How Basketball without Borders Global Camp can help quintet looking ahead to FIBA U19 World Championship 2017
REGENSBURG (David Hein’s Eye on the Future) - The Basketball Without Borders Global Camp rosters were announced on Tuesday and a quintet of campers at the NBA All-Star 2017 will gain some excellent experience ahead of this summer's FIBA U19 World Championship 2017.
Canada will be very well represented at the camp with seven players - more than any other nation. Probably the biggest name at the camp, which runs from February 17-19 at the New Orleans Pelicans’ practice facility, will be RJ Barrett.
The son of former Canadian international Rowan Barrett, RJ Barrett was the leader for Canada at the FIBA U17 World Championship. Despite not turning 17 years until June, the highly-skilled wing is expected to play a big role in Canada’s campaign at the FIBA U19 World Championship in Cairo.
Barrett might be well served to pay attention to lessons from the BWB camp leaders about learning to accept lesser roles than one might hope. This is by no means saying Barrett can’t do that, but there is a good chance that he will have to lower his individual expectations in Cairo.
Barrett will be entering a loaded 1998 generation that has high level players such as Shai Alexander, Nickeil Alexander Walker and O’Shae Brissett. There are also a number of strong talents from Canada’s 1999 generation who will be fighting for their role on the team.
Luguentz Dort
One of those 1999s guys will be right there in New Orleans and Luguentz Dort could get a huge boost from the BWB camp. There is loads of attention being given to Canadian hoops and much of it is going to Toronto and the metropolitan area. And Dort was flying a bit more under the radar since he hails from Montreal in Quebec.
A solid rock of a man, Dort has since moved to the United States to play high school basketball and the guard has been drawing interest from some major college programs. A strong showing in New Orleans against the elite around the world could give him yet another boost to make the Canada team in Cairo.
Silvio De Sousa meanwhile will be making his second appearance at the BWB camp after participating in the first version in 2015 shortly after his arrival in the United States from Angola. De Sousa has come a long way since then and has dominated in the US high school ranks. He did that same at the FIBA Africa U18 Championship last summer for the champions Angola and even earned some minutes in the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament with Angola’s senior team.
De Sousa will probably be drilled with the big men in New Orleans and that will go a long way in showing what he needs to do against the best the world can offer at the low post position. A strong showing will also give him the additional confidence that he can also dominate his own age group outside of Africa.
Isaac Bonga is a tantalising mix of length and skills and potential and the German point guard will definitely benefit from the camp directors. Bonga still needs to work on his ball-handling and going against supremely talented and motivated smaller guards will be a major help for him. And that will go a long way for Germany, who will need the playmaking abilities of Bonga at the FIBA U19 Basketball World Cup, especially after missing a solid-sized and reliable point guard at the FIBA U18 European Championship 2016, where Germany ended up finishing fourth.
👏🇳🇿👏 @BasketballNZ made history at #FIBAU18Oceania by qualifying for the #FIBAU19 for the first time ever!
— FIBA (@FIBA) December 12, 2016
📖 https://t.co/dEZQklXm75 pic.twitter.com/6UIvAWMrUC
One other player to note at the BWB Global Camp is Quinn Clinton, the hero for New Zealand who hit the big three-pointer to give the Junior Tall Blacks the victory over Australia in the FIBA Oceania U18 Championship final. Clinton, who has committed to the University of New Mexico, will get a taste of what is awaiting at the U19 global spectacle. New Zealand had never qualified for FIBA U19 Basketball World Cup with their only appearance coming in 2009 as hosts. This experience will undoubtedly help Clinton and he can pass that information along to his Junior Tall Blacks teammates.
Those five players are not the only BWB campers who will be taking the stage this summer at the FIBA U19 World Championship 2017 in Cairo. But they are five who stand to benefit greatly in looking ahead to the summer.
David Hein
FIBA
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