SAO PAULO (Americas) - The International Basketball Federation in the Americas officially launched today in a press conference the first-ever FIBA Americas Youth Development Program Elite Camp, to be held in Campinas, Brazil from December 13-16, 2018.

The press conference was held in the Tryp by Wyndham Iguatemi Hotel with the presence of Campinas Sports Secretary Mr. Dario Saadi, Brazilian Basketball Confederation (CBB) Chief Operating Officer Mr. Ricardo Trade, and FIBA Americas Executive Director Mr. Carlos Alves.

The Youth Elite Camp falls under the umbrella of one of FIBA Americas’ Key Pillars, the Youth Development Program that has the following objectives:

• Seek and Develop the Elite Young Players in the Americas with a view to have these participants elevating the quality of their National Teams by the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 and the Paris Olympic Games 2024
• Establish a process for tracking and monitoring young talent in their Evolution and Progression in the Americas Region
• Work hand in hand with Key Stakeholders and National Federations Identifying the Talent

The Program, that will be executed through individual camps and development of young talent, is structured into three pillars: growing access of basketball to young athletes, giving more opportunities for young women to develop their game and creating a platform for the elite youth players of the Americas. Its implementation phase will begin with Elite Camps for boys in December 2018 and throughout the year 2019, with 2020 as the initial date for the Elite Camp for girls.

The first ever Youth Development Program Elite Camp will be held in Campinas, Brazil on December 13-16, 2018.

“Campinas is honored to host the first FIBA Americas Youth Development Program Elite Camp. One of our main objectives is to bring back the basketball glory and tradition that Campinas has had through its history and to develop the base is key in our mission to achieve it. FIBA has the full support of Campinas in the execution of this program, we are grateful for their presence and the impact it will have in the future of sports in our city.”, said Campinas Sports Secretary Mr. Dario Saadi.

“We are proud for the partnership with FIBA in a project focused on development and the future of basketball in Brazil. This is our mission. Our President Guy Peixoto has asked me reiterate the commitment CBB has to grow the base and to have more young people playing basketball with the hopes of representing our country moving forward. This Camp is a great continuation of the work being done to make this happen and we are excited to launch it globally here in Brazil.”, added Brazilian Basketball Confederation Chief Operating Officer Mr. Ricardo Trade.

“It is a dream to launch the FIBA Americas Youth Development Program. This is a landmark moment for our institution as it puts into action our strategy to elevate the quality of our national teams in 5 to 7 years. We must start now, and this is the program to help in the identification of young talent and then to enable these players to maximize their potential always with the mindset of going back to represent their countries at the biggest of stages. We have said it before and this is the confirmation that for FIBA Americas, the future is now.”, said FIBA Americas Executive Director Mr. Carlos Alves.

"Our mission is clear in prioritizing the development of basketball in all our national member federations and this is the beginning of a project that will have a significant impact on the identification of talent at the continental level and with a view to that growth that we all have as a goal. The Youth Development Program has been developed with every basketball stakeholder in the Americas in mind and we are confident that it will serve as a great support to the work done today by our national federations in their community", added FIBA Americas President Usie Richards.

"This FIBA Americas Youth Development Program represents a perfect combination of our institution's strategy, mission, vision and values for the growth of our sport globally. We are excited with the launch of this project that FIBA Americas has developed with the objective of helping the national federations in the identification of talent and in the training of professionals that can give continuity to the future development of all the participants at the local level, simultaneously to the plans that the regional office has lined up across the continent.”, said FIBA Americas President Horacio Muratore.

For the Camp, participant arrivals will begin on December 13. The first day of the camp will feature Anthropometric Measurements and Physical Evaluations as well as a Welcoming Lecture for all participants.

The Second day of the Camp will begin with a Player Lecture and will continue with Skill Development sections. The day will conclude with team practices and 5-on-5 games.

The Third day of the Youth Development Camp will feature an Officiating Team Lecture for the Players, a Skill Development Clinic focusing on Neuroscience and will end with 5-on-5 games.

During the last day of the Youth Elite Camp, USA’s Don Showalter will dictate a Training Clinic. Showalter is a 10-time USA Basketball gold medalist head coach while serving as head coach of USA men's U16 and U17 national teams from 2009-2018. Most recently, Showalter led the USA U17 National Team to a 7-0 record and gold medal at the 2018 FIBA Basketball U17 World Cup. (Registration of coaches that want to attend the clinic is limited and should be done through the Brazilian Basketball Confederation.)

Campinas will be the first of several camps to be held in the Americas. Future FIBA Youth Elite Camps are scheduled for South America, Central America and the Caribbean, culminating in a FIBA Americas Regional Camp and World Camp later next year.

FIBA