Africa Change International is a non-profit organization that uses sports (basketball) and ICT literacy to transform lives of underprivileged kids. ACI support 10-year-old kids in sports development and computer literacy. They use sports as a tool to help the underprivileged kids continue education. They also help them become world class athletes and get sports scholarships on their behalf. Their partner school has about 45% drop out rate after completion of high school; ACI wants to change that trend by providing these children with skills that can earn them a livelihood.

If you'd like to contact ACI for support and advice or to find out more about their volunteer programme, please visit their website.

The Toronto Raptors have fired their coach, Sam Mitchell, after a crushing defeat in Denver at the hands of the Nuggets. Mitchell, who is 45 years of age, was in charge of the team for four seasons in total and became a popular face at the club.

However, recent results have been disappointing to say the least and the club officials were forced to act before the situation became even worse. Jay Triano has been named as temporary head coach but Mitchell was not bitter following his departure from Toronto.

He revealed that being coach of the Raptors was a “true pleasure and an honour”. He revealed that not only will he miss the club, but he will also miss the city of Toronto, as well as the fans of the team, who are “among the best in all of professional sports”.

As well as advancing the status of the team, Mitchell’s time at the club has also brought personal advancements, with the ex-coach believing that he has “grown as a coach and a person" over the course of his time with the Raptors.

The general manager of the Raptors revealed that he did not blame Mitchell for the recent poor performances of the team. Rather, the team as a whole has not been performing and now there can be “no more excuses with regards to Sam Mitchell as coach”.

The manager’s words seem accurate, with defensive frailties and a general lack of confidence infiltrating the entire team. Furthermore, an over-reliance on the star of the team, Chris Bosh, has been seen by many as a major problem.

This week it was announced that the NBA is willing to help Great Britain’s drive to compete in the basketball event of the London 2012 Olympic Games. The commissioner of the organisation, David Stern, made this offer whilst in London for the match between Miami and New Jersey, held at the O2 Arena.

He spoke of the “full range of services” that may be made available to the Great Britain team. These services may include specialist coaching and the opportunity to compete in practice matches during the NBA Summer League.

This offer will come as music to the ears of basketball fans around the country, who are desperate to see the national team compete in 2012. They are already guaranteed a place in the Eurobasket finals, to be held in Poland next year, but involvement in the Olympics is not a certainty. However, David Stern has echoed the thoughts of many by stating that “a host should - if they make earnest efforts to develop the sport - be in there”.

Fans of Team GB can rest assured that these exciting words from Stern, offering help and guidance, are not empty promises. Prior to this year’s Olympic Games, held in Beijing, the NBA offered a range of services to the Chinese national team.

They were invited to compete in the NBA Summer League and the high-quality opposition faced during this tour undoubtedly gave the Chinese greater confidence. Furthermore, a developmental team was sent to China to compete against the basketball team and subsequently help them hone their skills. NBA coaches also visited the country to host coaching clinics for the players.

Further evidence of the NBA’s long-running commitment to helping other nations' basketball teams includes the support they offered Great Britain when Luol Deng, the star of the Chicago Bulls team was involved in an insurance issue that threatened his availability earlier this year.

Stern spoke of the intense negotiations held between the NBA and “the potential insurers, to see how much we could narrow the exclusion and whether we could eliminate it”.

The commissioner of the NBA is a very popular figure in the world of basketball and sport in general. He became executive vice-president of the organisation in 1980 before taking up his role as commissioner in 1984.

He was responsible for creating the WNBA, the women’s professional basketball league, and has completely transformed the fortunes of the NBA. He has been influential in setting up training camps and exhibition games around the world, making basketball a truly global sport.

Having a man of this calibre and experience offering assistance is definitely a positive but for now, the team need to focus on doing everything possible to reach the 2012 Olympics without relying on outside help.

If they impress in Poland next year, they may be able to compete in the World Championships in 2010. A place at the World Championships would allow the team to qualify for the European finals the following year and thus automatically secure a place as hosts at the Olympic Games.

