WNBA All-Star Basketball Without Borders camp is opportunity for international players to be seen

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WNBA All-Star Basketball Without Borders camp is opportunity for international players to be seen

2025-07-20 05:24 Last Updated At：05:30

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Georgia Amoore went to an international basketball camp at the 2019 Final Four and was seen for one of the first times by Virginia Tech coaches.

That led to a scholarship at the school where the Australian guard eventually led the Hokies their first Final Four in 2023. Now the Washington Mystics rookie is an instructor at a Basketball Without Borders camp, which is in its third year, that's connected to the WNBA All-Star Game this weekend.

“It's a full circle moment,” Amoore, who was the No. 6 pick by the Mystics in April, told The Associated Press on Saturday. “It was my first time exposure, my first time getting a real scholarship offer. Now it's amazing because I can help and talk to all these girls from so many countries."

More than 25 different countries and territories were represented at the camp with players coming from as far as Japan and Australia. There were dozens of college coaches ranging from Power 4 schools to mid-majors in attendance, as well as WNBA general managers.

Last year's camp in Phoenix yielded more than 30 college scholarships for the players, including Blanca Quiñonez, a 6-foot-2 forward from Milagro, Ecuador, who will be headed to defending champion UConn this fall.

“If you look at the history of Basketball Without Borders, as it pertains to girls, especially, there are players who consistently go to college, consistently get drafted so that in and of itself is proof that this is important and meaningful," said camp director Allison Feaster, who is also the Boston Celtics' vice president of team operations and organizational growth.

Amoore remembers that in her international camp, her current Mystics teammate Aaliyah Edwards of Canada and Seattle Storm guard Nika Muhl of Croatia participated as well.

The trio became friends at the camp and Muhl stopped by Saturday afternoon. She and Amoore are both going through ACL rehabs right now.

Amoore said that while there are language barriers with so many different countries represented, the teams are able to communicate through the sport.

“A lot of demonstrating a lot of kind of like sign language,” she said. “A lot of these girls are so impressive because even if they don’t speak good English, they speak well enough to be able to, you know, translate or get them anywhere.”

Feaster said she has seen how these camps can change players' lives.

“When open doors you get a chance to see their levels to all of this,” she said. “It plants the seed for them to want to continue and succeed.”

All of the camp's players will attend the All-Star Game on Saturday night.

AP WNBA: https://apnews.com/hub/wnba-basketball

Thousands of nurses go on strike at several major New York City hospitals

NEW YORK (AP) — Thousands of nurses in three hospital systems in New York City went on strike Monday after negotiations through the weekend failed to yield breakthroughs in their contract disputes.

The strike was taking place at The Mount Sinai Hospital and two of its satellite campuses, with picket lines forming. The other affected hospitals are NewYork-Presbyterian and Montefiore Medical Center in the Bronx.

About 15,000 nurses are involved in the strike, according to New York State Nurses Association.

“After months of bargaining, management refused to make meaningful progress on core issues that nurses have been fighting for: safe staffing for patients, healthcare benefits for nurses, and workplace violence protections,” the union said in a statement issued Monday. “Management at the richest hospitals in New York City are threatening to discontinue or radically cut nurses’ health benefits.”

The strike, which comes during a severe flu season, could potentially force the hospitals to transfer patients, cancel procedures or divert ambulances. It could also put a strain on city hospitals not involved in the contract dispute, as patients avoid the medical centers hit by the strike.

The hospitals involved have been hiring temporary nurses to try and fill the labor gap during the walkout, and said in a statement during negotiations that they would “do whatever is necessary to minimize disruptions.” Montefiore posted a message assuring patients that appointments would be kept.

“NYSNA’s leaders continue to double down on their $3.6 billion in reckless demands, including nearly 40% wage increases, and their troubling proposals like demanding that a nurse not be terminated if found to be compromised by drugs or alcohol while on the job," Montefiore spokesperson Joe Solmonese said Monday after the strike had started. "We remain resolute in our commitment to providing safe and seamless care, regardless of how long the strike may last.”

New York-Presbyterian accused the union of staging a strike to “create disruption,” but said in a statement that it has taken steps to ensure patients receive the care they need.

"We’re ready to keep negotiating a fair and reasonable contract that reflects our respect for our nurses and the critical role they play, and also recognizes the challenging realities of today’s healthcare environment,” the statement said.

The work stoppage is occurring at multiple hospitals simultaneously, but each medical center is negotiating with the union independently. Several other hospitals across the city and in its suburbs reached deals in recent days to avert a possible strike.

The nurses’ demands vary by hospital, but the major issues include staffing levels and workplace safety. The union says hospitals have given nurses unmanageable workloads.

Nurses also want better security measures in the workplace, citing incidents like a an incident last week, when a man with a sharp object barricaded himself in a Brooklyn hospital room and was then killed by police.

The union also wants limitations on hospitals’ use of artificial intelligence.

The nonprofit hospitals involved in the negotiations say they’ve been working to improve staffing levels, but say the union’s demands overall are too costly.

Nurses voted to authorize the strike last month.

Both New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and Mayor Zohran Mamdani had expressed concern about the possibility of the strike. As the strike deadline neared, Mamdani urged both sides to keep negotiating and reach a deal that “both honors our nurses and keeps our hospitals open.”

“Our nurses kept this city alive through its hardest moments. Their value is not negotiable,” Mamdani said.

State Attorney General Letitia James voiced similar support, saying "nurses put their lives on the line every day to keep New Yorkers healthy. They should never be forced to choose between their own safety, their patients’ well-being, and a fair contract.”

The last major nursing strike in the city was only three years ago, in 2023. That work stoppage, at Mount Sinai and Montefiore, was short, lasting three days. It resulted in a deal raising pay 19% over three years at those hospitals.

It also led to promised staffing improvements, though the union and hospitals now disagree about how much progress has been made, or whether the hospitals are retreating from staffing guarantees.