SENEGAL: NBA and Euroleague basketball talent scouts come to Senegal in search of new talent

A basketball school in Senegal, is training young basketball players in a bid to improve the image of the sport in the country that is mostly known for football. NBA and Euroleague basketball talent scouts are spending a week at the school to help train the players and search for their next basketball star. In his home town of Kaolak, in Senegal, Pape Moussa Seck was teased as a freak by other children because of his towering height. But now Seck, who at 2.25 metres tall dwarfs all of those around him, has found his height is an advantage. "In at least two years I will be in NBA (National Basketball Association), among the greats. I will be a professional for my country's colours. After that, if I earn money, I will share it with my family and others, yes," says 20-year-old Seck. Seck number 14, in a team of 20 students who lives, trains and studies at a basketball oriented school in Thies, 80 Kilometres from the capital Dakar. The Seed Academy is a new concept for the West African country. The students here follow a national education curriculum, with a heavy accent on basketball. Tony Ronzone is a trainer at the academy and also the Director of International Scouting for NBA team, Detroit Pistons. Schools like this, he says, are an important resource for the African continent. "This is a place for kids to say, hey, I want to work on my skills, my goal is to come, it gives them the dream, it gives them the hope, and I think this is one of the best things that we can offer our children today. It's hope and dream," Ronzone said. Ronzone, not only here to teach also hopes to find some fresh talent says he thinks Senegalese men, known for their height and physical abilities, have just what they need to become great players. "They are very athletic, they are very long, they have good instincts. I think their instincts come from playing soccer," Ronzone added. Former basketball legend Sam Perkins has come to Senegal to help train the students and give them an insight into what it takes to become a great player. "We had a lot of things accessible, and that's maybe one side of things, the downside of things where they don't have accessible knowledge about the game, so they have to work a little harder, twice harder than I did, to accomplish some of the things I have achieved. But these players here are on the right track because they do have coaches here, they do have guidelines that they can follow," Perkins said after the talk. Alfredo Salazar, a scout from Spanish team, Tau Ceramica which plays in the Euroleague team - says this is not only a chance for the Senegalese men to make it in the basketball world, but also for the country to improve its image in the game. Saslazar's club has involved the Spanish Embassy, so that any players chosen will not have a problem getting work permits and visas. "It's not just helping them, we're also helping ourselves, because if I pick up a boy for my club, I'm working for my club. It's not a work of charity. If I take a boy, it's because he's worth it. It can serve as a stimulus for many other kids to realise that through sports they can study, do other things and that through education they can find a way forward for their lives," Salazar said. Senegal's basketball scene, once highly active, lives in the shadow of football, which is very popular and has much government support. Senegal won the basketball African Cup of Nations nine times, despite this basketball is an amateur sport in the West African nation. At Seed Academy, every student dreams of becoming a big basketball star one day. The school is the brainchild of Amadou Galo Fall, a former basketball player from Senegal, now head of scouting for NBA's Dallas Mavericks team. Although he settled in the United States almost 20 years ago, he opened this school in Thies in 2003 to help young talented athletes get the break they deserve. Fall says sport and education must go together for a successful athlete, and that without education even the best basketball player can't make it very far. That is why the gruelling regime at the school puts a heavy emphasis on achieving good grades. "We make sure at the onset that that is drilled, that 99 percent of them are not going to be recognised in the basketball world. But they should take advantage of the opportunity they are given to really get their education. You could get your education free in some of the best countries in the world. Take advantage of that, that's what I've done here, you know," Fall said. The school is a non-profit organisation, so players can't be bought or sold to clubs abroad, but clubs and institutions are invited to contribute sports materials and support the players in continuing their education, after they join a foreign team.

ITN Source | April 25, 2007

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