How do you get to play basketball overseas

How to Play Basketball Overseas - Step by Step Guide

The goal of any athlete is to make a living playing the sport they love. In basketball, if you don’t make it to the NBA or the NBA G League, there are hundreds of other leagues around the world where you can live out your dreams of making good money playing basketball. This step-by-step guide will break down the steps on how to play basketball overseas.

Table of Contents

Step 1:

How to play basketball overseas for Americans image by EuroProBasket

You need experience playing at the highest level to get the most interest from teams overseas. So your goal should be to make it to the top level wherever you are currently living and playing.

American Players

Ncaa D1 – Teams overseas know that there is a ranking system in the USA that has Ncaa D1 at the top followed by Ncaa D2 and Ncaa D3. NAIA is still not completely clear to a lot of teams overseas but can still provide good experience.

Canadian USPORTS is becoming more known to teams across the pond. The Canadian NBL is a great option for quality experience.

Juco and high school experience is usually not enough to get serious interest from teams overseas. That is if you are not ranked in the nation such as LaMelo Ball or Brandon Jennings. Go for a 4 year University program at the highest level possible.

AAU and shoe sponsored club teams will help you get exposure to Universities but will rarely get you enough exposure to get overseas.

If your time has passed with University eligibility or it’s just not for you, the best option is getting on a semi-pro team. Make sure you read the last section of the article if you fall under this category.

International Players

Club Teams – For International players, this is the only way to play basketball competitively. Work to get on the best club team in your city or town.

Junior National Team – Your goal should be to play for your country’s national team. The senior team would be the ultimate goal but junior teams will get you exposure.

Get stats – How to play basketball overseas image via EuroProBasket

If you go Ncaa D1 and don’t get any minutes, struggle to get stats, then you will also struggle to get interest from teams overseas.

Go D2 and be an All-American. That will get you great playing experience, and quality stats, which could lead to a professional contract.

NCAA, NAIA, USPORTS, international club teams and leagues; got those numbers up while adding value to your team.

Make sure you know where to locate your stats. Keep track of them and add them to your resume at the end of every season.

Game film is your way to show your talent, athleticism and decision making skills to teams around the world. Video is the 2nd step in your search of how to play basketball overseas.

One Highlight Per Season – Sum up every season you play with a highlight. Teams, coaches, agents…like to get a quick glimpse of how you move and shoot. This will peak their interest and get them to consider watching some of your full games.

Two Full Games per Season – This is pretty self explanatory but you need two full games per season played. this is a minimum. Some teams may ask for more. Make sure they are the best games you have played, both on offense and defense.

You should be in control of your own film. Make a YouTube channel, vimeo or sign up for another streaming service. Membership is free and you can upload as many videos as you want.

Acceptable Video – YOU Need to Read This

The quality of the competition is absolutely critical to getting a team overseas to watch your video. Low level and disorganized competition will not gain any attention from clubs overseas.

Open gyms, open runs, YMCA, Juco or high school is not high enough quality to get the interest from contacts overseas. You need to get the highest competition possible. Playing against adults in an organized competitive environment.

NCAA, NAIA, USPORTS are the best options for players from America. International players can use their country’s local competitions. The higher the level of competition the better.

Semi-Pro Leagues in the USA can be good options as well. Not all teams overseas will consider it but many will. It is important your team is organized and the competition is high level. Good effort on defense. Running organized sets and plays on offense.

Overseas Basketball Combine , exposure camps, and showcases in the USA will not get you a team’s interest. Take our word for it, or read this article for reasons why teams do not consider it a viable option to scout players.

More information on why USA overseas basketball combine film will not help you get overseas below.

Overseas Tour game film can work well due to the fact that you are usually playing overseas teams. Be selective on which tour you go on. If you take a tour to Latin America, don’t expect to use the film to help you get on a team in Europe.

Workout videos or clips of yourself working out will rarely get you anywhere. If you have some solid game film and you have had a few months off, it is possible that a team will want to see some workout film to make sure you are in shape. This is usually not the case though.

Mixtapes and slow-mo video clips are cool but not beneficial for coaches and scouts. It will get you some props from your friends and IG followers but will do nothing to get you signed.

