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4 December 2025  5 min read

'It's the best job ever' - Zee Ali's rise from DiSE athlete to respected S&C coach

Originally from Essex, he has lived in Pakistan, Portugal, USA, Australia and has moved about the UK from Lincoln to Cambridge and now Manchester, where he's based after landing himself an S&C role with Manchester Basketball in the Super League Basketball (SLB).  

Ali’s basketball journey began with Brentwood Fire, before he took his next step of development by representing Essex at county level.  

As he moved through the gears of teenage life, he decided to enrol on the Diploma in Sporting Excellence (DiSE) – the two-year Department for Education funded sports qualification – and join the EABL programme at South East Essex Sixth Form College (SEEVIC). 

Little did he know that he would become a perfect case-study of the DiSE mandate, i.e. to develop young talented athletes to become better at their sport, but also, and arguably more importantly, to open their eyes to the careers that lie beyond the court.  

As much as many young players want to play professionally, the fact is only a small percentage can make the grade

Enter Basketball England’s Lead Strength and Conditioning Coach Mark Williams, who would influence Ali’s trajectory as to where basketball might take him.  

“I was a scrawny 16-year-old playing men’s basketball and I was getting bullied on the court,” said Ali.  

“At SEEVIC Mark Williams was our S&C coach, and I was like, ‘Look, Mark, I'm getting absolutely killed here, what can I do?’

“I spent a lot of time in the gym with Mark. I really enjoyed S&C and bridging the gap between how strong you are in relation to other people. Once you saw the improvements, like players not being able to bump you as much on the court, I was like ‘oh, this actually really works’.”  

Zee Ali (right) playing for Sangalhos Desporto Clube in Portugal

What do I do now?

After college, Ali went to play basketball in Portugal with Sunlive Basketball Academy and the 85-year-old Sangalhos Desporto Clube.  

While he was there, he would continue his interest in researching and developing his S&C practice, helping his team-mates too. Then disaster struck in a one-two punch combo, he broke his foot and then the world closed down because of COVID-19.  

“I was in no man's land,” added Ali, who spent the first 10-years of his life living in Karachi, Pakistan.  

“For the foreseeable I couldn’t go back to Portugal. I was hoping to go to America because I had some trials with some NCAA D2 and JUCO schools and that was postponed. I was just sat in my parents’ house with a broken foot, thinking ‘what do I do now?’” 

Ali decided the time was right to study S&C properly and so, he enrolled on a course at the University of Lincoln. 

Post-university, S&C opportunities came thick and fast, including a three-month stint as an intern with the University of Washington on its American football programme and a full-time role back in the UK at the University of Cambridge followed, where Ali worked with athletes on its performance programme.  

It's the best job ever

Then there was a full-circle moment.  

Williams asked Ali if would be interested in working with young players on BE’s England Talent Programme, as they earned their first caps for England, and it wouldn't be long until GB Basketball called on him too.   

“America was an amazing experience,” he said.  

“The Huskies were runners up in the National Championships the season before and so they had a whole new gym put in. Any bit of kit imaginable. From the day I walked in there, I was like, ‘this place is so cool’ and confirmed to me that this is what I want to do. 

“I basically started as an unpaid volunteer, just helping, and I've been consistently climbing up the ladder of basketball, working with Basketball England, and then onto GB as well.  

“I used all my annual leave this summer to work with the GB U18 men’s team in Romania. I love doing it. To me, basketball S&C is not work. I love being around basketball. I love being around the gym and helping the players, for me it’s the best job ever."

Ali (back row, second in from right) spent the summer of 2025 with the GB U18 men's team

DiSE paves the path

Ali puts a lot of praise on Williams for opening the doors to boost his fledgling S&C career, one that has ultimately led him to work with a franchise in the UK’s elite domestic league.  

His message to others, especially those playing basketball with hoop dreams, is to keep an open mind about other careers and pathways in the sport.   

“Everyone at some point is going to realise that playing basketball isn't the be all and end all, right?” he said. “There's always going to be something after basketball.  

“Whether it’s nutrition, the gym, lifestyle. There are different things out there. DiSE opens your eyes to the [career] avenues beyond playing. It paves the path for where you’re going to go.” 

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