Madrid Basketball Tour with Russell Hoops

In July BTM Basketball welcomed Russell Hoops, a basketball organization from Hertfordshire, UK, to our Madrid location for a post-season tour and experience of a lifetime. We hosted Russell Hoops with our partner club Tres Cantos for 5 days, during which the visitors learned new skills, competed against talented players from the Madrid region and experienced a brand new culture outside of their comfort zone.

Russell Hoops brought along 50 players in 5 teams ranging from U13 up to U18, and our BTM director and support staff ensured that everything ran smoothly both on and off the court.

“From an operational stand-point it was brilliant” said Russell Hoops Director of Operations Graeme Hiscock, “BTM Basketball provided everything we needed and ensured we could enjoy the tour without any worries.”

The visiting players were exposed to a trio of elite Spanish coaches during the tour, Luis Guil, David Gomez and Dario Cornejo, who taught them unique and progressive skills to promote their individual development. The teams practiced together in preparation to take on exhibition games against the host Tres Cantos’ club teams, who were tough, skilled, well-drilled and a powerful opponent.

Across all the games Russell Hoops were able to claim one win with their U14 team, but all the age groups gave a tremendous effort against the Tres Cantos teams that featured players who had been through such high-calibre programs as Real Madrid.

“The developmental aspect of the tour was fantastic” said Russell Hoops’ Director of Coaching Rikki Broadmore, “the coaching was incredibly progressive and offered our players new skills and philosophies they’d never encountered before. It also taught us as coaches a lot about coaching development and delivery which we applied during the games against the Tres Cantos teams.”

From a leisure stand-point the players experienced some time relaxing and recuperating by the local swimming pool, as well as visiting the legendary Real Madrid Bernabeu stadium and catching a live international basketball game between Spain and Venezuela. We wanted the visitors to immerse themselves in Spanish culture, reaping the benefits of what Madrid and the surrounding areas had to offer.

At BTM Basketball we don’t necessarily emphasise the tour being about defeating the opponents we offer visiting teams, but developing our players’ skills both on and off the court with an emphasis on personal responsibility, self-confidence and discipline. While on tour we want to see the players grow as young men and women, no matter how it translates into competitive success against the teams that are faced.

The players showed maturity beyond their years in often adverse circumstances on the court, while off the court demonstrating high levels of character and respect in a foreign and unique Spanish culture. There were times during the tour in which they were forced to be self-reliant and work together as a group, and they flourished in these situations.

Russell Hoops’ tour with BTM Basketball to Madrid provided exceptional preparation for each individual player’s upcoming season, instilling new skills, toughness, resilience and appreciation for the game of basketball in each player. All of the players and coaches that visited our Tres Cantos base were blown away by the quality and care taken by BTM Basketball in providing the ultimate basketball experience.

“We will DEFINITELY be doing this again” said Russell Hoops Coach Joe Hart, “it was an amazing experience for everyone involved.”

For more information or to book a tour for your team visit our website at www.btmbasketball.com.