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Spanish basketball: a key pathway for young Baltic talent seeking international exposure

Article authored by Viesturs Deksnis.

A month ago, the sports portal Sportacentrs.com published an article stating that in the 2024/2025 season, 38 Latvians, including three female coaches, represent teams in the United States. Among them, 12 young athletes – six boys and six girls – will compete in the NCAA Division I. The participation of young Latvian players in basketball systems abroad is no surprise, and pursuing opportunities to develop their talents in the U.S. is becoming increasingly popular. Interestingly, Spain has often served as an intermediate step for reaching the U.S.

As is well known, Latvian star and current NBA champion Kristaps Porzingis also took his first serious steps toward basketball’s pinnacle in Spain. What exactly does the Spanish basketball system offer, and what opportunities does the U.S. open up for European youth? To answer these questions, we interviewed Ionut Georgescu, Technical Director of the Lucentum Alicante club in the Valencia region. Georgescu previously worked closely with former Latvian national team head coach Ainars Bagatskis during his time at the Romanian club Voluntari.

As you’ve already shared on your social media accounts, Lucentum Alicante has launched a basketball hub, publicly announcing that the starting line-up includes 25 organizations from 24 countries. I’ve noticed that this seems to cover the majority of the European Union member states. My first question is: what is the purpose of this initiative, and how will it work in practice? What practical steps will you take to implement it?

First of all, thank you very much for this opportunity to express our thoughts about the Lucentum Basketball Hub project. The idea for the project started with me and Asier Alonso, our Sports Director, when we began to see the enormous potential of promoting Spanish basketball brands and linking our organization to others worldwide. Even though Lucentum may not have the global recognition of a name like Madrid or Barcelona – which are, of course, on a different level altogether – we noticed that Spanish basketball as a whole commands significant interest and respect internationally.

Photo: Asier Alonso, Sports Director of the Lucentum Alicante / fundacionlucentum.com

It doesn’t matter if you’re talking to someone from Tanzania, China, or Australia – Spanish basketball gets attention. This led us to start one-on-one collaborations with federations and clubs. However, we soon realized that such collaborations, while valuable, are limited in scope by time, resources, and scheduling constraints. For instance, in a single year, two international parties may only manage to organize one camp, one tournament, or a few virtual meetings.

Inspired by the idea that “the smartest person in the room is the room itself,” we decided to create a hub that brings together all our collaborators and friends, allowing us to not only work directly with each of them but also to facilitate connections between them. The aim is to foster global collaboration in basketball by bringing together representatives from all continents. While we’re currently missing Australia, we’re confident this will change soon. Basketball is a global sport, and we need to think outside the box, learning how other regions and cultures face their challenges in the sports business industry.

The core concept of the hub is built around five key pillars, each addressing a critical aspect of development.

The first is networking. Without networking, it’s hard to achieve much. You can have the best ideas or even large amounts of money, but without contacts and relationships, it’s impossible to engage with people who can support, advise, or collaborate on projects. Networking is, therefore, the foundation of this initiative.

The second is education. This is arguably the most important pillar. Regardless of whether you belong to a EuroCup club, Champions League club, or a federation, everyone needs to continuously educate their staff and players to improve the level of their organization. This focus on education will help us develop not only the quality of play but also operational and managerial standards.

The third is events what play a vital role in this initiative, offering a platform for collaboration and business development. These include tournaments, camps, and coaching clinics, as well as business exchanges and promotional opportunities. Importantly, these events are not limited to Lucentum’s direct partnerships. The goal is to foster cooperation among all hub members, such as Cedevita, Tampere, Lietkabelis, and Riga’s “Zeļļi.”

The fourth pillar is fundraising, because we all know that any good idea requires financial support to succeed. I believe this initiative aligns well with the European Union’s framework, as we represent countries with many multinational companies conducting business here. With the support of our partners, we can identify companies or businesspeople from each country who are active or investing in Spain. We can then approach these entities to support joint events and collaborations, offering them opportunities for local advertising and services in Spain. At the same time, their contributions will also benefit the clubs and federations in their home countries, thus supporting the development of basketball globally.

