Former president of Strength and Conditioning Association joins WWS Scout Camp to unearth talent
WWS has so far sent 13 young South African players to the US to play basketball via scholarships.
As basketball’s popularity grows worldwide, the top universities and professional NBA teams in the United States have cast their recruitment net ever wider to find the competition’s next stars.
While South African teams’ participation in the Basketball Africa League has been delayed due to Covid-19, thanks to World Wide Scholarships (WWS), there is now a much more direct pathway to potential fame and fortune for young local basketball athletes.
In December, WWS will hold its annual multidisciplinary talent scouting camp near Pretoria, with South African youth athletes who compete in a variety of sporting codes (soccer, basketball/netball, rugby/American football) encouraged to participate in drills and skill showcases while being assessed by some of the world’s leading talent scouts.
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Already drawing big names such as former Springbok rugby player Derick Hougaard, who will try out for American football in front of NFL coaches and talent scouts, the talent camp will also be attended by Jesse Wright, a well-respected professional in sports performance in the NBA – the world’s top basketball league – for the last 14 years.
WWS has so far sent 13 young South African players to the US to play basketball via scholarships, and the organisation has affiliations with the NCAA and former NBA players and personnel who work as talent identification scouts – including Wright.
“This is a first for South Africa and we’re very excited about the possibility of unearthing the next big NBA star right here.
“There will be games and physical tests that our sports science team will run, and then basketball and netball players will get to strut their stuff in a series of games over two days to allow them the chances they need to impress the NBA and NCAA scouts.
“The best players will be selected to play in an all-star setup on the final day,” said Munya Maraire, CEO of WWS.
Each player at the camp will be profiled, with their performance and physical statistics updated as the camp progresses.
“Having the expertise of someone as respected and experienced as Jesse on the panel adds a huge amount of credibility to this camp.
“He knows everything there is to know about what it takes to perform at the top level in basketball and sports in general,” added Maraire.
Wright said he saw the work WWS was doing for talented youth in Africa and was excited and welcomed the chance to be involved.
“It is apparent that WWS is doing great work for the youth of Africa.
“If this camp and assessments can contribute to helping these children gain exposure and experience they otherwise would not get, that is a big win.
“I am excited to help in any way I can and to extend my network of opportunities to assist.”
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The WWS camp will also feature netball talent identification trials, opening possibilities for young female athletes to obtain scholarships to leading sport and tertiary education organisations.
All players in the camp will have their profiles circulated to top USA universities.
Top netball girls will have the opportunity to access opportunities in Australia and New Zealand, to name a few.
Wright, who will be in South Africa from December 12 to 18, has three pieces of advice for the talent he will see during his time here.
“Seek to be the best version of yourself.
“Recognise your strengths and make them stronger.
“Be aware of your weaknesses and develop them over time.
“This takes a strong work ethic and a commitment to getting better in some small way every day. You will be amazed at the level of growth you can experience in this type of process and you will be proud of the person and the athlete that results.
“Also, be a good teammate. Show up early, cheer for others, make yourself available to help when needed, communicate respectfully, lead by example and demonstrate that you are a person others want on their team.
“Finally, always compete and remain humble. These are two qualities that will serve you well in anything you do in life,” he said.
The WWS December 2020 scouting camp will be held from December 16 to 18 at Camp Discovery, near Pretoria.
