NBA coaches to inspire basketball youngsters

Top coaches from America’s NBA are in the country to equip young basketball players with fundamentals of basketball as well as life skills under the renowned Giants of Africa programme. Started by Toronto Raptors’ general manager, Masai Ujiri in 2003, the annual event has attracted the top 50 young basketball players in Rwanda, who will undergo intense training today and tomorrow at Amahoro Stadium. Britains Temi Fagbenle explains the art of holding a basketball to the young players. Toronto Raptors’ assistant coach and scouting director Patrick Engelbreght, San Antonio Spurs assistant coach Jama Mahlalela, former Denver Nuggets assistant coach Patrick Mutombo and British women’s national team player Temi Fagbenle are among the star-studded coaches that will share their experiences with the teenagers. “We are super excited to be here. We have done some work here before. We are more excited about the young kids that we are going to try and coach,” explained the excited Ujiri who was part of an NBA Africa camp in 2009 alongside then Chicago Bulls’ star Luol Deng, now with Miami Heat. San Antonio Spurs assistant coach Jama Mahlalela explains some fundamentals to the young players. Ujiri emphasized that, “We have a few NBA coaches here with us to teach the teens basic fundamentals of the game and basic life skills. We want to use basketball as a tool to teach kids that it is more than playing the game.” Giants of Africa started this year’s journey in Ujiri’s home country Nigeria before heading to Ghana and Kenya earlier this week, inspiring young players across the three countries. Ujiri revealed that Giants of Africa will come to Rwanda every year. “I’ve always had some fondness for Rwanda because I have several friends here. We did a couple of camps here with Luol Deng in the past with Sprite and the NBA so when we decided to choose countries, we decided to come here. I think basketball is a growing game in Rwanda. One of the young players dribbles at Rafiki community centre as part of the Giants of Africa program yesterday. (All photos by Timothy Kisambira) Meanwhile, the coaches spent yesterday afternoon at Rafiki community centre in Nyamirambo mentoring young players from across Kigali. Ujiri donated 10 basketballs and promised to buy jerseys for the teams that are based at the centre as part of reaching out to the community. Today’s session will include both the national girls’ and boys’ U-16 teams that competed at the 2015 Afrobasket U-16 tournaments in Madagascar and Mali respectively. editorial@newtimes.co.rw

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NBA coaches to inspire basketball youngsters