Paita (New Caledonia) - FIBA successfully organized a 2-day Elite Development Camp during the FIBA U17 Oceania Championship held at the secondary courts of Arena De Sud in Paita, New Caledonia.

The second iteration of the development program invited coaches and players from the teams that played in the Classification Phase to a series of basketball camps to further develop the skills and knowledge of the Pacific countries.

Basketball Australia's Head of High Performance - Coach Development Peter Lonergan was invited to lead the Elite Camp and shared his thoughts on the program that was launched in the 2017 FIBA U17 Oceania tournament in Guam.

"The Elite Development Camp is a wonderful initiative of FIBA in Oceania, with some of the countries lacking the resources compared to Australia and New Zealand; the camp provides a platform for players and coaches to learn from each other," said Lonergan.

"The games however it turned out is a learning experience for them and the camp is a great way to help the young kids prepare for future competitions that will accelerate their development," he added.

Cook Islands Head Coach, Ollie Bryce commended the initiative and shared that the players have learned valuable experience and knowledge during the Elite Camp.

"They focused on a lot on basic fundamental drills which is great for the kids especially at this age level, which is very formative for young players," said Bryce. "It was also a great touch on having multiple countries participating in the elite camp which builds camaraderie among the countries involved," he added.

Papua New Guinea's talented skipper Magdalene Javapro, who scored a tournament-high 42 points in the Women's division, ecstatically shared her experience during the camp.

"It was a great experience for me and my teammates because sometimes the basic stuff gets overlooked but all the great coaches always talk about how important it is to be fundamentally great," said Javapro.

"We also had a lot of fun learning with which I would call previously as opponents but now as friends," she shared happily.

FIBA Oceania Executive Director David Crocker also expressed his excitement with the reception of all the players and coaches involved in the camp. He also reiterated that FIBA's mission and desire to develop the game of basketball in the region is stronger than ever.

"It was awesome to see all the players, coaches from different countries sharing knowledge while also learning from one of Australia's best coaches Peter Lonergan who has been a great supporter of Oceania basketball," said Crocker. "The Elite Camp is one of our favorite development programs because we always get rave reviews from all the participants. We will always try to find ways to help our National Federation members to continue our mission to develop and promote the game of basketball " he ended.

FIBA