Congratulations to our three award winners for 2024! Read about past Yearly Award Winners on our Tour History page.
Teon Bigbee - Athlete of the Year
Honorable Mention
- Shayla White whom Coach Lorie Khalil called an ‘extremely positive and respectful, nice kid’.
- Anthony Ball, who won MVP at Portugal Basketball Festival.
About Teon and Why HeWas Chosen?
Teon is about to be 25 years old and comes from Indianapolis, Indiana. Coach Chris Horton had this to say about Teon, “Great basketball performance, incredibly engaged in learning Argentinian culture, always applying newly learned Spanish, decked out in Argentina gear the whole trip, constantly engaging any person or group we met.” That sounds about 100% exactly like the mission and purpose of SAWUSA. Our tours are about sports, and much more!
Donald Simms - Guest of the Year
Honorable Mention
- LaQuita Shaw-Burnette was nominated for doing all the little helpful things when needed.
- Brandon Kennedy was nominated specifically for live streaming every game.
- Wade Sparks got a shout out for being a positive influence to everyone, not just his own kid.
About Donald and Why He Was Chosen?
Donald came on tour with his 14 year old son Donovan. They are from Maryland. SAWUSA’s Mike Spinner who was on tour with him said simply, “He was fantastic”. Donald, and Donovan, embraced the mission and purpose of our tour. Some parents try to snowplow everything to clear the path for their kids success. Other parents do what Donald did and see each opportunity they make available for the kid as something that can help the child grow and develop. We love seeing this! The Simms were active pre and post trip in building excitement around the opportunity.
Gerald Stansbury - Coach of the Year
Honorable Mention
- Chris Horton – This was the hardest selection. I simply just didn’t want to make it a tie. Chris Horton did the same thing as Gerald Stansbury. He moved from Coach to Tour Manager. He was an awesome communicator and great tour coach. His trip was college kids with few few parents, so we gave the nod to Gerald. But in my book, both were Coach of the Year.
- Ray-Maurice Edwards did an awesome job on his third SAWUSA tour and also won Gold at the PBF.
- Coaches Brandon Averitt and Jake Hinckley also got a nomination and won Gold at the UWG.
About Gerald and Why He Was Chosen?
Gerald is a high school coach in Maryland and finished his second SAWUSA tour. He did the United World Games in 2023 and the Costa Rica Adventure Tour this summer. He made the leap from Coach to Tour Manager and did it splendidly. We appreciated his work pre-trip in setting up a tryout camp and communicating with athletes and parents prior to traveling. On tour he was a calming presence to a group with an equal mix of parents and athletes. Trips are smooth when coaches are good. Gerald was selfless and a good communicator.