EuroProBasket game film – Players in the EuroProBasket program play weekly games against European teams. The leagues that EuroProBasket team plays teams in are recognized around Spain and the rest of Europe. If you are asking yourself How to Play Basketball Overseas, we have your answer here in Valencia, Spain: Register to be part of EuroProBasket’s Professional Placement Program here.

Bosman A, Bosman B, Cotonou passports image via EuroProBasket

You cannot leave your country without a passport, with a few exceptions, which are not worth mentioning for this article.

You will need that passport to travel and on many occasions to register for an international team or league. Take care of that before you start your plans to go abroad.

Dual Citizenship and its Benefits in Overseas Basketball

You may have heard of players being dual citizens or having dual passports. This is one of the first things we recommend our players at EuroProBasket to look into.

If your parents were born in another country or have their citizenship in another country, you are eligible to receive yours as well.

You could possibly be eligible for another citizenship if your grandparents were born in another country. Do some research on your family’s historical background as it will greatly benefit you.

If you have a European passport for example, you will be considered a European player instead of an import player. No visa is required to register you to a team and there are 3-5 times as many roster spots available for European Bosman A passport holders than there are for import players, or USA passport holders. 

If you have citizenship in a specific country, it doesn’t matter the country, and there is a professional basketball league in that country, you will most likely be considered a local player. This has many benefits and will prolong your professional playing and even coaching career indefinitely.

Bosman A – Bosman B – Cotonou – The Differences

These passports are for citizens of the European Union. There are 27 countries in the EU with a few exceptions that are added to the list of Bosman A players. This is arguably the most beneficial passport to have in overseas basketball. You can find some interesting information about the bosman ruling and how it changed European and Ncaa basketball here.

These passports are countries in Europe but excluded from the European Union. Most European leagues have roster spots reserved for players with these passports. Registration to the league is typically less expensive than an import players registration. Players will need a visa to play and work in the country in which the team is located.

Cotonou

These passports are from developing countries, or third world countries in Africa and many Island Nations. Many leagues in Europe (Spain, Germany, Belgium, France, Switzerland,ect…) have roster spots specifically for these passport holders. Their registration fee to the league is cheaper for the team. They too need a visa to work and play in the country where the team is located. More about the cotonou agreement here.

Bosman A, Bosman B and Cotonou Countries Table

Bosman A	Bosman B	Cotonou	Cotonou cont…
Andorra (AND)	Albania (ALB)	Angola (ANG)	Liberia (LIB)
Austria (AUT)	Armenia (ARM)	Anguilla (ANL)	Macau (MAC)
Belgium (BEL)	Azerbaijan (AZE)	Antigua (ANT)	Madagascar (MAD)
Bulgaria (BUL)	Belarus (BLR)	Aruba (ARU)	Mali (MLI)
Croatia (CRO)	Bosnia-Herzegovina (BIH)	Bahamas (BAH)	Marshall Islands (MAI)
Cyprus (CYP)	Georgia (GEO)	Barbados (BAR)	Mauritania (MTN)
Czech Rep. (CZE)	Gibraltar (GIB)	Belize (BIZ)	Mauritius Island (MAU)
Denmark (DEN)	Israel (ISR)	Botswana (BOT)	Micronesia (MCR)
Estonia (EST)	Moldova (MDA)	Burkina Faso (BUR)	Mozambique (MOZ)
Finland (FIN)	Montenegro (MNT)	Burundi (BDI)	Namibia (NAM)
France (FRA)	North Macedonia (MKD)	Cameroon (CMR)	Nauru (NRU)
Germany (GER)	Russia (RUS)	Cape Verde (CPV)	Nigeria (NGR)
Greece (GRE)	San Marino (SMR)	Central Africa (CAF)	Palau (PLW)
Holland (NED)	Scotland (SCO)	Chad (CHA)	Papua New Guinea (PNG)
Hungary (HUN)	Serbia (SRB)	Cook Islands (COK)	Rwanda (RWA)
Iceland (ISL)	Switzerland (SUI)	Cuba (CUB)	Saint Kitts (SKN)
Ireland (IRL)	Turkey (TUR)	Dominica (DMA)	Saint Lucia (SLA)
Italy (ITA)	Ukraine (UKR)	Dominican Rep. (DOM)	St. Vincent & Grenadines (VIN)
Kosovo (KOS)	United Kingdom (ENG)	Eritrea (ERI)	Samoa (SAM)
Latvia (LAT)	Wales (WAL)	Ethiopia (ETH)	Senegal (SEN)
Lithuania (LTU)		Fiji (FIJ)	Seychelles (SEY)
Luxembourg (LUX)		Gabon (GAB)	Sierra Leone (SLE)
Malta (MLT)		Gambia (GAM)	Solomon Islands (SOL)
Norway (NOR)		Ghana (GHA)	South Africa (RSA)
Poland (POL)		Grenada (GRN)	Sudan (SUD)
Portugal (POR)		Guam (GUM)	Suriname (SUR)
Romania (ROM)		Guinea (GUI)	Tanzania (TAN)
Slovak Rep. (SVK)		Guinea Bissau (GBS)	Tonga (TGA)
Slovenia (SLO)		Guyana (GUY)	Trinidad and Tobago (TRI)
Spain (ESP)		Haiti (HAI)	Turks and Caicos (TKS)
Sweden (SWE)		Ivory Coast (IVO)	Uganda (UGA)
		Jamaica (JAM)	Vanuatu (VAN)
		Kenya (KEN)	Zambia (ZAM)
		Lesotho (LES)	Zimbabwe (ZIM)

