Basketball in Africa

A five-day summer basketball camp that gathers over 80 school-going children within the age of 10 and 17 got underway yesterday at the Independence Stadium, Bakau.

The camp, which will see the participants deliberate on the importance of sports and exercise in our everyday live, is organized by the Scholar Athlete for Change (SAC) – a non-governmental organization that was recently initiated by Gambia international basketballer, Pierre Jallow, with the ultimate aim of promoting sports, particularly basketball, among Gambian youngsters.

The organizers hired qualified basketball coaches that will give instructions during the camp. Pierre Jallow, the founder of SAC, said the camp is meant to teach the basic skills of basketball and also to reward youngsters who balance academic with sports. Jallow said his new organization has numerous projects in the pipeline, hinting that they must however start from somewhere.

Jallow, who currently plays professional basketball in Finland, counted himself lucky, having enjoyed a full scholarship which was a result of different academics and sports scholarship and he believes setting up such a project can create similar luck for his Gambian brothers to excel in whichever career they choose.

The public relations officer of SAC, Mr Andrew Dacosta, said the five-day training camp has finally kick-started – thanks to the assistance from their collaborators, including Young Men Christian Association (YMCA) who donated over 100 T-shirts to be used by the campers.
Author: Nanama Keita