Nigerian Ariyibi and Diatta of Senegal named MVPs of BWB Africa camp

DAKAR (Senegal) - The 17th annual Basketball Without Borders Africa camp drew to a close with Nigerian Oluwatobi Samuel Ariyibi and Bineta Diatta of Senegal collecting the MVP awards to top off a excellent learning experience for all.

The 60 boys and girls campers from 29 African countries came together at the NBA Africa Academy in Salys and the Dakar Arena in Dakar to receive elite-level instruction for on and off the court from the likes of current of former NBA players such as Joel Embiid, Chris Bosh, Malcolm Brogdon, Luol Deng, Ed Davis, Gorgui Dieng, Luc Mbah a Moute, Tacko Fall, Makhtar Ndiaye, Boniface Ndong and NBA Global Ambassador Dikembe Mutombo.

The BWB camp also saw NBA Commissioner Adam Silver, Amadou Gallo Fall, President of the Basketball Africa League (BAL), FIBA Secretary General Andreas Zagklis and others announce the format and host cities of the Basketball Africa League. And another special treat was Toronto Raptors general manager and BWB Africa Camp Director Masai Ujiri bringing with him the Larry O'Brien trophy from the NBA title.

Over the course of the event, the campers went through various skills stations, focusing on the fundamentals of the game. But they also had a life skills seminar looking at developing leadership and communication skills and helped break down their insecurities. The camp also featured Deng, Mbah a Moute and Dieng all speaking about their experiences in leveraging the skills and resources they developed through basketball to launch entrepreneurial ventures.

The NBA Academy Africa showed its worth as the camp MVP Ariyibi attends the academy as does All-Star Game MVP Mohab Yasser Abdelaty Abdalatib of Egypt. Fellow Egyptian Yahia Abdelaziz picked up the Patrick Baumann Sportsmanship Award while the 3-Point Champion was Arzika Meyaki Seibou of Benin and Leonel Fortuna Dundao of Angola was given the GRIT Award.

On the girls side, Diatta outshined the rest of the camp, winning both the MVP and being crowned 3-Point Champion. Diatta’s compatriot Aminata Tal was the All-Star Game MVP while the Patrick Baumann Sportsmanship Award went to Paula Delgado of Cape Verde and Doris Matshine, Mozambique won the GRIT Award.

Boys All-Stars:
Mohab Yasser Abdelaty Abdalatib, Egypt; Muazibini Adamu, Ghana; Oluwatobi Samuel Ariyibi, Nigeria; Marial Dielic, South Sudan; Babacar Faye, Senegal; Moustapha Mboup, Senegal; Mohamed Medini, Tunisia; Jerry Ngopot, CAF; Anthony Ngoufanke Simo, Cameroon; Andy Nhoh-Mapangou, Gabon; Joshua Ojianwuna, Nigeria; Jan-Cloete Oelofse, South Africa; Emmanuel Eneji Okpene, Nigeria; Vianney Salatchoum Batoba, Cameroon; Chekh Sow, Senegal; Thierno Mamoudou Sylla, Guinea

Girls All-Stars:
Nougan Aharh, Togo; Yasmine Apoudjak, Togo; Bienta Diatta, Senegal; Fatou Dieng, Senegal; Mareme Diop, Senegal; Victory Fredricks, Nigeria; Oluwatunmise Funke Zaccheaus, Nigeria; Mabelle Lukusa Enkawa, Congo; Doris Matshine, Mozambique; Opeyemi Oladipupo, Nigeria; Ineza Sifa, Rwanda; Aminata Tal, Senegal

FIBA