Carrying on a long-serving tradition of supporting and encouraging young people through sport, retired educator, Mr. Anthony Crean hosted his 7th Annual Basketball Camp in Governor’s Harbour in partnership with veteran basketball coach, Mr. Sharon Storr, during the school mid-term break, from Thursday, October 26th through Monday, October 30th, 2023.
The basketball court venue in Governor’s Harbour, according to Crean has been in a dilapidated and broken down state for the past three years, to the point where both the 2021 and 2022 installation of the basketball camp had to be hosted at a different location. During the week ahead of the start of this year’s camp, the post, board and rim facilities at the court were finally completely replaced, and the old items removed, said Mr. Crean.
He explained, “This week the MP (member of parliament) donated the equipment, and then Mr. Fernander took the responsibility of taking out the old stuff. He is now chopping up the old one. It’s amazing because the very first night they [the new basketball boards, posts and rims] were up, I didn’t realize, and it was like a jamboree there were so many people out here.”
He continued, “Yesterday morning [Thursday, October 26th] I came here and there were nine boys on the court in the rain, that’s how desperate they were to have it. These boards have been down for three years. We had to move it [the basketball camp] the last two years to Emma Cooper.”
The new equipment said Crean, which he hoped would now last for some time, came as a result of he and others having spoken about the court facility’s dilapidated state with both the Minister of Youth, Sports and Culture, and the member of parliament for Central and South Eleuthera.
On Friday morning, October 27th, as the basketball camp got underway, the weather to begin the first day, was perfect agreed Crean – “Not too hot, not to cool, and it’s not raining.” During the three-day camp, the junior and senior high boys taking part, he described, would be taught a wide variety of basketball skills by the very knowledgable and experienced coach Storr. Skills, he said, like dribbling, passing and shooting, multiple types of shots, offense and defense – the full gamut.
When asked about what continues to motivate him to get involved in organizing events like the annual camp, Mr. Crean shared his concern about the growing sedentary lifestyle in today’s children, as well as the need for maintained sporting facilities on the island, saying, “One of the things that upsets and bothers me is that you don’t see any kids out. I drive through Governor’s Harbour every day. I don’t see children on the softball field, and I definitely don’t see them out here anymore, but the reason was that with the boards gone, this court was unplayable for three years. This one was broken, and that one got hit by one of the casuarinas that fell down and hit the back board. So, you have got to put some basic facilities in.”
He added, “It’s about keeping kids interested in being active and taking part in sport. You need to get out and get some sunshine. Also, you can find some good players. Sports affects so many lives – it did mine. I ended up in The Bahamas because of basketball. It was basketball that got me here. I got the bug in high school, and made my first international travel to play in a tournament – and it changed my life.”
