P.H.A.S.E. 1 is an organization created to improve the lives of its community members through sports. P.H.A.S.E. 1 Founder and CEO Wayne Dawkins is a born Jamaican raised in Canada. While living in Canada, he saw how the development and implementation of basketball programs provided a way out of the cycle of poverty in his community. The discipline and focus required helped Wayne and his peers earn athletic scholarships that led to academic and professional basketball careers. Many of these individuals reinvested time and money into developing the next generation of Canadian basketball stars, resulting in even greater numbers of scholar-athletes and wealthier professional basketball players.

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Jamaican basketball players are highly successful abroad. Basketball players like Patrick Ewing, Andrew Nicholson, Jamal Murray, Norman Powell, Tristan Thompson, Ben Gordon, and Anthony Bennett all have Jamaican roots. These players helped shape the game’s growth in the countries they were raised as players, role models and community builders. However, Jamaica’s roots in successful basketball superstars internationally are not mirrored in Jamaica’s basketball success on the island. Therefore in 2019, Wayne committed to starting a movement to encourage leaders in the basketball community outside of Jamaica to invest in an organic basketball development system in Jamaica. To make this a reality, P.H.A.S.E. 1 moved its operations base to Jamaica, raised and invested USD 1.2 million to train staff, run events, establish academies and support existing basketball initiatives.

Even with a large sum invested, much work still needs to be done. Jamaica, like the rest of the Caribbean, is still only viewed as a place to export homegrown talent due to the need for more infrastructure for player development. Spanish Town, Jamaica, is home to the only accessible indoor modern basketball facility on the island, drastically limiting local and international training and competition options. That has made draining talent the #1 option for top prospects. The talent export reduces the level of competition in Jamaica and, combined with the lack of facilities, makes it, so the best talent only returns to the island to visit family and vacation.

““As a born Jamaican, I view it as my responsibility to take what I learned about building successfully in the Canadian basketball community and bring that back to Jamaica and the rest of the Caribbean.” – Wayne Dawkins

To improve the lives of youth in his hometown of Toronto, Wayne founded and ran several community organizations in the early 1990s before co-founding P.H.A.S.E. 1 in 2002. Simultaneously, Wayne has been on a mission from the start of P.H.A.S.E. 1 to ensure that the original vision extended to the Caribbean and Africa. P.H.A.S.E. 1 recently released their 2023 Strategic Plan for Jamaica. It details the progress and P.H.A.S.E. 1’s continuous plans to establish Jamaica as a global basketball hub for the Caribbean and Africa. Wayne Dawkins is confident his track record as a key orchestrator of the explosion of Canadian basketball, combined with his passion for impacting youth positively, is why P.H.A.S.E. 1 will achieve the goals outlined in their 2023 Strategic Plan for Jamaica.

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P.H.A.S.E. 1 2023 Strategic Plan Highlights:

P.H.A.S.E. 1 Global is an international network of companies in Canada, the U.S.A., Jamaica, and Africa—focused on community development and youth empowerment. Our strategic partnerships with various organizations worldwide foster an environment where we develop sustainable and scalable programs by developing infrastructure and human capital centred around youth engagement. As an organization passionate about holistic development, P.H.A.S.E. 1 Global operates not only in the sports sector but in the education and wellness sectors as well. Below, you will find what we offer in each of these areas.

The mission of P.H.A.S.E. 1 is to make Jamaica the central hub for men’s and women’s professional basketball development in the Caribbean by creating infrastructure and implementing programs for players, coaches and supporting personnel. In addition, the vision is to assist in reducing poverty in Jamaica by creating avenues for financial investment into the community and professional job opportunities through basketball development. This strategic plan will discuss the progress that has been made and what our plans for the near future entail.

We focus on creating better infrastructure, teaching tools, and training equipment while bringing talented basketball players and personnel to help inspire local players. We want to foster basketball development in Jamaica, allowing gifted players to stay home and pave the way for the next generation of local Jamaican university and professional basketball players. – Wayne Dawkins

Strategic Partnerships

Strategic partnerships have been a priority for P.H.A.S.E. 1 and are viewed as critical to a sustainable and scalable system. P.H.A.S.E. 1’s many programs are sanctioned by the Jamaica Basketball Association and operate with the support of the federations coaches, technical directors and administration. In addition, P.H.A.S.E. 1 has received aid from Jamaica’s Sports Development Foundation and the Ministry of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sports. All the parties have committed to work collaboratively to achieve the shared goals for basketball development in Jamaica.

