3 byron dream
3 byron dream
By Neto Baptiste
The main goal is to graduate from college and or university with a degree, even when attending on an athletic scholarship. But, one basketball administrator, Byron Andrew, wants more and is hoping that the recent success of Trinidadian professional basketballer, Malique Lewis, will inspire players from Antigua and the wider Caribbean to work even harder towards their professional goals.
“We’ve had players from Antigua playing at the college level, at the high school level and yes they do well and sometimes I wonder, are they going to even accomplish what we set for them to accomplish and yes, a lot of them have graduated university which to me is a win. It’s a win-win situation when a kid from Antigua can go through college using a basketball scholarship and getting their degree but we want to push even more and get some more NBA players from around this region,” he said.
Lewis was selected by the Washington Wizards as 60th overall in the NBA Draft held in June. He was later traded to the Milwaukee Bucks.
Andrew, President of the Wadadli Elite basketball academy,. Caribbean Hoops through its Director, Johnathan Weekes to provide young players with an opportunity to earn scholarships and play professionally overseas.
He said there is no reason why players here in Antigua cannot achieve their dreams of playing at the highest level.
“We see the talent around Antigua and around many other islands. I think what separates Malique from a lot of other people is his discipline. He has like a hawk’s eye on what he wants to accomplish and I think that is what we need to translate to our other athletes in Antigua and to other parts. The talent is there but do they have that heart and that focus to accomplish what they dream about?”
Lewis, between 2024 and 2026, played for the South East Melbourne Phoenix of the Australian National Basketball League (NBL).