LAS PALMAS (Basketball without Borders) - The first-ever Basketball without Borders (BWB) camp to be held on the Spanish island of Gran Canaria is in the books and can be filed as a roaring success.

The event witnessed the top 50 young basketball players born in 1998 assemble from 27 different European countries as they benefited from an incredible opportunity to learn directly from NBA players, legends and coaches as part of FIBA and the NBA's signature global grassroots initiative.

The opening day of BWB Europe began with a camp orientation session that featured a question and answer session with Gerald Henderson of the Charlotte Hornets and Ricky Rubio of the Minnesota Timberwolves.

"You guys are here for a reason, but to take it to the next level you have to work hard," Spain international Rubio told his assembled audience.

"You should spend time in the gym not because you have to, but because you want to.

"From day one, I had a dream of getting to the NBA, but I knew that I would have to work harder than the next guy.

"Learn from all of the great coaches here and make the most of this wonderful opportunity."

The camp attendees were also led by Damjan Rudez (Indiana Pacers; Croatia), and Cody Zeller (Charlotte Hornets; United States) as well as by Vladimir Radmanovic (Serbia) and Hanno Mottola (Finland).

The coaches included Dan Burke (Indiana Pacers), Bryan Gates (New Orleans Pelicans), Walter McCarty (Boston Celtics) and Jim Moran (Portland Trail Blazers), while Marin Sedlacek (Philadelphia 76ers) served as Camp Director.

On the first afternoon, there was also a chance for 40 local youngsters aged 6-18 to get involved in a clinic that they will always remember.

The second day tipped off with a Lifeskills Session featuring Zeller and Rudez, who put the focus on trust and teamwork.

This was followed by positional skills stations, concentrating on the fundamentals of the game and came prior to the afternoon, when the campers broke into their respective teams (Pelicans, Hornets, Pacers, Celtics and Timberwolves) to continue progressing through competitive games.

The penultimate day saw the participants reminded of the importance of fundamentals with further skills stations focused firmly on positional play, offensive sets and defense.

That came in useful when there was more play after lunch with each designated team led by an array of additional stars, including the likes of Spanish duo Jorge Garbajosa and Amaya Valdemoro.

An NBA Youth Camp for children from the surrounding areas was then led by former NBA assistant coach Neal Meyer along with help from Rubio and Garbajosa.

Heading into the final day, the morning sessions tipped-off with the league Play Offs, which saw the Indiana Pacers led by assistant coach Burke and forward Rudez, crowned league champions.

The announcement of the All-Star teams then witnessed entrants from 15 different countries and it was the blue team coached by Bryan Gates, Jim Moran and Zeller that took the honours.

They defeated the white team led by Burke, Walter McCarty, Radmanovic and Rudez 59-42, with the coveted MVP accolade going to Kevin Cham of France.

Meanwhile the illustrious BWB Europe 2015 Camp MVP was handed to Omer Yurtseven of Turkey and Arnoldas Kulboka of Lithuania was named Three-Point Champion.

"The trip has been great," declared Zeller as the curtain fell on the event.

"It is my second BWB, having previously taken part in BWB Asia in Taiwan.

"It has been a great experience for me to get to know some of the other players in the NBA - either current or former and also the NBA coaches and legends.

"It has been fun to get access to these kids, who are amongst the best in Europe and it takes me back a few years to when I was in their shoes trying to achieve my dreams of playing in the NBA."

BWB Europe Camp Director Sedlacek then had the last word as he told the departing attendees: "Play Smart. Act Smart. It is the only way you will succeed and get to the top level."

The programme now moves on to South Africa next month with the BWB Africa camp to once again be held in Johannesburg from 29 July-1 August.

FIBA