Once the invitation was extended, there was no way Noelle Quinn was going to say no.
Some time ago, her friend Monica Rogers, who leads the NBA Elite Basketball Operations, approached the Storm coach about traveling to Senegal for the NBA Academy Women’s Camp Africa to teach basketball and leadership skills to 25 of the top female high-school aged prospects from 11 African countries.
“It was a no-brainer for me to come and impart the knowledge that I have to the younger girls,” Quinn said. “I honestly didn’t know about the opportunity to actually work at the NBA Academy, specifically with the girls. But going to Africa was always on my bucket list and a dream of mine.”
The four-day camp between Dec. 5-8 also included a WNBA contingent comprised of Dallas Wings All-Star guard Arike Ogunbowale, Connecticut Sun guard Jasmine Thomas as well as former WNBA players Taj McWilliams-Franklin, Astou Ndiaye and Hamchetou Maïga-Ba.
“The state of basketball in Africa is in amazing,” Quinn said during a phone interview on the third of her five days in Saly, Senegal. “We have to continue to bridge the gap and connect and pour resources into the young girls. Continue to hold clinics and teach them not only about basketball, but about life lessons, leadership, confidence, teamwork and all those things that basketball teaches you.
“I hope to continue to be a part of this. I’m very touched by my experience.”
Since 2001, the NBA expanded its footprint across the globe through Basketball Without Borders, whose alumni are among the biggest names in the sport including Joel Embiid, Pascal Siakam, Jamal Murray and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
In 2018, the NBA launched its Academy Women’s program that has hosted camps in Mexico, Australia and Senegal while sending 36 participants to NCAA Division I schools in the U.S., according to the WNBA.
“To have a WNBA presence is important,” Quinn said when asked about basketball global outreach programs. “You ask a lot of these young athletes what their dream is and most of them say they want to play in the WNBA. (This) makes it tangible for them. To have Arike, Jasmine, Taj, Maïga-Ba and myself as a coach present — and Astou who is doing some amazing things here in Africa — to have us here present and for them to see people that look like them achieving the dreams that they want is a reality for them.”
This was the fourth NBA Academy Women’s Camp Africa, which included participants from Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Egypt, Madagascar, Mali, Morocco, Mozambique, Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa and Tunisia.
Potentially, the teenaged campers who ranged in ages from 13-17 drew parallels between themselves and camp staffers with direct African ties such as Ndiaye, a Senegal native, who won the 2003 WNBA title with the Detroit Shock and Maïga-Ba, who was born in Mali and won the 2005 WNBA title with the Sacramento Monarchs.
“It’s not only a dream,” Quinn said. “It’s not only seeing us on TV, but seeing us in person and knowing that it is possible to be a head coach, be a player, manage a team and work in the league office. I think that’s very important.”
To be sure, playing in the WNBA is arguably one of the most difficult challenges in professional sports considering there are just 144 roster spots available among the 12 teams.
“The pipeline can become going to prep school, high school, Division I universities and eventually overseas professionally or the WNBA,” said Quinn who noted 11 NBA Academy Women’s Camp Africa participants have committed to or attended NCAA teams in the U.S. since the program began.
“There are so many amazing individuals here,” Quinn said. “And honestly, I’m learning a lot from them as much as I’m giving them basketball knowledge and life knowledge. I think they’re showing me just how far basketball brings you, but also what passion looks like and what love and dedication and dreaming looks like. It’s really been heartwarming for me.”
During her 13-year playing career, Quinn played all around the world, including professional stints with teams in Russia, Lithuania, Israel, France, South Korea, Turkey, Czech Republic, Poland and Italy.
She also became a naturalized Bulgarian citizen in 2007 who played with the Bulgarian national team. And this year, Quinn was an assistant coach with the Canadian national team that finished fourth at the FIFA Women’s World Cup in Sydney, Australia.
However, Quinn knew her first trip to Africa would have a profound impact on her in unexpected ways.
“For me in a deeper way coming to Africa and being an African American, it is important to know our history and know where we’re from,” said the 37-year-old Quinn, who grew up in Los Angeles and starred at UCLA. “That part of our life isn’t necessarily known. When I touched down to Senegal, I felt an immediate connection to being here.
“For me it was seeing people who look like me. On TV or in movies you get a certain description or perspective, but until you really set foot here it’s different. To be here, is to know Africa. The people have been amazing and welcoming. I’m touched and feel like I’m at home just knowing that this is where my ancestors are from.”
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A typical day at camp began at 8:30 in the morning with warm-ups followed by Quinn directing full-court drills. The campers spent hours working in smaller groups while receiving training from the former WNBA players before dividing into teams for games in the afternoon.
“There’s some young girls here who are showing great court presence and energy and athleticism and high IQ and things that you like to see in basketball,” Quinn said. “Honestly, from the first day until now the quality of basketball has improved. They have retained what we’re giving them. There’s a direct carry-over from drills and practices to the games.”
And yet, Quinn is quick to note, her trip to the West African country was bigger than basketball.
“It is important to know that basketball, it bridges gaps, it connects us and it is the love language that brings us all together,” she said. “But it’s not solely about basketball. It’s about being complete individuals. Learning how to be good teammates. Learning what it means to be confident and all the things that may come about in a young lady’s life.
“Teaching basketball is important because I may never come back or they may never get the teaching from me, but what’s going to happen is they go back in their communities and teach their teams and teammates they learned here. That’s how we grow the game.”
Quinn said she’s been inspired by the African girls, particularly a young camper with basketball potential and wrestling with whether she should pursue her hoops dream or find a job to help support her family.
“The young athletes have been so amazing and enthusiastic about learning basketball and being a part of something very special,” Quinn said. “I feel like they have so many stories. They may be going through issues at home or in their country or whatever it is in their basketball journey, but you could not tell … because they have been locked in on the mission of getting better and learning from us and incorporating those skills into their lives.
“It just shows the resilience of this country and of the people that live here and are a part of this culture. To me it is amazing. I’m just honored to be here and a part of everything that this stands for. Again, I’m touched. I’ve learned so much and hopefully, I’m invited back.”