Twenty-five of the continent’s best professional basketball players converged on Johannesburg for the Africa Hoop Showcase launch event held at the end of March. The players benefitted immensely from international skills training and mentoring and the stage is now set for the main showcase planned for November of this year.
“The launch event enabled us to identify some great talent like Thami Nyawo from South Africa and the incredibly tall (seven foot, four inches) and brilliant Sam Gombya from Uganda, as well as many others,” says Africa Hoop Showcase co-founder Quintin Denyssen.
World renowned NBA skills coach Micah Lancaster and Fabian Fond from I’m Possible Europe were on hand for the three days putting the players through intense skills training and giving valuable insights during Q&A sessions.
“Micah was very enthusiastic about the event and growing basketball in South Africa and on the continent,” adds Denyssen. “He is committed to increasing our local skills base and is scheduled to return in November for the main showcase.”
The November event will reveal 50 of the best pro basketball players in Africa to an audience of scouts and coaches from the top-tier professional leagues around the world. “We want to unearth the great talent we have on the African continent and change lives through successful scouting from our showcase to teams in the USA and Europe,” Denyssen says.
“We are happy with the outcome and success of the launch event and it gives the public a clear indication of what the future holds. We are looking forward to showcasing to the world the incredible basketball talent our continent has to offer in November.”