July 9, 2024 (Photo: Daniela Monzi/Learn Fresh and Tyshawn Toney of Lenses on Fire)
New York, NY - The 2024 NBA Math Hoops Global Championship came to a close on Friday, June 28 with an electric final game featuring Camila Ramirez (San Antonio Spurs Math Hoops presented by Whataburger) and Ileana Mora-Gomez (Pacers Sports and Entertainment Math Hoops presented by Lilly Foundation), versus Landon Duhn (Iowa sponsored by Harrison and Brittany Barnes) and Elliana Saeteurn (Sacramento Kings Math Hoops presented by NBC Sports). Ramirez and Mora-Gomez emerged victorious.
This year's Global Championship was co-hosted with NBA Cares and featured immersive STEM activations and competitive gameplay for a group of 24 students, who represented 16 NBA Math Hoops programs from around the world.
Students tipped off the Global Championship experience on Wednesday, June 26 with a trip to the Liberty Science Center in Jersey City, New Jersey. The group had the opportunity to explore the museum, draft their teams, and compete in the opening round of the tournament. That evening, students attended the 2024 NBA Draft at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, where they had the exclusive opportunity to attend the pre-draft red carpet experience, where they got autographs and took selfies with first round draftees and current players. They even had the chance to go on stage and take a group photo with the prospects.
The following day, participants arrived at Joseph I. Lubin House, home base for Syracuse University’s New York City operations, where they learned about sports analytics. Afterwards, Learn Fresh staff led an activation from The Achievery by AT&T, where students dived into the different types of angles in the game of basketball and participated in an interactive activity shooting hoops with their partners. They then had some free time to explore the Big Apple. As the afternoon winded down, they made their way to Dave & Buster's in Times Square, where an awards ceremony and dinner took place. The night ended with a special birthday surprise for one of the participants.
The final round of tournament competition took place at the NBA HQ in NYC on Friday, June 28. Students got an exclusive tour of the office, getting a behind-the-scenes look at the league's operations and even taking photos with the Larry O’Brien Championship Trophy, awarded annually to the winner of the NBA Finals. The program kicked off with Learn Fresh Outstanding Educator, Corrin Haskell, reading the book he created about NBA Math Hoops. There was a special surprise visit from Mark A. Tatum, Deputy Commissioner of the NBA, who encouraged the kids to always follow their dreams.
The students faced off, showcasing their math skills, teamwork, and sportsmanship. Following the intense competition, the winners were declared. Two Sportsmanship Award winners were identified for their exceptional dedication to supporting fellow competitors and maintaining positive attitudes, in addition to their excellent gameplay. After the completion of the tournament and awards, all 24 students were surprised with gifts from participating NBA and WNBA team partners in a heartwarming ceremony to culminate the weekend.
Participants in the Global Championship were selected based on qualifying criteria and nominations from their program educator. To qualify for selection, students must have played a minimum of 25 games of NBA Math Hoops and completed 10 curriculum units over the course of a program season. Students must have displayed a high degree of growth through the program, a dedication to practicing good sportsmanship, and an ability to overcome adversity either inside or outside the classroom. Students meeting these criteria were nominated by their program educator to apply, and participants were then selected from the pool of applicants.
In addition to an exciting wrap-up to the 2023-24 season, this year’s Global Championship marked a new era for Learn Fresh, celebrating an incredible milestone of 1 million students served all-time. NBA Math Hoops kicked off its first season in Cleveland in partnership with the Cleveland Cavaliers for the 2013-2014 season. For this year’s Global Championship, three students — Caitlin Lees, Alice Nagel, and Orion Tian –- traveled from Melbourne, Australia to represent The Huddle, the community arm of the North Melbourne Football club, where students have participated in NBA Math Hoops programs since 2021. Amabella Torres Torres, representing Bright Minds, also joined from Ponce, Puerto Rico.
Congratulations to all student participants in this year’s Global Championship!
Click here to view the event photo album.
2024 NBA Math Hoops Global Championship Winners:
- Camila Ramirez - Spurs Math Hoops presented by Whataburger
- Ileana Mora-Gomez - Pacers Sports and Entertainment Math Hoops presented by Lilly Foundation
Runners-Up:
- Landon Duhn - Iowa sponsored by Harrison and Brittany Barnes
- Elliana Saeteurn - Kings Math Hoops presented by NBC Sports
Sportsmanship Award Winners:
- Landon Duhn - Iowa sponsored by Harrison and Brittany Barnes
- Daleyza Castellanos - Lakers Math Hoops presented by Comerica
Learn Fresh also honored the following educators for their dedication within the NBA Math Hoops program:
- Mindy Green - Revere School District (Ovid, CO)
- Jacob Gregory - Indianapolis Public Schools (Indianapolis, IN)
- Corrin Haskell - Oakland Unified School District (Oakland, CA)
- George Lee - LA’S BEST (Los Angeles, CA)
Their hard work and commitment have made a significant impact in inspiring and empowering students to learn through the game of basketball.
