Dudley basketball star lifts two college titles in the United States

Kazz Devine, from Dudley, has won the women's NJCAA regional and district championships.

The 20-year-old had been due to compete in the nationals with the rest of her North Dakota State College of Science (NDSCS) team-mates before the coronavirus struck and the tournament was cancelled.

But her rise to the top of the American college league has been extremely impressive – especially as she admits she did not take the sport seriously while growing up.

It was under the watchful eye of former Birmingham Bullets star Clive Allen, also from Dudley, who now coaches at West Bromwich Albion Basketball and across the Black Country, that Devine first realised she had a real talent for the sport.

"I used to play basketball in high school but I didn’t take it seriously until I met Clive Allen," she said.

"He helped a huge amount and following my first practice session with him I have never stopped playing.

"I ended up in America after being offered a scholarship from my head coach, who had found my highlight tape and information on Twitter.

"He emailed me and it all went from there, and now I am at a junior college in America playing in the NJCAA.

"My team and I fought hard this year to win the region tournament, district championship and we had advanced to the national tournament.

"Unfortunately, our national tournament was originally postponed to April 20 but we were later told it would be cancelled altogether due to the coronavirus."

Devine, originally from Birmingham, went to Holly Hall Academy, in Dudley, before completing one year at Dudley College.

She then moved to live at Myerscough Basketball Academy, in Preston, for two years.

The academy was launched in 2013 as an elite player development programme for players aged 16 to 19, combining a professional training environment alongside academic study.

Devine's progressed continued and she eventually landed her scholarship at NDSCS – and since moving to the United States, she has once again had to up her game.

"The differences between UK and US is the game in England is way more slower," she said.

"Here in America, it is much more fast paced and very structured.

"I am unsure yet whether I will continue this professionally or continue with my studies, I guess time will tell."

Coach Allen, who also played basketball in States, in between a stellar career in the British Basketball League with the Bullets, which spanned three decades, said he was proud of Devine's achievements.

He said they first met during one his many trips to bring the game of basketball into schools across the Black Country.

"I started a satelite basketball club at her school, which was funded by the Black Country Consortium," he said.

"She had never played basketball before but I could see she was a very talented player.

"From there, she went to play for the West Bromwich Albion Basketball for a year and also played at Dudley College with our women’s team.

"She was very shy and did not realise how talented she was but always wanted to go to America and achieve a goal of playing in the States.

"She had a number of injuries to her knee that kept her out of full training for a number of months, but she persevered and worked hard to get her fitness back up to 100 per cent .

"After leaving Dudley College, she went to Myercough for a year and improved even more.

"She always wanted to go to the States and worked hard at contacting a number of schools in America.

"She was lucky to get a scholarship to go to North Dakota State College of Science and is now living her dream of playing competitive basketball America."