11 young Kiwi athletes will be returning home with some incredible memories and experience gained, following the conclusion of the 2024 Basketball Without Borders (BWB) Asia Camp in Perth.
The fourth and final day of the event saw the 60 campers attend a Q&A with former NBA players Aron Baynes, Brandon Knight and Terry Porter, four-time WNBA champion Cynthia Cooper, and former Australian National Team player Jenni Screen. The session touched on various basketball-themed topics centred around the work ethic and mentality required to become an elite player and teammate.
After the panel, campers proceeded to their warmups and prepared for the playoffs.
The girl’s semifinals saw the Houston Comets – coached by Cynthia Cooper – defeat Bailey Flavell’s Minnesota Lynx 37-22 to advance to the finals.
In their showdown against the Phoenix Mercury, which featured Kiwis Keriana Hippolite, Graecyn Parahi, Pahlyss Hokianga and Kodee Williams-Sefo, the Comets came back from an eight-point deficit in the first half to come out on top and edge the Mercury 25-24.
In the boy’s division, the semis witnessed the Portland Trail Blazers – featuring Kiwi Jackson Kiss and coached by former NBA player Terry Porter – overcome the New York Knicks 37-33; knocking Hayden Jones, Hunter Te Ratana, Oscar Goodman and Lachlan Crate out of contention for the final round.
The Trail Blazers continued to build on this momentum in the final against the Philadelphia 76ers, securing the title with a 38-29 final score to earn Kiss a championship medal.
Culminating the 14th edition of BWB Asia, the event hosted the Awards Ceremony, which saw five Kiwis honoured; Hayden Jones, Troy Plumtree, Keriana Hippolite, Bailey Flavell and Pahlyss Hokianga all named to the All Star teams in the men’s and women’s categories.
In addition, Keriana Hippolite was honoured with the Patrick Baumann Sportsmanship Award.
