NORTH Andros pro basketball player Shaq Cleare and his cousins Micah and Christen Miller display their phone chargers.
#By BRENT STUBBS
#Senior Sports Reporter
#bstubbs@tribunemedia.net
#He couldn’t have easily been concentrating on getting back to playing basketball in Europe, but for North Andros native Shaquille ‘Shaq’ Cleare, the coronavirus pandemic has turned out to be a blessing in disguise.
#Since returning to the Bahamas in March when the pandemic shut down sports on the global stage, Cleare reunited with his cousins Charles and Christen Miller as they worked on the creation of a company called Mo Charge Inc, which produces charges for phones.
#“I’ve been focusing more on Mo Charge Inc.,” said Cleare about his future aspirations. “We had a few launch periods, but because of the coronavirus, we are still working on our launch date. We’ve been working on it since I got back.”
#Cleare returned home after his league in Spain got shut down due to the spread of the coronavirus, just like all other sporting activities.
#But the 27-year-old national basketball team member said his mind has not been on the game over the past few months.
#“I was kind of disappointed when we got the news that they were going to shut down the league,” Cleare said.
#“We were fighting for a place in the playoffs, but the concern was more about the safety of the players and not the league.”
#The 6’8”, 275-pound forward was playing for Actel Forca Lleida that competes in Spain’s Liga Española de Baloncesto – Gold, the second division in the country’s basketball system.
#“I’ve gotten a few offers already, but I’m still waiting on some better ones,” Cleare said. “I’ve been training daily. So I’m still waiting to see what happens with the deals on the table.
#“I haven’t been at the AF Adderley or Kendal Isaacs Gymnasium to do any training. I was just doing a lot of stuff on my own, just to stay in shape, if I decide to take that route and head back to Europe. But that’s up in the air for me right now. I’m still training daily.”
#With no time limit on when sports will resume overseas, Cleare said he decided to utilise his time to focus on developing the Mo Charge Inc. brand.
#“We’re getting ready to launch. We’re launching soon,” he said.
#“That’s been my focus because we don’t know what will happen with this pandemic. So that has been my focus since I’ve been back.”
#Charles Miller said he’s delighted to be partnering with his cousin.
#“It’s much easier for us to do this business together because we all live together,” he said. “We are depending on social media and platforms like the newspapers and radio and television to get our message across.
#“Once we launch this product, the Bahamian people will have a window to buy it at a very reasonable price. We won’t do any international advertising during that window. Bahamians will have the cheapest price in the world. After that window has already passed, we’re going to the United States and the rest of the world.”
#The cost to the Bahamian public is just $49.00, but once they market to the United States and around the world, they will be increased to $89.99, which includes battery cases or power packs.
#“We know that this is going to take over the market. This is going to bring in a lot of money, so this is where my focus is right now,” Cleare said.
#“We haven’t launched yet, but we are looking at making millions of dollars on these devices.
#“When we launch, we know that it will take off. Everything is set in place for us to launch.”
#Cleare said although he goes overseas to play basketball to make money, he’s focusing on Mo Charge Inc. because he feels there’s a lot more money that their company can accumulate in the long run.