NBA invites two locals to global basketball camp

PRESS RELEASE: Digicel is pleased to announce that the NBA has invited Mahkayla Pickering and Shauliqua Fahie to its third annual Basketball Without Borders (BWB) Global camp in New Orleans.

Mahkayla and Shauliqua advanced to New York for an authentic NBA experience following their top performance at the 2016 Digicel Elite Camp held here last October.

The BVI duo and Barbados’ Tower Lorde who was also in New York, are the only picks from the Caribbean.

Pickering and Fahie, both 16, are attending the Feb 17-19 camp which has attracted 67 boys and girls from 32 countries.

The camp will be held at the New Orleans Pelicans’ practice facility, as part of the NBA 2017 All Stars activities.

Both BVI players expressed surprise when they got the invitations and that the NBA had everything arranged.

“I didn’t expect this,” Pickering said, adding that she thinks her talent stood out.

“I’m looking forward to being seen so I can get a scholarship and also look forward to seeing the competition out there and what I’m really up against and see how hard others are working even though I’m working hard.”

“I didn’t expect anybody from anywhere selecting me from the Virgin Islands,” Fahie said.

“The sequence of events leading up to Pickering and Fahie getting the nod almost didn’t happen” noted Digicel Marketing Manager Kareem Hull.

Hull said “for budgetary reasons; we considered not having the BVI leg of the Digicel NBA Jumpstart Program in September. When our Group office offered for us to hold the NBA Elite Camp (in October), we knew it was not acceptable to bring so many persons from different countries here and not give Virgin Islanders a chance to compete on that level,” he pointed out.

“Now we truly see the purpose of why Digicel gives back so much to the community because as we continue to give, our community gets so much more out of it. These young ladies promised from the first time I met them, that they were going to make it to the top two that were going to New York and as they promised they delivered.”

Hull noted that when players from nine Caribbean countries came in, they were great ambassadors and hosts. He added that when they went to New York, they carried the BVI flag on a shining display.

“We are proud of these young ladies and truly honoured to have been given the opportunity to unearth raw, untapped talent, abilities we knew existed and have now been recognized.”

Digicel General Manager Kevin Gordon said Pickering and Fahie have a unique opportunity that many basketball players crave.

“To have been selected to such a prestigious camp by the NBA shows that they have extraordinary talent,” Gordon said.

“We are delighted that they have this opportunity which can open even more doors for them. We congratulate Mahkayla Pickering and Shauliqua Fahie, and we encourage them to embrace the opportunity with the same vigor they brought to the Digicel NBA Jumpstart programme and the Elite Camp.”