Omaha Westside senior and Creighton commit London Dada capped a busy summer by traveling to Salt Lake City, Utah, for Damian Lillard’s annual Formula Zero Elite Camp.
The camp ran Aug. 12-16 and invited 15 of the top high school players and 15 college counselors for a week of competition and learning.
“It was a really big honor, being one of the 15 people that they selected to have a one-of-a-kind experience that not a lot of people get to have,” Dada told Hurrdat Sports. “I was really grateful for that.”
London Dada shoots a 3-pointer. Photo by Jackson D. Luethje.
Dada wasn’t the only native Nebraskan the selection committee chose for the camp. Lincoln Southeast alumnus Bangot Dak (Vanderbilt) and former Omaha Bryan Bear A’mare Bynum (Ohio State) were among the 15 college players chosen as counselors as well.
“It was super cool,” Dada said. “I was looking at the rosters when the list first came out and it was shocking. It was good to see just two great players from Nebraska were going to be there with me. It was a lot of fun. By the end of the week, I got to know most people pretty well, but it was good to have some people that I already knew going into the weekend, just to make conversation and stuff like that.”
According to Dada, the camp featured daily group breakfast and devotionals; opportunities to hear from Lillard’s friends, mentors, former teammates and coaches; morning skill sessions and night sessions of live play. At the center of all of it was Lillard himself as the Portland Trail Blazers point guard and future Naismith Hall of Fame inductee was hands-on throughout the camp.
“It was great to see him put all this money and time into the camp and to not just be there, but to be really present, hands-on and just take it and take it seriously,” Dada said. “I’m sure some people would host the camp, but they wouldn’t be as connected to the players. He talked to pretty much everybody, got to know everybody, so it was really cool to have someone that important, that big, just being able to be there for you.”
Dada also brought home some hardware back to Omaha after earning camp MVP among the high school group.
“When they called out my name, I was pretty surprised,” Dada said. “I knew I played pretty well, but I didn’t think I played like that or anything. It was different because playing with a different group of people, to go from being on the ball more and being more of a total scorer to back to being a wing, it was great. Playing with really good guards and playing with a good big being that can get me open with screens, it was good to play in a different system than I did even at Westside or in the summer.”
2026 Formula Zero MVP’s‼️@robertwr1ght & @londondada_ #TheFormula 🧪 pic.twitter.com/xiFEYlY3K0
— Formula Zero (@frmlazro) August 16, 2026
Dada said his favorite part of the camp was the five-on-five during the second and third days of camp.
“I felt like the first day everyone was like still kind of nervous or just getting used to it, but second or third day, it was really good games,” Dada said. “People got comfortable, so they showed what they could do best. It was good to play against a bunch of people that are super high level and just play some super high-level games.”
In addition to the competition, Dada said his takeaways from the experience centered on accountability.
“They talked a lot about character and accountability, so just wherever I go, just making sure that I’m a player that people want to be around, whether that’s my teammates or my coaches, and then just holding myself accountable,” Dada said. “Taking days off is good to rest your body but making sure you do all the hard stuff that you have to do to make sure you can get where you want to be.”
The camp capped a summer that saw the 6-foot-8 wing commit to Creighton, put together a strong grassroots season with Nebraska Supreme on the Puma PRO16 circuit, earn PRO16 Breakout Player of the Year and climb to No. 78 in the 247Sports rankings for the class of 2027. He led Supreme with 16.5 points and 6.4 rebounds per game while shooting 51.6% from the field (41.9% from 3) and 81% from the free-throw line for a squad that finished 25-5 between the spring and summer.
“I had a better summer than I thought I would have,” Dada said. “I was super blessed to come back and play Puma with a bunch of my friends that I grew up playing with. That was one of the best basketball experiences I’ve had this summer, so that was a lot of fun. And then just playing super well in the circuit, getting those awards, that really helped build my confidence and just prove to myself that I’m a good player and I can play against good-level people. Getting out to that camp was a great way to end off the summer. I didn’t envision going to anything like that or doing anything like that, so I was really blessed. I really had a good time.”
A benefit of committing to the local school is Dada’s proximity to the program. He’s already attended multiple practices to see his future coaches in action and to get a feel for what next year will be like, and once his senior season is over, he plans to take full advantage of the resources available to him in downtown Omaha.
“I’m already super young for my grade, so by the time June comes around next year, I’ll still be 17,” Dada said. “It’s just good to give myself extra opportunities to just get ahead … As soon as my season’s over, I can be on campus from March until June when I have to report. It just gives me four months to just work on my craft and get more familiar with what Creighton wants to do and what they want me to do, so I was really blessed about that part.”
As excited as Dada is about his future with the Bluejays, his immediate focus is on the Warriors and what he can do to lead Westside to a state championship in March.
“I’ll do whatever Westside needs me to do,” Dada said. “I’m not really focused on anything for Creighton until the season’s over. Until after the state tournament, it’s all going to be about Westside and what I have to do to help Westside be the best team and be the best player I can be for Westside. And then after that, then I’ll shift and I’ll work on what Creighton wants me to do.”
