Basketball New Zealand (BBNZ) is pleased to announce that Canterbury’s Lauren Whittaker has been selected as the sole New Zealand representative for the NBA’s Basketball Without Borders (BWB) Global camp in Las Vegas this weekend – the first women’s-only BWB camp ever held.
Operated by the NBA, WNBA and FIBA, the BWB Global Camp sees 38 of the top female school-age prospects from 24 countries travelling to Las Vegas, Nevada for this event, which is held from 14-16 July at Doral Academy as part of the AT&T WNBA All-Star 2023 weekend.
The campers will be coached by former WNBA and FIBA players and coaches, who will lead them through a variety of activities, including anthropometric and athletic testing, movement efficiency, skill development stations, shooting and skills competitions, life skills seminars and 5-on-5 games. The final day of the camp will see stand-out campers awarded the Kim Bohuny Camp MVP, the Patrick Baumann Sportsmanship Award, the Three-Point Champion and the Defensive MVP.
For 17-year-old Lauren, this selection is a continuation of her successful return to basketball. The 6’3” centre suffered a devastating ACL injury while playing basketball last year, which cost her a place in the NZ U17 Women’s national team that competed at the FIBA Asian Championships in Jordan.
Following 10 months of rehab and recovery, Lauren returned to the court in June this year – where she led Canterbury to the Aon U19 Nationals title, picking up MVP honours for her efforts. Having also earned a scholarship with top American basketball college programme at Gonzaga in 2024, Lauren says this BWB selection is another big win for her – and her return to basketball.
“It’s an awesome opportunity and I’m very honoured; I think being part of the first BWB camp for women is another great footstep towards developing women’s basketball so I’m grateful to be part of it,” says Lauren.
“The main thing I want to get out of this camp is to learn and experience what it is to compete overseas, against girls from other countries, and just to see the level and intensity that they play at. And also to learn from the WNBA coaches as well, they have such vast experience and knowledge so I just want to soak up all the knowledge they can give me.”
The 38 campers will also attend the 2023 AT&T WNBA All-Star Game at Michelob Ultra Arena on Saturday 15 July, which Lauren is particularly thrilled about.
“I’m so excited for that, it’s going to be such a great game and I can’t wait to see these kind of idols – that I’ve watched growing up – in real life. It’s going to be an awesome experience.”
