being coached in all aspects of the game from 9am to noon each day until Friday. The senior players number 30 and meet each evening starting at 6pm.
Beresford Mack of MC Media Inc, said his organization and the Warren Cassell Foundation have already begun to make the plans to get the top players to Ohio later this year. He encouraged the athletes to consider how much they wanted a future in the game and to be prepared to work hard during the week of training to gain as much skills as possible from the coaches and to maintain this once the camp was over.
Montserrat youths at work with Basketball coaches from the US = Courtesy GIU
Assisting Coach Shoemaker is Coach Joshua Anderson, who is on island for the first time. Coach Shoemaker visited Montserrat 15 years ago to work with the players prior to their travelling abroad for international tournaments.
Coach Shoemaker and Beresford Mack agreed the goal was to get Montserrat back on the international scope by improving the standard of the athletes playing the game here.
