The Tribune

By RENALDO DORSETT

Tribune Sports Reporter

rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

Ollen Smith plans to use his platform at the coaching level to help facilitate the transition for Bahamian prospects to the constantly developing Canadian prep basketball scene.

Smith, the director of Empower Sports Network (ESN), currently serves as the assistant coach for Niagara Prep and also has recruiting ties to Brock University.

“In my role with the coaching staff and with recruitment I hope to build on Bahamian athletes coming into our system and developing into formidable college, university players and potentially professional players,” he said.

“With ESN right now we have a system where Canadians can foresee some of the Bahamian talent first hand and we have the ability to build on that trend moving forward.”

Niagara Prep, or Saint Paul Catholic School at Niagara Falls, competes in the Ontario Scholastic Basketball Association (OSBA), the top prep league in the country.

The former Bahamian junior national team standout seeks to establish an exchange programme between the Bahamas and Canada for prep basketball prospects.

“For years we have been talking about ESN trying to be a frontrunner to helping youth basketball in the Bahamas and due to circumstances we can’t control we had to adapt. Post-COVID, we hope to do a lot of things to have a place where people can gravitate toward OSBA and play for a Bahamian coach rather than gravitate to other programmes within Canada,” Smith said. “The secret is out, the Bahamian talent is something that they seek and they go out of their way to find it. We will be doing a lot of invitational and showcases, we want to mold a proper dialogue when it comes to transitioning from The Bahamas to Canada because we are still a few steps behind.

“If we can change that dynamic to having more people understand what prep basketball is like at an earlier age that would be an easier transition.”

Smith cited recent Bahamian success stories in the OSBA, including Ole Miss forward Sammy Hunter (British Columbia Prep), Florida Gulf Coast guard Franco Miller Jr (Crestwood Prep), and current Crestwood wing Romad Dean.

Prior to his post at Niagara, Smith was a member of the coaching staff for the St Mary’s University Huskies who compete in the Atlantic University Sport Conference of U Sports. Smith recruited Qyemah Gibson when ESN hosted tryouts for its exchange programme in 2018.

In his third year with the Huskies, Gibson continues his stair climb this season and recently won Male Athlete of the Week for the week of November, 22-28. The Huskies are 5-4 on the season.

Gibson, a third year forward, led the Huskies with 23 points and 12 rebounds, and added two assists and a block in a 92-90 overtime loss to the Cape Breton Capers to conclude the fall semester. Gibson is ranked top 10 in the AUS in points scored (173, second), points per game (19.2, fifth), field goals made (66, second), three-pointers made (third, 3rd), total rebounds (71, third), rebounds per game (7.9, sixth), blocks (10, third), minutes (340, first) and minutes per game (37.8, first).

ESN plans to teach the importance of youth development through sports and education. The organisation plans to focus on the development of youth basketball throughout the country. “We have a few things to focus on multi-tasking – hand-eye coordination, foot placement, balance, learning to pick your spots and get your shot off the way you want to because that’s what great offensive players do,” Smith said. “We have to target the youth before they can develop egos, bad habits, they would know the basic fundamentals and terminology.”