Romad Dean Q&A
Updated: Jun 11, 2022
One of the founding fathers of grassroots basketball in Canada, Coach Ro Russell, started AAU in 1989 and has since coached prominent Canadian players such as Cory Joseph, Dwight Powell, Nik Stauskas, Tristan Thompson, and Andrew Wiggins, among others. With the AAU program Grassroots Elite Canada, he coached the first Canadian 17U team to be ranked #1 in 2008 by going 40-3 for the season and winning 10 events in North America. Coach Ro has produced 498 players at the NCAA Division I level. 10 have gone on to play in the NBA and many more in the pipeline have the potential to do so, including 2023 five-star prospect Elijah Fisher.
Coach Ro identified 2022 forward Romad Dean as a budding talent down in The Bahamas, and brought him to Canada to help hone his skills and develop as a player. Already holding numerous offers from mid-major and high-major programs, Dean has relished the opportunity to gain national exposure and play in live events, recently performing as one of Pro Insight’s standouts at the 2021 Flyin’ To The Hoop Top Gun Showcase in Ohio, last month.
As part of the Pro Insight Q&A series, Dean discusses his background, his development with Crestwood Prep, how he wants to leave a legacy, and more.
For the next installment of the Pro Insight Q&A series, we present 2022 prospect Romad Dean, from Freeport, Bahamas:
Pro Insight: Talk a bit about your background.
Romad Dean: My name is Romad Dean. I'm from The Bahamas. I came to Canada like two years ago to finish off my high school years.
PI: Prior to Crestwood Prep, where were you playing?
RD: I was playing for Tabernacle Baptist Christian Academy back home in Freeport, Bahamas.
PI: How has training been during the pandemic?
RD: I had a good opportunity to get in a private gym with my trainer and he was able to work with me on my ball handling and on my jump shots and all that type of stuff.
PI: You recently balled out at the Flyin’ To The Hoop Top Gun Showcase, was this your first live competition during COVID?
RD: Yeah, it was my first competition since being in a pandemic, so that was kind of hard for me to run up and down because I really wasn't in shape. After the first few games, I got into shape and I got in my groove and I started to play like my old self and even better.
PI: Previously, you played at the 2019 U17 Centrobasket — how was playing for the Bahamas in international competition?
RD: It is really great to represent my country as I've always wanted to represent my country as a little kid and I had the chance to do it and I showed out and I made my country proud. It’s a great opportunity to play against other players from around the world.
PI: What are some of your biggest interests outside of basketball?
RD: My biggest interest outside of basketball is I’m really good with math. I’ve always wanted to be an architect.
PI: What apps would you say you're on the most?
RD: Some of the apps I use the most are Snapchat and Instagram.
PI: Who are your favorite music artists?
RD: Some of my favorite music artists are NBA YoungBoy and Lil Baby. Those are the two that I listen to the most.
PI: PlayStation or Xbox?
RD: PlayStation.
PI: For those who don’t know, can you describe your game a little bit?
RD: People would describe my game as a very good rebounder. There was a game where I had about 55 rebounds in one game and 22 points. Every game I am in, I always want to make sure that I got at least 15 rebounds. That’s not all, another thing I can do is I can make plays — be a playmaker, go and get buckets, score for my team, whatever it needs me to do.
PI: Besides rebounding, what is another strength in your game?
RD: I always play hard. Back then, I never used to talk, but now I talk a lot on the court and make sure that everyone is doing what they gotta do — so, like me talking to my teammates and bringing them up.
PI: What are you trying to improve in your game?
RD: Something that I'm trying to improve in my game right now is my ball handling. I don’t have much confidence in my ball handling and I'm trying to get the confidence. That's what I'm working on each and every day to get my ball handling and skills right.