THE FOLLOWING IS A PALM BEACH MEDIA RELEASE
ABOVE: Coach John Spezia (right) with Germaal Forde, a St. Kitts and Nevis basketball
player who earned an opportunity to play basketball in the US at Iowa Lakes.
Veteran basketball Coach John Spezia from the United States, has been a driving force in St. Kitts and Nevis basketball for over a decade. He has been visiting the Caribbean country for some 23 years co-hosting basketball camps, which has seen several earning scholarships to study and play basketball in the US, while contributing significantly to the national program.
This year however, has been a significant year in Coach Spezia’s worker. Throughout 2025, Spezia has been deeply involved in youth programs, national team preparation, and the expansion of 3-on-3 basketball across the island.
“Well, the biggest thing is, I came back, obviously we do the youth camp, we brought in Jennifer Sepielli and John Stoke with GOAT Basketball to get the young kids involved. We did that and we prepared for the 15-under tournament in St. Martin, which we did,” Spezia said as he reflected on the progress made this year.
He also noted that he was asked to take on additional responsibilities by the St. Kitts Nevis Amateur Basketball Association (SKNABA). “(SKNABA President) asked me to also take over with the three-on-three, the training of three-on-three. And that’s been the work that I’ve done. We’ve gone to schools and looked at it and tried to promote the three-on-three basketball because we’ve been pretty good to the size of the community we are,” he explained. He outlined the progress St. Kitts and Nevis made on three on three basketball this year. “We played the tournament in Puerto Rico, we played against Trinidad and some of those teams. We did okay… And then we played one in Guyana, beat Mexico, beat Guyana.”
Why 3-on-3 Matters
Spezia spent time explaining the importance of the 3-on-3 format for small nations: “It’s really intense… it’s really harder than playing 5-on-5 because you really can’t hide players.” He added, “I really have kind of grown fond of it… everybody had to handle the basketball or spacing and defense… I thought it really helped us from a 5-on-5 standpoint.”
Most importantly, he stressed the international opportunity it provides: “This is what people want. One, it gives a small island a chance to compete in the Olympics… I think that gives an island like St. Kitts to compete in the Olympics or compete in FIBA because there’s rankings to it.”
Youth Development and Long-term Impact
Spezia noted the importance of building a strong player foundation, when reviewing the recent participation of a St. Kitts and Nevis youth team in a friendly tournament in neighboring St. Maarten. He stressed the importance of building a team way in advance of major tournaments to get better results.
“We’ve got to continue to build a foundation,” he said. “We had a really young team… we started too late. We need to do a better job… Maybe (we need) a training camp now to be better prepared for that tournament in St. Martin.”
Growing Excitement Through Community Events
A major part of his 2025 work was using three on three basketball to generate interest and enthusiasm for the sport in communities across St. Kitts. Most notably was the huge basketball event at Port Zante, the heart of St. Kitts tourism mecca. “We did a big promotional thing at Port Zante. I think we had eight teams play, we had people came and saw it, had the big scoreboard up. So that’s encouraged people to be more in tune with what three-on-three basketball is like.”
He emphasized the importance of both development and community involvement, saying, “That was part of my job. And then the other part is to continue the development of, you know, the sport itself.”
Preparing for the Caribbean Classic
Meanwhile, Coach Spezia also revealed plans for a major new initiative to be hosted in St. Kitts and Nevis next year: the Caribbean Classic, scheduled for January 6th, 8th, and 10th. “We used to play in Montserrat. We’ve won it twice. And we said, okay, how can we better serve our kids, cut down some costs, and give the island some economic boost? So we said, okay, let’s do a Caribbean Classic.”
He disclosed this event is a partnership with College of Dupage from Illinois and will have great visibility for St. Kitts in international media.
“They’re going to get a culture experience. They’re going to get team building. They’re going to do some community service… maybe there’s online classes going to happen… maybe it’s a track and field person. It could be a basketball person.”
Spezia explained the tourism and exposure benefits, saying, “You’re talking a travel party of 50-some people. You’re going to stay at the Royal St. Kitts… you’re in a major market. You’re talking about Chicago, WGN, the Chicago Tribune… now you’re getting exposure to the Midwest.”
More Than Two Decades of Service
Spezia has contributed immensely to the basketball program on St. Kitts and Nevis for over two decades. He summarized his long-term work with the island. “Over that course of time period, we’ve sent 20-some kids on to college, male and female…we’ve had the camps…we’ve also taken teams and players to the States,” he said as he recapped his accomplishments. “(Local players) played against our high school team… traveled to Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame… played in the gym where they shot the movie Hoosiers.” Despite challenges such as COVID-19, Spezia emphasized continued commitment to St. Kitts and Nevis’ basketball and said the efforts now post COVID is to get the sport back to the level prior to 2020. “My next move is to try to bring the college team in to watch (local players) or we take a group (from St. Kitts and Nevis) to the States,” he said. “It’s not been just the St. Kitts… if I can help (youth from other islands), yes, and not just basketball players, track and field people or soccer people.”
