Meet the Bronx Award Winners: Rising Stars Diaspora Tour

Oct 12, 2026 · @Anthony

Rising Stars Diaspora Tour · Bronx · Sunday, October 11, 2026 · Evander Childs Campus

The first stop of the Rising Stars Diaspora Tour brought young players with Jamaican roots, aged 11 to 17, into one gym in the Bronx. They were measured, tested and evaluated in games all day. At the end, seven major awards went to the players who stood out most.

Every award was chosen by our coaching staff from what they saw across the whole day: combine testing, the 3-point contest and game play. Every award was presented by our special guest, Romaine Thomas of the Jamaica Men's National Team, who once played at Evander Childs himself.

Here are the winners.

Top Girl Performer, Ages 11–17: #4 Zayn Shaw

Zayn competed on mixed teams all day, often against older players, and never backed down. She posted 51 figure 8s forward and 50 backward in 30 seconds and qualified for the 3-point contest. Her confidence and effort set the standard for the girls we hope to see at every stop of the tour.

Zayn also earned a Stand Out Performer medal.

RS Top Performer, Ages 11–14: #6 Levi Poyser

The RS Top Performer award goes to the player in each age group who put together the best overall day: testing, shooting and games combined.

Levi did it all. He was one of the most consistent players in ball-handling testing, with 54 figure 8s forward and 55 backward in 30 seconds, and he added 40 push-ups. Then he took over the 3-point contest, which you can read about below. For a 13-year-old competing alongside older players all day, it was a complete performance.

RS Top Performer, Ages 15–17: #15 Samir Jackman-Gonzales

Samir earned the top award in the older group with a strong, all-around day. He posted 61 figure 8s forward in 30 seconds, among the best at camp, along with 37 push-ups and 48 sit-ups in two minutes. He also qualified for the 3-point contest.

Samir also earned a Stand Out Performer medal.

Tallawah Award: #12 Lucas Bowman

Tallawah is Jamaican for strong, tough and fearless. Think of the saying "wi likkle but wi tallawah": don't underestimate us. This award goes to the player who showed that spirit all day.

Lucas brought it. He had the longest broad jump at camp, 113.5 inches, and added 52 sit-ups in two minutes. Just as important, he played hard on every possession.

Lucas also earned a Stand Out Performer medal.

3-Point Champions

Players earned a spot in the 3-point contest through the shooting drill during combine testing. In the contest, each shooter had two minutes, two balls and two rebounders to make as many threes as possible.

3-Point Champion, Ages 11–14: #6 Levi Poyser. Levi won his age group with 23 makes in two minutes.

3-Point Champion, Ages 15–17: #43 Azariah Cross. Azariah posted the best score of the contest round, 30 makes in two minutes. He also had one of the strongest testing days at camp, with 50 push-ups, 60 sit-ups and 63 figure 8s forward.

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Top Shotta: #6 Levi Poyser

The two age-group champions met head-to-head to crown the camp's Top Shotta. Azariah set a high bar with 28 makes. Then Levi, three years younger, answered with 31 makes in two minutes to win the final 31–28.

Three awards in one day: RS Top Performer, 3-Point Champion and Top Shotta. Levi had a day to remember.

More than awards

These seven awards tell only part of the story. Seventeen players earned Stand Out Performer medals, and every athlete in the gym showed the coachability, leadership and character that made the day special. With no referees, players called their own games, and the day stayed fair, competitive and respectful from start to finish.

Every player who took part will be considered for the January 2027 Diaspora Rankings.

Thank you

Thank you to Romaine Thomas for presenting every award and sharing his journey with our players. Thank you to Evander Childs Campus Basketball for hosting, David Fonfa and his family for making this first stop possible, 7th Street Burger for lunch, and all the coaches and volunteers who worked behind the scenes.

What's next

The Bronx was only the beginning. The Rising Stars Diaspora Tour will make stops in South Florida, Canada, Atlanta, Boston, Los Angeles, London and more, and we'll be back in New York.

Follow along on Instagram: @risingstarsbballja, @phase1_basketball_jamaica and @e1caribbeanbasketball.

P.H.A.S.E.1 Academy Jamaica