Bosman A, Bosman B, Cotonou Countries List chart by EuroProBasket

Player Resume – How to play basketball overseas image via EuroProBasket

• Include Personal Information, picture playing or in a professional outfit
• Include stats for every season, as detailed as possible as to not have team searching (remember teams and agents go through hundreds every week)
• Add Highlight links and full game links so they are clickable
• Add whatever accolades and achievements
• Add references if you like
• Save it in a pdf and have it on file so you can update it
• Make it organized and professional looking
• It only needs to be one or two pages
• Leave out the self explanation, self scouting and NBA player comparison
• Remember, less text is better, English is the 2nd, 3rd or 4th language of the person looking over your bio
• Have it ready to send on your phone
• We made an article specifically on how to make a basketball resume which can be found below.

• Use current contacts with coaches, trainers and teammates
• Create and use social media accounts, most contacts abroad have facebook, linkedin and twitter. Some have instagram accounts.
• Create your own website with all of your stats and video links if you can.

A basketball agent will have the contacts to help you get your career started overseas. There is a lot you need to know about overseas agents though. We covered every detail in the article below.

Step 8: Best Opportunities to Play Overseas Basketball

Best opportunities to play overseas basketball image via EuroProBasket

You’ve attempted Steps 1 through 7 of how to play basketball overseas. You still don’t have a team. Here are your options.

If you want to play in Japan, go to Japan and present yourself to teams. It is a big risk and very expensive but If you can walk in a gym and tryout for a team it makes your chances much higher that the team will give you an opportunity to sign with them.

There are obvious downsides to this option. Many teams only allow a certain amount of import players. Higher level teams have specific needs and there is a chance that you are not that exact fit for the team.

Showcases in the USA are hit or miss. More miss than hit. Too many players, un-organized open run type of basketball. Most teams cannot afford to send a coach or GM to the US to scout a group of players. It is much easier and less expensive for them to contact an agent for players with professional experience.

Live streams mean a busy person needs to take time out to watch, taken into account the time difference. Don’t fall for the gimmick many camps and combines in the USA try to sell to players.

Agent showcases can be a good option. Usually only the top one or two players will be interesting for the agency.

Basketball Academies & Overseas Tours

These options take more of an investment but what is a career in basketball worth to you? Put yourself in the middle of a country or region that you are interested in living and playing basketball.

Downsides to a tour is that it can be difficult to get a good rhythm and perform in just a week or 10 days. You don’t have much time to practice and get accustomed to your tour team. You will be moving from one location to nother with many hours of travel. Tours are really difficult to time as teams sign players at different times of the year, so when is the best week for the tour? Your guess is as good as theirs…

Some are organized and done by professionals, most are disorganized and can be very uncomfortable and in some cases scary.

