For many, basketball serves as a life-enriching pursuit. It can provide athletic and character building opportunities, and is frequently a much needed escape from circumstances that provide significant hardship. The Basketball Embassy's programs and services aim to provide basketball players and coaches across nations, cultures, and backgrounds with a platform for success in the game of life.
ONGOING Programs
TBE Youth Ambassadors
At TBE, we believe that we are all ambassadors—not only to the game of basketball, but to every label we fall under as individuals. Every man and woman is an ambassador to the larger group of men and women, because every interaction with one leads to a perception of the group as a whole. Our Youth Ambassador program strives to reach disadvantaged youth with life lessons like these in an environment where they’re most receptive: a basketball court.
The process of improving in both sports and life is a journey inward and outward. The drive and focus to work hard regardless of recognition or immediate results; the balance to manage swings of emotion; the confidence to take your next shot after missing your last—these are all internal skills. External skills deal with how we interact with people. Listening to others and acknowledging them, using words of encouragement, receiving praise and criticism in stride, and showing respect to both teammates and opponents alike—these are vital external skills. And they’re not only vital on a basketball court; the relationships that exist with other players, coaches, and referees are mirrored in interactions with friends, family members, coworkers, and authority figures.
The sad truth is that great opportunities are rare for our disadvantaged youth. Our goal is to establish the best habits for our Youth Ambassadors today, with the hope that they can take full advantage of every opportunity that comes their way in the future.
The Youth Ambassadors program is currently implemented in the San Antonio area with Haven For Hope, SAMMinistries, and SA Youth.
TBE Workshop Series
The Basketball Embassy’s Workshop Series was created to supplement existing basketball education year-round, wherever it is needed. They’re a highly adaptable model that typical span from one to three days, covering everything from basic principles to reinforcement of a player’s own team systems as decided by their coach.
For more information, visit this our TBE Workshops page.
CAmps
TBE conducts various camps throughout North America and overseas for youth, intermediate, and elite basketball players. Our camps assist athletes in reaching their greatest potential on and off the basketball court. Campers receive training and instruction in both individual and team settings, in addition to strength and conditioning components integral to their success. Our camp curriculum aims to not only improve individuals as players, but as human beings within the global community.
Our flagship camp is our annual Assembly, a week-long convocation of select basketball players and coaches from around the world.
Coaching clinics
TBE is proud to offer coaching clinics that share the insights of coaches from all over the world. Their collective experiences provide unique ways of teaching and approaching the game of basketball. Our clinics are designed to share these tactics and philosophies amongst each other to cultivate an environment of continuous learning and growth. This dissemination knowledge is a critical component of improving basketball globally.
After the completion of our clinics, coaches receive TBE certification.
CONSULTING and Hands-On instruction
Through contacts and connections established across the globe, TBE works with national federations, professional organizations, international club teams, college/university programs, high school and middle school programs, community organizations, and underprivileged youth in whatever capacity is needed to promote growth both on a structural and technical level. Our goal is to help programs and organizations with whatever is needed in their endeavors including but not limited to partnerships for grant-funded programs.
global Exchange programs
With TBE coaches and athletes all over the world, we have a unique ability to create opportunities for coaches and players to travel and experience what basketball is like in other countries. We serve as facilitators in organizing exchanges for overseas travel, and host athletes from all over the world in Texas.
History
The Basketball Embassy (TBE) formally began in the summer of 2014, a culmination of ideas that came to fruition that November. A relationship between TBE founder Chris Dial and the Turkish Basketball Federation (TBF) flourished from its humble beginnings in 2008 and grew into a unique relationship founded on a mutual respect for basketball and its ability to empower people across cultures.
While coaching high school basketball in Texas, Dial spent his summers abroad, teaching players and coaches all over Turkey under the umbrella of the TBF’s grassroots programs. In 2012, Chris assumed a head coaching role with the TBF and began working closely with their administration on developing a streamlined fundamental basketball curriculum that combined technical components with the intangible elements necessary to be a successful student-athlete. Fast forward to the present, and this curriculum has become the basis of what The Basketball Embassy uses for player, team, and program development. It is currently employed by several different National Basketball Federations worldwide.
TBE seeks to serve these Federations in various ways, maintaining a holistic and adaptable approach relevant to each new relationship it builds. From a fundamental level, TBE believes that we’re not only in the business of creating good basketball players and coaches; we’re establishing great ambassadors to the global game of basketball. It is this component of our mission statement that has established TBE as a legitimate and viable partner to other agencies and organizations that are involved in sports diplomacy projects and endeavors. It is the sports diplomacy element that we see as our most effective and long-lasting method of leaving a footprint wherever we work as an organization moving forward.
National Federations
The following National Federations have been terrific allies in TBE's quest to grow and develop better basketball worldwide. We are proud to be working with these governing bodies of basketball in their country/region to establish or enhance their respective basketball identities. Learn More
CLUB TEAMS / ORGANIZATIONS
TBE is working with the following clubs and organizations in their pursuit of developing players, coaches, teams, and programs through advanced curriculum. We take great pleasure in watching them progress and experience more success each year.
SUPPORTERS
No matter how big or small, any support we receive is vital in allowing The Basketball Embassy to achieve its goals. From corporate sponsors to affiliate support, we'd like to recognize those who have helped us get to where we are and keep us moving forward.