An advanced basketball youth clinic run by Kentucky State University head coach Jamaal Jackson has been hailed a success.

The American travelled to the island last month to share his wealth of expertise with boys and girls aged 14 to 19 during the clinic held at the CedarBridge Academy gymnasium.

“The clinic was a huge success and you can’t replace having someone at that level be able to come to us and give us some of his knowledge,” Tim Trott, the Bermuda Basketball Association secretary-general, said.

“The players were attentive and put in 100 per cent, and that’s all we can ask for.

“Thanks to the Department of Youth, Sport and Recreation, and the National Junior Athlete Scholarship Programme, the BBA has been able to bring in an NCAA Division II head coach to put our players through their paces.”

Jackson, who was assisted by local coaches Ralph Scott and Kent Tacklyn, was also impressed by the work ethic and commitment demonstrated by the participants.

“The players are extremely hard workers,” he said. “They listen, they follow directions and are just trying to get better every day.

“It is a growing programme looking to develop, and I hope it’s not the only time I get to work with the team.”

Jackson, who is a former guard at Kentucky, began the transition from player to coach as an intern on the staff of Ohio State University’s men’s basketball programme as they advanced to the NCAA Final Four during the 1998-99 season.

That was followed by a stint as an student assistant coach at Kentucky State during the 2000-01 season, helping them to win the 2001 Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Championship and earn a berth in the NCAA Tournament.

He became the head coach at Kentucky State in 2016 and put the SIAC on notice by leading the Thorobreds to become the top-ranked offence with 84.5 points per game.