Athlete of the Year award ‘something special’ for Old Harbour’s Joel Bailey

Bailey, 23, was voted by the Jamaica Basketball Association as their most valuable athlete for the year 2022 and was duly recognized at the recent annual RJR Sportsman and Sportswoman Awards function.

Track and field icon Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce and rising star Rasheed Broadbell were respectively crowned Sportswoman and Sportsman of the year at the 2022 RJRGLEANER Sports Foundation National Awards.

“The reputation behind the award is a big accomplishment for me because a lot of greats of the greats have been awarded by RJR,” said the Old Harbour Glades-born Bailey.

As the most prestigious of its kind in Jamaica, the national sports awards ceremony has honoured legendary athletes such as Usain Bolt, Merle Ottey, Mike McCallum among others.

“To be able to be in that environment and my name being called amongst those athletes… and being given the basketball player of the year award is something special,” said Bailey during an exclusive interview with Old Harbour News. “It’s something that I wasn’t looking forward to, to be honest but being told that I was nominated it was a surprise.

“But it’s a blessed feeling just knowing how far I’m coming from and the time and work that I have put in basketball from a younger age coming up, it’s just a blessing and a great feeling.”

The six-foot three-inch guard was unable to accept his award in persons as he’s currently playing his final collegiate season with Alliance University in the Central Athletics Collegiate Conference (CACC).

The AU are currently in the hunt for a play-offs spot this season after Bailey helped them last season to their first play-offs in more than decade.

Since making his national debut in 2021, Bailey has been a standout player for Jamaica in every tournament he participated in, even though his efforts were not enough to win a silverware.

As for this season Bailey told Old Harbour News that he’s looking to finish his college career on a “good note” but isn’t thinking about playing professional as he’s focus on finishing his master’s degree in finance.