WITH his goal of getting as many young players off to college or to play professional basketball, Jaraun “Kino” Burrows has extended his locally-based Raw Talent Sports programme.

The programme, started six years ago, was to afford those players coming home an avenue to stay sharp and focused during the summer break as they got to compete in a number of local tournaments, including the ‘Peace on da Street’ and the Bahamas Basketball Federation’s Summer of Thunder.

Burrows, who spent the past 20 years playing in Europe, has now branched out to become a sports agency where they get to promote and secure deals for about 15 players who are currently overseas, including Leonardo “Nardo” Bridgewater and Kenny Isnord.

“The work continues and now we’re back home in the local presence, doing a lot of scouting all over The Bahamas,’ Burrows said. “While we are doing that, we are having the open skills development programme.

“I am looking to take another 4-5 kids off next year, so I’m looking for talented, hungry kids, who are self-motivated. I made a promise to come here and be someone they can call for whatever reason.”

For the first time this year, Burrows said they have decided to include the girls in the programme and he’s appreciative of persons like coaches Anthony Swaby, Donnie Culmer and Anastacia Moultrie.

According to Burrows, the 8-10 players coming out are just as eager to learn as their male counterparts.

Moultrie, a former multi-talented player turned coach, is assisting the programme by providing some of the female players, but she is also introducing some males as well who she says deserve a chance to compete.

“My role is to make sure that the kids are still passionate about basketball, especially the females,” she said. “It’s been going very well. They have been coming out. They just need a place or a venue that they can call home with consistency to play freely.”

One of those players, Vincinique Dames, an 18-year-old 2024 graduate of RM Bailey Secondary High School, said she was appreciative when she was approached to join the programme.

She noted that it has afforded her the opportunity to stay focused on basketball until she heads off to school, hopefully in August, if she gets her visa sorted out in time.

“It feels good. I like it so I just keep on coming,” she said. “My handles are getting better because we are doing a lot of those drills first thing in the morning, so it’s working for me.”

Burrows said one of the important aspects of the programme is the fact that they can provide an avenue in the gym for the players to enhance their skills, something that he didn’t have growing up when they had to play on the outdoor courts.

He said he continues to support the ‘Peace on da Street’ Tournament that concluded on Sunday at the Kendal Isaacs Gymnasium where their Raw Talent Sports team won the Under-16 and Under-20 divisions for the first time this year.

“I support the programme because I believe in what Carlos Reid is doing and Michael “Scooter” Reid, his brother, played an instrumental role in my life growing up on the Yellow Elder basketball court.

Before they disperse at the end of the summer programme, Burrows said Raw Talent Sports will get another opportunity in August to display their skills in two games against visiting college teams, including Murray State, which features Bahamian Frederick King, who just transferred from Creighton University.

“We will start practicing now with my under-23 team and put together a mixture of pro players, college players and elite high school players and try to put on another good show,” Burrows said.

“A lot of these players won’t get the opportunity to play at this level, so it’s very good that they get to feel the division one level right here at home in the event that they do get the opportunity to get off to accomplish their goals.”

At the age of 40, Burrows said he had decided to retire from playing about five years ago, but every year, despite the back and leg injuries, he’s been encouraged to come back and play another year.

While he was returning to France to watch Bridgewater and Isnord this year, Burrows said he got an invitation to play for a team that was short of a player. He couldn’t refuse the offer and ended up playing another season.

“I’m not going to retire again. When I’m done, I’m just going to sail into the sunset. But I just got a call from LJ Rose, the manager of the men’s national team, who asked me to play in this next window for The Bahamas in August.

“Everyone knows that I’m the number one hacker on the team, so it’s all about the youth and the country. It’s been 20 years that I have been playing for the national team and if they feel I can bring value to the team, I will play.”

Once the window is complete, Burrows said he will sit down with his family and make the right decision that is in their best interest as far as his future playing is concerned.

But right now, the goal is to develop as many Raw Talent Sports players to continue the history of Bahamian players making their presence felt, not just in college but in the professional ranks.