Owain Hall (2004 CARICOM national representative, 2005 National Basketball League MVP), and Sheldon Warmington left Jamaica last week on full basketball scholarships at Southeastern Illinois College in Harrisburg, IL. They join fellow Jamaicans Jason “Shrek” Francis, and Rick Robinson who both return as sophomores on a team that was ranked in the top five nationally last season.

High expectations

Great things are expected from the Jamaican quartet this season. Coach Todd Franklin believes the 6’ 9” Francis, now that he has a year under his belt, will be ready to dominate his conference, and hopes Hall can fill the void at point guard left by Richard “Zico” Andrews who graduated in the Spring with an Associates of Arts degree in Physical Education, and will be attending California State University – Bakesfield in the Fall on his second full basketball scholarship.

Leaving the island also was Orville Perkins who is replacing Ramon Gayle at Cal Albert State College in Poteau, OK. Perkins, a 6’ 5” swing guard, has been the leader of Tivoli All Stars – the team that has dominated local basketball winning five of the last seven NBL championships.

Florida Southern College (FSC) signed 6-7 sophomore forward Andrei Grant to a full basketball scholarship recently. Grant played at Palm Beach Community College (PBCC) last season averaging 8.5 points, 5.4 rebounds and 1.7 blocks while starting 22 games. As a high school senior in Kingston, Jamaica, Grant averaged 24 points and 15 rebounds for Calabar. He also led Urban Knights to the National Basketball League (NBL) title in the 2004 season, earning the finals MVP award in the process.

The Moccasins, located in Lakeland, Florida, boast a rich basketball tradition. They have dominated the Sunshine State Conference (SSC) winning 15 SSC regular season championships, 17 SSC tournament championships, 20 NCAA regional appearances, 8 NCAA regional championships, 7 NCAA Elite 8 appearances, 4 NCAA regional third places, 1 NCAA national runner-up, and a NCAA national championship.

Coach Tony Longa will have six returning sophomores and one senior from last year’s squad and felt it was imperative to recruit veteran players who can bring experience and leadership to the team. Grant is expected to help fill the void at power forward.