All posts by Michael Diamond

Basketball Academy Paves the way for the KPMG and PwC Boys and Girls Leagues

With record turnouts this year, the Cayman Islands Basketball Association’s (“CIBA”) orchestrated Academy continues to lay the foundation for youth to develop and showcase their basketball talents.

CIBA facilitates the development of Cayman’s youth through its leagues, ongoing programs and clinics offered throughout the year. CIBA’s objectives are as follows:

  • To use basketball as a tool to develop exceptional citizens;
  • To increase levels of participation for health and self-esteem;
  • To provide avenues for national and college recruitment for young, promising athletes;
  • Offer an alternative method of mediation to reduce the number of youths left unsupervised after-school and on weekends;
  • To promote a healthy and active society through basketball;
  • To build national pride through participation in regional and international games.

Led by the Technical Director of CIBA, Coach Victor “Voot” O’Garro, the Academy offers youth access to learn the fundamentals of basketball in a fun environment that is open to both boys and girls with any level of experience.

The Academy details are as follows:

Academy Start Date / End Date: Year round, generally in conjunction with school terms

Academy Location: First Baptist Church of Grand Cayman on Saturdays (across from the Lions’ Centre)

  • 7 – 9 year olds: 9 AM – 10 AM 
  • 10 – 12 year olds: 10 AM – 11:15 AM
  • 13 – 16 year olds: 11:15 AM – 12:30 PM

(10 -12 year old session gathering at center court with Coach Corey McGee at the Academy)

Aside from the Academy, locally sponsored leagues are offered for youth to display and master the foundational skills learned at the Academy within a competitive team environment.

These leagues would not be possible without local sponsors, KPMG sponsoring the Under 14 Boys and Girls Leagues and PwC sponsoring the Under 16 Boys and Girls Leagues.

(The PwC Basketball Under 16 Boys and Girls Leagues sponsorship plaque of appreciation presented by Michael Diamond to PwC’s Graeme Sunley, PwC Cayman’s territory leader)

PwC Sponsor Statement:  Craig Smith, Partner at PwC says, “PwC is proud to support the PwC Basketball Under 16 Boys and Girls Leagues as we believe that organizations such as CIBA provide a positive outlet for the youth of the Cayman Islands and encourages the kids to stay active, develop their talents and provides local and overseas opportunities which in turn forms a strong foundation for success in the future. We also recognize the individuals who are vital to running the league efficiently by volunteering their time and efforts to ensure the season is a successful one.”

(The KPMG Basketball Under 14 Boys and Girls Leagues sponsorship check presented by Andrew Stepaniuk, Partner – Head of Audit, and Jodie McTaggart, Accounting Advisory Services Manager, of KPMG to Coach Voot and Michael Diamond of CIBA)

KPMG Sponsor Statement:  “KPMG continues to support the Under 14 Basketball program as we see the value and benefits over the years that the students receive from participating, thanks to Coach Victor “Voot” O’Garro and his colleagues. We have seen the success of some of the participants continuing abroad and we look forward to the future success of other students in the program.” Andrew Stepaniuk, Partner at KPMG in the Cayman Islands stated.

CIBA has been the guiding path in sending close to 20 local Cayman youths on to prep schools in the U.S. over the past few years, with one local product Jorge Ebanks now playing professionally in Europe. Furthermore, the Cayman Islands National Men’s Basketball team won the gold medal at the most recent Island Games and is currently prepping to defend their title this summer in Gibraltar.

With anticipation of the 3rd inaugural Cayman Islands Classic Basketball tournament (featuring top D-1 programs from the U.S.) coming back to Grand Cayman in November, perhaps it is just a matter of short time until we see one of Cayman’s very own showcasing their talents in this annual tournament.

For more information on CIBA, including the CIBA program offerings along with sponsorship opportunities, visit the CIBA website at: https://caymanbasketball.com/

The PwC Basketball Under 16 Leagues Off to a Fast Start
PwC and KPMG Sponsor Under 16 and Under 14 Basketball Leagues, Respectively
Coaching Workshop
Local Basketball Product Making His Mark on the U.S. Circuit

Hailing from the Cayman Islands, Kai Robinson is a local product making his mark in the U.S. at the High School level.  Slotted in for graduation in 2020, this 6’1 combo guard initially made his footprint at Vanguard High School in Lake Wales, Florida where he most recently averaged 17.3 points, 5.8 assists and 3.3 rebounds during his sophomore year campaign.

Kai is now showcasing his talents at Wilbraham & Monson Academy (“WMA”), a prep School in Wilbraham, Pennsylvania. WMA prepares student athletes for the next level both on and off the court, with recent graduates moving on to the likes of the University of Kentucky, Indiana University and the University of Connecticut, all renowned Division 1 (“D-1”) basketball powerhouses.

From the WMA basketball website: “Many others are competing at other competitive basketball programs. Our player development and conditioning routines, practice and game preparation, and emphasis on shaping high-performing student-athletes make us one of the top basketball programs in the United States.”

Although just commencing his junior year, Kai has already earned numerous accolades including unofficial visits to top D-1 programs. He is committed to playing at the next level, with Wake Forest in Winston-Salem, North Carolina being his dream school of choice.

