NBA agent sees natural athletes in Jamaica

HIGHLY RESPECTED NBA agent Mike George is on the island closely monitoring the ongoing Star Search Basketball Camp at G.C. Foster College.

George, among his plethora of clients, has reigning NBA champion Jamal Murray of the Denver Nuggets on his list. The Canadian national has ties with the country as his father, Roger Murray, is a son of the soil.

George, when asked about the possibility of Murray doing any work locally with the development of basketball, said that talks would be had very soon.

“As you know, his dad is a Jamaican, and the country is very close to his heart. It’s been a lot going on this season, but I know, definitely, there will be a conversation at some point,” he stated.

George added that seeing some of the best local talent on show during the camp shows off the fact that Jamaica is blessed with natural athletes. However, he feels that the lack of coaches hinders proper development that could lead more Jamaica-born players into the NBA.

“There’s a lot of talent. It’s just to get them better, especially with skill development. There are a lot of natural athletes here, so it’s a good feeling seeing them in the gym. I think it comes down to having more coaches down here and implementing skill development at the younger age. There are natural athletes, but it’s the skill development like the shooting and understanding the nuances of the game.”

The experienced agent believes that Jamaica could be in a better place if locally trained players were developed better prior to leaving for overseas stints. According to George, Canada was once in a position similar to Jamaica but worked on improving their players at a far younger age.

“I think it comes down to taking care of your backyard and getting better here. Work on your skill development and then you can go out. Canada was in that place. If you can remember a lot of the Canadian kids really come from a Jamaican background, but you got to develop when they’re younger,” he added.

George believes that sharing his knowledge and experience about the ins and outs of the game of basketball could help with the players’ development, which they could use to propel their game and get into professional setups.

“I’ve done this many times seeing basketball programmes from the grass roots. Obviously, Wayne Dawkins is here doing a great job, but I got a lot of knowledge from the stuff, too. Knowledge is everything, so being able to provide that information to the guys coming up, then we’ll be talking about kids going to the NBA, Europe, or wherever they want to go.”

Dawkins is the technical director of the Jamaica under-17 basketball programme.

orane.buchanan@gleanerjm.com