Some of the top young players in the country took part in the 14th Annual Darrell Sears Basketball Showcase which was held over the weekend in Freeport, Grand Bahama.

Some of the top high school, junior college and unattached young basketball players in the country gathered in Freeport, Grand Bahama this past weekend, for the 14th Annual Darrell Sears Basketball Showcase.

Over 20 collegiate coaches were in attendance for the two-day invitational, which was staged at the St. George's Gymnasium. The event itself has served as a launch pad for the careers of some of the top Bahamian basketball players in the country.

A few of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I schools represented at the event were the University of Oklahoma, Kansas, Stetson University, the University of Wyoming and Washington State.

The exhibition tournament pitted the players against each other in a series of exhibition games for the coaches to get a fair evaluation of each player's skills, and their potential for success at the next level. On the final day, only the top prospects were brought in for a private workout, allowing the scouts to get a more in-depth look at the players before they left the country.

Sears, who's been instrumental in molding some of the country's top talent into division one caliber players, said he was impressed with the way this crop of athletes handled the pressure of playing in front of the scouts, and hopefully some scholarship opportunities could come to fruition in the very near future.

"The kids had a wonderful experience, they thought it was well ran and that we did a good job, but there are still a lot of improvements that we could make," said Sears.

"The thing that I'm learning though, is that even if one child gets an opportunity, we were successful. The one thing that all the coaches pointed out to me as a strong point was the athleticism of the kids, but what they were really excited about was the improved skill sets of the players, which has been a knock on Bahamian kids for quite some time. The skill set and IQ (intelligence quotient) of the kids has improved greatly, particularly over the past two years."

Some of the top players who have participated in the showcase in the past include Chavanno "Buddy" Hield, Lourawls "Tum Tum" Nairn, Dwight Coleby and Magnum Rolle.

Randy Smith

Guardian Sports Reporter

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