This is a straightforward proposal: for every euro contributed, Spain offers fiscal benefits, such as a 40% tax deduction for foundation-supported investments. Additionally, 50% of the funds contributed by a club or federation will be reinvested into our collaborative efforts. These funds can be used to promote Alicante, support recruitment processes, hire personnel, or invite participants to join our Lucentum business community, which currently includes 40 companies.

For example, half of the money a club or federation contributes can be used to: send one young player to Alicante to participate in a tournament or join the lower academy or fund two coaches for shadowing programs, covering their accommodation, flights, and other expenses.

Exchanging players and coaches is the fifth pillar. This pillar focuses on creating opportunities for young players and coaches to gain international exposure. Too often, young players remain limited by their local aspirations, aiming only to play in regional leagues or lower-tier teams. With the hub, we want to expand their horizons by facilitating opportunities for them to join clubs abroad where they can develop further. For instance, a player not yet ready for a EuroCup team might benefit from gaining experience in another league, such as Tampere or Kongsberg Miners, before returning to take on a bigger role. The same applies to coaches, who can gain valuable experience working abroad through the hub’s network.

In practice, the hub will operate by connecting members and sharing resources and expertise. This initiative encourages us to step out of our comfort zones and explore how basketball is managed across different cultures and continents, recognizing that while the game itself may be similar, the business and organizational approaches can vary greatly.

Yes, and I think this is actually a very common and effective approach. Through this hub, we can provide opportunities not only for highly skilled players to develop their talents and pursue successful careers in Spain but also for players who may not yet have reached the level required to compete in top leagues or clubs in Spain. Through this hub, this network, and this community, we can offer them opportunities to play in other countries, possibly at a lower level, but still giving them the chance to play. Without playing time, development is simply not possible.

When you read interviews with top players, you often come across a familiar dilemma: Where should you play? Do you choose a club with a prestigious brand and a good salary but struggle to make the roster, with only two or three minutes of playing time? This situation can negatively impact a player’s development. Alternatively, you could play for a club with a less recognizable brand but secure 15 or 20 minutes of playing time per game. In one or two years, this could allow you to return to a bigger stage and secure a spot on the roster.

Please continue discussing this practical issue.

For now, let me explain how we implement these ideas in practice.

Networking is our first step. We have established a closed WhatsApp group exclusively for hub members, ensuring that the main representatives of each organization have a direct communication channel. In addition, we have a semi-closed LinkedIn group where we can invite external contributors to share relevant content. Unlike the WhatsApp group, the LinkedIn group is open to a wider audience, including staff, guests, and other interested individuals. This dual approach allows us to maintain core communications while also encouraging broader collaboration.

We also plan to hold Zoom calls every two months. While we initially considered monthly calls, we decided this frequency might be difficult to sustain. However, if the response from members is enthusiastic, we might adjust. These calls will serve as a forum to discuss current projects, challenges, expectations, and general information exchange.

Education is another critical component. All hub members have free access to a shared Google Drive platform, where we’ve uploaded an extensive collection of resources. These include materials such as master’s program details, coaching clinic content from over 500 coaches, marketing presentations, case studies, and much more. Members can also contribute their own materials by sharing them with me, and I will ensure they are uploaded for everyone’s benefit.

In addition, we are organizing two online presentations per month featuring guest speakers, specialists, and companies. These sessions will cover various topics, including coaching, sports nutrition, event organization, and youth development. To give you an idea of our plans for the first two months – a presentation from the European Youth Basketball League (EYBL) and its primary event organizer; insights from a sports nutrition specialist; a session by Basketball News and two well-known coaches who will discuss strategies for national teams and youth player development.

We are also starting to promote events, both those we are hosting and others organized by our partners. This includes opportunities for hub members to attend or participate in tournaments, NBA experiences, college games in the USA, and international events like the NBA’s European tour in Paris.

When it comes to fundraising, our approach is twofold. First, we aim to identify international companies operating in the market and connect with them, leveraging the support of our partners. Second, we will encourage these companies to join the hub and promote their services and products to the broader basketball community. This creates a win-win situation where companies benefit from exposure while supporting the development of basketball initiatives.

