Coaches hail opening day action at JamRockers Basketball Classics

The JamRockers Basketball Classics for under-17 players is underway at the Montego Bay Community College. Two coaches, Chuck Henry, head coach for Team Takeover from Washington DC, and Mark Francis, coach of Phase 1 Academy International, are very impressed with the action on the opening day of the tournament.Henry told The Gleaner that his players are here to have fun after a successful first day during which they won two games. “I am really excited for these kids no matter what. Coming to an entirely different country and being able to compete and go home with a championship is awesome. We compete to win championships and for these guys to go come outside of the country and to win one is pretty special. The plan for Team Takeover is to take over. That was the plan when we formed the organisation in 1996 and we are here now in 2024 broadening our reach in Jamaica.“We have guys who had never left the country before so the entire thought process was for us to have fun playing basketball, a game the world loves. I told them to compete and build relationships with players here with completely different backgrounds and culture and enjoy the experience. Headlines Delivered to Your Inbox Sign up for The Gleaner’s morning and evening newsletters. Francis’ team also won two games. He said the competition has been strong and impressive.“The players are fast; they can shoot and some are dunking on every play. Our mindset is to stay focused, be disciplined and stick to our game plan. It has worked out so far and we are hoping to win two more games tomorrow and go into Sunday and win the championship,” Francis said yesterday.He added: “I think this is great for any player to come to such a beautiful country and for them to have family here supporting them.”In the first game yesterday, Pool A’s P.H.A.S.E 1 Academy International narrowly defeated Hardwood Kings from Canada, 67-65.The second game which was also a very close affair, Pool B’s Team Takeover defeated P.H.A.S.E 1 Academy Montego Bay, 56-53. In the third game P.H.A.S.E 1 Academy International had an impressive 65-45 win over P.H.A.S.E 1 Academy Trelawny. In the final game, Team Takeover defeated P.H.A.S.E 1 Academy 52-23.The competition will resume today at 9 a.m. P.H.A.S.E 1 Academy Kingston will face P.H.A.S.E 1 Academy Montego Bay and P.H.A.S.E 1 Academy Trelawny oppose Hardwood Kings. The six-team three-day competition is being held for the first time. The semifinals and finals and third-place game will take place tomorrow with action also set to begin at 9 a.m.