A trio of top seventeen-year-old Canadian basketball prospects from the class of 2004 have been selected to participate in the prestigious 2023 Basketball Without Borders (BWB) Global camp.
Six-foot-nine hybrid forward, Christian Nitu (Toronto, Ont.), returns after making a regional appearance at the BWB Americas camp. Rising six-foot-seven, do it all small forward, Hudson Ward (Leduc, Alta) and sharp shooter Felix Kossaras (Montreal, Que) will represent Canada at the seventh annual Basketball Without Borders Camp.
Taking place during the 2023 NBA All-Star Weekend, the global camp will see the top 40 high school prospects from 27 countries, including Africa, Asia, Europe and the Americas gather on February 17-19 at the Zions Bank Basketball Campus in Salt Lake City.
Providing a once in a life-time opportunity to learn from former NBA stars, the camp combines life-skills seminars alongside a competitive environment. Campers are put to the test in strength & agility and shooting drills while building long-lasting friendships.
The Canadian basketball trio made their international youth debut at the 2022 FIBA U17 World Cup. Following a busy AAU summer, all three players opted to transfer to new prep schools.
Both Nitu and Kossaras ended up as teammates at Fort Erie International in the Ontario Scholastic Basketball Association (OSBA). Hudson stayed closer to home and upgraded his stock by joining Western Canada Academy in Edmonton, Alberta.
Christian Nitu – Fort Erie International Academy
At six-foot-nine, Nitu has the ability to impact the game in a variety of ways. On offence and specifically in the half-court, his size and agility make him an ideal pick and pop player who can stretch the defence, attack close outs and knock down shots. On defence, Nitu’s seven-foot wingspan is a factor and his ability to gobble-up rebounds and initiate the fast break are key attributes to his recent stock rise.
The 2024 prospect has pick-up a combination of high major offers from Illinois, Texas Christian, Creighton and also caught the eye of Mark Few and the Gonzaga Bulldogs.
Hudson Ward – Western Canada Academy Prep
A relatively unknown national prospect, despite a dominant 2021-22 season at Leduc Composite High School. Ward blew-up on the AAU scene with UPLAY Canada at the 2022 U16 Nike Elite Youth Basketball League (EYBL). Using his combination of raw athleticism, slashing ability and timely three-point shooting, the Canadian hidden gem dropped 19 points and grabbed seven rebounds on 7-of-14 shooting against a talented Strive for Greatness squad.
At six-foot-seven, Ward has the ability to finish through contact, when attacking the rim and is a solid individual defender with improving lateral quickness and sneaky shot blocking ability.
The 17-year-old recently received his first NCAA division I scholarship offer from the NJIT Highlanders and is poised to continue to open more eyes at the 2023 Basketball Without Borders camp.
Felix Kossaras – Fort Erie International Academy
Kossaras, is a smooth six-foot-five, multifaceted shooting guard with a high IQ. After a successful 2022 summer on the Adidas 3 Stripe Select Basketball Circuit (3SSB) with Brookwood Elite, Kossaras led Team Quebec to the 2022 Canadian U17 men’s national championship and took home MVP honours.
Following in the footsteps of many of the top basketball talent from Montreal, Kossaras transferred from Centennial Academy to Fort Erie International Academy to play with the OSBA defending champions.
The Falcons have had another successful season, including a semi-final win over The Rock School Lions (Gainesville, FL) at the 9th annual Lighthouse Classic in Corinth, Massachusetts. Kossaras stuffed the stat sheet with 14 points, nine rebounds, seven assists, four steals, and two blocks.
Kossaras has picked-up his first NCAA division I offer from Ole Miss Rebels.
History of Canadians at the Basketball Without Borders camp
A joint venture started in 2001 with 41 regional instructional camps between the NBA and FIBA has a rich tradition of Canadian representation. Last year, a total of six Canadians participated in the 2022 Basketball Without Borders Americas Camp.
Along the journey, Kelly Olynyk, Jamal Murray, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Bennedict Mathurin have made stops at the countless Basketball Without Borders camps over the years.
