DUBAI It was an experience of a lifetime for MPAC hoopsters who recently returned from a 10-day tour to Chicago. Other than undergoing rigorous training sessions under the watchful eyes of top basketball coaches, the boys also got an opportunity to showcase their skills in the few tournaments they participated.
“It’s been a wonderful tour for the boys,” Ebenezer Noonoo, general manager of MPAC basketball, Abu Dhabi, told XPRESS.
“They are ecstatic after returning from Chicago having got a chance to rub shoulders with some of the best players in their age-group,” he added.
MPAC, which runs over 50 academies across the UAE for different age-groups, have been involved in promoting basketball in the region and also held the MPAC Elite International Tournament in the UAE where high-profile school teams from the US participated recently.
“We took 10 intermediate level boys this time. For many it was their first experience and the tour showed them the level of basketball played in the US. They also played four tournaments, which gave them an understanding as to what is needed to go to the next level,” Noonoo said.
They boys were also lucky to have an interactive session with NBA star Othyus Jeffers who plays for the Minnesota Timberwolves.
“He is a good friend of mine and played in my college team. It was a good interaction for the boys. They got to learn so much from him. He spoke about his life in NBA and his younger days in college playing basketball,” Noonoo said.
The tour also proved fruitful for three MPAC boys who managed to grab the attention of the coaches and earned themselves scholarships which will allow them to study and play basketball in the US.
“It was the opportunity of a lifetime for the boys, especially for the three who earned themselves full scholarships. We invest a lot of time in preparing the boys in the UAE and we are proud that they are noticed by the NCCA qualified coaches and taken into the system,” said Ahmad Elzahdan, COO of MPAC Sport.
MPAC has bigger plans this Christmas and are keen to increase the number of players for the US tour. “We are planning to take at least 25 kids for the next trip to the US in the age group of 14-16. We have began the process and we would be keen for them to get a chance to play in a couple of winter tournaments during the tour,” Elzahdan added.