The Tribune

By RICARDO WELLS

THE presence of the Miami Heat in the Bahamas over much of the last week was a sight for sore eyes.

Even more so, media reports of a one-day basketball clinic hosted by Heat great, Alonzo Mourning, aided my belief the partnerships with international sporting bodies could, over time, improve our local sporting progress.

On Thursday, Alonzo Mourning hosted the clinic as a part of the Heat’s community outreach effort in conjunction with the Ministry of Tourism. The event gave the opportunity for 150 “eager” students to learn basketball fundamentals from one of the sport’s greatest talents.

As my colleague Renaldo Dorsett reported, basketball players from various schools throughout New Providence and the Family Islands participated in the event, learning from Mourning and various members of the Heat’s coaching staff. The report furthered that Mourning, the seven-time NBA All-Star and two-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year, discussed his path toward NBA stardom.

Mourning’s message to the youth included a focus on education, dedication to their chosen craft (sports or academics), proper nutrition and discipline in all aspects of life.

While these points may seem basic and somewhat nursery level to many of you, the reality is that many of these kids viewed this opportunity as a chance of a lifetime. The possibility to see someone that has performed at the top-level of a craft in which you one day hope to participate can only be described as major.

It’s not about the shots he puts up in their presence, nor is it about his ability to dunk the ball; it’s all about these kids having a chance to see him face-to-face and hear him detail how his handiwork got him from one spot to another. That is where this experience was key.

We have dozens of players that, with the right training, can ascend to the NBA. For this to be a reality, these young men need to be nurtured in the craft and shown the keys to success.

Opportunities to be around great players and learn from them can prepare these young ball players for life beyond the local high school courts.

Speaking from example, I was never capable of ‘hooping’ high school, but back in the day I was close to several members of my high school’s team. As a proud graduate of Jordan Prince Williams, I recall players on those teams telling me how big of a factor it was for them to play for Bahamian legend and former NBA player, Dexter Cambridge. The admiration those guys felt for Mr Cambridge translated to the level of respect that they showed in before, during and after practices.

They hung on his every word because they saw him as a template for them to get to where they wanted to be.

While I am not saying that it takes a NBA career to build a perfect basketball coach, my belief is that when aspiring players see, work with and learn from former quality players, they tend to adhere to instruction more.

This is what I believe Mourning gave to those 150 kids, a roadmap to achieving great success, something to aspire to. And most of all, direction.

It is my hope that the government and sporting officials in the country continue to do all in their power to ensure that our youth are continuously exposed to environments and people like this.

In order for us to grow our sporting prowess, actions like this have to become the norm and not the exception.

Thank you to the Miami Heat, Atlantis, the government and all those that made this interaction possible.

• Fourth Quarter Press

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