Stamped as a top prospect within the Class of 2020, Kai recently participated in the Elite 75 Showcase, a summer time tournament featuring top college prospects from all over the U.S.

As part of recap from the Elite 75 Showcase, experts had the following to say:

“Kai Robinson, Wilbraham & Monson – Robinson started to make a name for himself Saturday by showing the skills and presence of a true point guard. He was constantly communicating, showing a high I.Q., tight handle, and very smooth jumper.” 

Kai was introduced to basketball at age 8 through the Cayman Islands Basketball Association (“CIBA”), a nonprofit governing body for basketball in the Cayman Islands. It was “love at first sight” as they say, and Kai has not looked back.

CIBA facilitates the development of Cayman’s youth through its leagues, ongoing programs and clinics offered throughout the year. CIBA’s objectives are as follows:

  • To use basketball as a tool to develop exceptional citizens
  • To increase levels of participation for health and self-esteem
  • To provide avenues for national and college recruitment for young, promising athletes
  • Offer an alternative method of mediation to reduce the number of youths left unsupervised after-school and on weekends
  • To promote a healthy and active society through basketball
  • To build national pride through participation in regional and international games

Led by Technical Director Coach Victor “Voot” O’Garro, CIBA provides Cayman’s youth access to basketball at a young age beginning with the CIBA Basketball Academy offered to 7 – 9 year olds. Aside from the Academy, locally sponsored leagues are offered to players giving youth the opportunity to display and master the foundational skills learned at the Academy within a competitive team environment.

These leagues would not be possible without local sponsors, KPMG sponsoring the Under 14 Boys and Girls Leagues and PwC sponsoring the Under 16 Boys and Girls Leagues.


The PwC Basketball Under 16 Boys and Girls Leagues sponsorship plaque of appreciation presented to PwC’s Graeme Sunley, PwC Cayman’s territory leader

CIBA has been the guiding path in sending close to 20 local Cayman youths on to prep schools in the U.S. over the past few years, with one local product Jorge Ebanks now playing professionally in Europe. Furthermore, the Cayman Islands National Men’s Basketball team won the gold medal at the most recent Island Games.

With the second inaugural Cayman Islands Classic Basketball tournament (featuring top D-1 programs from the U.S.) wrapping up recently, perhaps it is just a matter of short time that we see one of Cayman’s very own showcasing their talents in this annual tournament.

For more information on CIBA, including the CIBA program offerings along with sponsorship opportunities, visit the CIBA website at: https://caymanbasketball.com/

The 2018 National Men’s League Wraps Up In Exciting Fashion

Another season has wrapped up for both the Division 1 and Division 2 National Men’s Basketball leagues. Both series ended with sweeps, in the best of 2 out of 3 games. These final games were played on May 22, 2018 at the Cayman International School’s Arts & Recreation Centre in front of a rather rambunctious well attended crowd.

Coach Victor O’Garro (“Coach Voot”), the Technical Director of the Cayman Islands Basketball Association (“CIBA”), had the following statement:

“An exciting evening of play-off basketball saw a new champion Fix It Celltronics in Division 2 and a repeat performance by the defending champion Sol Blazers (in Division 1). Looking towards another exciting year in 2019.”

The action packed evening began with the second game in the best of three series between Division 2 finalists Fix It Celltronics vs. Charterland. Despite a valiant effort by Charterland, the Fix It Celltronics hung on to win  68 – 63.

(Jeremy Varlow of Charterland finishing at the rim)

Top performers for Fix It Celltronics:

  • Conroy Campbell – 17 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, 1 block
  • Kael Leslie – 11 points, 5 rebounds, 7 assists, 3 steals
  • Davion Foster – 11 points, 11 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal

Top performer for Charterland:

  • Curtis Wilson – 18 points, 10 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 steals, 4 blocks

(The Fix It Celltronics, with the Division 2 championship trophy)

 

The excitement continued in the second game of the evening, featuring Division 1 finalists Burger King Warriors vs. the Sol Blazers. This heated rivalry did not disappoint, but in the end the Sol Blazers pulled away to claim the championship 66 – 59.

(Shaad O’Garro making his defensive presence felt near the rim all evening)

Top performers for Sol Blazers

  • Samuel O’Garro – 22 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists, 4 steals, 1 block
  • Shaad O’Garro – 17 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, 3 blocks
  • Joshua Dikua – 11 points, 10 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, 1 block
  • Kevin Maxwell – 7 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals, 1 block

Top performers for the Burger King Warriors’:

  • Deandre Simpson – 19 points, 4 rebounds, 5 assists, 5 steals, 2 blocks
  • Tikko Moore – 18 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals
  • Omari Corbin – 10 points, 11 rebounds, 1 steal, 1 block

(The Sol Blazers, with the Division 1 championship trophy)

Stay tuned for more CIBA related updates, including other ongoing leagues – both the National Women’s League and The PwC Basketball Under 16 Boys and Girls Leagues

For more information including sponsorship opportunities, please contact Michael Diamond at +1 (345) 916-2430 and / or Coach Voot at +1 (345) 916-5083 or visit https://caymanbasketball.com/

Follow us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Cayman-Islands-Basketball-Association-CIBA-147272918668446/

“Learning what not to do is sometimes more important than learning what to do”

– Rick Pitino (Basketball Coach)