Young basketball players will get an opportunity to showcase their talents with the objective of securing recruitment to a professional team at an international recruitment camp, which is being hosted by the Wadadli Elite organization at the JSC Sports Complex from July 3 to 6.
The four-day camp will feature players in two age groups, 9 to 14 and 15 to 21. Chief Executive Officer of Wadadli Elite Byron Andrew said the participants will benefit from skills training while working with top coaches, and there will be recruitment opportunities to attain basketball scholarships and professional contracts to play overseas.
“For Wadadli Elite’s camps we want to do the best practice in everything we do, especially in terms of coaching and skills development, so players who are attending the camp should expect that,” Andrew stated.
“We will be teaching them skill development, and opportunities will be there for recruiting players on scholarships to play basketball in high schools and colleges in the United States of America, and we can also explore the possibilities of securing an international contract for them.”
NCAA Coach Jemelle Speedy Fraser will be the chief facilitator at this year’s camp. Coach Fraser recently ended his third season as an assistant men’s basketball coach at Blinn College in Texas, USA.
Prior to arriving at Blinn, the Bronx, New York, native served as an assistant coach at LeMoyne College in Syracuse, New York. Fraser assisted in recruiting and player development, along with game and practice planning.
Fraser has coached and played in several countries internationally. He served as a head coach at the NBA Basketball School in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, in 2020.
He helped develop grassroots and high school boys’ basketball players and ensured high-quality programming and training. Additionally, he evaluated players’ skill levels at the end of each term.
Andrew, the business owner and operator of Eye Mobile Vision Care (EMVC), said that Fraser, who was born in Antigua, has worked with athletes such as former NBA players Kemba Walker and current point guard of the Detroit Pistons Cade Cunningham.
“We are going to bring back a long-standing coach, Jemelle Speedy Fraser, who has been working with us now for a few years. Fraser is a former NBA player, and he is very professional. We love how he communicates with the players, and so he will be here with us again in Antigua to conduct this year’s camp for us,” Andrew said.
The International Recruitment Camp will take place with two sessions on each day. The players in the 9 to 14 age group will attend sessions from 9 am to 1 pm, while those in the 15 to 21 category will be held from 1 pm to 5 pm. Food and drinks will be provided for the participants.
The registration fee is US$150. Registration forms are available online at all of the Wadadli Elite platforms or from any member of the organization; can be collected at the offices of Eye Mobile Vision Care or contact Byron Andrew at 724-3976.
The Wadadli Elite Basketball Academy is the brainchild of Andrew, who started the organization in 2015.
Although he is the chief administrator of the organization, Andrew also performs the role of assistant to head coach Irwin “Wanga” Armstrong, who is an experienced former coach of both the national junior and senior teams, the Antigua Pitbulls and Wadadli Bulldogs.
Since its inception, Wadadli Elite Basketball has been instrumental in getting over 20 of its members to acquire athletic scholarships to high schools and colleges in the United States and to play professionally in Europe.
