EuroProBasket and Bath Basketball are joining forces to create a new connection between basketball in the UK and the wider European game.
The partnership brings together EuroProBasket’s international basketball network and Bath Basketball’s position within the English National Basketball League (NBL), creating new opportunities for players looking to experience basketball in the UK and for UK-based players looking to explore opportunities beyond it.
At the heart of the partnership is a simple ambition: to create more pathways for players to develop, compete and progress.
EuroProBasket: Connecting Players to the European Game
Based at L’Alqueria del Basket in Valencia, Spain, EuroProBasket provides players from around the world with the opportunity to experience the European basketball environment.
Since launching its programmes in Spain in 2015, EuroProBasket has helped more than 400 players sign professional contracts or commit to university scholarships across 25+ countries, establishing an international network connecting players with opportunities across professional and collegiate basketball.
Its programmes are delivered from L’Alqueria del Basket, the home of Valencia Basket and the largest basketball training facility in Europe, with 13 courts across two buildings.
The partnership with Bath Basketball creates an opportunity to extend that network further into the UK, giving EuroProBasket a connection to the English basketball system while providing Bath Basketball and UK-based players with a direct link into its wider international network.
Why Bath for Basketball in the UK?
Bath offers a unique setting for players coming to the UK.
One of the country’s most iconic cities, Bath is a UNESCO World Heritage city with strong international appeal, a large student community, a high quality of life and excellent connections to London and other major UK cities.
It is also a city with a significant high-performance sporting presence.
The University of Bath is recognised as one of the UK’s leading sporting universities and is one of only eight UK Sport-accredited Elite Training Centres in the country, supporting Olympic, Paralympic and international-level athletes. Around 250 international-level athletes train at its Sports Training Village.
For players coming into the Bath environment, the city offers an attractive combination of basketball, sport, education and lifestyle.
Bath Basketball and the UK Basketball Pathway
Bath Basketball is led by Director of Basketball Antonio Wilburn, a former professional basketball player with playing experience in Europe who has since focused on developing basketball programmes, academies and clubs across the South West of England.
Wilburn has been instrumental in building the Bath Basketball programme and developing its pathway in the UK, creating opportunities from junior basketball through to senior National Basketball League competition.
Bath Basketball competes within the National Basketball League (NBL), Basketball England’s national competition structure.
The club’s structure includes junior and senior basketball, providing players with opportunities to develop and progress through different stages of the game.
Bath Basketball also works closely with schools and basketball programmes across the local area to grow the game, recruit and develop players, and create opportunities for younger players to enter the Bath Basketball pathway.
For EuroProBasket, Bath provides a genuine connection into the UK basketball landscape — from junior development through to senior NBL competition.
Basketball and Education
Another strength of the Bath environment is the opportunity for basketball and education to sit alongside one another.
The University of Bath provides a high-level academic and sporting environment within the city, while students within the UK university system can compete in BUCS — British Universities and Colleges Sport — the national competition structure for university sport.
The University also offers a range of sport-related academic programmes, including a Sport (Sports Performance) pathway designed around athletes already performing at a high level within sport.
This wider environment gives players considering education in the UK the opportunity to explore academic options alongside their basketball ambitions.
Bath Basketball works closely with the University of Bath, strengthening the connection between club basketball, university basketball and the wider sporting environment within the city.
Bath in Valencia: The University of Bath Tour
The relationship between the two organisations did not begin with this announcement. In May 2024, the University of Bath travelled to Valencia on tour, training and playing at L’Alqueria del Basket.
Highlights from the University of Bath basketball tour at L’Alqueria del Basket, Valencia, May 2024.
Bringing the EuroProBasket Global ID Camp to the UK
A key ambition of the partnership is to bring a EuroProBasket Global ID Camp to Bath, creating a UK-based opportunity for players to experience EuroProBasket’s approach without first having to travel to Spain.
EuroProBasket’s Global ID Camps take elements of its Valencia programme into international locations, giving players an introduction to its coaching environment and a greater understanding of the pathways available through European and collegiate basketball.
Bringing the concept to Bath would give players from across the UK the opportunity to connect directly with EuroProBasket on home soil, while establishing Bath as a location for future international basketball events.
It would also create an opportunity to bring together players, coaches and organisations from across the UK basketball landscape, helping to strengthen relationships between British and European basketball.
A Pathway in Both Directions
What makes the partnership exciting is that it is not designed to work in only one direction.
For EuroProBasket players, the relationship creates a connection to Bath Basketball and the English NBL system, alongside the wider sporting and educational environment available in Bath.
For Bath Basketball and UK-based players, it creates a connection to EuroProBasket’s international network and greater access to opportunities within the European basketball pathway.
For EuroProBasket, Bath provides a strategic UK base from which to build its presence, develop relationships within British basketball and create future player, camp and partnership opportunities.
The result is a pathway connecting:
UK Basketball → Bath Basketball → EuroProBasket → European Opportunities
and, in the other direction:
EuroProBasket → Bath Basketball → UK Basketball & Education
There is no single route that every player needs to follow. The strength of the partnership is in creating more options depending on a player’s age, level, ambitions and stage of development.
Building a UK–European Basketball Connection
Basketball pathways are becoming increasingly international. Players are looking beyond their home countries for opportunities to compete, study and continue their development, making strong relationships across different basketball markets increasingly important.
The partnership between EuroProBasket and Bath Basketball is designed to strengthen that connection between the UK and Europe.
Bath brings an established position within the English basketball system, a junior-to-senior pathway and a city recognised internationally for education and high-performance sport.
EuroProBasket brings an established base in Valencia, an international player network and experience connecting players with basketball opportunities across multiple countries.
Bath provides the UK platform. EuroProBasket provides the international connection.
Together, the aim is to create a long-term relationship that opens more doors for players and strengthens the connection between basketball in the UK and the wider European game.
Basketball in the UK: Frequently Asked Questions
Can Americans play basketball in the UK?
Yes. American players can compete in England’s National Basketball League, which is Basketball England’s national competition structure across junior and senior tiers. Through its partnership with Bath Basketball, EuroProBasket has a connection into that system, with the option to combine club basketball with study and BUCS university competition in the same city.
What is the National Basketball League in England?
The National Basketball League, or NBL, is Basketball England’s national league system. It runs across multiple tiers and age groups, from junior competition through to senior men’s and women’s divisions. Bath Basketball competes within the NBL, and its partnership with EuroProBasket connects that structure to the European basketball environment in Valencia.
Can a UK basketball player train in Spain?
Yes. Through its partnership with Bath Basketball, EuroProBasket provides UK-based players with access to its programmes at L’Alqueria del Basket in Valencia — the largest basketball training facility in Europe, with 13 courts, and the home of Valencia Basket. Players train in a European coaching environment and compete against Spanish opposition.
What is BUCS basketball?
BUCS — British Universities and Colleges Sport — is the national competition structure for university sport in the UK, and it includes basketball. A player enrolled at a UK university can compete in BUCS alongside club basketball in the NBL, which means two competitive calendars in one season. The EuroProBasket and Bath Basketball partnership is built around that overlap.
What is the EuroProBasket Global ID Camp?
The Global ID Camp is an identification and evaluation camp run by EuroProBasket, taking elements of its Valencia program into international locations. EuroProBasket has run Global ID Camps at Carleton University in Ottawa and with RheinStars Köln in Cologne. Bringing one to Bath is a key ambition of the partnership with Bath Basketball, giving UK players access without travelling to Spain.
Find Your Route
Players interested in the European pathway can explore the European Summer League, the Euro Professional Program, the University Prep Program or the Junior Programs.
Contact EuroProBasket to discuss which route fits.
