Bahrain NBA Blog - Day 1
Andrea: Bahrain is hot and humid, but I am really excited to be here. The opening ceremony for the program was great - the response from the kids was incredible, it really got me excited. The Bahrainis are nice people; they've been really warm and welcoming. This is going to be a great program and I am looking forward to it.
We are here to bring the United States and Bahrain together through sport. Programs like this are great - whether they are sports, music, cultural, or art - so we can enjoy each other and to understand an appreciate the different cultures of the world. Also it is a chance for us as professional basketball players to reach kids on a personnel level. Being able to actually spend time with these kids in person is the reason that I do exchange programs like this; it's a great opportunity to bring the game alive, especially for the young girls.
The kids at the opening ceremony were so excited! I think they wanted to do the whole camp today. It was fun to see them demonstrate their basketball skills for us. Jerome and I were impressed with the skill level of the kids. Over the next three days, we are going to do four camps with kids aged 11-18. We are going to focus on the fundamentals of the basketball, which is important for kids this age. We want to show them how to learn the game of basketball the correct way so they have a great start in the sport.
More to come soon...Andrea
Jerome: Wow! Bahrain. The minute you step off the plane you feel the hot humid air - it makes my dog hair curl! I was met with smiling faces of young kids who were electrifying. Their ball hands skills shocked me - they're great! In the demonstration they did during the opening ceremony, they did things even I can't do! I won't say what specifically, but I shared it with my fellow WNBA superstar Andrea.
Everyone has been so gracious. I had the opportunity to meet Shaikh Fawaz (President of the General Organization for Youth and Sports in Bahrain) who is instrumental for youth sports in Bahrain, especially basketball. I met the godfather of the basketball Mr. Saeed Al Aradi. This noble man shows me pictures about the history of basketball in Bahrain, including the one and only George Raveling who helped the game of basketball develop here. Saeed will be with us over the next few days and we are looking forward to working with him and learning more about Bahrain's great basketball tradition. Andrea and I missed an alleyoop during the opening ceremony, so we will have to redeem ourselves when we start the clinics tomorrow. I am looking forward to the next couple days off fun basket ball training in Bahrain.
Thank you - JYD