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19 March 2026  2 min read

DiSE Progression Camps: Athletes, coaches and S&C staff come together for academy player development

Basketball England's Category One Academies operate as DiSE (Diploma of Sporting Excellence) Partnerships and field teams in the Elite Academy Basketball League (EABL) and Women's Elite Academy Basketball League (WEABL).

One hundred and forty two players from the 13 academies participated in DiSE Progression Camps - with the North camp hosted by the University of Huddersfield and the South taking place at ASC Cobham - as part of a unified development opportunity within the BE Talent Pathway.

First and second-year DiSE athletes undertook the BE Physical Performance Test battery and engaged in training sessions led by Super League Basketball coaches. Manchester Basketball assistant coach Matt Pitkin, Surrey 89s' assistant coach Henry Wilkins and London Lions head coach Kyla Nelson shared their expertise with the camp attendees.

At both camps, participants attended interactive educational workshops addressing effective off-season management, emphasising the importance of adequate rest and personal responsibility for physical preparation ahead of preseason activities.

Sam Messam, Basketball England Talent Programme and Pathway Manager, said:

"The purpose of the Progression Camp is to stress and challenge the athletes. It's an opportunity to bring them all together so they're not in the their individual academies and to demonstrated that 'A' that the programme is a Basketball England programme and 'B' to get them to compete against one and other in a performance setting."

Hear more from Sam Messam in the embedded Instagram post below.

 

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by BasketballEngland (@bballengland)

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