US or UK? BE seeking feedback on student basketball pathways

Basketball England wants to build an educational picture of the student basketball experience in the US and UK for young players - through feedback from those who have gone through the systems before them.

BE, in partnership with TASS (Talented Athlete Support Scheme), will shortly be commencing a research project that aims to explore the experiences of players and perceptions around the US collegiate and UK university player pathways.

This project includes unravelling the ‘American Dream’ concept and understanding the decision-making processes that different populations of players go through. The research will have four focus areas:

1. Perceptions of the US collegiate route within the Aspire, England Talent Programme and England Development Programme.
2. Experiences of players that have migrated to the US Collegiate system and either transferred colleges/re-migrated back to the UK.
3. Experiences/outcomes of players that have completed their studies in the US (Post-USA).
4. Mapping and understanding the UK University experience.

The resulting information will then be converted into educational material for players and parents so that informed decisions can be made in the best interests of their academic and basketball ambitions.

Charlie Ford (Talent Programme and Pathway Manager) said:

"We have a duty of care to our players to provide them with information and guidance that supports a dual career pathway being followed. This project will enable us learn from the experiences players have had in both UK and US programmes and use that information to produce guidance documentation and seminars for players and parents as they enter the sport/Talent programmes for the first time."

Dr Emma Vickers (National Lead – Research) said:

"The Research Team at TASS is thrilled to be working with Basketball England on an exciting new project exploring the US collegiate route. It is great to work with an organisation that is committed to finding the best ways of equipping and supporting athletes through their dual careers. The US Collegiate route is becoming an increasingly popular option and it is important we understand what this journey looks like for basketballers so that players can make informed decisions about their dual career paths. At TASS, we are ideally placed to conduct this research, and are keen to get started."

As part of the project Basketball England would like to hear from any players that are/or have followed the US collegiate route and who would like to be involved in sharing their experience.

Please note that involvement in the project will be conducted under complete confidentially and responses will be anonymised.

If you would like to take part in the project, please email [email protected].