BLAKE, LEWIS AND LOWE SHOW BETTER PATH TO PRO BALL

Former Clarendon College goalkeeper Andre Blake created history on January 16 when he became the first goalkeeper ever and first Jamaican to be the number one pick in the super draft of the United States’ Major League Soccer (MLS). There were two other Jamaicans in the top 10 selections, Andre Lewis and Damion Lowe, the son of former Reggae Boy Onandi Lowe.

All three men will now go to have what we all hope will be successful careers playing the sport they love. They also represent what I believe to be the way forward for many aspiring Jamaican players. I got an exclusive interview with Blake on my radio show and he had some sage advice for players still in high school. He said in essence that there is little to be gained by trying to go pro straight out of high school. He urged the young talent here to try a different route; go pro by first going to college.

Blake, and Lowe with whom I also spoke a couple weeks ago, had similar messages. Playing college ball helped develop their game and it also allowed scouts from MLS to see them on a more regular basis as it is not often that those scouts will fly down to Jamaica to see under-developed players play. Equally important is the fact that these aspiring players can get themselves a solid education because we all know all it takes is one bad injury to end a career and what then?

There are too many stories of ‘great’ high school ballers who never made it and ended up destitute so Blake, Lewis and Lowe are good examples to follow. They have all earned a solid education while pursuing their lifelong dreams of playing professional football.

Sometimes the road to success might be longer but it is often the safer one to take.

It is something the Jamaica Football Federation and high school coaches need to emphasize even more. Not every player will be ‘gifted’. Some will find that that path to success is not linear. College gives them a chance to develop mentally as well as physically. the mental development provides players with the ability to think critically and quickly in game situations and ultimately makes them easier to coach.

Over time, we could find that we have a Jamaican squad filled with educated, properly developed, quality players. What’s not to like about that?