International Basketball Star and Native Jamaican to Serve as Jamaica Classic Basketball Ambassador

Jamaican-born former NBA player and retired professional basketballer Kimani Ffriend has come on board as an Ambassador for the second staging of the Jamaica Classic NCAA Basketball Event.

Ffriend, who earned a scholarship to play College Basketball in America at the University of Nebraska, has played in the NBA for the Miami Heat, LA Clippers and Memphis Grizzlies. He also starred professionally in Europe, Asia and South America.

In his role as Jamaica Classic Basketball Ambassador, Ffriend will work to promote the event throughout the country, in particular to schools at all levels. In addition, he will be involved with ticket and sponsorship sales to the business communities in Kingston, Montego Bay and beyond.

“I am excited to be a part of the Jamaica Classic College Basketball Event, and can’t wait to see a packed Montego Bay Convention Centre next month.” Ffriend said. “Basketball has been very good to me and I love to help grow the game in my home country. To be successful, we need businesses and individuals to support the event and I want to make an impact that will allow the Jamaica Classic to continue for years to come.”

The Jamaica Classic was founded in 2017 and is the biggest basketball tournament ever staged in on the Island. The 2018 tournament will feature eight colleges from the United States competing for a championship. The participating Universities are Georgetown University, University of South Florida, Loyola Marymount University, Ohio University, Central Connecticut State University, Austin Peay State University, Campbell University, and Florida A&M University. Games will take place on November 16 and 18, and will be televised on CBS Sports Network throughout the United States, as well as streaming across the web. In addition, select games will be shown in Jamaica on TVJ and TVJ Sports as well as throughout the Caribbean on FLOW Sports.

Commenting on the development, Jamaica Classic Executive Director Jacob Ridenhour noted, “I am so excited for the second staging of the tournament here in Jamaica, and even more so for the participation of Kimani Ffriend. He is a Jamaican whose love of the sport and dedication carried him on to play at the highest levels both in the NBA and internationally. He is the perfect person to help promote the tournament because he can relate to both the local patrons as well as the players, and serves as a source of inspiration for all”.

The 2018 staging of the Jamaica Classic will take place on November 16 and 18 at the Montego Bay Convention Centre and has received critical support from the Ministry of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sports, as well as the Ministry of Tourism as part of its drive to promote Sports Tourism in Jamaica.