International Programs

TURKISH BASKETBALL FEDERATION (TBF)

TBF, a FIBA Top 10 Federation, approached Embassy founder Chris Dial in 2008 with a desire to implement a nationwide developmental program for all players interested in basketball. The goals were clear – teach the next generation of Turkish basketball players while recognizing those with the most potential for producing in their National Team systems in the future. Taking fundamental elements that TBF deemed the most important to their success, we have run a very adaptable camp program in over 50 Turkish cities with anywhere from 100 to 260 participants, depending on facilities.

Leaving no stone unturned in TBF’s pursuit of spreading basketball education to its youth, we also developed a city-to-city camp tour for those who could not attend our larger events. In a series of 3-hour camps that traveled through various cities, anywhere from 30-60 players (per camp) received coaching instruction that otherwise would have been impossible to obtain.

Our camps have also featured coaching clinics, which serve to develop coaches of all levels. Youth, club and senior level coaches in attendance have all benefited from the Embassy’s involvement in Turkey, which included the production and distribution of an instructional video featuring some key fundamental drills and exercises. Helping firm up a relationship with the U.S. Embassy in Ankara as well as the General Consulate's Office in Istanbul has allowed for terrific collaboration between the TBF and the U.S. Department of State. TBE is fortunate to play a significant role in the facilitation of these relationships. 

KOSOVO BASKETBALL FEDERATION (FBK)

In March of 2015, Kosovo was officially adopted into FIBA, becoming their 215th National Member Federation. With this honor, the FBK established unprecedented goals of not just participating but becoming a formidable opponent on the global stage. This required a holistic, big-picture view of their basketball landscape, and ultimately led to their decision to develop an entirely new program. This clean slate approach allowed The Basketball Embassy to truly exhibit our capabilities.

On behalf of The Basketball Embassy, Chris Dial was hired as Kosovo’s Youth National Teams Coordinator and tasked with answering the question, “What is the identity of Kosovo basketball?” With consideration of Kosovo’s history, culture and style, Dial began developing a system to incorporate all of the fundamentals necessary to achieve FBK’s goals. The starting point was to find, select and prepare Kosovo’s U16 Men's team for a FIBA European Championship Division C tournament in July. In only a few months, Dial’s progress was self-evident, as his team claimed a silver medal in Kosovo’s first ever formal FIBA appearance. In just a year's time, TBE influenced the addition of a youth women's program, not only adding a U18 Men's Team, but also a U16 and U18 Women's Team. The Youth National Team Program that TBE was carrying out advanced the U16 Men from the previous summer's inaugural appearance in the C division to the very competitive 24 team B Division in Europe. Despite predictions that Kosovo, the new kids on the block, finishing in the last tier of the tournament, TBE was able to help those young men achieve a 14th place finish, solidifying their place in that tournament for the next year. 

TBE operates in cities throughout Kosovo and runs practices alongside local coaches, guiding them as part of the overall development plan for FBK. On the administrative side, we have written proposals for youth development projects for FIBA and the United State's State Department, one of which has been approved with funding. We continue working on streamlining that program for U14 kids to increase the scope of our existing plans. The Basketball Embassy’s involvement in Kosovo has truly been immersive, and we encourage you to CONTACT US for any additional information or questions not covered here.

ROMANIAN BASKETBALL FEDERATION (FRB)

Embassy founder Chris Dial helped FRB launch their Performbaschet program in 2011. This annual camp unites U14 players from all over Romania, developing individual skills and teaching team concepts, including offensive sets and principles of defense. Each summer, 80-120 players (boys and girls) along with 12-20 coaches attend Performbaschet with the goal of helping identify themselves within their National team system. 

TBE has run a number of clinics for FRB and its coaches all over the country. We have now run camps in multiple cities in Romania and continue to widen our scope as our alumni of coaches and players in the country grows. 

BULGARIAN BASKETBALL FEDERATION (BFB)

The Basketball Embassy began working with BFB in the Summer of 2015, with the goal of starting a program similar to Performbaschet in Romania. They desired this platform to become a series of camps throughout the year for their top U16 players participating in the FIBA European Championships the following year. Following a large coaching clinic in Sofia (featuring Chris Dial lecturing), we ran the first camp in the series in September 2015 for 20 boys, 20 girls and 8 coaches that the federation had selected as the future of their national team system. This elite camp combined individual skill development with team structure and concepts like spacing and timing, in addition to nightly clinics for the coaching staff. The relationship between the BFB and TBE remains strong. Along with Kosovo, Romania, and Macedonia, Bulgaria participated in a 2-year project supported by FIBA Europe's Youth Development Fund (YDF). Bulgaria continues to utilize TBE to help advance their coaches and players in pursuit of their national basketball related goals. 

Macedonian Basketball Federation (BFM)

In the Spring of 2016, The Basketball Embassy (TBE) began discussions with the Macedonian Basketball Federation about beginning a Coaches Development and Mentoring Program. The project would tie into the youth basketball initiatives that the Federation's new administration was beginning to implement. TBE would provide 2 Youth National Team Coaches to lead 2 different delegations in the European Championships.

In June and July, Macedonia saw two Coaches from the United States come over and manage their teams respectively, from the final selection process all the way through the final game of the tournament. The coaches provided valuable feedback throughout the process to the 4 local coaches that they worked alongside of. Additionally, TBE provided player feedback and general suggestions for growth and development in the future. The Macedonian Federation established themselves as an extremely forward-thinking and progressive partner in development as they took some incredible steps in reestablishing what has historically been a great basketball culture.

TBE is excited about the opportunity to work continuously with the Macedonians and build a long-term functional relationship in our quest to see Macedonian basketball climb to the top while effectively establishing a basketball identity for their country. The coaches and players involved in this mentoring program provided great feedback on their experience and look forward to continuing with TBE.

FIBA Europe Youth Development Project

FIBA Europe is introduced one of the most innovative development strategies in the world as they unveiled a multi-country youth basketball program and outsourced the basketball curriculum to The Basketball Embassy (TBE). We were honored and humbled at the opportunity to play a leadership role in this unique coordination of basketball and culture. The program featured a selection of 60 players and 12 coaches in 4 different countries that featured a camp series as well as friendly matches and coaching clinics over the next 2 years. 2016 and 2017 saw Turkey play the role of a "big brother" to Romania, Bulgaria, Macedonia and Kosovo. Players and coaches in this project also had the opportunity to attend and participate in an international camp and clinic the Romania hosted in the first year and Bulgaria hosted in the second year. 

Supported by the FIBA Europe Youth Development Fund, this project not only aimed at strengthening an entire generation of players and coaches in the participating countries, it also strengthened cross-country and cross-cultural relationships in these countries as well. FIBA Europe continues to be a leader in efforts to support its members both on and off the court and TBE is proud to participate in these initiatives by providing coaching, mentoring, instruction and guidance throughout. This initial 2-year project served as a pilot program and laid the groundwork for similar projects to be executed in other parts of Europe and the World in the future.