LeVaughn Flynn, Staff Reporter

Belair High and Team AAAH's forward Neveij Walters. - LeVaughn Flyn

Fundamentally sound, raw power and unbridled potential - Belair High's Neveij Walters will soon be getting the attention he deserves. At 6'4" and 215 pounds, the 19-year-old is an athletic dynamo.

"I've never had a kid that's as explosive from the ground to the rim as Neveij," comments Mike Stephenson, Walters coach at Belair and club side Team AAAH, which was a finalist in the just concluded JPS All-island Basketball League.

Impressive displays

Last year, Walters led Belair to the all-island high school basketball title on the back of two impressive displays - a 44-point performance against St Catherine High and 33 points against Wolmer's Boys in the quarter-finals and semi-finals, respectively.

"Those two games have probably been my best because I took my game to a higher level," said Walters yesterday after Belair had beaten Holmwood 66-52 to advance to the ISSA/KFC Central Conference semi-finals.

"I really had to step up and dominate the game and it brought out the best in me," he added of last year's games.

Walters, who hails from Manchester and resides in Royal Flats, started playing about six years ago while attending Bellefield High.

Stephenson coincidentally spotted the skilful player one afternoon.

"I walked on the court and saw him dunk the ball with his left hand and he's right -handed," said Stephenson.

"When I just met him he was raw (untrained), so I took him from Bellefield and got him in Belair and the rest is history."

Scholarship

With Stephenson's help, Walters earned an athletic scholarship in 2005 and is due to graduate this year.

What's next for the young 'baller?

"I'm working at getting a proper scholarship to a Division One college then try to go pro," Walters quipped.

President of the Jamaica Basketball Association, Marland Nattie, said over the past two years Walters has been one of the top high school players in the island.

"Because of the way he plays, you would want to liken him to a Samardo Samuels," said Nattie, making reference to the former Muschett High student who moved to the USA three years ago and is now ranked as the best forward/centre of the 2008 graduating class.

"There is not much competition in the central conference and he is clearly a notch above the rest of the players, so it was good to see him play in the JPS All-island League and still dominate."