Sports Envoy
Sports Envoy Program

Sport: Basketball

Elvis Valcarcel

Basketball

Served as envoy

  • 2017  –  Guyana
  • 2017  –  Suriname

Elvis Valcarcel begins his third season with the Pelicans, his second as an assistant coach coach after serving as a special assistant to the head coach during the 2015-16 season. Valcarcel joined the Pelicans after serving as the video coordinator for the Sacramento Kings from 2013-15. Before joining the Kings, Valcarcel was the video coordinator for the Phoenix Suns from 2009-13 after serving as the assistant video coordinator during the 2008-09 season. While with the Suns, Valcarcel also was an assistant coach for the Suns’ NBA Summer League squad in 2010 and 2012 and did advance scouting in 2011 and 2012. Valcarcel was also the video coordinator for the Phoenix Mercury in 2009 when they won the WNBA championship. Prior to Phoenix, Valcarcel worked two years as an administrative assistant/video coordinator for the men’s basketball program at Seton Hall University. From Union City, N.J., Valcarcel earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Criminal Justice and Sociology from Rutgers University.

Edward Corsely

Basketball

Served as envoy

  • 2014  –  South Korea

Edwards was born in Baltimore, Maryland and graduated from Lake Clifton High School in 1998. He played collegiately at Central Connecticut State University and led the team to its first ever NCAA Tournament appearance in 2000. Edwards has had a very international basketball career, playing for teams in Turkey, China, Spain, Croatia, Poland, and the US.

He was selected by the Sacramento Kings in the 2nd round (58th pick) in the 2002 NBA draft. However, in the same year, the Yakima Sun Kings of the Continental Basketball Association (CBA) selected Edwards as the top pick in the third round (17th overall).

In the season of 2003-2004 he played as Center for RB Montecatini Terme in the Italian LegaDue. He returned to the Sioux Falls Skyforce in 2005 and won the 2005 CBA championship with the team. Later that year, he joined Fenerbahçe of the Turkish Basketball League. With Fenerbahçe, he averaged 12.5 points and 7.1 rebounds. For the 2010-2011 season he signed with the Zagreb club KK Cedevita, where he averaged 12.9 points per game and helped the team enter the Eurocup Basketball 2010–11 Final four.

In October 2014, Edwards was appointed an assistant coach for the Denver Nuggets. Late September of 2016, Edwards was appointed an assistant coach of the Greensboro Swarm, a new NBA Development League franchise. He served as an assistant there for three seasons.

Doug Overton

Basketball

Served as envoy

  • 2014  –  China

Doug Overton is a retired former American basketball player. Prior to beginning his 11 seasons with the NBA, Overton spent a season with the Illawarra Hawks of the Australian NBL. He credits his time with the Illawarra Hawks as a big stepping stone for his career in the NBA.

He was selected by the Detroit Pistons in the 2nd round (40th overall) of the 1991 NBA draft. Overton played for the Washington Bullets, Denver Nuggets, Philadelphia 76ers, Orlando Magic, New Jersey Nets, Boston Celtics, Charlotte Hornets and Los Angeles Clippers. In his NBA career, Overton played in 499 games and scored a total of 2,253 points. As well as earned the First-team All-MAAC three times.

In May 2006, Overton was named assistant men’s basketball coach at Saint Joseph’s University. He became an assistant coach for the NBA’s New Jersey Nets in 2008. He was also named Nets Player Development Coach prior to the 2010–11 season. Now coaches Lincoln University men’s basketball in Oxford, Pennsylvania.

Dikembe Mutombo

Basketball

Served as envoy

  • 2007  –  Democratic Republic of Congo
  • 2011  –  South Sudan

Dikembe Mutombo hails from the Democratic Republic of the Congo. In 1987, Mutombo was the recipient of a USAID scholarship to attend Georgetown University, and he soon excelled both academically and in basketball. In the 1991 NBA draft, the Denver Nuggets drafted Mutombo with the fourth overall pick. The Nuggets ranked last in the NBA in opponent points-per-game and defensive rating and Mutombo’s shot-blocking ability made an immediate impression across the league.

As a rookie, Mutombo was selected for the All-Star team and averaged 16.6 points, 12.3 rebounds, and nearly three blocks per game. Over his career, he averaged 2.8 blocks and 10.3 rebounds per game. He is second all-time in registered blocks, behind only Hakeem Olajuwon, and is the 20th most prolific rebounder ever. He was also an eight-time All-Star and was elected into three All-NBA and six All-Defensive Teams.

A well-known humanitarian, Mutombo started the Dikembe Mutombo Foundation to improve living conditions in his native Democratic Republic of Congo in 1997. His efforts earned him the NBA’s J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award in 2001 and 2009. For his feats, Sporting News named him as one of the “Good Guys in Sports” in 1999 and 2000. In 1999, he was elected as one of 20 winners of the President’s Service Awards, the nation’s highest honor for volunteer service.

In 2004, he participated in the Basketball Without Borders NBA program, where NBA stars toured Africa to spread the word about basketball and to improve the infrastructure. He paid for uniforms and expenses for the Zaire women’s basketball team during the 1996 Centennial Olympic Games in Atlanta. Mutombo is also a spokesman for the international relief agency, CARE and is the first Youth Emissary for the United Nations Development Program.