A basketball academy is your best all around option. If you want the most legit shot at going pro then why not select the best basketball academy, with the longest history of helping players sign with teams in Europe? Located in the largest basketball facilities in Europe in collaboration with one of the biggest clubs in Europe. EuroProBasket will help you get to the next level.

The best and most secure opportunity to start your professional basketball career overseas is with EuroProBasket International Academy. Here are 21 reasons why.

Sign up for the most successful professional placement program here:

Essentials to Play Basketball Overseas

Essentials to play basketball overseas image via EuroProBasket

For many players these essentials to play basketball overseas will just be reminders. but still crucial to your success playing basketball overseas.

Complete Your Collegiate Playing Career

• No one is going to deny that for an American player the most important and useful experience you can have is from a University basketball program.
• There is no better place to get high level coaching and competition then in the American University system.
• You cannot substitute the 4 years of basketball knowledge, coaching, experience, physical growth and mental maturity that a collegiate basketball career will give you.
• That’s not to mention the actual degree that you can receive, paid for have you, from the University you attend.
• Stay in school if you want a better chance at playing professional basketball.

• The worst thing that can happen is that you get a tryout and are not in game shape
• You should be lifting weights, conditioning (running, sprints, hills, stairs, bike, plyometrics) skill work, playing 1v1 and 5v5.
• Get with other overseas professional players and workout with them.
• If you are not sure how to prepare, hire a professional basketball trainer that can help prepare a plan for you.

Be Active Networking and Making Contacts

• Everyday is a new opportunity to meet someone that can help you in your pursuit to play basketball overseas.
• Use your current contacts with coaches, teammates and trainers to reach new contacts.
• When you meet people involved in basketball, exchange contact information with them. Reach out to them and develop a relationship.
• Use social media to make new contacts around the world.

These are the suggestions on how to play basketball overseas by International Scout and CEO of EuroProbasket International Academy in Spain, Brad Kanis.

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Hundreds of players have received opportunities to continue their overseas basketball careers after taking part in our programs. Of those hundreds of players, even more have received professional and semi professional tryouts with European league teams. Every player has improved day after day with our team of expert euro Head Coaches, Strength and Conditioning Coaches, Physical Therapists and European player personnel Scouts. All of whom are professionally certified with a background of collegiate and professional playing experience. Multiple Europrobasket players have received NCAA Scholarship opportunities and opportunities to complete Europe master’s degrees while competing with overseas teams in European basketball leagues.

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At Europrobasket we don’t guarantee you a team. We guarantee you a lifetime experience filled with new knowledge and insight into European basketball. We guarantee you improvement in every aspect of your game whether it be mental, physical or social. We guarantee you contact with International players, coaches, trainers and teams, all from Europe. We guarantee the beginning of a basketball journey that could take you anywhere in the World. With our experience and your hard work, your basketball dreams will become reality. Join the Europrobasket International Basketball Academy family.

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• Live your dream of playing overseas basketball

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What do coaches in the US and Europe look for when recruiting athletes? - Sports and studies in the USA - Blogs

Many parents often ask: by what criteria do the coaches of high school teams in America or Europe look at players? How do they understand - who to take, who not to take? Who fits, who doesn't? Based on what do they make their choice? In this article, we will take you behind the scenes of how decisions are made about new candidates for the team.

Video

First, coaches watch a video of a potential team member. Without video, in principle, nowhere. No one, without looking at the player in action, will invite him to a “live” viewing, or even more so directly to the team.

An example of a good game video for a basketball player

Based on impressive statistics or excellent data alone, no one can make a decision about a player without looking at him in action (for example, an athlete can be statistically the first guy in the village, and when he arrives to a higher level team, he can't compete even with the weakest players). In any case, each coach or agent must first look at a potential candidate and, in most cases, at the first stage, no one will go specifically to look at his performances or training for him alone.

Therefore, every athlete should make it a rule to have his own sports video. In America, this is a common and mandatory practice, almost all athletes prepare recordings of their games / performances and have their own video portfolio so that they can show themselves to the coaches of the desired educational institutions. Of course, it is impossible to fully assess the level of an athlete from video cuts, but the main, first idea about an athlete can be obtained, and if the first impression is positive, then you can continue the conversation. In principle, any adequate coach or agent, after looking at an athlete for 2-3 minutes, in general, will understand his level.

