Duquesne men's basketball signs Jamaican-born player

Duquesne men's basketball signs Jamaican-born player: "Duquesne men's basketball signs Jamaican-born player"

The interesting facts: Two of the five are prep school kids.


Wright, nicknamed "Air Jamaica" was born in Jamaica, lives in Brooklyn, N.Y. and attended Brittain Academy in North Carolina.

The forward/center, Derrick Martin, is from Montgomery, Ala. and George Washington Carver High School and then the prep school is Flora MacDonald Academy in North Carolina.

A high percentage of the kids going to Duquesne next year are not straight out of high school. They went to a prep school for 13th grade. They got to mature and develop as players and students. They got to find the right match for them at the college ranks. They still have all their NCAA eligibility.

If these students went to CCAC, then they would not be able to transfer into Duquesne University and play right away. They would have also lost a year, if not two, of eligibility.

Pittsburgh Public Schools should get a 13th grade option for its students. Then our kids would not need to go to North Carolina to find a prep school.