Written by Charlotte Cook

The Great British basketball team celebrated a triumphant EuroBasket campaign on Monday night as the qualification stages for next year’s European Championship came to an end. Despite losing their first match 102-92 at the Nokia Arena in Tel Aviv, Chris Finch’s team defied the odds and claimed convincing victories over the Czech Republic and Bosnia. They lost their final match against Bosnia and Herzegovina but still qualified top of Group D with ten points. The result marks the first time that Team GB has qualified for the European Championships in almost thirty years.

In their first match on the 3rd of September 2008, Team GB were cruelly beaten in overtime by a relentless Israel team, despite having led 85-83 with three seconds remaining on the clock. Pops Mensah-Bonsu and Luol Deng both fouled out, leaving Britain with few options going forward. The absence of giant centre, Andrew Betts, due to injury was felt as Israel claimed a further six points in the final minute, a fitting end to a match branded a ‘dogfight’ by Finch.

Their first victory came against the Czech Republic at the O2 arena, with Nate Reinking claiming twenty-two points. Luol Deng, who has recently signed a new contract deal worth six million dollars with the Chicago Bulls, pulled out all the stops in Great Britain’s next game, scoring 29 points to help the team defeat Bosnia-Herzegovina 82-74. The victory came as a relief to a team who have struggled with injuries and insurance issues since the beginning of the tournament.

The second leg against Israel was played in Liverpool. Forwards Deng and Mensah-Bonsu scored 42 points between them. Nick George grabbed another 15, whilst fellow bench player Joel Freeland proved his worth with 13 points and a few rebounds. The 96-86 final score marked a turning point for the team, as they finally managed to defeat their biggest rivals and with only two games left to play, were sitting pretty in second place.

Great Britain’s victory over the Czech Republic in Pardubice guaranteed them a position in next year’s European Championships. The second leg was much more difficult than the first and with three seconds to go, Czech player Welsch threatened to destroy Team GB’s qualification hopes altogether. British captain, Andrew Sullivan, made it clear that both teams had everything to play for: “this was two teams playing for everything, [Britain] to qualify and the Czechs just to stay alive in the group”. The Czech Republic must now face the ignominy of the relegation round, with manager Mikhal Jezdik denouncing the Czech campaign as a complete disaster.

Bosnia-Herzegovina finally ended Britain’s winning streak in Cazin, Bosnia. Luol Deng was sidelined with an ankle injury and was replaced by Joel Freeland but despite his best efforts, Team GB lost out to free throws from Bosnian players Dedovic and Bajramovic. The final score was 89-80. Israel were the only other team to qualify from group D.

Following their success at the world cup, four of Chris Finch’s players will have to begin the search for a new club. Andrew Sullivan, Flinder Boyd, Andy Betts, and Steve Levin were all unattached at the beginning of the tournament and will be hopeful that their international exploits will be enough to attract a big club.

The new basketball season began on Monday 22nd of September.

Written by Chris Illingworth

In 1992 the US of A put together the so called 'Dream Team' and boy were they good. Since then the US have strived to recapture the fluency of that great team and are hopeful the 2008 version led by Coach K can do the business.

So ESPN think that the Bulls are going to go with Derrick Rose as the #1 pick. The other option is really Michael Beasley and I think Rose would fit in perfectly with the other young talent in Chicago.

Kobe Bryant is back. I know Nick H in the forums wasn't sure that he could do it but It was never in doubt for me.

I really think this is the Lakers year and they'll go all the way - whoever they face in the Finals.

If Doug does come back then it'll be quite a turnaround for the Bulls and with the #1 pick - who knows how good they could be?

The San Antonio Spurs took their place in the finals by defeating the Hornets in New Orleans on Monday.

The reigning champions face the LA Lakers in the Conference Finals - alas for them they are already down three games to one

Kobe Bryant reckons that David Beckham has really helped the people of LA get back into sport.