– 16-year-old Stephan DeLeon excited to roll out project

 By Rawle Toney

A 16-year-old hoops fan and player will be launching his 592 Jumpers Glow-in-the-dark basketball brand at the end of November.

Stephan DeLeon, who hails from the BVI but has been residing in Guyana over the past three years, told Chronicle Sport that the balls, which come in rubber and leather, will be retailed at $8,000 and $15,000 respectively.

A lover of the sport from a tender age, DeLeon said his intention was to come up with an innovative way to allow children like himself, who would play at any time, a chance to enjoy the game.

Following the 2017 Hurricane that wreak havoc in Tortola, Stephan moved to Guyana and enrolled at the Henry Chase-owned Chase Academy, which is well known for their exceptional sports programme.

According to DeLeon, who in 2018, attended the IMG Academy– a preparatory boarding school and sport-training destination in Bradenton, Florida, United States, where he was learning the game, he encountered filled playing areas during the day, forcing him to take up scrap time, mostly when the place gets dark.

“I would go practice at nights when there’s no one on the court, no distractions, anything. And I realise that it’s much harder to see the ball when its night and I was asking myself, how can I make it much easier to see the ball. So I came up with the idea, glow-in-the-dark (balls),” DeLeon said.

According to DeLeon, who was born in the British Virgin Islands, he has had some favorable feedbacks from persons who use the balls on the Burnham Basketball Court, adding “everyone seems to like the leather basketball because it has perfect grip and it’s easy to control.”

The 592 Jumpers Glow Balls are made with durable orange, red and black rubber and leather and are perfect for any surface – outdoor and indoor courts.

The LED balls glow brightly in the dark allowing players, coaches and spectators to see every dribble, bounce, pass and layup during a night game.

“I think people will have fun playing with it, because, not only is it a basketball, it also glows, so when people are doing dribble moves, it will look pretty cool that it’s glowing,” the sharp-shooting player said.

Asked about choosing Guyana over his place of birth, the BVI, DeLeon said “not because I was born in the BVI; all of my relatives are from Guyana. I’ve been living in Guyana for the past three years. I finished school and since I’m not really doing anything, I said let me try something; that’s how I came about with the 592 Jumpers Basketball.”

The 592 Jumpers Glow-in-the-dark basketball will hit the stores in Guyana and persons can contact 592 Jumpers via facebook for more information.