BWB Asia Camp shows what to expect from Asians at U17 World Cup, U18 Asian Championship
REGENSBURG (David Hein's Eye on the Future) - The 10th edition of the Basketball Without Borders (BWB) Asia Camp offers a sneak peak at some of the youngsters who will be playing at the FIBA U17 Basketball World Cup 2018 and many more who will likely be taking leading roles for their countries at the FIBA U18 Asian Championship 2018.
The BWB Asia Camp features 66 campers - 40 boys and 26 girls - from 16 countries and territories who are receiving coaching and life lessons from a world class staff in a collaboration between FIBA, the NBA and the Basketball Federation of India (BFI).
And many of the players gathered in Dehli this week have really shined in India, which is hosting its second BWB Asia Camp.
One of the top players at the camp is India's Princepal Singh, who played last year at the NBA Global Academy in Australia and averaged 22.7 points and 13.0 rebounds at the FIBA U16 Asian Championship.
India's Princepal Singh in action at the FIBA U16 Asian Championship.
There is also fellow Indian big man Harsh Tomar, who played more than a full year with Italian academy Stellazzurra Rome. Meanwhile, center Amaan Sandhu is the second youngest player in the camp - born on December 8, 2002 - and is learning to play with his new physique after losing 40 pounds (18 kilograms) in a year.
Those three big men also have had the advantage of working out with one of their biggest role models in Satnam Singh, who is one of the main leaders of the Indian national team and was the first Indian-born player to be drafted in the NBA.
Rence "Forthsky" Padrigao of Philippines is the most advanced point guard in the camp with an excellent feeling for the game plus a sharp eye for exciting passes, good shooting range and a good bit of swag. He has shown in India that he can lead a team to wins - even after very limited time together beforehand.
Both he and his compatriot Raven Cortez will most likely be playing at the U17 World Cup in Argentina, and they can definitely call on their good experience from the BWB camp when they are taking on the giants of the rest of the world.
New Zealand also have a pair of players who will be making the trip to South America later this month. Sam Jenkins and Mac Stodart - both 2002-born players - are new additions to coach Dave Bublitz's New Zealand team after not playing at the FIBA U16 Asian Championship. Jenkins is already mature physically but the wing understands the game well and is a knock-down shooter from the outside. Jenkins and Stodart are playing on the same team at the camp and the center Stodart can hurt teams inside and outside - giving New Zealand a different weapon for teams in Argentina.
Australia have sent a quintet of participants with some real promise - good enough that it wouldn't be a surprise if at least one of them play for the Emus at this year's FIBA U18 Asian Championship in Bangkok.
Lachlan Bofinger, who was in the Crocs' training camp for the U17 World Cup but did not make the team, is a good scorer with a good frame and nice athleticism. Klan Jamie Dennis has exciting length and athleticism while Daniel Foster has a strong all-around set of skills.
Joshua Giddey meanwhile is the youngest of the Australians - born in October 2002 - but could be the best long term as he is a 6ft 6in (1.98m) point guard. His father Warrick Giddey played at the FIBA U19 Basketball World Cup 1987 with the likes of Shane Heal, Luc Longley, Andrew Vlahov, Mark Bradtke and Shane Froling and spent 14 years with the Melbourne Tigers.
None of China's four players at the camp were at the U16 Asian event while three of them are 2002-born with Wu Chao probably the most promising, standing 6ft 9in (2.06m) and long limbs with room to fill out his body.
Chen Chiang-Shuang of Chinese Taipei has impressed people at the BWB Asia Camp.
Chinese Taipei did not qualify for the U17 World Cup but their two campers both have impressed people at the camp and could be integral parts of the Chinese Taipei U18 team in Thailand. The 2002-born Chen Chiang-Shuang has shown some great leadership as point guard while Ma Chien-Hao is an explosive wing with a great motor.
The Japanese trio of Kaiga Matsuo, Shintaro Ehara and Keijiro Mitani have also shown promise - while also projecting to be a big help for the U18 team. Matsuo is a fierce, strong and fast point guard while Ehara is a small forward with a good frame and an excellent shot.
Cha Minseok has shown in India that he has the potential to help Korea's U18 team this summer.
Koreans Moon Jeong Hyeon and Cha Minseok - both of whom played key roles at the U16 Asian tournament and could be assets at the U18 competition - both have done a great job in games in doing the small things to help a team play better. And both Lebanese - Marc Khoueiry and Andre Tannoury - are warriors willing to throw their bodies around for loose balls, especially Tannoury.
Singapore meanwhile may have a gem on their hands in the 5ft 6in (1.68m) point guard Reuben Amado, who was born in the Philippines and moved to Singapore when he was 6 years old. It remains to be seen however if Amado would be enough to get Singapore to their first FIBA U18 Asian Championship since 2012.
The 10th BWB Asia Camp draws to a close on Saturday, June 2, but the lessons the campers learn about being a basketball player both on the court and off it will last a lifetime.
For many of the campers, the FIBA U17 Basketball World Cup 2018 and/or the FIBA U18 Asian Championship 2018 will be their opportunity to show what they learned in Dehli and made their own.
David Hein
FIBA
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