MIES (Switzerland) - Basketball in Costa Rica has benefitted from a productive collaboration between FIBA and Olympic Solidarity which provided a unique opportunity for local coaches to develop their skills.
The partnership was able to deliver two key fundamental training programs for the participants, namely the Level 1 Coaches Course and the Start Coaching course. The rolling out of the courses was also built specifically around expert instruction with innovative and socially conscious approaches.
The sessions were led by Nelson Isley, a highly experienced FIBA instructor and Omar Quintero, the current head coach of Mexico who was at the helm of the national team for the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournaments 2024 earlier this year.
Their expertise provided those in attendance with valuable insights into coaching strategies, player development, and how to make learning both effective and enjoyable.
Feedback from all the attendees was very positive, with many excited to learn from such seasoned professionals with a wealth of experience and knowledge. The success of the courses and the utilization of FIBA PLUS to underpin this evolution marks a significant step forward in the development of basketball coaching in Costa Rica.
FIBA PLUS, the umbrella for all FIBA National Federations development initiatives, is designed to help Federations reach their full potential and is part of FIBA's long-term strategy to Empower National Federations.
Start Coaching has been created by the WABC (World Association of Basketball Coaches) and is supported by FIBA through its FIBA PLUS implementation support. For the first time, activities from the Basketball For Good playbook were also integrated into the Start Coaching program. The purpose of this was to add highly valuable social elements into the technical part of the basketball training.
This included the rollout of a number of drills for coaches to use at the grassroots level that focused on inclusion and unity, with the course also incorporating numerous health education elements. There was also a strong emphasis based on ensuring the emotional well-being of players.
The Costa Rica Basketball Federation expressed its gratitude for the initiatives provided by FIBA and Olympic Solidarity. It also highlighted its strong commitment to learning, improving, and advancing basketball in the country to achieve a higher competitive level on the international stage.
FIBA