NBA stars ready to slam and jam in SA
29 Aug 2012 | Fikile Mbalula is Sport and Recreation Minister | 0 comments THE NBA and Africa have a long tradition on and off the court. They are here, South Africa! Some refer to them as ballerinas in boots, poetry in motion, etc. This is the stuff dreams are made of. This is a once-in-a life-time experience for any aspiring young basketball player in the townships and suburbs of this country. It promises stratospheric action that will keep every spectator gasping for breath. It is the typical rags-to-riches story of the average player in the NBA who has made it through the demanding, stellar criteria of the college and university systems on the American circuit. Its resonance is found in RKelly's song I Believe I Can Fly. Basketball Without Borders is returning to South Africa and Africa this week for its tenth camp and has set up base in Johannesburg. Basketball Without Borders was first held in 2001 as a way to unite children from the former Yugoslav republics, who had seen their country torn apart by civil war. These camps have evolved since the inaugural "Africa 100 Camp" in 2003 to a spectacular success. Through basketball it showcases the NBA's commitment to connect with communities around the world while at the same time providing elite training for young basketball talent in our country. We pride ourselves on this initiative. We are creating a movement, a big movement with our National Sport and Recreation Plan, as the best come to inject a dose of the future on our shores. NBA players hailing from Africa, including Oklahoma City Thunder's Thabo Sefolosha, who is of South African descent, have enjoyed spectacular success this season. The core focus of the NBA Cares social responsibility efforts for the Basketball Without Borders Africa camp is grassroots basketball development, youth and family development, health and wellness with specialised focus on HIV-Aids awareness and prevention. The BWB Africa camp also features a product donation to local nongovernmental organisations that includes housing, school supplies, sports equipment, clothing and other social necessities. These events will take place around Gauteng communities such as Ekurhuleni and Soweto and include the handing over of houses to needy and deserving South Africans. I wish to draw your attention to the highlight of the week, namely an All Star Game, presented by Nike, which will take place on Sunday at King Edward School in Jozi, starting at at 2.30pm. This game will be preceded by a Girls All Star Game. NBA legends and coaches will be strutting their stuff. We endeavour to utilise South Africa as the springboard for the expansion of basketball in Africa. We welcome all our African brothers and international guests to our shores and urge our youth to embrace them as role models. Let's get to the game on Sunday and enjoy. **courtesy of the Sowetan** Thank you to www.mybasketball.co.za for the post! Stay on cue>> James Naismith
Naismith circa 1900 Sport(s) College Basketball Biographical details Born November 6, 1861 Almonte, Province of Canada, British Empire Died November 28, 1939 (aged 78) Lawrence, Kansas Coaching career (HC unless noted) 1898–1907 University of Kansas Head coaching record Overall 55 – 60 Accomplishments and honors Awards Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame FIBA Hall of Fame Canadian Basketball Hall of Fame Canadian Olympic Hall of Fame Canadian Sports Hall of Fame Ontario Sports Legends Hall of Fame Ottawa Sports Hall of Fame McGill University Sports Hall of Fame Kansas State Sports Hall of Fame Inventor of basketball James Naismith (November 6, 1861 – November 28, 1939) was a Canadian-American sports coach and innovator. He invented the sport of basketball in 1891 and is often credited with introducing the first football helmet. He wrote the original basketball rulebook, founded the University of Kansas basketball program, and lived to see basketball adopted as an Olympic demonstration sport in 1904 and as an official event at the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin, as well as the birth of both the National Invitation Tournament (1938) and the NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship (1939). Born in Canada, Naismith studied physical education in Montreal before moving to the United States, where he developed basketball in late 1891 while teaching at the International YMCA Training School in Springfield, Massachusetts.[1] Naismith also studied medicine in Denver, taking his MD in 1898 before moving to the University of Kansas. After a decade (1898–1907) serving there as a faculty member and part-time basketball coach during the sport's fledgling years, he became the Kansas Jayhawks' athletic director. He became a U.S. citizen in 1925.[2] Naismith's contributions to basketball have earned him several posthumous honours, such as in the Canadian Basketball Hall of Fame, the Canadian Olympic Hall of Fame, the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame, the Ontario Sports Legends Hall of Fame, the Ottawa Sports Hall of Fame, the McGill University Sports Hall of Fame, the Kansas State Sports Hall of Fame and the FIBA Hall of Fame. The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Massachusetts, where he is a member of the original Hall of Fame class, was named in Naismith's honour. Naismith was also a National Guard chaplain with the First Kansas Infantry Regiment. He taught his soldiers basketball to control their excess energy. His effort helped increasing Soldiers' morale and even lowered the rate of disciplinary actions among soldiers. Source: Wikipedia Please be advised that Basketball SA together with FIBA have organised for the World Association of Basketball Coaches(WABC) Coaching Clinic mentioned supra, all coaches are invited to the Clinic that will unfold as follows: Date: Friday, 31st August 2012 Venue: King Edwards School Time: 15h15 to 18h45(no late arrivals) The Clinic will be conducted by Coach Patric Hunt from FIBA International. All Coaches are to bear their travelling and any other related cost to the clinic. You are to confirm your attendance to the National Office in writing on or before the 15th August 2012. This is for logistical arrangements. e-mail: [email protected] Please share the information with all our basketball coaches in Gauteng. |