ESPN

Wednesday is a busy night on the Dallas basketball calendar with the Mavericks playing host to Denver and the D-League’s Texas Legends venturing into the playoffs for the first time in franchise history, but there’s more hoops to be found at the Dallas Film Festival as an early evening appetizer for either game.

New York-based filmmaker Anne Buford’s documentary “ELEVATE” -- which follows the journey of four West African teenagers who leave home for American prep schools through a program founded by former Mavericks director of scouting Amadou Fall – will be screened Wednesday at 5 p.m. at the Landmarks Magnolia Theatre.

It is the second local screening of “ELEVATE,” which was filmed over four years to follow the foursome from Fall’s native Senegal as they moved to the United States as part of the “SEEDS” program (Sports for Education and Economic Development in Senegal) in hopes of landing college scholarships and perhaps even playing their way on the NBA’s radar.

Fall spent more than a decade in the Mavericks’ front office after his 1998 arrival, ultimately rising to director of player personnel and vice president of international affairs, before accepting a job last year in the NBA’s new South Africa office in Johannesburg as vice president of development. A handful of SEEDS alumni are projected next fall to either be starting or playing significant minutes for schools such as Washington, Syracuse, Virginia, Alabama and Louisville.

Buford is the sister of San Antonio Spurs president and general manager R.C. Buford.

More information on the documentary can be found at elevatethemovie.com or via its Twitter feed (@elevatemovie). Click here to visit the films page at the Dallas Film Festival.

BOISE, Idaho -- Mavericks director of scouting Amadou Fall, who normally would be part of Dallas’ annual contingent here at the D-League Showcase, has officially accepted the league’s offer to help launch new NBA offices in the South African capital of Johannesburg.

The Mavs, though, have not yet decided if they will seek an immediate replacement for Fall, who had a key role in the drafting of prized Mavs rookie Rodrigue Beaubois and spent more than a decade with the franchise.

Their traveling party in Boise is sizable even without the popular Fall, headed by Mavs president of basketball operations Donnie Nelson. Also here: Mavs assistant general manager Keith Grant, veteran scout Dick Baker and two representatives from the D-League franchise coming to the Dallas suburb of Frisco next season which Nelson co-owns: Spud Webb from the front office and coach Nancy Lieberman.

League officials pursued the Senegal native for the South African post for some time and were determined to hire Fall, who has already served as a lead ambassador for the league on numerous "Basketball Without Borders" community outreach trips to the region.

The D-League Showcase brings all 16 teams in the league to one venue to play two games each in a four-day span, watched by representatives from virtually ever NBA team.

This week's Weekend Dime details the NBA's attempts to hire away Mavericks director of scouting Amadou Fall to run the league's new offices coming soon in Africa.

The Senegal native has been a trusted advisor to Mavs owner Mark Cuban and president of basketball operations Donnie Nelson for much of the decade and played a key role in the selection of prized rookie guard Rodrigue Beaubois in the June draft.

The Weekend Dime can be found here. An excerpt on the NBA's pursuit of the man known leaguewide as Gallo:

One of the most prominent members of the Mavericks' front-office team has been targeted by the NBA to run its soon-to-open offices in Africa.

Dallas director of scouting Amadou Fall -- who had a key role in the drafting of prized Mavs rookie guard Rodrigue Beaubois and ranks as one of the league's foremost experts on African basketball along with Toronto's Masai Ujiri -- has been offered the opportunity to run the league's new operations in the South African capital of Johannesburg.

The Mavericks declined comment Friday, but league sources say that the NBA is determined to land the Senegal native, who has already served as a lead ambassador for the league on numerous "Basketball Without Borders" community outreach trips to the region.