If coaches want to get a deeper picture, they will request full match records to look at the athlete more objectively in different game situations. However, if there is no opportunity to look at the athlete, no one will even discuss him.

An example of a recording from a basketball game of American schoolchildren (on video of a high-level team) which almost everyone has. It is not necessary that the video be in some kind of super quality, the main thing is that everything is legible. The video can be taken both from the game and from the training double-sided (i.e. competitions, however, it is desirable that the video be in a game format, i.e. directly during the two-sided, albeit training). With regards to games, it is desirable that the level of opponents is not low and appropriate for the age and skill of the athlete being viewed.

In addition to the game video (competition video), it is desirable to have a video of individual training. Sometimes, on a game video, for some reason, it is not possible to fully reveal the capabilities of an athlete, and he can show himself from different sides on a training video.

An example of a good training video where a player can be seen in various exercises

Recordings from training should show the level of technical and physical fitness of the athlete. For example, in basketball, these are dribbling/dribbling shots, dunking, one-on-one (in the post, with a three-pointer), passes with various beats, and so on. That is, various technical elements of the game to show what the player is individually like, both technically and physically. It is important to note that the training video should be filmed at maximum intensity, he should not walk cross-legged, but act at high speed. Americans are especially aware of this. It is important for them that everything be intensive and at the maximum of possibilities.

Physical data and technical equipment

In any sport, they look at what anthropometry a person has: height, weight, physique, limb length. Of course, there are geeks or very stubborn athletes who compensate for shortcomings in physical data with their skills and diligence. Nevertheless, the natural parameters of the body are very important and the better the athlete has, the more interest he will attract. However, do not forget that the levels of the same basketball (and all other sports) in America are different, and certain teams different levels are looking for athletes for themselves, which will match the level of their team. The average team understands that they should not count on the most promising young people and they are considering those whom they can realistically get.

In addition, attention is paid to technique, agility, motor skills and coordination according to age and height. This can also be seen in the video.

Potential for development

Some guys at the age of 15-16 are still very raw. It can be seen from such that a person is talented, and if you work with him, then in a year or two you can already make some kind of promising player out of him. Unlike Russian teams, where mostly early-formed guys (accelerates) play, who can immediately bring results, in America and Europe, the athlete's potential is a priority. In our country, it is customary to play with children who, at the age of 14-15, look much older than their years and physically crush their peers. That's because in Russia and in the post-Soviet space they look at what children's championships the coach wins, and not who will grow up under his leadership.

An interesting documentary about basketball player Lenny Cooke, who played at the high school level at the same time as LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony and was the number 1 player in the US at that time, he dominated everyone during his school years. The film tells the story of how an athlete, due to laziness and unwillingness to work, descends from the number 1 basketball player in America to an unemployed alcoholic. I found it only in this quality :((But I advise everyone to watch this film, it is very interesting

America and Europe look to the future. For example, if a player is raw, but he has data, a clear head, talent and potential are visible, then they will not keep him on the bench, but on the contrary, they will play him hard and help him open up faster. It often happens that children who are already physically formed at the age of 15-16 get used to using only their physical superiority and stop developing, but after 3-4 years, when the rest are pulled up to them, with a later development, but with better diligence, at the age of 20, those who formed early are nothing, because at one time they “caught a star” and stopped working. It is not clear why this is still the case in Russia and the priority is given to those young athletes who can bring results in the moment, and not in the future, but the fact remains.

age

school is studied until the age of 18-19, and the older the player moves there, the more difficult it is to get a university scholarship later. There are certain age gradations that affect the interest in the player. If a basketball player enters the 11th, 12th grade, then it is much more difficult for him to receive full funding for his education at school, or some more favorable conditions, than for those players who enter the 8th, 9th, 10th grade. This is simply because they are younger, they have more time to work with them. And, of course, American basketball (or, for example, hockey) is completely different compared to European, and first of all physically.

