courtesy of www.swac.org

NEW YORK, NY – The National Basketball Players Association (NBPA), the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference ("SIAC") and the Southwestern Athletic Conference ("SWAC") are pleased to announce their continued partnership in hosting the second annual Top 50 Basketball Camp.

The Camp will take place July 27-29 on the campus of Morehouse College in Atlanta, GA. Players will receive on-court skill development from current and retired NBA players as well as participate in leadership and life skills development sessions off the court. Twenty-five of the best players from each conference will be featured at the camp in a model similar to the NBPA's Top 100 Camp, including the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff basketball stars Martaveous McKnight, Charles Jackson and Terrance Banyard. McKnight is the reigning Southwestern Athletic Conference Player of the Year as well as Newcomer of the Year.

"It's always good to be able to represent the SWAC and Pine Bluff (UAPB)," said McKnight. "Terrance and Charles will do great along with myself when we go to Atlanta, and we will represent UAPB well. It will be fun to show off the work we've been putting in this summer"

NBPA Executive Director Michele Roberts chimed in on the continued collaboration between her organization and the two conferences that represent Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU's).

"We are thrilled to continue this collaboration with the SWAC and SIAC as it provides a unique opportunity for our members to share their knowledge and life experiences directly with these student-athletes," said NBPA Executive Director, Michele Roberts.

The camp also aims to cultivate and create coaching and talent pipelines for current and retired NBA players exploring the transition into careers in intercollegiate athletics.

"The Conference is excited about the continued partnership with the NBPA and the SIAC to put on the Top 50 camp," said SWAC Interim Commissioner Edgar Gantt.

"This camp allows our men's basketball student-athletes the opportunity to gain valuable knowledge of the game of basketball at the highest level. The camp also offers lifelong educational opportunities that campers can take with them to be positive impactful leaders on campus, in their communities and most important in life."

In addition to skill development and on-court drills, the camp will include a series of highly-competitive scrimmages and games, giving the players the opportunity to showcase their talent against the best of their neighboring conference.

Camp participants from the SWAC include:

Name                           Institution
Anthony Gaston          Grambling State
Arthur Johnson            Alabama A&M
Branden Johnson        Alabama State
Charles Jackson          Arkansas-Pine Bluff
Darius Austin               Jackson State
Devante Jackson         Grambling State
Dante Scott                  Mississippi Valley State
Ivy Smith Jr.                 Grambling State
Jacoby Ross                Alabama State
Martaveous McKnight  Arkansas-Pine Bluff
Maurice Howard           Alcorn State
Reginald Gee               Alabama State
Terrance Banyard        Arkansas-Pine Bluff
Troymain Crosby         Alcorn State
Mubashar Ali                Southern
Eddie Reese                Southern
Jalen Reeder               Alabama A&M
Andre Kennedy            Alabama A&M


Media members interested in covering the camp are asked to contact Elle Hagedorn (elle.hagedorn@nbpa.com, 212-655-0896), Peter Holehan (p.holehan@swac.org, 205-241-3468), or Tyler Williams (williams@thesiac.com, 404-221-1041)

ABOUT THE NBPA
The National Basketball Players Association (NBPA) is the union for current professional basketball players in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Established in 1954, the NBPA's mission is to ensure that the rights of NBA players are protected and that every conceivable measure is taken to assist players in maximizing their opportunities and achieving their goals -- on and off the court.

The NBPA advocates on behalf of the best interests of all NBA players, including the negotiation of collective bargaining agreements, the filing of grievances on behalf of the players, or counseling players on benefits, educational and post-NBA career opportunities.

In addition, the NBPA provides a forum for players to participate in union activities -- from executive leadership roles, to team representative positions, global community outreach initiatives. The NBPA offers each NBA player the opportunity to get involved in the democratic institution that was created for, continues to exist for and is run by them.

ABOUT THE SWAC
The Southwestern Athletic Conference is a Division I athletic conference located in Birmingham, Alabama, consisting of 10 first-class universities (Alabama A&M University, Alabama State University, Alcorn State University, Grambling State University, Jackson State University, Mississippi Valley State University, Prairie View A&M University, Southern University and A&M College, Texas Southern University and the University of Arkansas-Pine Bluff). Founded in 1920, The SWAC sponsors eighteen sports, eight for men and ten for women. For more information, visit www.swac.org.

ABOUT THE SIAC
The SIAC is a NCAA athletic conference headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia and includes 14 member institutions (Albany State University, Benedict College, Central State University, Claflin University, Clark Atlanta University, Fort Valley State University, Kentucky State University, Lane College, LeMoyne-Owen College, Miles College, Morehouse College, Paine College, Spring Hill College, and Tuskegee University). The SIAC sponsors six women's sports and seven men's sports and is a proud member of the NCAA Division II.