The EuroProBasket University Prep Program is a post grad basketball gap year in Valencia, Spain, for men aged 18 to 20 who want to play university basketball. It runs 2 to 10 months at L’Alquería del Basket, the largest basketball training facility in Europe, and it is the European alternative to a post grad prep school year in the United States.
Every coach holds a European coaching licence and works in the professional game. In Spain and across most of Europe a coaching licence is a multi-level qualification that takes years to complete, closer to a university degree in coaching than to a certificate. In the United States, coach licensing is a short course and a fee.
Players train with those coaches, play competitive games against European teams, and leave with the game film and the record of competition that university coaches in the United States and Europe ask to see. Taking part does not affect your NCAA eligibility.
More than 400 EuroProBasket players have signed professional contracts or committed to universities across more than 25 countries since 2015.
What players and parents ask about EuroProBasket’s University Prep Program in Valencia, Spain — NCAA eligibility, lengths, ages, academics and university exposure.
The program is built to preserve NCAA eligibility. It includes NCAA compliance sessions covering the rules and the NCAA Clearinghouse process, so players know exactly what they can and cannot do while training abroad. Every player’s situation is different, so confirm your own case with the NCAA Eligibility Center before you travel.
Players choose a 2, 3, 5 or 10-month block. The 10-month option runs a full season from August to June, the 3-month block runs September to December, and the 2-month block runs January to March. It is designed as a gap-year alternative to a prep school year in the United States.
The program is tailored to young men aged 18 to 20 who are serious about playing university basketball. Players over 20 are welcome to email EuroProBasket to ask about eligibility. Younger players are usually a better fit for EuroProBasket’s Junior Programs or L’Alqueria Academy.
Yes. On the 5 and 10-month options players can add a university educational program delivered with TPT International School and the Universitat Politècnica de València, together with student residence accommodation. On the 2 and 3-month options the focus is basketball, with hotel accommodation and breakfast as an option.
Players build a game-film portfolio in high-level competition and are exposed to universities in both the United States and Europe — NCAA, NAIA and junior college routes in the US, plus university options in the UK, Canada, Spain and elsewhere in Europe. Current scouts, former NCAA coaches and university representatives visit the program.
Cost depends on the length you choose — 2, 3, 5 or 10 months — and whether you include accommodation and the university education add-on. Current pricing for each option is listed in the Prices section of this page. For a quote built around your dates and target route, contact EuroProBasket.
