This past weekend the Dallas Heat, affiliate for the NBA G-League Texas Legends, hosted a pro camp at Ferris Junior High School, about 20 miles south of Downtown Dallas. Team owner Mason Brawley wanted to give prospective players the opportunity to receive great talent exposure without the need of having to “show a resume” to get in the front door.

The Heat’s recent affiliation with the Legends has brought on a new level of excitement and attention to the team. At the invite of Brawley, four high profile recruiters from Mexico made the trip to Dallas to spectate during the camp and scout for potential players. Among them were Cesar Montalvo and Efren Quitoz, co-owners of Centauros de Chihuahua, Arturo Pedroza, General Manager and CEO of Soles de Ojinaga, and Gustavo Pacheco, and Head Coach for Halcones de Obregon and also for the Liga Nacional de Baloncesto Profesional (National Professional Basketball League).

Pedroza explained the importance of recruiting abroad and also how important player image is when recruiting players at a professional level:

“When we recruit [players that are exposed to national media],” Pedroza said. “It is important to understand that they will be an example to kids in our country and that they see their own future in our players.”

Each day of the camp consisted of warm-up reps, some form of competitive skills showcase, and a number of scrimmages. Brawley said his goal was to create an environment that would put “players on the spot” and get to experience some of the pressure that comes with being a professional athlete.

Cameron Barnes, a 6’4″ guard for the Heat from Grand Prairie, explained how up to that point the camp had been more of a mental game. The fast pace, no time-outs, no substitutions, was something that the players had to adjust to quickly. When asked about how he was handling the pressure of having the recruiters around, he explained how that was just another part of the mental game and how he “just wants to play his game and show off [his] best abilities.”

The Dallas Heat continue UBA tryouts on September 15th as they prepare for their upcoming season.

Aaron Ferguson

Staff Writer covering the Dallas Cowboys. 2018 graduate of Stephen F. Austin State University with a focus on Political Science and Sports Business. Dallas is the center of my sports universe, and I eat, sleep, and breathe America's Team.