7 News Belize

SJC Junior Baller Gets A Big Opportunity
posted (May 10, 2012)
A few weeks ago we told you about the Belize Junior team that went to the King James AAU tournament in Akron, Ohio. The whole idea behind the trip was to get exposure for some of Belize's best young talent and to get them in front of basketball scouts from US colleges - who would hopefully recruit them for college programs - giving them a chance at an education - and boosting Belize's stock of players with international training and exposure.

Well, the plan worked - because today a student from St. John's College signed a letter of intent with Lake Superior State University in Michigan for a full athletic scholarship.

It's a huge, rare event - and it was properly observed at Devin Daly's School, St. John's College - Monica Bodden was there and she has this report:..

Monica Bodden reporting
The Fordyce Chapel at St Johns College was filled to capacity -as the entire high school gathered to support and cheer on one of their very own.

Seated at the head table was 17 year old Devin Daly a fourth form honor student of the High School. Daly was one of the 15 best young basketball players to represent Belize at the King James Amateur Athletic Union Classic.

With a spectacular performance on the court among some of the best young talents in the United States, the 6 foot,3 inch rising star was recruited by a top University in Michigan.

And so this morning his proud St Johns family - witnessed the signing of his letter of intent to attend Lake Superior State University on a full athletic scholarship to play basketball.

Devin Daly
"Last night it was something unofficial but from then I knew that I was going to get the scholarship."

Monica Bodden
"What was the feeling like for you when for you when you got the news?"

Devin Daly
"I was speechless and shock at the same time. Most of all I was happy and thankful."

Monica Bodden
"Now, I understand that you were a part of the group that went out to represent Belize at the LeBron James Tournament. How was that experience for you playing out there with other players?"

Devin Daly
"That experience really opened my eyes because I found out how many basketball players are in in Cleveland and are attending one tournament to get a scholarship. It really showed me that you really need to work harder."

"At first when we arrived at the tournament everyone looked at us like we were the underdogs. But we were the underdogs because we came from a foreign country but like everyone didn't take us seriously and the first game we played everyone said that they guys can play, so we really blew them away."

Daly says one of his secrets to his success is humility which he carries with him on and off the court.

Devin Daly
"The balance really came from my family because they really give me a lot of support and they are the ones that drives me not only in my basketball endeavors but in my academic ones too and the thing that I think makes me succeed or made me get this offer of a scholarship is my humility and the fact that I listen and I respect everyone."

Bernie Tarr, Technical Officer for Basketball in Belize, spoke about the first time he came in contact with 17 year old Daly.

Bernie Tarr - Basketball Technical Officer
"When I first met Devin back in July, he was part of the U-17 national team with that Matthew Smiling and Fred Garcia were coaching, they ask me to come along to assist a little bit. I got a chance to watch him play and it was after that tournament I met with Paul Thompson, the president of the federation and he said that we have enough talent here to get our basketball players to get scholarship in the US. The next question was how do we expose our players to the colleges coaches and it's to attend U tournaments in the United States and the LeBron James/King James tournament is one of the biggest ones in the United States and we got a chance to go and this is the first one that got the scholarship offer. That was our number one goal - to get one because the last one was Richard Troyer who came out of high school about 8 years ago. It's been a little of a drought there of getting kids to the next level. The talent has always been here. This is the first step, we reach goal one and now we want to go to two."

And the Hon. Herman Longsworth, Minister of State responsible for Sports pledged his support in the continuous work set out ahead - in helping to create sporting opportunities for young people.

Hon. Herman Longsworth - Minister of State, Responsible for Sports
"I can't explain to you how ecstatic I am. This is something that as a boy playing sports we all wanted to see happen and to see it happening in this fashion today - I can't words to explain it - this is so long overdue and it is something that I feel, now that it's started, it something that we must find a way to sustain. We must be able to harness the talent that we have and be able to give them these kinds opportunities - give the children this kind of opportunities in order that they may move themselves out of where they are. It is critical that we do this; so we must find ways."

There were expressions of interest in other players who went to King James as well - and those are being worked on.

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