NAGPUR: For the second time in a month, talented city hoopster Shomira Bidaye has been picked to represent NBA India Academy. A fortnight after attending the NBA Academy Games in Atlanta, the 17-year-old Shomira will now fly to Canberra, Australia, to represent the country in the 12th Basketball Without Borders (BWB) Asia Camp.
On Thursday, the National Basketball Association (NBA), the International Basketball Federation (FIBA), and Basketball Australia (BA) announced that over 60 of the top boys and girls from more than 15 countries across Asia-Pacific will travel to Canberra for the four-day BWB Asia camp slated to begin from Sunday.
Shomira and Kavya Singla of Punjab are the two Indian cagers picked to participate in the NBA and FIBA's global basketball development and community outreach program, which will be held in Asia-Pacific after 2019 in Japan. In 2019, Shomira's city mate Siya Deodhar represented the country in the BWB camp in Japan.
Having represented Maharashtra in over 10 national championships in various age categories, the Shivaji Nagar Gymkhana (SNG) forward Shomira is excited for her maiden opportunity. "I am excited about my selection and look forward to performing with the best from Asia. In Canberra, I will be able to analyze the competition in my own region. In my first BWB camp, I hope we will get some advanced training on the court and off the court as well," Shomira told TOI.
She added, "I expect to gain more knowledge about the game. At the world level, players mostly play at the professional level, here we will be able to know more about the opportunities in Asia."
The camp will bring together U-18 boys and girls from throughout Asia-Pacific to compete alongside their peers from across the region and learn directly from current and former NBA, WNBA and FIBA players and coaches.
The campers will be coached by seasoned campaigners including NBA All-Star for the Cleveland Cavaliers Jarrett Allen, Dallas Mavericks' Josh Green, Cameron Johnson of the Phoenix Suns, and Coby White from the Chicago Bulls, along with other assistant coaches with various NBA teams.
