P.H.A.S.E.1 ACADEMY SELECTED TO REPRESENT JAMAICA AT INAUGURAL MADE HOOPS GLOBAL GAMES — THE FIRST-EVER MIDDLE SCHOOL BASKETBALL WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP

Jamaica's U14 team will compete June 12–14 at the Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Massachusetts, in a 24-team field of 15 nations including the United States, Canada, Venezuela, Croatia, and Nigeria

KINGSTON, JAMAICA — May 26, 2026 — P.H.A.S.E.1 Academy Jamaica has been officially selected to assemble and lead the Jamaican team competing at the inaugural MADE Hoops Global Games, the first-ever middle school basketball world championship, to be held June 12–14, 2026 at the MassMutual Center in Springfield, Massachusetts — home of the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame.

The Global Games represent a landmark partnership between MADE Hoops, the premier American grassroots basketball organization, and FIBA, the international governing body of basketball. The invitation-only tournament will bring 24 teams from 15 countries to the birthplace of basketball, marking a historic step in the global development of youth basketball at the U14 level.

Jamaica will compete alongside national programs from the United States, Canada, Venezuela, Croatia, Slovenia, Nigeria, the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, and other invited nations.

"This is a historic moment for Jamaican basketball," said Wayne Dawkins, Global Director of P.H.A.S.E.1 Academy and former head coach of the Jamaica U17 Junior National Team. "We have spent six years building the kind of grassroots infrastructure on this island that produces players capable of competing at this level. Springfield is the first time the world is going to see what we've been quietly building. Twelve boys will carry that work onto the floor at the Basketball Hall of Fame — and they are ready."

The Event

The MADE Hoops Global Games will be played under official FIBA international rules and use FIBA basketballs, formally bridging American grassroots youth basketball with the global game. The tournament will feature pool play followed by a single-elimination bracket.

John Doleva, President and CEO of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, has described the event as honoring Dr. James Naismith's original vision of "a game for everyone, everywhere." The host venue, the MassMutual Center, sits in the city where Naismith invented basketball in 1891.

Chad Babel, founder and CEO of MADE Hoops, said in the partnership's announcement that the event represents "another step in MADE's journey to connect American basketball players with European basketball development and culture," with the broader goal of using "the game of basketball to shrink the world and educate young people."

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

P.H.A.S.E.1 Academy is a youth basketball development organization established to build sustainable grassroots basketball infrastructure in Jamaica. Founded by Wayne Dawkins, a Jamaican-born coach with over thirty years of youth basketball experience across Canada, the United States, and the Caribbean, the academy has spent six years creating programming that did not previously exist for young Jamaican athletes — organized youth leagues, structured camps, AAU travel teams, coaching education, and pathways to higher education and competitive opportunity.

The academy's foundational commitment, in Dawkins's words, is "not to extract talent from the island, but to build basketball infrastructure that benefits Jamaican youth on Jamaican soil." Programming serves youth from across the socioeconomic spectrum in Jamaica, with deliberate focus on underserved communities, and incorporates athletes from the Jamaican diaspora across the United States, Canada, and beyond.

The Roster

The final 12-player roster representing Jamaica will be announced in the coming weeks. Player applications are currently open to athletes of Jamaican descent — born in Jamaica or with at least one parent or grandparent of Jamaican origin — who do not turn 15 before August 1, 2026, in line with the tournament's U14 / middle school classification. Players based anywhere in the world are eligible. The official player inquiry form is available at phase1academy.com.

Roster decisions will be made on the basis of fit, film, family commitment, and team chemistry, with final selection led personally by Dawkins.

Community Support

The academy is currently raising funds to cover travel, lodging, meals, and equipment for the team and coaching staff. Sponsorship opportunities are open to corporate partners interested in being part of this historic moment. Individual supporters can contribute via the official campaign at phase1academy.com.

"This trip costs money, and we make no apology for asking the community to be part of it," Dawkins said. "Every Jamaican grandmother in Brooklyn who throws in twenty dollars, every corporate sponsor who steps up at the Gold tier, every family who shares our story — they are the reason these boys get to walk into the Hall of Fame in June. This is bigger than basketball. This is about what we can build when we build together."

About the MADE Hoops Global Games

The MADE Hoops Global Games is an invitation-only middle school basketball world championship for athletes aged U10 through U14, held in partnership between MADE Hoops, FIBA, and the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. The inaugural event will be held June 12–14, 2026 at the MassMutual Center in Springfield, Massachusetts. The tournament uses FIBA international rules and basketballs and is part of a broader strategy to standardize youth basketball development globally. A series of global qualifying tournaments will be scheduled throughout the year across Europe and other selected regions following the inaugural event.

ABOUT P.H.A.S.E.1 ACADEMY

P.H.A.S.E.1 Academy is a youth basketball development organization headquartered in Jamaica, with operations spanning the island and the broader Jamaican diaspora. Founded by Wayne Dawkins, the academy provides organized leagues, camps, AAU travel teams, coaching education, and competitive pathways for Jamaican youth athletes. The academy's mission is to build sustainable basketball infrastructure on the island that benefits Jamaican youth and contributes to the long-term growth of Jamaican basketball.

For more information, visit phase1academy.com or follow @phase1_basketball_jamaica on Instagram and @p1academyjamaica on TikTok.

MEDIA CONTACT

Wayne Dawkins Global Director, P.H.A.S.E.1 Academy 📧 wdawkins@phase1global.com 📱 +1 (876) 289-3912 (Jamaica) 📱 +1 (480) 235-9954 (International) 🌐 phase1academy.com