FIBA - Naismith Trophy takes centre stage at Basketball without Borders camp

JOHANNESBURG (Basketball without Borders) - There was an array of elite NBA coaches and players as well as lots of local talent at the 12th edition of the Basketball without Borders (BWB) camp in Africa, but it was the Naismith Trophy which stole the show.

Arriving on the continent for the very first time, the prestigious and historical piece of silverware given to the world champions was the centre of attention when showcased at half-time of the camp's All-Star Game.

It was accompanied onto the court by Denver Nuggets head coah Brian Shaw - a member of the USA's winning team at the 1986 FIBA World Championship - and the pair of Andrei Kirilenko and Victor Khryapa, former team-mates on the Russian national team.

Three young camp participants also stepped out alongside the famous Trophy to represent the trio of African nations - Egypt, Angola and Senegal - due to compete at the upcoming FIBA Basketball World Cup in Spain (30 August-14 September).

The appearance of the Naismith Trophy was the main highlight at the latest edition of the NBA and FIBA's joint global basketball development and social responsibility programme. But there were plenty of other high-points for the top 50 leading players aged 17 or under who arrived from no fewer than 20 different African nations.

Facilitated at the American International School of Johannesburg, the camp also featured a girls component, which witnessed 25 of the top young female players from South Africa getting expert instruction from WNBA player Kelley Cain and Mozambique star Clarisse Machanguana.

NBA players Bismack Biyombo and Roger Mason Jr along with the Hoops 4 Hope facilitators, spent time participating in various team building exercises with the male attendees.

"We're teaching the kids about working in a team, how to work hard to reach one’s goal, how to be patient with the process and how to trust each other," said Biyombo.

"Overall, it's a lot of fun for me and the kids."

The NBA players and coaches also visited Diodi Primary School in Soweto to participate in educational programmers supported by UNICEF's 'Schools for Africa' initiative.

During the visit, the group participated in an anti-bullying dialogue with the students, played traditional South African games and made mural hand-prints in one of the classrooms.
 
"Just seeing the kids and how education is important to them is unbelievable," said Toronto Raptors forward Amir Johnson.

"It's a humbling experience and it pretty much transpires through us being here.

"It puts everything in perspective, just for us as athletes, to know how big of an impact we have for the world and share with the kids what we do - it's just surreal."

As usual, the climax of the camp was the All-Star game which took place at Wembley Stadium in downtown Johannesburg, with the contest won by Toronto Raptors coach Dwane Casey and his 'Team Rockets'.

"The most important thing is you watch the kids learn from day one to day four," mused Casey.

"The language barrier is there and I wish I could speak another language, because a lot gets lost in translation. But basketball is universal, and a lot of what they learn are fundamentals and you enjoy seeing what young players age 16 and 17 do and that's what's fun for me."

Ousseynou Sarr from Senegal was the All-Star Game's Most Valuable Player, with his compatriot Lamine Diane taking home the High Flyer Award. Mohamed Selmi from Tunisia was the Three-Point Shootout Champion.

Young South African, Luca Lunneman, who was an outstanding All-Star at the camp last year as well, was named the MVP of the 2014 camp.

The All-Star game was also graced by the presence of recording artist Aloe Blacc, himself a big NBA fan, while campers were also treated to a performance from the 'Grizz Dancers' all the way from the Memphis.

The 2015 edition of the BWB Africa camp will once again take place in Johannesburg next August, with this latest event bringing the 2014 world tour to a fitting conclusion.

FIBA