The exchange of players and coaches is another key pillar. On the Google Drive platform, we’ve created folders for each team, where they can upload ideas, projects, CVs, and other materials. We encourage members to share their suggestions for players or coaches openly, but we also provide an option for private submissions when targeting specific clubs or academies. Transparency and collaboration are central to this process.

Finally, I hope we’ll have the chance to meet in person at live events we plan to organize. One of our primary goals is to achieve representation from every European country and also bring in members from the USA, Canada, Asia, Africa, and Australia by the end of 2025.

It sounds fantastic! I can’t wait to see all of this come to life.

We need to ensure that there is a clear platform for this. For now, we are not planning to have a dedicated platform, but we’ve already received a lot of emails from smaller clubs that would like to join. They can initially participate as guests in specific activities or events. Let’s see if we will eventually create a dedicated website and social media presence for this.

It’s not just about promoting Lucentum’s activities. We are currently working on a new website for Lucentum, which will feature a separate section for the hub, where we will highlight both our activities and those of the hub members. This is all about giving a boost and offering support.

Each club and federation will also promote their own projects through their social media channels. However, I’m thinking less about just promoting and more about taking action. We want to focus on meaningful activities, not just the publicity around them. We aim for good promotion, but ultimately, it’s about really doing things and making progress.

So, speaking of events, I assume you’re planning to organize tournaments, friendly games, and similar activities. When can we expect to see something like that? I believe we’re looking at next year, but do you have a specific idea regarding the format? I imagine it’s difficult to bring all 25 organizations together in one place, but perhaps you’re planning smaller-scale tournaments?

Another question – who are you expecting to participate in these events? Are you focusing on 14-15 year-olds, professionals, or all the players involved in these organizations? What is the level and age range you’re targeting?

We will invite the hub members to the events we organize, such as a junior team tournament we are hosting here in Alicante in April during the Easter holidays. We plan to invite international teams to participate. We will also be working with cadets in the EYBL, with the support of our partners in Riga’s “Zeļļi” and the EYBL. We will send out information about tournaments in Spain that we will attend with our youth teams.

Additionally, we have a very important project planned for the beginning of August 2025: an international camp here in Alicante, with a unique concept. I hope this will offer an interesting mix of basketball cultures, where international kids can join and practice with coaches from different clubs, federations, and members of our hub. This will give them the opportunity to learn how coaches work in places like China and France, making it a truly exciting concept. We haven’t discussed all the details yet, but I will prepare a presentation for early next year regarding an event we’re calling the Lucentum Basketball Hub Festival.

Regarding the age group, we are targeting, we’re focusing on 14-18 year-olds. This doesn’t mean there won’t be 13-year-olds or others, but we plan to work with different age stations. We’re also considering the NCAA aspect, knowing we can bring in 14-year-old kids from the European Union who will become homegrown players in Spain by the time they turn 18. This is an important aspect of the program. I’ve experienced the challenges of bringing 12-year-olds to a different country, and it’s not easy. That’s why 14-15 is the ideal age to make this transition. This is the group we’re most focused on scouting, following, and developing.

You have an agreement with the “Zeļļi” team from Riga. Have you established similar cooperation with other teams from the Baltic States?

Yes, we have “Tartu” from Estonia, as well as “Lietkabelis” from Lithuania.

I’m just curious – why exactly these clubs? Are they the most interested in your project? There are many basketball clubs in these countries.

If you look at the map of our hub, you’ll see that most of the clubs we’ve partnered with are those that are putting in significant effort to develop, be competitive, and perhaps do things differently by taking risks. These are also clubs with young managers and directors. I personally met the leaders of the “Tartu” club when we played against them in the EYBL, and I was impressed by how much their university supports these sports projects and how large the university club is.

As for Riga’s “Zeļļi” – they are the new kids on the block, with impressive marketing and a unique approach, especially on digital platforms. I’ve known Reinis and Arturs for some time, and I’ve been aware of their participation in the EYBL. They are really focused on youth development, with a very modern and progressive approach.

Actually, did you know that Andris Biedrins, the former player for the “Golden State Warriors,” is one of the key people in charge at “Zeļļi”?

