Twenty Youth Players from 14 Countries Selected to Compete in Second Jr. NBA Global Championship in U.S. Aug. 6-11 at ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex at Walt Disney World in Florida
The NBA has announced today that 13-year-old Londoners Ines Goryanova and Noah Myers, both playing for the Newham Youngbloods in East London, have been selected among the 10 boys and 10 girls who will represent the Europe and Middle East region in the second Jr. NBA Global Championship in Orlando, Florida.
The Jr. NBA Global Championship is a youth basketball tournament for the top 13- and 14-year-old boys and girls teams from around the world that will be held Aug. 6-11 at ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex at Walt Disney World near Orlando, Florida.
The 20 youth players representing 14 countries were chosen following a week-long section camp in Bologna, Italy. The camp featured 60 13- and 14-year-olds from 24 of the of the European and Middle Eastern countries where Jr. NBA programs currently operate. Coaches Petar Marinkovic (Russia) and Robin Foniok (Czech Republic), and Teijo Sandvik (Finland) and Freddy Umbelina (Portugal) were selected to coach the boys and girls teams, respectively.
In the inaugural event last year, the Europe girls team won the international division to advance to the global championship game where they lost to the U.S. Central girls team. The Europe boys reached the international semifinals where they were defeated by the tournament runner-up, Africa & Middle East.
The Jr. NBA Global Championship will feature boys and girls divisions, separated into U.S. and international brackets that begin with round-robin play and continue with single-elimination competition. The winners of the U.S. and international brackets will play in the global championship games on Aug. 11. During the weeklong event, all 32 teams will participate in activities designed to reinforce the Jr. NBA’s core values and provide the players with development opportunities and memorable experiences off the court, including life skills sessions, Disney park visits and a community service project.
*Final rosters subject to change
