User:Jason James Basketball Coach/sandbox

BASKETBALL PROFILE This is a journey taken, a journey followed by many who has developed into successful individuals; mentally, physically, psychologically and professionally. A journey into the heart and mind of the extremely talented, Jason James.

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Many great coaches came before him, they led the various club teams including the Jamaica Men’s National Basketball Team... Teams like The Panthers NBL club and The Jamaica College basketball programs, coaches like Calvin Martin, Alf Ramikie, Marland Nattie and Donald Bimmer to name a few. All those coaches where successful in their tenure however Jason James took his teams to the highest level.

JAMAICA

Jason James, in ten seasons, a level three certified basketball coach, trained and certified by Canadian Mr. Al Quance through the Olympic Solidarity Committee Coaching Clinic in Jamaica... is an experienced coach that likes challenges and is eager to develop talents. James has taken below average teams, developing proper basketball culture and habits resulting in multiple win championship seasons at various levels. Coach James had back-to-back 20+ win campaigns, securing two championship titles in 2004 and 2005. James secured two back to back titles with the Jamaica College senior boy’s team, advancing them to the Conference All Island Tournament that year. James also won several coach of the year honors in High School Basketball cementing his achievements throughout Jamaica.

With some 20+ victories in 2004, James became just the first coach in high school history to have posted two 20+ win seasons and the first to have won a championship without a lost for the entire season of the 2004 championships at Jamaica College. His two straight 20+win seasons was also the first for a Jamaica College basketball coach to have accomplished in two consecutive successful campaigns in 21 years.

James started his basketball career at Jamaica College in 1996 to 2006 and has won seven titles at different levels. James ended his tenth season having compiled an overall 313-89 career record. With those 313 victories, he ranks one of the most successful coaches in Kingston Jamaica at both the club basketball level and high school basketball. James migrated to Canada 2006.

In his first season at with the Blazing Panthers Basketball Club, his team posted the best overall record (20-0), and home record (8-0) in the 2005 season both men’s and women’s (Lady Panthers) which also propelled the women’s to their first ever championship. Panthers were also placed among the top teams in the Conference in the Jamaica Basketball Association standings, the best finish in its clubs history. He garnered his first career Championship at the National Women’s Basketball League / NWBL with Lady Panthers in 2005 at the National Stadium courts against Walgrovians Bullets. After that first campaign, James led the Jamaica Men’s youth 19 National Basketball Team to a successful tournament over various Canadian teams in Ontario of 2004, with 6-2 overall record which placed them the best performing team at that age group (AAU/AAA).

James became the youngest coach to have ever guided the Jamaica Men’s National Basketball Team. James was placed in a position to mentor young men and women developing their lives and skills in today's society.

James increased his credibility working with a number on community teams. Teams that are situated in some of the most troubled areas in Kinston Jamaica, using basketball to guide them from the streets, creating a program called “shoot hoops not guns”,  job opportunities with training for those who lacks the necessary skills and education.

James coached and guided all the following community teams to many: Metro Stars, Aqua Youths, Blazing Panthers, Lady Panthers, Majestic Gardens and Denham Town Wizards in his ten year stint. James has recruited and coached two players who will go down as two of the best players in Jamaica's history namely; Jerome Jordan - who has played with the New York Knicks and Brooklyn Nets NBA teams and Samardo Samuels who played with the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Jerome Jordan played his first basketball games at Jamaica College, coached by James. Jerome migrated to Florida. Jordan later went to Tulsa University and holds school records for single-game, single-season and career blocked shots and also ranks among the top-10 on five more statistical charts in Tulsa history. He also set the all-time Conference USA record for blocked shots.

After having spent 2 years as an assistant coach at Jamaica College, Jason James was named as the 4th head basketball coach at Jamaica College in March 14, 1997 while still attending school. "In Jason James, we have an experienced collegiate coach who has worked at the highest level National and Division I / JNBL basketball levels. He is an individual who is a leader with a vision for the high school basketball programs, (J)NBL programs and sees the (J)NBL basketball as a nationally prominent program," said past President Marland Nattie, as James was introduced as the (J)NBL head coach in 2004 for the Canadian tournament. [(J) NBL means: Jamaica National Basketball League].

James recruiting ability and expertise are clearly evident when he helped to acquire highly ranked class players in Kingston Jamaica. James notices talent when he sees it and is willing to work with hard working individuals that wants to excel. James worked with a lot of talented players such as Kemani Friend, Kemani Samuels, Ricardo Aliman, Samardo Samuels (NBA), Jason Francis, Adrian Forbes (Auburn University) and Jerome Jordan (NBA).

CANADA

Jason James assisted with different basketball programs in Toronto including a development program with the Fire Basketball Club and YAAACE-Team James. He was the Fire Basketball Team youth 16 manager and assistant coach helping to guide the team to a title win in the summer of 2010 at the Division 4 level who later became the head coach of YAAACE-Team James Division 2 basketball program in 2011 until 2014. Fire Basketball Team won the SBA / Scarborough Blues Association tournament gold medal championship and the Ontario Basketball Association Provincial tournament championship in Windsor of 2010. James is currently active in basketball, developing young man/women and will continue to be a professional mentor of life and basketball skills for all age group and gender as a level three (3) certified Basketball coach. James' coaching philosophy is simple: play the game the right way and the rest will fall in place. I tell the guys all the time "performance counts," James said, ''“Everybody is judged on their performance, whether that's fair or not. If we can show up to perform night in and night out, the wins and losses will take care of itself."'' Our program is developing, teaching, leading and competing. Off the court, James is an intense scholar of the game. He spend hours watching games, studying other coaches and reading books about all aspects of basketball. James' are in Business Administration, Psychology, and Arts.

Shoot Hoops Not Guns

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