BY SHERDON COWAN

DR Mark Broomfield, presidential candidate for the Jamaica Basketball Association (JABA), is keen to bring life back to the game of basketball in every way possible, if successful in his election bid.

Having been involved in the sport of basketball for more than 25 years, the Registrar and Director of Sports at Caribbean Maritime Institute told the Sunday Observer that he has done voluntary work at various levels, which has provided him with the experience leading a team to achieve his objectives.

He highlighted that he has confidence in the calibre of his slate, which so far consists of Jermaine Deans, Howard Harvey and Keisha Lindsay.

“I think I have a very good and experienced team with some very good ideas, and we will utilise the expertise and experience of every single Jamaican who is interested in the development of basketball,” he said.

He continued: “One of my many plans is to reintroduce the grass-roots programme, which is a key area in the development of the sport. We want to go into primary schools, high schools and communities to achieve this.”

Broomfield, who holds a PhD in Complex System Science, outlined that he would put systems in place to help develop the educational components of those involved in the sport, as well as to have players lead community-based projects in assisting kids with their homework.

The former Swallowfield All-star player added that under his leadership JABA will represent the interest of every conference across the island as opposed to what currently exists.

“JABA should be JABA, not Kingston Basketball Association. There are five conferences in Jamaica, but basketball is currently being played in Kingston division only.

“We want to change that…we want to have the other conferences active, in terms of having leagues running for both males and females, from ages 16 to 20, who have an interest in the sport,” he explained.

He also elaborated on infrastructure as part of his aim to add several growth layers to the existing framework, with the first thing in that arena being to find a home for the association.

“We would look at getting the stadium courts covered, as well as to upgrade and refurbish existing courts. We want to have lights on courts in every conference, and we will have representatives in key positions in each conference to oversee that project.”

Broomfield has also represented teams such as the University of Technology, Braves Chiefs and Mellenium. He served as manager of the male youth team in 1998, the national male team in 2012, and was an assistant manager of the Swallowfield All-stars and the Slayers teams.