Mr. Bass is the captain of the BVI national basketball team and Legs, a local team.

He's also a referee at games. Photo: VINO

Meet Kennedy Bass, a 30 year-old Virgin Islander, whose passion for sports has provided him with a satisfying job.

As the Physical Education (PE) teacher at two schools, Joyce Samuel Primary located at Bel Vue and Bregado Flax Education Centre [the Primary Division], Mr. Bass has been keeping his students fit for the past five years.

His tenure as a teacher began when he returned from the United States in 2005. According to him, he was approached by Ileta Potter, a now retired PE teacher, to invest his skills by teaching physical education to primary school students.

Though a bit cautious at first, this young professional took the job since he had some experience interacting with young children because for several years assisted Patrick Harrigan, the Director of Youth Affairs and Sports, in assisting and organising summer camps.

So wading into the waters of youth development was not a hard choice, Mr. Bass stated.

“I love sports! Apart from basketball, I was a track and field runner, I played softball and other sports when I was younger. So I told myself it’s just teaching the fundamentals of the games that students need to know right now,” Mr. Bass said with a smile.

He pointed out that while PE is a form of relaxation where students get a break from the books, it is now incorporated into their GPA. Mr. Bass said, “It’s mandatory for students to do a written and practical test”.

He also noted that the education system is now set in such a way that Spanish, Music and PE are critical to a student’s GPA.

The PE teacher has a set of guidelines that are effective in whipping his students into shape. For the first school term, students undergo some conditional drills that include push ups, running, sit ups, volley ball and soccer. Meanwhile, the second term focuses on athletics since schools and divisional sports are held during that time.

The PE teacher’s hard work is paying off. The young professional has several proud moments - one being when Joyce Samuels won the 2010 Inter primary B Division.

“It was a team effort,” he recalled.

Even though, he teaches at two schools on different islands, Mr. Bass is at Joyce Samuels on Mondays and Tuesdays and Bregado Flax on Wednesdays and Thursdays.

So what has he learned over the years? The young professional without any hesitation responded, “Patience! Not every student is into sport so you have to ensure they grasp the concepts of what you are trying to teach them. It ain’t so easy as it looks.”

However, he is finding his way and believes teaching is something he can continue to do for a while.

But when his teaching job is finished at 3 p.m., his day is not done, he has to meet up with the BVI national basketball team of which he is the captain and guard. He’s also the Captain of Legs, a local basketball team.

His passion for basketball began at a tender age, and he was given an opportunity to hone his skills via a scholarship at Anderson University in South Carolina, USA.

“I started off at Clinton University in Iowa and then moved to South Carolina...I was one of six young Virgin Islanders that were selected to Iowa because our talents were recognised,” Mr. Bass recounted.

He described his stint at the two tertiary institutions as “pretty exciting” and fared well by making the second team “All America” in 2002 at Clinton.

Moving on to Anderson University was also a learning experience, he added, because he was playing out of the position that he normally played. He was a Forward.

The product of  Althea Scatliffe and the then BVI High School graduated with an Associate Degree in Sports Science, and revealed that he will be pursuing his Bachelors and also to obtain a higher level certification in PE.

Reminiscing on his childhood, the humble young man divulged that he still holds the record for the 800 metre Jnr Boys in High School, unfortunately for him his High Jump record was broken last year.

“Track took me to a lot of meets including the Miami Classic. Track and Field took me places before I even took basketball seriously. I was really good at High Jump and felt that I could have made something out of it on a professional level but I got injured,” Mr. Bass said.

Against this backdrop, he would like to advice youths whose ambitions are to enter sports, “Don’t stick to one sport while growing up”.

“....because you don’t know which one you are good at. You may think you’re good in one but you may be better in another. Basketball is the ‘in thing right now’ but there are some youngsters now who were awesome in track but give it up for basketball...track can take you places also,” he opined.

As for now with summer approaching, Mr. Bass will be one busy young man. According to him, the Legs have two more games to play in the regular season before heading off to the play offs.

In addition to that, the national team will be winging out to the Bahamas on July 21 to participate in the Caribbean Basketball Championship.

“We have been putting the team together, we have been working hard day in day out.”