Mauritius gearing up to welcome FIBA National Youth Camp

Phoenix (MAURITIUS) - Training and development of basketball are about to gain new momentum as the small island nation of Mauritius gets ready to welcome one of the first FIBA National Youth Camp - a joint NBA-FIBA Africa partnership designed for coaches and U18 players.

Like Mauritius, Guinea will host a FIBA National Youth Camp from February 8 and will extend to Sunday, February 13. 

A total of 40 local young players  - 20 boys and 20 girls – and local 20 coaches have been retained for this basketball development program.

Scott Fleming has been chosen by the NBA to conduct this basketball camp in Mauritius. He is currently the director and head coach of the NBA Academy in India.

For the first three days, he will conduct a clinic addressed to the coaches. Then, he will turn his attention to the young U18 players.

Mauritius Head coach Ivan Smiljanic is particularly excited as he is about to see one of his dearest wishes fulfilled.

Since he took the helm of the national sides, he has always been a keen advocate of such programs, insisting that young players in the country should get more international exposure.

"I have always said that there is much talent on the island. Now is the time for them to show what they have inside," he says, speaking to FIBA.basketball.

Since it was sure that Mauritius would welcome the event, he has come up with a training plan so that the youngsters head into the camp with the best possible tools. "We started working on it in early January."

Most of the players have shown their skills during the first-ever junior championship in Mauritius back in 2020. But since then, they have not been able to play as COVID-19 brought a halt to many projects.

The selected coaches all come from local teams, from the lowest to the highest divisions. The invitation was also extended to regional coaches and physical education teachers.

"We opened it to everyone who wanted to attend as we need more and more hands to help develop basketball," explains the Serbian coach, who landed in Mauritius in 2018.

Talking about the camp and its effect on the youngsters, he says that the goal is to give them the best possible tools to develop their skills. For the past year, the players have been inactive because of COVID-19 related restrictions.

"They have not been able to train to the best of their abilities. But since we resumed training back in January, I have seen some progress. Everyone is motivated about it."

He also hopes that the best players and coaches can make a name for themselves. "I want them to show positive energy. This is a unique opportunity for them as it can bring new insights for every player and coach involved," adds Smiljanic.

FIBA