Yes, yes, I know. I really like the project, and I think they are bringing in some fresh talent to the Latvian Basketball League. I believe the league needed that, and they are doing things in a different way. I hope that their competition will adopt some of their ideas, because we don’t need to reinvent the wheel; we just need to find good practices and adapt them to our context. So, I really appreciate what Riga’s “Zeļļi” has been doing. Their results on the court reflect their effort off the court.

As for “Lietkabelis,” it’s a club that deserves respect. They’ve always fought to stay at the top of Lithuanian basketball. It’s a club with great traditions in the Euro Cup and open management that is willing to collaborate with us. So, yes, these were the criteria we used. In general, we look for clubs with ambition and dedicated young people on board. We’re not focused on having the best club in the league. I wouldn’t want to have “Žalgiris” with us. I know Navickas and have had very good experiences with “Žalgiris.” I admire that organization. However, I’d love to have bigger clubs as guests for the hub, at least at this moment. In the future, who knows, maybe we will have a EuroLeague club with us. For now, having a few EuroCup clubs, with one or two potentially joining soon, is already a great success. What really matters is the quality of people involved. Of course, all of our choices depend on the content we’ve had, how clubs have responded, and what we believe will work.

Thank you for the insight. Now we can move on to the second part of this interview. What is the general interest of young players from the Baltic States in playing in Spain? What trends have you observed, and what can Spain offer to players from the Baltics? What is your opinion and a brief overview of that?

I’ve never actually counted the exact number of young players from the Baltics playing in Spain or other European countries, but when reviewing sports outlets on a daily basis, I can see and assume that Latvian young players and professionals are the ones most frequently playing in Spain. So, maybe you could offer us some insight from your perspective on the reasons why this is the case. Of course, we know that Spain is a great basketball country, but what opportunities does this country provide now for young players, and why do they keep coming here?

I think that besides the Spanish sun, which is a big draw for people from the Baltics or the North, there are clear pathways that young players see. Many high-level players, who initially came to Spain, such as Porzingis, who left for the NBA from Seville, and many others, have now reached positions where they can influence the next generation. Whether they have an academy, their brothers are agents, or they run clinics, they often speak about Spain as a platform that supported their talent and helped take them to the next step in their careers.

Why do they come to Spain? I know that many players from Estonia go to Italy, but I think Latvians are more inclined to come to Spain. In the future, however, we might see a shift in this trend due to the opportunities offered in the USA, where young players take the leap and go to high school there. But in terms of Spain, the level of competition is excellent, and the adaptation to the culture is easier than in other countries. Spain is very welcoming to foreigners, which makes young players feel at home.

Another key factor is the quality of coaches and the opportunity to play for prestigious clubs. For example, coming to Spain at the age of 15 and playing here for three years gives you the chance to become a home-grown player, which is a huge advantage. This is something that players can’t easily achieve in their home countries. Whether a player decides to stay in Spain or return to Latvia, Lithuania, or Estonia, they will have a better reputation than players who only play in domestic leagues. Playing in Spain gives them a much higher chance of being noticed by national teams, who will want to see players from strong Spanish clubs.

I’ve seen this in other countries too. For instance, when Romanian players returned home after playing abroad, they were immediately regarded as top players, even if they hadn’t been the best in their league. They were given important roles on the team, better contracts, and more attention simply because they had experience abroad.

In Spain, the approach is different. Even taller players are encouraged to play as perimeter players and handle the ball, which helps develop well-rounded skills. I saw this firsthand with a Romanian player at Betis, who, despite playing in the wrong position initially, improved immensely after practicing with the team. When he returned to Romania, he immediately secured a great contract and an important role because of his experience in Spain. The same thing happens with players who come from the USA. Even if their performance wasn’t outstanding in the States, the fact that they had international experience and had played in a top league gave them an edge.

When young players come to Spain at 15, it’s also important where they play. Communities like Valencia, Murcia, and Alicante, where clubs like Lucentum are based, offer strong competition. Players can participate in friendly games and tournaments against other top Spanish teams, which can help them get noticed by NCA programs. Spain’s reputation in basketball is undeniable, and if you show that you’ve played in Spain against strong teams and worked within the Spanish system, it can be one of the best decisions for a player aiming to pursue a college career in the USA.

