Photo: Douglas Langford
BELIZE CITY, Mon. May 20, 2024
Belize basketball legend Clinton “Pulu” Lightburn tipped us off this afternoon that Belizean Douglas Langford had made history for Belize, being named the 2024 MVP at the recently concluded international NBA basketball camp, Basketball Without Borders, which ran from May 17 to May 20, in Sao Paulo, Brazil, and included the 30 best male and female high school age prospects being observed in training by NBA scouts.
A May 15, 2024 release from Basketball Without Borders Americas 2024, (on the web site pr.nba.com/basketball-without-borders) states:
“The National Basketball Association (NBA) and the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) today announced 60 of the top high-school-age prospects from 17 countries and territories across Canada, Latin America and the Caribbean who will travel to São Paulo, Brazil, for the 13th edition of Basketball Without Borders (BWB) Americas, which will be held Friday, May 17 – Monday, May 20 at Clube Alto dos Pinheiros.
“The campers will be coached by current and former NBA and FIBA players, legends and coaches….
“The players and coaches will lead the campers through a variety of activities, including movement efficiency drills, offensive and defensive skill stations, three-point contests, 5-on-5 games and life skills and leadership development sessions. A ceremony on the final day of the camp will award the Kim Bohuny Camp MVP, the Patrick Baumann Sportsmanship Award, the Three-Point Champion and the Defensive MVP to the male and female players who distinguish themselves on the court and as leaders….”
Among the 30 boys in the camp with Langford were players from Mexico, Canada (5), Chile, Dominican Republic (2), Colombia (2), Argentina (3), Uruguay (3), Brazil (6), Venezuela, Bahamas, Jamaica, and Puerto Rico (3).
To be selected as one of the top 30 high-school-age prospects in the whole region is already a great achievement.
But more than that, we Belizeans are now proud to learn that at the closing of the camp today, May 20, Douglas Langford was chosen as the Kim Bohuny Camp MVP for the boys.
Since the Basketball Without Borders camp started in 2001, some “4,300 participants from 140 countries and territories” have participated, with “116 former campers advancing to the NBA or WNBA.” So, it’s a small number that make it to the NBA, but there is no harm in dreaming.
Congratulations, Douglas! The Jewel is proud of you!