Teenage basketball sensation Dominic Vincente continues to absorb all that he can at the Impact Basketball Academy in Florida, USA with the hopes of gaining an athletic scholarship to play college ball.
Vincente is currently on a six-month scholarship at the Impact Basketball Academy, developing his game and furthering his studies before he returns to Guyana at the end of May to complete the Caribbean Secondary Examination Councils (CSEC) examinations at Marian Academy. The 5’8 point guard told Stabroek Sport earlier this week that he has gained a wealth of knowledge from the Impact Basketball Academy programme so far and continued to learn each day.
“The camp has been awesome thus far. I’ve learnt new drills, how to eat a balanced diet, how to endure everyday of practice and what you need to (do to) get better as a whole, Vincente said.
The Impact Basketball Academy offer the opportunity for training, high level competition, college scouting while at the same time offering students a supplementary academic component.
Vincente, whose silhouette was used for the country’s premier junior basketball organisation Youth Basketball Guyana (YBG), said that he continues to give his utmost for this rare opportunity.
Since Impact Academy exposes their players to college coaches and scouts and their teams play in several inter-collegiate tournaments, Vincentesaid that he is hoping to make an impression on scouts or coaches at that level.
“I’m looking forward hopefully to a scholarship to play college basketball,” Vincente stated. The former Georgetown junior all-star and member of one the country’s top clubs, Ravens, said that as long as he breaks into the college arena he will just be a step away from realising his dream of playing in the NBA.
Vincente stated that he recently competed in the 2013 IMG Beach Invitational and will soon be competing in an AAU basketball. The two-time junior national captain and junior his national teammate Nikkoloi Smith attended the Regional Sports Academy’s (RSA) Basketball Camp in Suriname last August which was facilitated YBG president Chris Bowman. Vincente was the only Guyanese to be selected along with four Surinamese players to attend the Impact Basketball Academy in Florida following his performance in the RSA Summer camp in Suriname.
Vincente stated that he has learned several valuable lessons that he is confident will make him a better player on the court and a better individual in life.
“On the court, it helped me mentally and physically to do everything with a purpose because in games, you will be faced with the same obstacles that you trained for in practiced and so you will be prepared to take it on. Off the court I’ve learned that you must me punctual for everything and that it will take you far in life,” Vincente stated.
Impact Basketball Academy has had a hand in shaping NBA Champions and All Stars including, Kevin Garnett (Boston Celtics), Tayshaun Prince ( Detroit Pistons) and Baron Davis ( New York Knicks) according to their website. The Impact Academy alumni of NBA stars also include Mo Williams (Utah Jazz), Chauncey Billups (Clippers), Rashard Lewis (Heat) and Sebastian Telfair (Suns).
