Never has basketball academies been popular in Australia as it is now. There are more than 5 basketball academies in Victoria along with a host of high schools with basketball programs. With all basketball academies charging fees of thousands of dollars and some charging upwards of 20K a year; the questions needs to be asked, are basketball academies worth the money they charge?
I’m about to sound like an old grandpa here with his war time stories, but here goes. When I was a young man playing basketball basketball academies were non existent in Australia. If there were academies they were not well known. If you were any good at basketball in my day you were selected to go to the AIS (Australian Institute of Sport). Players at the AIS for the most part developed to be good basketball players but not great! Yes, I said it.
The AIS was good at producing NBL players but during my generation of basketball none of the AIS basketball attendees made it to the NBA. This despite all the funding and best coaching in the country. Still wasn’t able to generate at least 1 NBA player. However, if you look at the US college system and kids in my generation you have Andrew Bogut (pick 1 in NBA draft) and Luke Schshner to name a couple. Why am I struggling to remember any that came from the AIS program? Probably because there weren’t any.
Some people might fight me on this but I class the AIS as a basketball academy. Just in case you were wondering why I brought the AIS up.
Basketball academies in Europe however have been running for decades. I remember a meeting a shooting coach from the former Yugoslavia that played for the national team in it’s hay day. He mentioned to me about attending a basketball academy in the 70’s.
Basketball Academies in Australia
Basketball academies in Australia have sprouted up out of nowhere in the last 10 years. By my count there a 5 major basketball academies in Melbourne. Some of these have had great success in getting kids in to US college teams. One particular academy, which will remain nameless in this article, has had great success in getting kids full ride scholarships.
The academies in Australia tend to follow the same template. You attend morning training sessions with a coach(s) and they will run you through drills. Usually you will be bundled into a groups with players of the same age, there maybe up to 3 years difference. The skill work usually run for months with a final showcase game that all academy attendees play in.
The attendees of the academy is broken into two teams whom play each other. All the while the game is getting recorded for highlight footage of each player. The showcase game is seen by coaches around the world, most of them college coaches in USA. This I must say is a great way of gaining exposure!
The basketball academies in Australia range in price from a few thousand dollars to around $20,000 a year. It’s not cheap! Prices include trainings, some gear to wear and recruiting videos.
Basketball Academies in Europe
Basketball Academies in Europe are a lot more involved than the academies here in Australia. Most incorporate international basketball players with the option of accomodation and meals. These camps are on a full time training basis with your whole day mapped out around food, basketball and rest. Nothing else!
Yes, there are academies that very much align to what we have in Australia. For example there’s a multitude of basketball academies in England that coach kids on a part time basis.
Both options of basketball academies in Europe are well run with knowledgeable coaches and staff. Most have good facilities and equipment at your disposal. I don’t really want to dive into the details of how the academies are run as this article then will go off on a tangent. Maybe it’s something I need to consider writing about in the near future. For now if you are interested Google “Basketball Academies Europe”
Prior to writing this article I did’t know a lot about basketball academies in Europe as I have purposely stayed away from them. More than Australia, these academies are businesses making a wad of cash from young basketball hopefuls. In other words if you have the cash you can attend these academies and the cost can be pretty astronomical. Only the rich can attend. If you are a follower of this blog and know me personally, my aim is to prevent basketball from being a sport only for the rich. Hell, the moto of this blog is “Our vision is to help every basketball player no mater what background or financial status”. Unfortunately, these academies do not share this same vision.
How to chose the right basketball academy
There’s a number of items you want to check off when choosing the basketball academy for you.
- How successful have they been at placing basketball players in college/ pro teams?
- What’s the experience of the coaches and staff that run the academy?
- Is there feedback from previous players that attended the academy?
- What’s the cost? What do you get for the money you are going to spend?
If you ask these 4 questions and the answers do not help you make up your mind up 100%, then that academy isn’t for you.
My final thoughts on basketball academies
Basketball academies are a great option if you want exposure without having to do the recruiting and the rest of the leg work yourself. It is even better for those basketball players with the lack of motivation to work hard and improve ones skills. If you chose the right academy your chances of being recruited into a college or pro team is very high.
But, in my opinion; and it’s just my opinion that I am voicing right now. Why would you spend tens of thousands of dollars on something you can do yourself? Follow my thinking here. For drills and expert advice, you can consult YouTube. Get a group of like minded friends together that have the same dream you do and work out at your local stadium everyday. The recruiting can be done by yourself or alternatively attending a basketball camp in USA such as Ball Stars where the exposure to college coaches will be way more than any academy here in Australia, or even possibly Europe.
