I recently returned from my second trip to Africa with the NBA's Basketball Without Borders program!! The program was started nearly a decade ago by Kim Bohuny, VP of International Affairs for the NBA. She and her asst VP, Brooks Meeks, are wonderful people and have become great friends of mine! They do an outstanding job with the program and continue to make a difference in the lives of many. The program not only promotes basketball throughout the world, but it also does an extensive amount of charity and humanitarian work as well.
Last year we visited Johannesburg and Uganda in South Africa. This year we traveled to Cape Verde and Dakar, Senegal, which are both in Western Africa. While there, we put on clinics for both boys and girls. All of the courts are outdoor which makes for very hot days but we had so much fun with the kids!! The biggest challenges with basketball are the facilities and lack of goals and balls. Even though alot of kids play without shoes, they love the game and are very eager to learn! They are extremely competitive and take the games we play very seriously!! A simple game of knock-out is serious business!!
We were able to meet the President and other officials of Cape Verde as well as visit the US Embassy. They were very appreciative of the NBA for bringing the program to their island. They realize and recognize the difference that sports can play in childrens' lives as well as the opportunities that it can offer. Most schools don't have any sports programs but they hope that will change in the near future! Cape Verde is such a beautiful island and I'm so thankful for the experience and for the love that was shown to us by the natives.....
From there, we went to Dakar where the first ever BWB camp for girls was held!! The program in Africa has always been for the top boys around the continent. Close to 100 boys are flown in for the camp where they receive coaching and instruction from top NBA players, coaches, scouts, and general managers. It is an opportunity of a lifetime for these kids! Many of them end up in prep schools and colleges around the US! So this was a very exciting time for the girls!
40 girls from all around Senegal were able to participate in the 4 day camp. The girls were very excited and eager to learn! In the gift bags from the league were probably the first pair of real basketball shoes that most of the girls have ever had. I was highly impressed with the level of skill, fundamentals, and work ethic that these young ladies had. Although women are culturally shy and not very outspoken, they were aggressive on the court! WNBA legend Tameka Raymond and I worked with the post players, while WNBA All-Star Nykesha Sales worked with the guards. They caught on very quickly to the drills and moves that we taught. It was a bit challenging since we had to use translators, (they speak French) but we managed! The players and coaches were very appreciative and the girls worked extremely hard. We had so much fun and it an experience I won't ever forget!!!
The experience made me realize how blessed and fortunate we are to live in America where there are countless opportunities to achieve whatever dreams we have. OPPORTUNITY. Something that we take for granted and the main reason everyone around the world wants to come to the US. I thought about what having the opportunity to play college basketball would mean in the lives of these girls. It would mean the chance to get a college education, the chance to have a job making more than cents a day, the opportunity to send money back home and feed an entire village for dollars a day, the opportunity that for most, no one in their family has ever had. The opportunity to inspire and to be a ray of hope for other girls in their country who aspire to do the same.
I had to ask myself, did I appreciate the opportunity to play at LSU or did I take it for granted?? Sure, I did everything I was supposed to do. I did well in school and I worked hard in practice. But was that enough? For us, if you're a good athlete, make decent grades and do enough to get by, we get a full ride, live in the nicest apartments on campus, travel first class, and have someone to assist us in whatever it is we need. Strength coaches, trainers, tutors, guidance counselors, the list goes on and on. But for those girls, the opportunity to play collegiate basketball are few and far between. Very few of them will ever have the opportunity to leave their native countries and will live in conditions that most of us wouldn't want to spend an hour in.... Trust me, I've seen it with my own eyes.
I hope that by sharing my experiences, someone will be more appreciative of the things we all often take for granted . I'm so grateful for the opportunities I've had with Basketball Without Borders and the chance to travel the world and in some small way, make a difference. I thank God for the experiences because they have changed my life forever!!!
We should all complain less and GIVE MORE. Our time, talents, resources, and LOVE. It does make a difference!
Keia Howell
Lady Tiger for Life!