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Sport's rising stars given a shot at career development

A game-changing dual career programme is offering the sporting stars of the future a serious shot at long-term success.

The groundbreaking Niners Pathway provides aspiring basketball players from across the UK and beyond with a unique route into the professional game.

And with the emphasis on combining on-court skills with off-court employability, bosses at Super League Basketball club Surrey 89ers hope to deliver the blueprint for sustainable player development.

“The professional game within this country needs to understand its responsibility to growing basketball,” insists Surrey 89ers head coach, Lloyd Gardner.

“We’re trying to grow the game in any way that we can. Whether that's with a workforce, whether that's with officials, whether that's with coaching, whether it's with spectators and fans or whether that’s on the commercial side — we have a duty to support the sport’s evolution.

“But helping to develop the level of youth basketball in the UK is key to what we’re trying to achieve.

“Crucially, the Niners Pathway introduces career mentoring from our current players — they talk about the routes that they've followed, what they're able to do now and what they needed to do to get to the level our younger players are aspiring to reach.

“The bigger picture is around developing basketball as a sport in this country. The better the base, the better the level of professional players coming into our game.

“And once we start to produce a better level of player, the better British basketball becomes in the eyes of the wider world.

“The national team improves, our sport’s profile improves on a global scale and ultimately we are talking about a more commercially sustainable sport that can reinvest in the next generation.”

The Niners Pathway seeks to set the benchmark for the development of British basketball academies nationwide.

Players accepted onto the programme receive a wide range of benefits including access to academic support, on-court development and the opportunity to hone essential life skills.

A focus on team work and communication will better prepare basketball’s future workforce to overcome the challenges faced by previous generations.

And Nedas Cholivinskas (pictured), a Great Britain Under 20 international of Lithuanian descent, believes he’s in the right place at the right time as far as his career development is concerned.

“From day one the Niners Pathway meant I could train with the professionals and I immediately understood what it took to compete at that level,” explains one of Surrey’s fastest-rising stars and a product of the club’s evolving player pathway.

“Lloyd and Dan [Clark, General Manager, Surrey 89ers] are really locked in when it comes to developing youth basketball and from day one I knew I’d be taken care of.

“I’ve learnt to be mentally strong and not to allow the negative side of professional sport affect me.

“I’m in a great place to play basketball but off the court I’m not allowed to be dragged down by bad thoughts.

“Surrey’s player pathway has prepared me for the challenges of the professional game and I’ve made some incredible friends along the way.”

The Niners’ Under 19 offering sits across two different institutions — Merrist Wood College and Three Rivers Academy.

If a student-athlete wants to progress on to higher education, the club has forged a longstanding partnership with the University of Surrey.

Coach Gardner is well aware that the majority of budding basketball players won’t reach the top level. But many retain a passion for the game and Surrey are keen to keep those individuals invested in a sport that continues to grow across the UK.

“Only a very small number of young people in any sport make it through to become professionals and earn a living playing the game,” he adds.

“But there are many positive stories of players who go on to the commercial side, the front office, strength and conditioning, the performance side, coaching and officiating.

“There are aspects of the Niners Pathway programme that we're actively looking to develop in order to keep basketball people in basketball.”

For more information on the Niners Pathway click here.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Simon Rushworth .