Leading with
Diversity
If They Build it,
Kids Will Come
From Mayor’s Office
to TriMet Exec
See Local News, page 3
‘City
of
Roses’
Community
raises fund for
playground
See Metro, page 9
Volume XLVII • Number 23
www.portlandobserver.com
Wednesday • June 13, 2018
Established in 1970
Committed to Cultural Diversity
photo by J eff h inds
Adidas International Elite 16U is an amateur youth basketball team lead by Nate Bowie, who spent eight years as an international professional basketball player. He
takes his knowledge of the ins and outs of the game to provide more opportunities for kids in the younger 8th-10th grades, and giving them more exposure to college
recruiters than would normally be possible.
“I think it’s a little more con-
ducive for a kid to get a full-ride
scholarship if he gets seen four
years in a row instead of getting
seen one or two years,” Bowie
said.
Using his eight years of ex-
by d anny p eterson
perience
as an international pro-
t he p ortland o bserver
fessional
basketball player for
A basketball team for youth is
several
teams,
including Canada,
changing the game when it comes
Morocco,
Greece,
Kosovo, and
to giving kids opportunities to
many
others,
Bowie
said he’s try-
college scholarships and putting
ing
to
pass
down
his
knowledge
of
them on track to a professional
doing
business
on
a
global
scale
athletic career.
to up and comers. The team is
Adidas International Elite 16U
sponsored by Adidas with added
team was started by three Afri-
can-American men late last year ketball recruitment resource Prep summer Amateur Athletic Union said, whereas his approach has support from some of his friends
(AAU) season, as well as special already resulted in his younger and business associates, includ-
looking to give back: Mt. Hood Hoops.
Together, head coach Bowie tournaments sponsored by big freshman and sophomore play- ing active professional basketball
Community College coach and
former professional basketball and assistant coach Brown worked name athletic wear companies like ers getting looks and offers from players, from different countries.
“If I had that type of exposure
player Nate Bowie; Allan Brown, to recruit Portland, Tacoma, and Nike, Adidas, and Under Armour. NCAA Division I recruiters. He
when
I was younger I would’ve
Normally AAU teams expose also said other amateur teams in
a coach at Lower Columbia Seattle area hopefuls from the 8th
done
even
better internationally.
Community College; and Qayi to 10th grades to compete in cir- mostly older high school juniors the U.S. rarely, if at all, compete
Steplight, an Olympia, Wash. cuits in the mid-west, the south, and seniors to tournaments where internationally, which also sets
C ontinued on p age 4
resident working for college bas- and Canada over the spring and there are college scouts, Bowie them apart.
Coach offers
kids opportunity
for success
More Than
a Game