Many parents have a delusion that it is better to prepare their children for graduation classes and then send them. But this is not so, you cannot prepare for America and its sport on the side. It's just that in our countries there are practically no such rivals that match the Americans in physics, technique, speed, and the ability to play contact basketball. At the school level in the States there are few combinations, the main thing is that the player himself can decide - individually.

This does not mean that everything will be lost when moving to 11-12th grade - no, it means that the older the athlete, the more difficult it is to get the most profitable scholarship.

Georgy Maslennikov, a basketball player from Ukraine (1998gr, 208cm), who moved to the USA from the 10th grade, will play at the very strong De Paul University (NCAA Division 1) from the 2018/2019 season. George has made tremendous progress in his 3 years in the US.

In Europe, a basketball player considered for youth teams is considered under 16 years of age. The main recruiting is for ages 13-15. For example, now in 2018, a player older than 2002 is already considered only for the main teams. That is, they will pay attention to him and take him if he is very likely to play in a professional club of the same Italy or Spain at a high level. It will be necessary to cope with the role of a legionnaire in the 1st or 2nd league of the country and fight for a place in the composition with the Americans and other basketball players from all over the world. In addition, in Italian and Spanish basketball there is a rule that if a player arrives before the age of 16, then after playing there for 3 (in Spain) or 4 years (in Italy), he receives a basketball player's passport and is listed in the teams as a local. And so in many European leagues, it is very important for them that at 19-For 20 years, the foreigner was considered his own and did not compete for a place in the squad with the same American basketball players.

Take the example of the well-known Luka Doncic, who at the age of 13 moved from his native Slovenia to Real Madrid. The opinion that it is too early to send a potentially talented child at the age of 15-16 is wrong. And in football they recruit even earlier (children at the age of 12-13 move to play abroad). Therefore, if you want your child to play in the most basketball atmosphere, the most convenient for development as a basketball player, the most optimal age for a young athlete in the US or Europe is 13-15 years old.

Luka Doncic at the age of 14 with Real Madrid

Personality

They also look at what an athlete is like as a person. It is very important for coaches that a good athlete should also be a good person. A foreigner should be a model for others. Nobody likes lazy people, boors, gouging. If you want to succeed in something, you can’t be lazy, but you need to work hard, you can’t be rude, but you need to respect people. If they invest in you in America or European clubs, you need to appreciate it, and everyone who works with you, if a person disrespects those who give him opportunities and take care of him, interest in such an athlete immediately disappears.

It is important to note that in schools and universities in the USA: alcohol, cigarettes, drugs - will immediately lead to a one-way ticket home without talking. In addition, the athlete must be punctual, not late, keep his word. All this becomes more clear already in the process of being in a team (or in an educational institution), but this is what foreign coaches pay a lot of attention to. Even from my own experience, I can say that when we select athletes to work with them on a professional basis, if I see that a person is gouging or thinks more of himself than he really is, we would rather refuse to cooperate with such players and work better with those who are disciplined and want to work on themselves.

Academic achievement

Last but not least is academic achievement at the institution. If in Russia, in principle, no one cares where and how you study, then in America, without good grades, nowhere at all. There are certain minimum academic requirements, and if they are not met, then whether he is Michael Jordan, Sidney Crosby or whatever, he will not shine with a student team.

NCAA Division 1 Admission Requirements

The threshold is not high, but not very low either. By Russian standards, the average score should be somewhere around 3.7 out of 5. If you fall below, you are suspended from training and games until you correct your grades, universities cannot recruit you, and so on. If problems with grades drag on for a long period and the educational institution sees that you are not going to study, scholarships will deprive you. Estimates are really important, they are actually looked at in the US and Europe. In America, when entering a university, you also need to take the SAT entrance test - this is an analogue of our USE. There is also a certain minimum score, for athletes it is lower than for ordinary students, but nevertheless there are minimum academic requirements. And no matter what kind of athlete you are, if you don’t overcome it, then they simply won’t take you, and you won’t be able to play there. The requirements are not strict, but, nevertheless, they exist, and they must be reckoned with. The same is true in many European countries.

____

Article prepared by Pro Futuro Sports (www.pfsinfo.ru)

information about sports and study abroad.

