by Sam Perley, hornets.com

Although no Hornets were selected to play at NBA All-Star Weekend, Jeremy Lamb will still be a part of the festivities as the Charlotte guard has been invited to participate as a coach and counselor at the second annual Basketball Without Borders Global Camp scheduled to take place from Feb. 12-14 in Toronto. Founded in 2001, Basketball Without Borders is the “NBA’s and FIBA’s global basketball development and community outreach program that unites young basketball players to promote the sport and encourage positive social change in the areas of education, health and wellness.” A large number of camp invitees over the years have gone on to have extremely successful professional basketball careers, many of whom have done so in the NBA.

Now in its 15th year of existence, the original intent of the BWB program was to promote friendship and development through basketball amongst youth in global areas of conflict. Former Charlotte Hornet, Vlade Divac, and long-time Chicago Bull, Toni Kukoc, organized the first BWB Program in Treviso, Italy in 2001 with 50 children from various war-torn republics across the former Yugoslavia. Since then, BWB has staged 44 camps for more than 2,300 participants in 25 different cities spanning 21 countries on five continents. While the unification of different cultures remains a mainstay, BWB has transitioned into a showcase of some of the best young male and female players from around the world. On opening night of the 2015-16 season, there were 21 former BWB camp attendees on NBA rosters.

This year, 53 total boys and girls from 27 different countries around the world will make their way to the BWB Global Camp, which will take place at the Mattamy Athletic Centre in Toronto. Along with traditional international basketball powers, countries represented in this year’s event will also include less-familiar locations such as Angola, Cuba, Egypt, Finland, Mozambique and Uruguay.

At the camp, attendees will take part in a wide array of skill and developmental sessions, both on and off the court. Players are separated by position and learn various fundamentals pertaining to their respective roles on the court. Later, players will be organized into teams and scrimmage each other to further showcase their abilities in more game-like situations. For many campers in attendance, the BWB Global Camp may be the first time in their basketball careers they have ever worked or interacted with players of similar abilities, let alone NBA players and coaches.

“This second Basketball without Borders Global Camp continues a fantastic initiative of the NBA and FIBA to provide a unique opportunity to bring the youth of the basketball world together,” said President of the World Association of Basketball Coaches (WABC) Patrick Hunt. “The players and coaches will work with the campers to enhance their skills, shape their character, and teach values that lead to success in life and our wonderful, global game.”

Past participants in BWB camps currently in the NBA include Charlotte’s Nicolas Batum (France), Memphis’ Marc Gasol (Spain), Chicago’s Nikola Mirotic (Montenegro), Toronto’s Jonas Valanciunas (Lithuania), Oklahoma City’s Enes Kanter (Turkey), Denver’s Danilo Gallinari (Italy) and Sacramento’s Omri Casspi (Israel). This is the second-consecutive season that the NBA has held the BWB Global Camp during All-Star Weekend. Last season’s BWB Global Camp MVP, seven-foot Croatian center, Dragan Bender, is a projected top-10 pick in the 2016 NBA Draft.

Along with Lamb, other coaches and counselors at this year’s BWB Global Camp include former Houston Rocket, Yao Ming, former UNC Tar Heel, Jerry Stackhouse, former Charlotte basketball player, Vladimir Radmanovic (Serbia), Toronto’s Bismack Biyombo (Democratic Republic of Congo), Denver’s Gallinari and Milwaukee’s Greivis Vasquez (Venezuela). Recently, Charlotte’s Cody Zeller also worked the first-ever BWB Camp in Gran Canaria, Spain in June 2015

With Charlotte scheduled to host the 2017 NBA All-Star Weekend, expect to see some of the world’s most exciting young basketball talent in town at next year’s version of the BWB Global Camp. Although it would be fantastic to see some Hornets playing in the All-Star Game this season, it’s hard to argue that Jeremy Lamb and the rest of the BWB Global Camp organizers aren’t taking part in something just as special and worthwhile in Toronto next weekend.

(Information courtesy of NBA.com and Basketball Without Borders)

Key Matchup vs. Cavaliers: Marvin Williams vs. Kevin Love

Marvin Williams will look to help the Hornets pull off a big win when he matches up against Cleveland’s Kevin Love on Wednesday night in Charlotte… Williams is fresh off his career-high eighth double-double of the season after tallying 19 points and 12 rebounds in Charlotte’s 101-82 road win over the Lakers on Jan. 31… The Hornets could use another similar performance from Williams as he’ll likely spend most of his time guarding a rejuvenated Kevin Love… Now in his second season as a Cavalier, the versatile Love has flourished as of late with averages of 20.2 points on 49.3 percent shooting, 8.4 rebounds and 2.8 assists over his last five games… A strong defensive performance by Williams against the rangy Love would be a big first step if Charlotte is looking to open its four-game homestand with a victory against the Cavaliers on Wednesday night.

Key Matchup vs. Heat: Michael Kidd-Gilchrist vs. Dwyane Wade

Despite playing his first game of the season on Jan. 29, the Hornets will likely still call upon top defender Michael Kidd-Gilchrist when they welcome Dwyane Wade and the Miami Heat to Charlotte on Friday night… In two games so far this season, Kidd-Gilchrist is posting impressive averages of 16.0 points on 73.3 percent shooting, 9.5 rebounds, 2.0 assists in 31.0 minutes of action… Charlotte will need to rely on Kidd-Gilchrist heavily when he goes up against 12-time NBA All-Star, Dwayne Wade… The reigning Eastern Conference Player of the Week, Wade is averaging 24.0 points, 4.8 rebounds and 7.0 assists during Miami’s current four-game winning streak… Despite it being Wade’s 13th NBA season, Kidd-Gilchrist will still need to be sharp on the defensive end against the long-time Miami shooting guard if the Hornets want to make it two-straight wins against the visiting Heat on Friday night in Charlotte.

Key Matchup vs. Wizards: Kemba Walker vs. John Wall

Charlotte will need top scorer, Kemba Walker, to lead the charge once again when John Wall and the Washington Wizards make their way to Time Warner Cable Arena for the third meeting of the season against the Hornets on Saturday night… In the midst of a breakout year, Walker is averaging career highs in scoring (20.2 points), rebounding (4.3) and steals (1.8) in his fifth NBA season… Expect Walker to have his hands full once again on the defensive front with the speedy three-time NBA All-Star John Wall… Although the Wizards have fallen off a bit this year, Wall remains a dynamic talent with career-highs in scoring (19.5 points) and steals (2.1), the latter of which is ranked fifth overall in the NBA… Wall is also averaging 9.8 assists per game, which is third overall in the league… Walker’s ability to slow down the coast-to-coast play-making abilities of Wall could be a major factor in whether or not the Hornets are able to pull out a win in Charlotte on Saturday night.