A few weeks ago I sent out an email trying to gauge if anyone would be interested in a pro basketball tour of Europe, mainly England hitting up some of the pro teams and getting some games against them. This basketball tour will give players exposure into the English and Scottish leagues which is a great stepping stone into bigger basketball clubs in Europe. What better way to be seen than to actually play against pro teams!
Options 1. Individually placing people with teams
The first option is the easiest and that would be for me to place you with a team in England to play summer league games. The teams that I will be able to put you in are division 2 and 3 teams. Most teams over summer play in the one summer league where games are scheduled either home or away.
PROS
- Get to be embedded with an already established team.
- You get to know the coaching staff and their systems.
- By being embedded into the team the coaching staff get to see how well you perform on court multiple times,as you will be playing multiple games for them.
- Coaching staff gets to see how well you gel with the team.
- Training facilities at your disposal.
- Get to know other members of the team such as club president, team manager, sponsors who can influence a coach’s decision.
CONS
- Coaches might stick to the roster and bury you on the bench which means you might see limited/ no minutes on the floor.
- If your game doesn’t fit their system you might struggle.
- You might have to rotate as they could be trialling other players.
- If you are a shy person you might feel lonely as most of the players would have come up through the system or have played with each other for awhile.
Option 2. Taking a team over on a pro basketball tour
A team will need to be assembled which requires guards, forwards and centres. Since my first expressions of interest email I got some interest from members outside of Australia. This is something I did not foresee. Getting a team together to be competitive against pro teams might be hard or we could have an issue where we have too many applicants so people will have to miss out.
PROS
- Tour team will be together travelling so making friends will be easy.
- You will get to see some of the tourist sites.
- Will stay as a team in hotels or hostels.
- Guaranteed court time and be on the roster for every game.
- I will be your tour guide and be available 24/7 during the trip for advice and help.
CONS
- Don’t get to develop relationships with pro coaches unless they show interest.
- Not with an actual pro team.
- Team might be mismatched against a professional team if they chose to play their full roster.
- Will play a team once or twice before we move onto the next town to play another team.
- Costs are higher as opposed to joining a pro team directly.
Frequently asked questions (FAQ’s)
I will update this section as I go so please bookmark this page and visit it regularly if you are keen on joining the pro basketball tour.
What date will the pro tour be taking place?
- If you are going to be embedded with a pro team you’ll be leaving July/ August
- If a pro tour team is created we will be meeting in London late August
How long will the pro tour take?
- If you are embedded with a pro team then you will spend 2 to 3 months in UK. This will be at your own expense.
- The pro tour team will be travelling for basketball purposes for 2 weeks.
What countries and cities will we visit?
- If you are embedded into a team then I won’t be able to answer that. It all depends on your team’s schedule. Summer league games in the UK are not locked in until only a week from tip off.
- The pro tour team will be travelling through England visiting towns with mid to large pro basketball programs. There’s a chance that this team will also go to Scotland and France. If enough people are interested in a few months I will come up with an itinerary.
How much will this cost?
- If you are embedded into a pro team then you’ll have costs such as accommodation (maybe a team can help you with this in a room share), food, possibly travel, return ticket from where you live, possibly a visa depending where you are from.
- The pro team will need all the players to make their own way to London. That means the return ticket has to be bought independent to the pro team fees. Pro team fees will be for accommodation, travel expenses (bus and train) and a pro tour team joining fee. What you will have to pay for your food and entertainment such as nights out.
I’m not from Australia can I join the pro basketball tour team?
- Yes, there’s no issue with that. But if you need a visa to travel UK then you will need to be sorted before the trip starts.
How old do I have to be to do either option 1 or 2?
Preferably you will be 18 years old however the minimum is 16 years old. If you are under 18 you will not be allowed to go to bars and night clubs during your downtime.
As I said previously, if you are interested in the pro tour or joining a professional team for the summer please use the contact form to express your interest. Also, bookmark this page and check back regularly for updates.
