THE IMPORTANCE OF MAXIMISING YOUNG ATHLETES' POTENTIAL
And how British Basketball has the chance to boom in the next decade
Young people have experienced an over-saturation of distractions in recent years
The many who choose sport to be their avenue in life have found it difficult to attain their dream of being a professional athlete, largely being attributed to the fact that to be an elite sportsperson you have to be the best of the best and extremely disciplined.
When you look at all the distractions young people face, whether its menial hobbies like scrolling through purpose-built social media algorithms, or more serious issues such as antisocial activities, gang culture and crime, it's no wonder so many struggle to maximise their potential.
These more serious barriers to success are particularly prominent in basketball because it has always been popular in under-developed urban areas, where these issues are front and centre.
According to a Statista report from 2024, basketball is the second most popular team sport among 5-16 year olds. This aligns with an older, more credible Department of Media, Communication and Sport Taking Part Survey from 2009, which also had basketball as the second most popular among 11-15 year olds, trailing only football.
These high participation numbers can become problematic when you look at availability and cost of courts as well as opportunities to play organised games being much less than other sports. This is when the temptation of turning to the streets can become a real issue for young players.
This is why it has become increasingly important to give a voice to the youth, who can feel so misguided and under-represented in the media. I got the chance to speak with Andre Arissol, professional basketball player with Solent Kestrels who recently launched a youth development hub - Restore. When asked to describe Restore in one sentence, he said:
“Reversing the excellence pathway for young people to achieve the same”
Arissol, 29, was born in Northampton and always had a passion for basketball. When asked why he originally started his Restore initiative he said:
“There was also the personal reason of when I was growing up, I felt like in this country, I didn’t get everything that was needed to make the professional level and what my dreams were. And when I went to America, I started to see what was really out there in terms of what’s possible and how to develop the right way. And now that I’ve come back, I also see a lot of young kids and athletes that want to do the same and travel the path that I did. I feel like it's my responsibility to be that gap for them and provide what I know and what I’ve learned and bring it to them so that they can go on to do the same or if not better.”
He added:
“But also, the climate of our world, there was a moment when, antisocial behaviour, gang culture, meant that a lot of talented kids that could be professional in any sport but in basketball specifically, a lot of them are being drawn to the streets just because of lack of resources. So, I wanted to make sure that high level elite culture is available to them so that they choose basketball over something that easy like the streets.”
Andre faced the same challenges growing up that he is now helping the next generation to overcome. One of the ways he was able to reach the top was by completing revamping his mindset. He spoke about some of the best pieces of advice he got when he was coming through, one from ex Team GB player Conor Washington who said:
"Nobody cares, keep working harder"
Arissol continued: "It's very easy to compare yourself to everyone around you, but the eyes aren’t on you, you’re not that special where everyone’s always watching what you’re doing – they’re going to judge you whether you fail or whether you succeed either way. Nobody cares, keep working hard."
I spoke with Gary Burts, a basketball coach from Northampton, but also father to Everly, who has been attending some of Andre's workshops.
Gary said:
"Although I've played the game, having someone who's still doing it a high level, being able to tap into his ideas, the philosophies that he has from his teams, it's been great for me, but brilliant for my daughter."
He continued:
"This week just gone actually, she had a cup final and Andre and her had a phone call where they talked about how to deal with your emotions, how to control the game, that kind of thing has been great."
Having mentors in the community, to pass on their wisdom is exactly what British Basketball needs if they want to stand out in the next decade.
She has also had some one to one skill sessions, as Gary and Andre knew each other from working together a few years ago, at Northampton School for Boys.
Gary said these sessions were a great help with her game, and they've clearly been working as Everly has been playing up to the under-14s level, despite only being 11.
It's obviously not just players who are helping the next generation, as coaches will always be the main outlet for young players to channel their goals through.
I had a great chat with Bournemouth University head coach, and owner of Dronyk Skills Coaching, Lucas Dronyk, about his basketball story and what led him to be a coach.
He started by saying his inspiration to get into the game was his dad, Michael, who played for Duke University in North Carolina, and then moved into coaching.
Lucas spoke about basketball always being in his life, but after moving from Vancouver, Canada over to the UK, how he did try other sports like rugby and football, but couldn't find the same joy, so he returned to basketball despite there being less opportunities.
Sadly, Lucas' father Michael passed away from a long battle with cancer in 2023, but Lucas wants to fulfil his father's dream for him to grow British basketball.
Interview with Lucas at charity event
Interview with Lucas at charity event
I spoke with Lucas at his annual fundraiser for Prostate Cancer UK, in honour of his dad, about the best advice he ever received regarding harnessing excellence in his players. He said:
"Patience. Patience is one thing, again my dad talked about, in the sense of every player is different, some players have a lot of confidence, some would push on arrogance, which happens, and some people are a little more shy to playing basketball and its having the patience with everyone, knowing that not everyone is the same, so you have to develop everyone differently"
When asked what brings him the most joy in his job, he said:
“Watching the positivity of the players, for me it, I everyone loves winning it’s a competitive sport, everyone loves that, but seeing how individuals develop, seeing how each player works on their skill and even if we lose a game but they’re excited that they scored more points than they usually do little things like that, that’s what brings me joy to the game.”
The way forward for young people will require great determination and willpower, but with role models like Andre, Gary and Lucas involved, you can only be optimistic for the future.
Built with Shorthand