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Financial Investment in Jamaica

Since the launch of P.H.A.S.E. 1 programs in Jamaica in 2019, P.H.A.S.E. 1 has invested USD $1,296,278 into the development of basketball in Jamaica. This includes thousands of dollars donated to the Jamaica Basketball Association national team program, Jamaica’s Star Search Camp, F.I.B.A. coaches training, and sponsorship of local athletes and schools. Additionally, P.H.A.S.E. 1 has spearheaded several initiatives to raise money and supplies for needed equipment, apparel, infrastructure, and human resources in communities outside of Jamaica.

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P.H.A.S.E. 1 Academies: January-December

The P.H.A.S.E.1 Academies established by P.H.A.S.E. 1 Global is our leading program in developing student-athletes worldwide. In our academies in the United States, Canada, Africa, and the Caribbean, we implement training programs, coaches’ curricula, and competitive events to further the goals of our members. For the past 25 years, we have assisted over 50O athletes in receiving scholarships to study and play post-secondary sports and move on to become professional athletes.

P.H.A.S.E 1 basketball academies for boys and girls aged 11-17 years old rolled out in 10 Parishes in Jamaica with the goal of establishing the remaining four Parishes in the summer of 2023. The academies will bridge the gap between high school and professional basketball. P.H.A.S.E. 1’s academies also provide year-round competition and player identification with tournaments and exhibition matches. Every month P.H.A.S.E. 1 Academy hosts monthly centralized training centers for players, coaches and referees from across the island to come together for development.

Previously, there were three P.H.A.S.E 1 basketball Academies in Jamaica serving youth in Kingston and Montego Bay. P.H.A.S.E. 1’s first academy was established at Herbert Morrison Technical School in Montego Bay, Jamaica, in 2021, followed by two Kingston locations in 2022 at Papine High School and a satellite academy of youth from Majestic Gardens.

Professional Basketball 

Mens’ E1CBL

Professional sports league ownership is a sought-after investment opportunity with returns that stretch beyond significant financial gain. Sports leagues create infrastructure growth and job opportunities, boosts tourism, increases youth sport participation, and improves community relations. With that understanding, in May of 2022, P.H.A.S.E. 1 launched the Elite 1 Caribbean Professional Basketball League (E1CBL). The four-team professional basketball league based in Kingston, Jamaica, has catapulted into the global spotlight, captivating the attention of a wave of basketball enthusiasts and aspiring professional players.  

January 7-29, 2023 the E1CBL completed its third season of professional basketball with the addition of a Mens Pro B Division to provide more significant development opportunities for aspiring local talent. Additionally, the E1CBL will return in August of 2023 with a Men’s Pro Combine Showcase. The event will be an open individual combine and team exposure tournament for players and scouts vying for access to the E1CBL Fall 2023 season.

The E1CBL fall season will take place from October – December and include the E1CBL Pro B League and the introduction of the Women’s Elite 1 Caribbean Professional Basketball League.

Women’s E1CBL

P.H.A.S.E. 1 emerged as a front-runner for developing women’s basketball in Jamaica, and on January 21, 2023, during the E1CBL Men’s winter season, the P.H.A.S.E. 1 Women’s Pro Showcase was held. The women’s pro showcase put the talents of international and local aspiring professionals on display. The event also served as a preview for the August Women’s pro tour featuring women’s pro teams from the United States as they converge in Jamaica for the Caribbean stop of their North American women’s pro tour. 2023 will conclude with the Women’s Elite 1 Caribbean Professional Basketball League launch, held simultaneously with the men’s E1CBL October-December Fall season.

Our plan for Jamaica reflects how much we believe in the people. We have seen proof of what communities worldwide have achieved and we are looking forward to the explosion of Jamaican basketball! – Wayne Dawkins

The Community

P.H.A.S.E. 1 is sharing this Strategic Plan to add to their network more community partners with similar goals or who would like to support P.H.A.S.E. 1 in achieving their goals for basketball in Jamaica. If you or anyone you know would like to learn more about how you can assist, email Wayne Dawkins at wdawkins@phase1global.com or by phone at 480-235-9954.