Five Filipinos made the cut for the 12th edition of the Basketball Without Borders Asia Cup, which will take place from August 7-10 at the NBA Global Academy inside the Australian Institute of Sport in Canberra.
Representing the country are L.A. John Andres, Jared Bahay, and Caelum Emmanuel Harris for the boys, and Dianne Camille Nolasco and Quinn Kacey Dela Rosa for the girls. Harris and Bahay recently were called up for Gilas Youth duty in the FIBA Asia U16 back in June, with Nolasco receiving a similar call-up as well for Gilas Women, also for the FIBA Asia U16 Women Division B. Nolasco also is an alumna of the Jr. NBA Philippines program.
It is the first time the camp, which is a collaborative effort in global basketball development and community outreach between the National Basketball Association (NBA) and the International Basketball Federation (FIBA), since the 2019 edition in Japan, and the first in Australia since 2016 in Melbourne. Select U-18 boys and girls from the region get the invite and will receive quality knowledge transfer from current and former NBA, WNBA, and FIBA players and coaches, whilst also being pushed by their peers during the camp.
For BWB Asia 2022, NBA All-Star Jarrett Allen of the Cleveland Cavaliers leads the NBA players serving as coaches, with Cameron Johnson of the Phoenix Suns and Coby White of the Chicago Bulls joining camp alumnus (BWB Global 2018), Aussie native and Dallas Mavericks guard Josh Green.
Helping out the players are former Opals Kristi Harrower, Annie La Fleur, and Jenni Screen, alongside current NBA assistants Damian Cotter of the Chicago Bulls, David Akinyooye of the Oklahoma City Thunder, and Eric Glass of the Miami Heat, as well as Adam Tatalovich, who is both an international scout with the New York Knicks and an assistant with the Serbia men's national team.
Overseeing the camp is World Association of Basketball Coaches president Patrick Hunt, with Dan Shimensky serving as the athletic trainer.
Among the activities taking place during the camp are movement efficiency drills, offensive and defensive skill stations, a three-point contest, five-on-five scrimmages, and just as important, life skills and leadership development sessions. The final day of the event will have an awarding ceremony for outstanding participants both on-court and in showcasing leadership qualities, where the MVP, Defensive MVP, Three-Point Champion, and the Patrick Baumann Sportsmanship Award will be named.
The BWB program includes some of the best international players of the NBA, with 41 out of the 121 players last season being alumni, including this past season's All-Rookie Second Team member Josh Giddey (BWB Asia 2018 and BWB Global 2020, also a NBA Global Academy grad), and former NBA All-Rookie Second Team honoree Rui Hachimura (BWB Global 2016). Over 3,800 players from 133 countries and territories have participated the 64 BWB camps that have taken place since its launch in 2001, with 105 alumni getting a taste of top-flight professional basketball in the NBA and WNBA.
Supporting BWB Asia 2022 is Nike, which serves the official outfitter and footwear provider, and Gatorade, which acts as the program's hydration partner.
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