Press Release
BARCELONA, SPAIN (March 3, 2013) - Jordan Brand, a division of NIKE, Inc., hosted its seventh annual Jordan Brand Classic International Camp from March 1-3 at Ciutat Esportiva, the training ground of FC Barcelona, featuring the top 16-and-under basketball talent from around Europe. The purpose of the camp is to select 10 participants who will compete in the International Game at the Jordan Brand Classic in Brooklyn, New York at Barclays Center on April 13th.
This year, in order to select the International players, Jordan Brand invited 41 of the top European prospects from 23 different countries for a three-day training camp. The camp features both basketball and strength and conditioning sessions. All of the sessions are geared toward teaching the athletes how to improve their skills to compete at the next level.
During the weekend, the participants were also able to tour and have dinner at the famous FC Barcelona Camp Nou football stadium. The camp concluded with the all-star game at Palau Blaugrana, home of FCB Regal of the Euroleague. It was attended by Jordan Brand Classic alum Joan Creus, who was on hand to meet the participants. The event concluded with the announcement of the camp’s 10 Most Valuable Players who will be featured on the 2013 Jordan Brand Classic International Game roster. The International Game roster will be rounded out with eight other players selected from around the world to showcase their talents at the brand new Barclays Center in Brooklyn on April 13.
This year’s European MVP selections Vasileios Charalampopulos (Panathinaikos/Greece), Sergio Garcia (CTEIB/Spain), Stephane Gombauld (INSEP/France), Andrea Latorre (Stella Azzurra/Italy), Luc Loubaki (INSEP/France), Lovro Mazalin (Cibona Zagreb/Croatia), Stefan Nikolic (Red Star/Serbia), Georgios Papagiannis (Peristeri/Greece), Stefan Peno (FC Barcelona/Serbia) and Joshua Steel (Barking Abbey/England).
These players join a prestigious list of former participants. Two of the top five picks in the 2011 NBA Draft, Enes Kanter (Turkey) and Jonas Valanciunas (Lithuania), participated in the 2008 Jordan Brand Classic International Game in New York City.
