Achonwa, Caboclo and Biyombo part of staff for Basketball Without Borders camp

TORONTO – Canada’s Natalie Achonwa and Toronto Raptors Bruno Caboclo and Bismack Biyombo headline a star-studded staff for the NBA’s Basketball Without Borders Global Camp.

The Feb. 12-14 camp, held in conjunction with All-Star weekend in Toronto, brings together 53 high school-age players from 27 countries to work with NBA and FIBA players and coaches.

NBA legend Yao Ming of China, Danilo Gallinari of the Denver Nuggets, Greivis Vasquez of the Milwaukee Bucks, and Jeremy Lamb of the Charlotte Hornets will also participate, along with former NBA players Zarko Cabarkapa, Pat Garrity, Randy Livingston, Vladimir Radmanovic and Jerry Stackhouse.

Caboclo, from Brazil, Vasquez (Venezuela) and Gallinari (Italy) are three of the 21 former Basketball Without Borders campers who were on NBA opening-night rosters this season. Thirty-seven campers have been drafted into the NBA and the program has reached more than 2,400 participants from 130 countries since 2001.

Bryan Gates, an assistant coach with the Minnesota Timberwolves and Canada’s senior men’s team, joins fellow NBA assistants Chris Finch (Houston), and Jama Mahlalela and Nick Nurse (Toronto) as BWB Global coaches. Raptors GM Masai Ujiri is one of the camp directors.

The camp at Ryerson University’s Mattamy Athletic Centre will see the high school players participate in on-court activities focusing on things like movement efficiency, positional skill development and shooting along with daily life skills seminars focusing on health, leadership and communication.

While the inaugural BWB took place in Europe in 2001, the NBA and FIBA hosted the inaugural BWB Global Camp during all-star weekend last year in New York.