BRNO (Czechia) - FIBA Mentors Sonja Vasic and Ivana Vecerova led a highly impactful and enjoyable Players' Workshop at the U19 Women's Basketball World Cup 2025 in Brno, Czechia.
Some 180 rising stars engaged in a range of presentations and activities, benefiting from the duo's insights as FIBA continued its commitment to educating and supporting participants of global youth events with themed Players' Workshops.
A former Women's EuroBasket and EuroLeague Women champion and double Olympian, Serbian legend Vasic is a FIBA Central Board Member and Deputy Chair of the FIBA Players' Commission. Meanwhile, Vecerova won EuroBasket and EuroLeague Women titles and is also a double Olympian, currently working with the Czech National Federation.
The opening session of the workshop was concentrated on goal-setting. Discussions took place around some of the smart ways players might be able to meet and celebrate their objectives, but also learn from any mistakes, as well as seeking support if needed.
Every nation was then invited to create a 'Team Vision Board' to help think more about setting goals. With a set amount of time to complete the task, there was plenty of energetic and highly enthusiastic exchanges of ideas, resulting in some players taking to the stage to present them.
Manuela Puoch and Bonnie Deas of Australia explained: "We want to [eventually] play at the Olympics for the Opals and we also want to inspire some young ones to come through - also education is very important."
Maria Andorinho, Clara Silva and Gabriela Fernandes of Portugal then took to the front of the stage and added: "Our first goal is to be top eight at this U19 World Cup, to win a medal at U20 FIBA Women's EuroBasket next year and to be a reference for the younger generations. We also want to stay friends until the very end and qualify one day for the Olympic Games."
The next session focused on a 'Wall of Thoughts' with powerful words and thoughts for players to be inspired by as they added their own ideas.
It was something that came after the new generation made a connection with the past in the shape of women's hoops legend Diana Taurasi, via a classic clip explaining her own mindset.
The workshop then focused on the concept of building a 'Personal Brand' and also its connection to social media.
"Personal brand can come naturally, it can be built for you, but for a lot of players, it is something they also must invest themselves in. Especially as they can use it while playing and also after playing," said Vasic.
"For me, I had the thought in my mind that wherever I went, I was not only representing myself, but also my family, my country, and the flag that I carry.
"It left me with some pressure, but a good pressure of privilege - thinking about how I could represent myself and what I did and the way I carried myself.
"It goes beyond the court to the way you behave to the fans, your teammates, the staff, in interviews and on social media."
She added: "For me [having my own personal brand] helped me as I made a mark and even after I have finished playing."
Attendees were also able to consider instances of high-profile athletes suffering damage to their personal brands and how they acted to improve the situation.
Finally, those present were especially enthusiastic about the new Arkane Quest - an interactive, online game designed to provide players with valuable off-court information to successfully navigate the beginning of their professional career. The feedback from those attending the Players' Workshop was hugely positive and typified by USA star and FIBA U17 Women's Basketball World Cup 2017 MVP, Jerzy Robinson.
She enthused: "It was great - learning from two greats who have been part of international basketball has been amazing, and also to brainstorm our futures was amazing as well.
"The interactive session was fun - Sienna [Betts] led our group as she had a lot of great ideas, so she kind of facilitated it and we all piggy-backed off her," smiled Robinson.
Meanwhile, FIBA Mentor Ivana Vecerova was delighted with how the Workshop had unfolded and added: "I think the exercises and activities were very engaging and the response was very positive. I was surprised at just how excited some of the teams were. It was really great.
"You could also see how interested everyone was in the new Arkane Quest App too, with the great promo that was really well made," she added.
FIBA