Our blog, where you can find out more information about sports in the US and Europe, as well as players from Russia, Ukraine, Belarus and other CIS countries playing abroad: https://vk.com/pfs_russia

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Kristina Gulina plays ASB and makes videos on TikTok. She succeeds in both: the girl is invited to her place by Russian and foreign professional clubs, and her TikTok account has exceeded 260 thousand subscribers and 13.5 million likes.

"Interception" talked to Kristina about how to find the strength to refuse contracts with serious clubs at the age of 18 and follow the dream of playing abroad, and also how to become popular if you just play basketball and you have telephone.

“I started playing basketball in the fourth grade,” Christina says. - Before that, I was engaged in ballroom dancing, went to ballet, drawing and rhythmic gymnastics. But somehow I had a physical education lesson, where my first coach came to us. She was looking for those who are younger, and I was just studying with the guys a year older. I raised my hand, she came up to me, asked for the number of her parents and invited me to basketball.

At that time I didn't know what it was at all, I wasn't interested at all. But the coach called my parents and invited me again. I didn't really want to go, but my mother offered to try. I came to the first training session, and, of course, there was no basketball there - catch-up, relay race. But there was such a team atmosphere, I immediately liked it. I soon became very ill and began to train normally only towards the end of the school year, but in the fifth grade I already went to sports.

— How did your career start?

- Just from the Neva Sports School, which I graduated from last year. In the 10th grade, I received an offer from Spartak, which at that time was playing in Super League-2. I started training with them, they even gave me a contract, but for some reason I couldn't sign it. Therefore, I did not end up in Spartak. My coach suggested that I play ASB for experience.

— So you ended up in the Black Bears?

- Yes. I went there to watch, I liked everything, everyone liked me, I liked everyone - so I stayed there. I played for this team for two years, during which time we became champions of the Student Superleague, champions of the Belov League. In general, it was a tremendous experience, because we also trained with the girls of the Black Bears from the Super League, we had joint training and training camps. There was a large and experienced coaching staff, so it was interesting to work.

- Why did you leave this team?

— Last summer, I decided I wanted to try something new. I have long received offers from GUTID (St. Petersburg State University of Industrial Technologies and Design - note "Interception"), but then I did not want to switch. And in the summer I thought, why not. I wanted to try to play in a new team, and this is a very promising team. The coach changed there, it was Gennady Shchetinin, with whom I worked at Spartak. I thought it would be a very interesting and good experience.

- You had several chances to sign a contract with professional clubs. You mentioned Spartak, but I also know about the youth squads of the Kursk Dynamo, the UMMC from Yekaterinburg… Most athletes cannot resist in such situations.

— At the time when I was offered contracts, I did not really want to leave St. Petersburg. I wanted to study here, because sport is sport, but any injury, and sport can end. Therefore, education is very important. But it was still decided with the whole family. Then it seemed to us that it was better to stay at home to study and gain basketball experience. I can always leave, but at that moment we decided that it was better to stay.

USA, Spain, Russia

— Do you have plans to play abroad? This is much more difficult to do as soon as you agree to some kind of long-term contract with Russian clubs.

— Yes, I would like to play somewhere abroad. Last summer, I had the option to fly to America, but the quarantine did not allow. It did not work then, but in the future, I think this option will still appear.

— Wow, have you been called yet?

— Yes, the agency and I sent the video to the university. They liked me, they said they would help me. But I wrote there already when it was necessary to sign documents and take an exam in English. And this exam is very difficult, TOEFL, even in a month you will not be able to prepare well for it. I wasn't 100% ready then. Plus, quarantine was imposed on the whole thing. We agreed to write later when I was ready for the exam and to move.

Are you ready?

— Slowly but surely. Trying! There you need to score a certain number of points. I am an athlete, and there is not much needed, but it still should be more than half. Otherwise, they simply won't take it. As I know, in America you need to study well even though you are an athlete. Up to the point that if you study poorly, then you will be removed from training. It is important.

— Now only with the USA?

- There is still an opportunity to play in Spain. There is the Euroleague, and it is closer to America. My parents will be able to come, and I will be able to return home faster if something happens. According to the documents, everything is also easier there. I still think that it will be better for me, I have not decided yet.

