With continued support and investment from Restaurants of Jamaica Limited, the 2024 Jamaican Basketball Association Star Search Basketball and Life Skills Camp reached new heights this year with increased participation from Jamaica’s young basketballers.

This initiative, aimed at identifying and nurturing young basketball talent, brought together hundreds of Jamaica’s youth for an unforgettable week-long camp. The camp came to an end on Friday, July 19 at the G C Foster College in St Catherine.

With an investment of $2 million in cash and $1 million in meal sponsorship, KFC continues to encourage young athletes to take full advantage of the expertise made available to them from experienced coaches. It also allows the youngsters to take advantage of opportunities to secure their basketball and educational futures, through scholarships to study and play overseas, and thus open the door to potentially playing basketball professionally at the highest level.

Among the many talented participants, two individuals stood out and earned the camp’s Most Valuable Player (MVP) awards. The boys’ MVP recipient Joel Ricketts of Wolmer’s Boys’ and girls’ MVP recipient Bri’an Barrow of Immaculate Conception High were thrilled with their achievements.

“It was an exciting experience, I never expected to earn this award but I put my best foot forward and ensured I had fun at every step of the way,” said Ricketts.

International coaches, who have frequented the camp over the years to scout new talent, were equally impressed with the talent on display.

“The level of talent here is phenomenal. These young athletes have demonstrated exceptional skill and determination. It’s been a privilege to work with them and help them reach their potential,” said the United States-based Mark Cooke, chief scout at the Star Search camp.

KFC’s sponsorship has not only provided immediate benefits to the camp participants but has also made a significant impact on the broader community. By supporting initiatives like the Star Search Basketball Programme, KFC is helping to pave the way for young athletes to achieve their dreams and build a brighter future.

Marketing manager at Restaurants of Jamaica Andrei Roper expressed his enthusiasm.

“We’re grateful for another fantastic year of Star Search. Star Search has always been near and dear to our hearts at KFC as we are dedicated to developing Jamaica’s youths and shaping them for greatness. We continue to see all the amazing talent that Jamaica has to offer in the sport of basketball — we really share the vision of the Jamaica Basketball Association (JaBA) to be able to create well-rounded boys and girls not only contributing to their development on the court, but off the court as well,” he said.

“It’s not just a basketball camp, it is also a life skills camp and so we are proud to provide the campers with knowledge and resources we know will benefit them during the camp, in the sport of basketball and onwards,” added Roper.

Among the home-grown talent to have emerged from the Star Search camp are former Cleveland Cavaliers player Samardo Samuels and current Charlotte Hornets player Nick Richards.