Detlef Schrempf

Basketball

Served as envoy

  • 2013  –  Nigeria

Detlef Schrempf is a German-American basketball player who was drafted into the NBA by the Dallas Mavericks in the first round of the 1985 NBA draft, with the eighth overall pick. Schrempf played in the NBA for 16 seasons, with the Indiana Pacers, the Seattle SuperSonics, and the Portland Trail Blazers. He also played for the West German, and later German, national team in the 1984 and 1992 Summer Olympics and the 1983 and 1985 EuroBasket championships.

He has been awarded three NBA All Stars, two NBA Sixth Man of the Year, and one All NBA Third Team. Outside of the US in his home country, he was announced German Player of the Year in 1992. During his career, he ranked second in the NBA in three-point accuracy during the 1994–95 season with a 51.4 three-point field goal percentage and became leader in the NBA in offensive rating the same season with 127 points per 100 possessions.

Schrempf established the Detlef Schrempf Foundation in 1996 to benefit local charities. His foundation hosts the Detlef Schrempf Celebrity Golf Classic at McCormick Woods Golf Course in Port Orchard, Washington, each summer and has raised about $10 million for children’s charities in the Pacific Northwest. He as well in January 2012, won the Paul Allen Award for Citizenship at the 77th annual Sports Star of the Year banquet in Seattle.

Derrick Alston

Basketball

Served as envoy

  • 2014  –  Philippines

Derrick Alston is a former basketball player who currently works as the head coach for the Westchester Knicks of the NBA G League.

Alston, a forward/center from Duquesne University, started his professional career when he was picked during the second round by the Philadelphia 76ers during the 1994 NBA Draft, he was selected 33rd overall. He played for the Philadelphia 76ers for two seasons. Then playing 2 games for the Atlanta Hawks in late 1996 before taking his game overseas.

Joining the New Zealand Breakers mid-season 2007-08, Alston made an immediate impact. Statistically, he reached the top 20 in the league for FG%, shooting at 56.0%, and offensive rebounds, while averaging 13.8 ppg and being instrumental in helping the Breakers reach the playoffs for the first time in club history.

In 2012, after his retirement, Alston joined the staff of the Houston Rockets and served as their Player Development Coach for two seasons 2012-2015 before beginning his coaching position for the Westchester Knicks.

DeCovan “Dee” Brown

Basketball

Served as envoy

  • 2011  –  Tanzania

DeCovan Kadell “Dee” Brown (born November 29, 1968, in Jacksonville, Florida) is a retired American professional basketball player who spent twelve seasons (1990–2002) in the NBA, playing for the Boston Celtics, Toronto Raptors, and Orlando Magic.

A 6’1″ (1.85 m) guard from Jacksonville University, Brown was selected by the Celtics with the 19th pick of the 1990 NBA Draft. He was a member of the NBA All-Rookie Team in his first year, when he played in all 82 games and averaged 8.7 points per game. One of the highlights of his career occurred in 1991, when he won the NBA Slam Dunk Contest with a “no-look” slam dunk. He was a starter for Boston during the 1993-94 and 1994-95 seasons and posted his best scoring numbers, averaging more than 15 points per game each of those years. After seven and a half seasons with the Celtics, he was traded to the Raptors along with Chauncey Billups in 1998. Overall, during his career, he scored 6,758 total points.

Brown later served roles in the Women’s National Basketball Association first as a head coach for the Orlando Miracle and then as the head coach for the San Antonio Silver Stars. In 2005 he won a one-year contract as a studio analyst for ESPN as the winner of the reality show Dream Job, defeating former Houston Rocket Matt Bullard. He went on to host a ESPN show called City Slam!

In 2005, Brown established EDGE Basketball, LLC with himself as CEO. The outfit specializes in training players from middle school up to the professional ranks. On July 29, 2009, Brown was named as the head coach of the Springfield Armor, a team in the NBA Developmental League. He is also concurrently the team’s Director of Basketball Operations.

David Fizdale

Basketball

Served as envoy

  • 2009  –  Philippines

David Fizdale begins his first season as an assistant coach for the HEAT after serving the previous five seasons as an assistant coach for the Golden State Warriors and Atlanta Hawks. He began his professional career assisting in the HEAT’s video room during the 1997-98 season. Among his responsibilities in his new role, Fizdale will be assisting in the areas of player development, scouting, game preparation and other duties assigned by Head Coach Erik Spolestra.
The 34-year old Fizdale returns to Miami after spending the past four seasons (2004-08) as an assistant coach with the Atlanta Hawks where he played an instrumental role in the development of their young players. He helped the Hawks increase their win total in each of his final three seasons and during the 2007-08 season, they earned the franchise’s first postseason appearance since 1999. He began his NBA coaching career as an assistant coach with the Golden State Warriors for one season (2003-04).

