Montero, Browne named MVPs of BWB Americas camp in Colombia

MEDELLIN (Colombia) - Jean Montero of the Dominican Republic and Canada's Kiandra Browne highlighted the 10th edition of the Basketball Without Borders Americas camp by taking home the Most Valuable Player awards.

The MVP honors for Montero and Browne came after four days of the 63 campers from 18 countries and territories receiving high-level tutelage on and off the court from the likes of NBA players and former BWB campers Bruno Caboclo and Jamal Murray, former NBA player Carlos Arroyo, former WNBA player Ruth Riley and Colombian player Juan Palacios.  

Despite being a year younger than the rest of the competition, Montero outshined the rest of the competition in Medellin, Colombia just weeks after leading Dominican Republic to third place at the FIBA U16 Americas Championship 2019, securing the country a spot in the FIBA U17 Basketball World Cup 2020.

"It's different, they are one year older and coming from different countries of all the Americas. The level is stronger and more competitive than my previous experience,” said Montero, who had already played in the U16 Americas tournament in 2017 and appeared in the FIBA U17 Basketball World Cup 2018.

"I learned new moves, how to defend better and things I didn't know before coming here."

While Montero won camp MVP honors, Canada’s Bennedict Mathurin was named All-Star Game MVP and was crowned Three-Point Champion. Esteban Roacho of Mexico received the Patrick Baumann Sportsmanship Award and Marcio Henrique Da Costa Santos of Brazil was given the GRIT Award.

On the girls side, Browne was given the MVP award for her showing at Ivan de Bedout Coliseo in Medellin, Colombia, which was hosting the BWB Americas camp for the first time.

Colombia’s Naylee Espitia was the All-Star Game MVP while compatriot Gabriela Chivata was the Three-Point Champion. Ecuador’s Karla Michelle Benitez was given the GRIT Award and Camila Kirschenbaum of Uruguay received the Patrick Baumann Sportsmanship Award.

"For me it's huge. I have to work harder to be better, but I'm also proud that all the work I put in to get here was rewarded," said Espitia. "It's incredible, you meet a lot of new people from everywhere, different cultures and you get to interact with each of them."

Boys All-Stars:

Jean Montero, Dominican Republic; Javonte Valerie, Antigua & Barbuda; Tomas Allende, Argentina; Felipe Inyaco, Chile, Guilherme Carvalho Dos Santos, Brazil; Olivier-Maxence Prosper, Canada; Miguel Santos, Puerto Rico; Javonte Brown-Ferguson, Canada; Esteban Roacho, Mexico; Bennedict Mathurin, Canada; Isabel Alessandro Silva Fernandez, Mexico; Agustin Ubal, Uruguay; Benjamin Palacios, Colombia; Keiver Marcano, Venezuela; Bruno Henrique Pedro Cardoso, Brazil; Zach Edey, Canada

Girls All-Stars

Karol Yara, Colombia; Florencia Niski, Uruguay; Ashely Baez, Dominican Republic; Gabriela Chivata, Colombia; Abril Reyes, Mexico; Camila Kirschenbaum, Uruguay; Magali Vilches, Argentina; Karla Michelle Benitez, Ecuador; Naylee Espitia, Colombia; Daniela Gonzalez Viveros, Colombia; Espareza Morales, Colombia; Emilia Larreborges, Uruguay; Kiandra Browne, Canada; Jessica Clarke, Canada

FIBA