Category Basketball

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.

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/