Basketball Without Borders Asia 2023 – Day 4 Recap
(Press Release)
The 13th edition of Basketball Without Borders (BWB) Asia began its final day with campers taking part in a Q&A with NBA veterans Taj Gibson (most recently with the Washington Wizards) and Rodney McGruder (most recently with the Detroit Pistons) and Detroit Pistons assistant coach Jim Moran.
During the session, Gibson expressed the importance of having the right mentality when playing, while McGruder and Moran both shared the determination, will and focus needed for players to reach the NBA.
Upon the conclusion of the panel, campers proceeded to warm up and prepare for the playoffs, which saw the Boston Celtics (coached by NBA Global Academy’s Marty Clarke) face the Indiana Pacers (Pacers assistant coach Mike Weinar) and the Dallas Mavericks (Mavericks assistant coach Sean Sweeney) match up against the Brooklyn Nets (Nets assistant coach Ryan Forehan-Kelly) in the boys division. After advancing to the boys championship game, the Boston Celtics defeated the Brooklyn Nets in the finals, 24-22, after Jacob Furphy made the game-winning three-pointer to cap off an incredible comeback.
On the girls side, the playoffs featured the Chicago Sky (Bulls assistant coach John Bryant) against the Washington Mystics (Wizards assistant coach Ryan Richman) and the Las Vegas Aces (NBA Basketball School Dubai’s Phil Galvin) against the New York Liberty (Pistons assistant coach Jim Moran). The girls final saw the Las Vegas Aces outlasting the Chicago Sky, 28-17, which were led by Yeseul Choi and Rebecca Moors combining for 15 points.
The 13th BWB Asia Camp culminated with the Awards Ceremony, which recognized Sienna Harvey and Jacob Furphy as the Kim Bohuny BWB Asia 2023 Camp MVP for the girls and boys division, respectively. The event was attended by Ralph Rivera (NBA EME Managing Director), Kosta Iliev (FIBA National Federations & Sport Senior Manager), HE Saood Al Hosani (Undersecretary, Department of Culture and Tourism Abu Dhabi) and HE Salah Mohamed Al Geziry (Director General for Tourism, Department of Culture and Tourism Abu Dhabi).
The full list of awards winners are as follows:
All Stars (Boys):
- Emmett Adair (#57)
- Jacob Furphy (#30)
- Apl Mcandrel Gemao (#11)
- Seungchang Gu (#26)
- Julius Halaifonua (#54)
- Tamatoa Isaac (#27)
- Hyeokjun Jang (#24)
- Hamad Mousa (#32)
- Roman Siulepa (#38)
- Kahuranaki Treacher (#42)
All Stars (Girls):
- Teyahna Bond (#30)
- Sienna Harvey (#29)
- Sakura Horiuchi (#41)
- Kavanah Lene (#42)
- Rebecca Moors (#28)
- Amy Pateman (#18)
- Kanon Suzuki (#47)
- Kamila Urmambetova (#14)
- Shih Yun Wei (#48)
- Jing Zhang (#51)
Three-Point Champion Presented by Experience Abu Dhabi:
Boys Division – Jacob Furphy (#30)
Girls Division – Monique Bobongie (#25)
Defensive MVP:
Boys Division – Yuto Imanishi (#28)
Girls Division – Sakura Horiuchi (#41)
Patrick Baumann Sportsmanship Award
Defensive MVP Award:
Boys Division – Mohamed Salah Faqir Al Raisi (#36)
Girls Division – Nurailym Jumakalova (#43)
Kim Bohuny Camp MVP:
Boys Division – Jacob Furphy (#30)
Girls Division – Sienna Harvey (#29)
In addition to the camper activities, BWB Asia featured basketball development programming for local basketball stakeholders, including referees and coaches. Thirteen referees learned under NBA Referee Operations staff Don Hudson and Matthew Augustin, who discussed a variety of topics including referee mechanics and coverages, court presence and hand signals. On June 4, BWB Asia hosted an NBA and FIBA-led coaches clinic that featured NBA assistant coaches John Bryant (Chicago Bulls), Sean Sweeney (Dallas Mavericks) and Mike Weinar (Indiana Pacers) who shared their knowledge to 100 coaches. Bryant and Sweeney spoke about the fundamentals of passing and shooting, respectively, while Weinar focused on the importance of ball handling as well as individual defense and team defensive rotations.
Quotes
Sienna Harvey, Kim Bohuny Camp Girls MVP
“I’m grateful for this opportunity to participate in BWB Asia where I’ve learned so much from the players and coaches. My expectations coming here was to try my best to compete alongside some of the most talented players from across our region, but I’m humbled to have been selected as MVP and look forward to building on this experience once I go back to Australia.”
Jacob Furphy, Kim Bohuny Camp Boys MVP
“It’s great to get to know people all around Asia. There’s a mixture of different cultures, beliefs and playing styles, which I can learn from to make me become a better a player. Our team spent a lot of time off the court together and we got to know each other, and while we spoke different languages, we used hand signals and even a translator to find ways to communicate on the court. It’s a huge privilege and honor to win the MVP.”
Andy Gemao, Boys All-Star
For me, it feels great to be one of the top 16-year-olds in Asia. Mapili ka lang doon, isang malaking achievement na para sa amin na up-and-coming basketball players. Pagdating ko dito, parang pressured ako na dapat hindi magkamali para ma-impress ang mga coaches, NBA players, and yung teammates ko. Pero narealize ko na dapat mas maging team player pala ako – na dapat binibigyan ko din yung mga kasama ko ng opportunities. I let the game come to me. ‘Di ko fino-force yung shots ko. Iyong mga advice from the coaches, I’ll try and do it in-game.
Jelomar Rota
Sobrang grateful ko na napili ako dito. Isang karangalan na nandito ka [bilang] top player sa Asia na under 16. Ako kasi, probinsyano ako at taga-Cebu pa, iyong pangalan ko po hindi masyadong kilala. Isang karangalan talaga na napili ako. Sobrang grateful talaga kami na nandito kami.