Finally, the opportunity to earn a European passport and the status of a home-grown player in Spain is a major asset. It’s different in ACB, where the requirements for home-grown status are under 14 and under 20, but for other Spanish competitions, the thresholds are under 14 and under 18. This status gives players an advantage in their career and future opportunities in basketball.

Absolutely, this is a great opportunity. For example, we know that Spanish clubs have quotas for foreign players, meaning they can’t just recruit players from other countries without restrictions. However, if you are a home-grown player – meaning you have a Spanish license – you are not subject to these quotas. This gives home-grown players a significant advantage, as they can fill roster spots without counting as foreign players. This is particularly beneficial for young players coming from abroad, as they can secure their place in a Spanish club and have more opportunities to play, develop, and be noticed, without the same restrictions as foreign players. This status is a key factor in helping young players establish themselves in Spanish basketball and opens up many doors for their future.

You need to have four home-grown players on the roster for the game, always. So, this is a huge advantage. And, you know, coming to Spain with this background makes it much easier to consider your next steps. If you’re ready, you can go to Spain. If you’re not yet ready, you can try your luck back in your home country. Believe me – with three years in Spain and four years in the USA, you will definitely find a club that will give you the chance to prove yourself. 100%. It’s a better path, a better route than being an 18-year-old kid starting out, who, after three or four years, may still find himself stuck. Maybe you’ll move up from being the fourteenth player to the tenth or eleventh, without many games played, and it can be very difficult to envision your next step.

You can miss your opportunity. But let’s move forward to the third and final point. On November 4th, the new college basketball season began in the U.S. This year, 38 Latvians, including three coaches, are representing U.S. teams, and 12 young athletes – six men and six women – compete in the NCAA Division. Just briefly – how do you assess the opportunities for European youth in the U.S.? Do you think the number of young players is increasing, and what do you think these players are focusing on – basketball or education? We recently had a Zoom meeting with West Coast scouts, and it was a bit surprisingly positive to hear that they mentioned how important school marks are for basketball players in the college basketball system and other junior systems. It seems they are balancing the importance of education alongside basketball. What do you think about that? Why are so many players going to the U.S., and what kind of opportunities do the U.S. offer them?

I think that when you’re nineteen years old and evaluating your chances, we return to the point we discussed earlier: how prepared are you to face the competition of a 30-year-old player and follow your dream of playing professionally right away? If you’re not quite ready and, on the other hand, the only option is to play in a second-tier league in your country with no financial gain and limited support, the risk becomes high. At 19, you can only play in your age category, meaning you’re playing with players of different levels, without a proper developmental structure, and without the guarantee that if you get injured, someone will wait for you to recover and offer you the same opportunities.

On the other hand, in the U.S., you have a full scholarship that guarantees you an education, access to amazing facilities, and five coaches, along with a top-level strength and conditioning coach. Even if you don’t play much, you’ll still have ample time to work on your individual development. I think it’s a clear advantage. If you’re good enough, the NCAA will offer you financial support, which provides a real safety net. Beyond the “American Dream” and the culture shift, I think young players are looking for protection, respect, and a real opportunity – things that aren’t always available in their home countries, especially for medium-to-lower-level players.

For high-level players, the NCAA offers a fantastic opportunity: a chance to develop, gain exposure, and eventually make money from basketball. After four years, you can either stay in the U.S. or return to your home country or Spain.

If I had a talented 19-year-old player from Romania who had spent three years in Spain, was a home-grown player, and didn’t have a solid professional offer, I would definitely encourage him to go to the U.S. if he had the opportunity. Even though he might not have an immediate offer in Spain or his home country, going to a good NCAA program would be a chance for him to grow. It wouldn’t take anything away from him. He would still have a chance to play for national teams, his development would be tracked, and his chances for future opportunities would improve. There’s nothing to lose in this path.

I’m glad for such a detailed insight, and I appreciate the thoughtful discussion. Best of luck with your work, and I hope the Lucentum Hub continues to grow and inspire future basketball talents.

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