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Paulton Gordon, president of the Jamaica Basketball Association (JaBA), says their recent partnership with Cedella Marley through the Bob and Rita Marley Foundation will be focused on developing youth basketball over the next few years.

JaBA announced Marley as a new ambassador for Jamaica basketball last week, stating that the focus will be on grass-roots development.

"We're on the runway, and we're ready to take off. We're just about to take off, and this is just another one of the steps that we wanted for the growth of basketball," Gordon said.

"Jamaica Basketball Association's mandate is to develop from the grass-roots level up to the very elite. With partners such as Bob and Rita Marley Foundation, we are confident that we will get where we want to be."

Gordon said as part of the association's plans to boost growth, they will be targeting an increase of basketball programmes in several primary schools.

He explained that the idea will be to create a foundation for the sport by building a large pool of interested players from an early age.

Gordon pointed to sports like football and track and field that have seen success after hosting several grass-roots competitions at the primary school level.

"One of our objectives is to have 60 new primary schools participating in basketball over the next two to three years. We know that we require a foundation for basketball to grow. All the other sports have that foundation.

"Primary schools are all playing the other sports at that level, so we need to get more kids involved in basketball," he said.

The next step in their development plans will be for these grass-roots players to matriculate into the high-school scene and continue their development in the sports.

Gordon said that this will closely follow the programmes currently being used by nations with a strong presence globally.

"We want to see basketball growing in the high schools as well because we want to see more schools involved. If we have the foundation, then it will translate into the high schools. We want to put the performances at the highest level so that Jamaica is known for basketball.

He added, "That is what is happening in the bigger markets, and that is where we need to go."

gregory.bryce@gleanerjm.com