Rwandan youngster Jane Dusabe, 18, has talked about the importance of attending the Basketball Without Borders (BWB) camp, an event that brought together more than 80 young basketball players to learn from former NBA players and coaches.
The 2023 edition in Johannesburg, South Africa, late July, was attended by NBA players including Golden State Warriors’ Jonathan Kuminga Nigeria and Miami Heat’s Bam Adebayo.
NBA coaches including Sacramento Kings head coach and Nigeria national team head coach Mike Brown, Dwane Casey (most recently with Detroit Pistons) and Los Angeles Lakers head coach Darvin Ham also took part.
The teenager was awarded the Most Improved Player accolade, on July 31, at the BWB camp in Johannesburg.
Getting an opportunity to learn from such stars was something Dusabe cherished.
“When I got to know that we were going to be trained by coaches from the NBA, I was excited,” she said.
When she reached the camp, Dusabe was very happy that the coaches had enough time to give the youngsters different skills.
“I benefited a lot because I met players from different countries in Africa and I had the opportunity to be trained by great NBA coaches. I gained a lot and I believe that it will help me when I return to Rwanda,” she noted.
“This program is very good for the children of Africa because the participant becomes more active with wider dreams.”
Dusabe plies her trade with The Hoops Basketball Club and represents the national women’s basketball team.
Born and raised in Nyagatare District, in eastern Rwanda, she embarked on her basketball journey in 2019 when she was a senior one student at Kagitumba High School.
She later continued her studies at Lycee de Kigali (LDK).
Having tried out football at a tender age, she switched to basketball in high school after friends persuaded her to give the sport a try.
The BWB has previously been attended by youngsters who went on to become top basketball players. They include NBA stars like Joel Embiid, a Cameroonian professional basketball player for the Philadelphia 76ers, and Pascal Siakam, another Cameroonian professional who features for Toronto Raptors.