Directly before joining the Warriors, Fizdale worked as an assistant coach for one season at Fresno State University (2002-03) where his responsibilities included player development and serving as the school’s recruiting coordinator. After concluding his collegiate playing career and spending one year as the HEAT’s video intern in 1997-98, he began his coaching career with a four-year stint (1998-2002) as an assistant coach at his alma mater, the University of San Diego. During his final year with the Toreros he was the top assistant for coach Brad Holland. While at USD, he was in charge of scheduling, served as the recruiting coordinator and worked in player development and on-court coaching.

A three-year starter at point guard while playing at the University of San Diego, Fizdale was selected to the All-West Coast Conference team after his senior season in 1996. A Los Angeles native, Fizdale earned a bachelor’s degree in communications and a minor in sociology from San Diego in 1996. He is single and currently resides in Miami.

Darvin Ham

Basketball

Served as envoy

  • 2011  –  Venezuela
  • 2012  –  Burma

Darvin Ham is a professional basketball coach that enjoys fulfillment of helping others. He founded Urban Youth Development in 2003 to bring about a critical change in his communities.

Darvin was born July 23, 1973 in Saginaw, Michigan.

Darvin was shot in a cross-fire one block away from his home at the age of 14, during his 9th grade year, while attending Central Junior High School. The bullet entered his jaw, and lodged in his neck, barely missing his spine by millimeters. No one was convicted for the shooting. Having gone through a life-threatening experience at such an early age, Darvin realized how precious life is and moreover, the terrible circumstances that have entrapped our young men.

Darvin attended Saginaw High School and played just 1 year, his senior year, during 1990-91. After making a verbal commitment to the United States Air Force, Darvin was persuaded by his brother DeRonnie to pursue an athletic scholarship through basketball and was granted a partial scholarship in the summer of 1991 to attend Otero Junior College in LaJunta, Colorado.

After playing the 1991-92 season at Otero, Darvin was voted an All-American and participated at the JUCO(junior college) Jamboree in Vincennes, Indiana during the summer of 1992. There he was discovered by Texas Tech University. He earned his Associate of Arts degree from Westark Community College in Fort Smith, Arkansas in July of 1993.

Darvin attended Texas Tech from 1993-96. During that time, he started all 90 games of his collegiate career. At Texas Tech, Darvin received the following accolades:
• Named to Southwestern Conference Defensive Team (1993-1994)
• Named by The Sporting News as the Southwest Conference “Most Underrated Player” before the 1995-96 season.
• Name second team All-SWC in 1995-96.
• One of four seniors to lead Texas Tech to the Sweet 16 after posting a 28-1 regular season record.
• Featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated after shattering the backboard during an upset victory over North Carolina in the 1996 NCAA Tournament.
• Finished the season ranked 9th in the nation with a 30-2 record.
• 1996 NCAA Slam Dunk Champion

Darvin’s NBA Bio:
• Signed as an undrafted rookie free agent with the Denver Nuggets of the National Basketball Association.
• Finished 4th in the Nestle Crunch NBA Slam Dunk Contest at All-Star Weekend in 1997.
• Traded to the Indiana Pacers midway through his rookie season in February of 1997.
• Signed as a free agent with the Washington Wizards for the 1997-98 season.
• Signed as a free agent with the Milwaukee Bucks in 1999, and played there until 2002.
• Signed as a free agent with the Atlanta Hawks for the 2002-03 season.
• Signed as a free agent with the Detroit Pistons in 2003, and played there until 2005.
• Member of the 2003-04 NBA World Champions Detroit Pistons.
• Has appeared in 417 NBA games, with 45 starts.
• Has appeared in 55 playoff games, with 11 starts.
Broadcasting
• FOX Sports Network (FSN) Southwest NBA Analyst
• NBAtv Network Analyst
NBDL
• Drafted 3rd in the 2007-08 NBDL Draft by the Albuquerque Thunderbirds
• 2007-08 Member of the Southwest Division Champion Austin Toros
• 2008-09 Assistant Coach for the Albuquerque Thunderbirds

Coaches that I’ve played for have a combined 3,422 wins.
Bernie Bickerstaff- 414
Dick Motta-935
George Karl-879
Lon Kruger- 69
Terry Stotts-115
Larry Brown-1010

Darvin’s International Bio:
• Played in Granada, Spain during 1998-99 season.
• Featured guest of NIKE Swiss Camp in Zurich, Switzerland in 2002.
• Played in Manila, Philippines in 2006.
• Played in Coamo, Puerto Rico in 2006.
• For the past 8 years, annually oversees a Basketball Life Skills Camp in Bad Honnef, Germany.

Mr. Ham has a wife, Deneitra, of 11 years, 3 sons, Darvin Jr., 17, Donovan, 12 and Dominic,9. Thanks to the priceless examples set forth by his father and grandfather, both of whom are now deceased, Darvin was shown the importance of a strong, positive and influential male role model directly in the home.

His hobbies include fishing, playing dominoes, traveling, jet-skiing, working-out, working with young basketball players (AAU), and going out-to-eat with his wife and kids.

Chris Henderson

Basketball

Served as envoy

  • 2019  –  China

Chris Henderson works as a Partnership Management Analyst for the NBA 2K League, focusing on League Marketing and Partnerships.