— Other things being equal, you won't even consider contracts from Russian teams?

- No, I will (smiles). I'm interested in this too. Now I feel better about this, it seems to me that I am now more ready than before to fly to some other city, Kursk or Yekaterinburg, for example. But, of course, if you compare it with abroad, then it is my priority now.

European Student Games

— You will represent Russia at the European Student Games this year. Tell me what is it?

- I got there because our team won the 3x3 tournament. When I was driving, I thought that it would be connected only with the ASB, but then it turned out that a victory there means a victory in the Russian U23 championship in 3x3 basketball. I was very surprised! And since we won there, we will go to the European Games in July. Unless, of course, quarantine does not interfere and everything will be fine.

— Who will you play against there?

- These will be university teams 3x3. I think it should be a good experience. And last summer, I also played in the Junior Junior League, and teams, agents looked at us ... I got into the lists of the U18 team, but then quarantine was imposed again and everything was canceled. And so it would be possible to play in a major tournament in the summer of 2020. It's sad, of course, because I wanted to compete with other girls, test my strength, how ready you are to play at such a level.

- You won U23, but you're 18 now...

- Yes (smiles). And at the European Games we will play U23 too. I hope, of course, there will be younger girls, like me, but in general this is an older age.

Whipped cream, millions of likes, fans

- You have TikTok 260 thousand followers and 14 million likes. How to become popular in this social network if you play basketball?

- It all started with Musical.ly, which became TikTok. I downloaded it because it was possible to shoot videos with music, I didn’t even know that you could create an account. My friends and I shot some stupid videos there, and it looks like I saved it all as drafts. But once my friend and I made a video on a trend, when people threw whipped cream and caught it in their mouths. We did it, and then I - by chance, it seems - published it. Then I logged out of the app like I always do, and the next morning I get a lot of notifications, the video got 100k views, 20k likes. I've never had anything like this, I was very surprised. Although I later abandoned it all anyway and did not continue, because it was difficult to figure out what was what.

And later this application became TikTok, I began to understand a little, to see what people are doing, what they are filming. And last summer, when I was on vacation, I thought why not, why not show my life, some beautiful views, something else. I have been interested in this industry since childhood, I liked editing videos. I started posting videos, and gradually the interest of subscribers began to grow. So I started making tik toks.

- At what point did you realize that you had become popular?

- This must have happened when I had about 80 thousand subscribers. It was at this point that people began to write to me a lot, subscribed to Instagram, drew me, made some videos for me, sent huge messages. It was very unusual for me that strangers can write me some pleasant things.

I was even told something like this: "Chris, thank you very much, thanks to you I lost my tall complex. " How can I somehow help people by filming my face and my life, to lose some complexes? But I think it's very cool. I was glad that I could somehow bring something good into this world.

By the way, I started showing basketball in my profile only for the last six months. Before, people didn’t even know that I was playing basketball. I didn’t advertise it at all, they only saw my face and my life. But at one point, when I shot some kind of motivational video with basketball, the coverage increased a lot, I realized that people like it. I started to include more basketball in my content and the popularity skyrocketed. Some even wrote to me that thanks to me they went to the basketball section! Even adults who were just watching TikTok suddenly got up and went to play basketball.

- It seems to me that such things should motivate not only them, but also you.

— It still motivates me.

— How often do you receive advertisements?

— This is more of a barter, not advertising yet. Some clothes, some discounts, cosmetics. Now it's more likely to happen at the barter level, but directly to some kind of major advertising ... It seems that this has never happened before.

- 260 thousand subscribers is quite a lot. Do they recognize you on the streets?

- Relatively common. Many just put on a surprised face, and it is clear that they have recognized because they turn around. Some come up, take pictures, say something nice. Others will see, and then in the evening they write that they saw me, but were afraid to approach me. And whoever comes up, we take pictures with them, chat, hug.

- I saw that your teammates are also on TikTok. Did you lure them there or did they do it themselves?

— They came by themselves! I have friends, Danae and Masha. Masha has 50 thousand subscribers or even more. We often shoot joint videos with her, we even fell in love together, we almost exist like a duet. But even before that, she was interested in TikTok, I didn’t drag it in.

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