The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

DYLAN Musgrove, following in the footsteps of his father Gordon ‘Slanks’ Musgrove, is the latest Bahamian basketball player to sign a letter of intent to attend college in the United States.

Flanked by his family and coach Serone Kennedy, Musgrove has agreed to terms for a full athletic scholarship to play basketball for the Blackhawks of Southeastern Community College in Burlington, Iowa.

The 20-year-old 6ft 4in player was named the most valuable player for the Athletico Bahamas team when they won the Bahamas Basketball Federation’s Division II championship title last month.

The St Thomas More and Temple Christian Academy graduate earned the feat after Athletico Bahamas, coached by Kennedy, was awarded the opportunity to represent the New Providence Basketball Association (NPBA) in just their first year of existence as one of the youngest teams in the league.

“It was a good experience. It was what I thought it would be competition-wise,” Musgrove said. “I put the goal out there to accomplish what I did and so I really liked the way things turned out.”

A rookie, he finished as the second highest scorer in the league.

Although he graduated from Temple Christian in 2014, Musgrove said he never gave up on his goal to attend college.

“It’s a great feeling to get a scholarship to play ball,” Musgrove said. “It’s everybody’s dream to play basketball. I was waiting on this opportunity ever since I began playing basketball. It’s finally come.”

Musgrove said he was impressed that the coaching staff kept a tab on what he was doing in the NPBA and although student-athletes normally get an invite to the school to view the entire programme, he was the exception.

“They told me they liked what they heard and I didn’t have to come,” he said. “They agreed to offer me the scholarship. I know that they expect me to be the player that they recruited, but I want to become better and I know that they will help me to be better than the player I was when I came in.”

Kennedy said he has no doubt that Musgrove will make an impact at the collegiate level.

“It took some time, but when we recruited him to our programme, we knew that he was one of the best players in the country and he had the potential to play at the collegiate level,” Kennedy said.

“That is one of the reasons why we formed the team. We want to give those players who have just come out of high school and didn’t get a chance to go directly to college to prepare themselves for the opportunity whenever it came.”

Gordon Musgrove said all he did was put a ball in his son’s crib when he was a baby and he set an example for him to follow as he was growing up.

“The rest was up to him,” the elder Musgrove quipped. “He has paved his own road. He got the example from me and his uncle (Felix ‘Fly’ Musgrove) and other mentors, who showed him what hard work is all about.

“I think the biggest blessing is when you can see, not only your son, but anybody else, who gets up on their own and goes out and exercise. That’s when I knew he was ready to go to the next level.”

While they would argue as to whose game was better, the senior Musgrove said his son is definitely fully prepared for the transition from the Bahamas to the United States.

“I wanted him to go directly from high school to college, it didn’t work out that way,” Musgrove reflected. “This is the right time. He’s been working hard and we thank the Athletico Bahamas programme for the role they have played in getting him off.

“He’s ready to take it to the next level. It’s all up to him. He just has to stay focused, stay disciplined and give God thanks. To God be the glory. He has a statement on his message and it says: ‘Never satisfy’. So I believe that will resonate with what he has to do when he goes off to college.”

The signing took place at the office of his grandaunt, Dr Rhonda Hanna, in Centreville. His mother, Ingrid Musgrove, who has been one of his biggest cheering supporters in the stands when he played, was just as thrilled to see her son sign his letter of intent.

“I must say this is a very exciting time for us,” she stressed. “As parents, we want to educate our children and college is the ultimate level.

“Often times we are not in a position to do it, so whenever you get assistance from coaches and colleges, it’s a real blessing. For Dylan to be able to further his education doing the thing that he loves, playing basketball, is a feeling that I can hardly put into words.”

She noted that her son was “born with this gift” to play basketball and over the years he has honed it and perfected it and it’s now paying off beyond measure.

Eventually, once he can move on to play at a major four-year institution, his mother said she would like to see him pursue his ultimate goal, which is to play in the National Basketball Association (NBA).

His father didn’t reach the NBA, but he played at the collegiate level and was a member of the Bahamas men’s national basketball team along with ‘Fly’ Musgrove.

One of his sisters, Amanda, will be graduating from the College of the Bahamas in two weeks. His other sister, Monalisa, was on hand to witness the signing.

Now, Dylan Musgrove said he is just waiting for Southeastern to send the paperwork so that he can complete his preparation for the trek to Iowa in August to begin his first semester and pursue his degree in accounting.

To the players he will be leaving here at home, Musgrove said he wants to assure them that there is hope for them to go to college as well.

“I had to wait for this opportunity for a while. I didn’t expect it to come this late, but I kept playing and bettering my skills,” he said. “Don’t give up. Your time will come if you put in the work and keep God first.”