July 23, 2019
First Nike Basketball Camp Team Returns Home from Tour of Spain
SAN RAFAEL, California, Jul 23, 2019 – The Nike Basketball Camp Team has just returned home from a 10-day trip touring Spain and competing in 4 exhibition games against local Spanish teams in Madrid and Valencia. The 2019 Nike Boys Basketball Camp Spain Tour was the company’s first basketball tour.
31 very lucky players, ages 12-15 from across the U.S. represented the team under the guidance of Nike Basketball Camp Coaches Esian Henderson and Joe Schaumburg.
Each player was hand-selected to compete on the invite-only team and was accompanied by at least one family member, making the tour a memorable experience for the kids and their parents.
The three 14U teams and one 12U team competed in Madrid against the local club of Las Rozas before heading South to Valencia where they enjoyed games against Valencia Basket, CB Picken Claret, CB L'Horta Godella, CB Jovens L'Eliana and the Club Bàsquet Marcelina Benifaió in the best basketball facility in Europe – L'Alqueria del Basket.
“Going into this tour the players had no idea how different the competition in Spain would be,” says Coach Esian Henderson, who played professional basketball in 10 different European countries from 2009-2018. “American youth basketball tends to feature lots of dribbling. International ballplayers learn to pass, cut and move without the ball, which put our players on their heels defensively. Compile that with a few subtle rule differences, a 24-second shot clock, and playing your first game 24 hours after traveling for 10+ hours… To say it was a challenge may be an understatement.”
“But the boys accepted the challenge head-on.” Said Coach Joe Schaumburg, Head Men's Basketball Coach at Linn-Benton Community College in Albany, OR. “One of the coolest things about the trip is also what’s great about our country… That a group of kids from 11 states, who’ve never met, came together as a team on and off the court in an unfamiliar environment. Watching the 14U guys mentor the younger 12U guys was really special too. The guys always stuck around to watch each other’s games and cheer them on.”
Coach Joe goes on to say, “This wasn’t a trip about winning or losing. Our first game we didn’t even keep score. This was about helping the kids learn life lessons and skills that can make all the difference down the road. It was about reinforcing the values their parents have taught them and giving them that experience of another culture.”
Players and parents also did some amazing sightseeing with priceless opportunities for cultural exchange as they experienced the historically rich & architecturally beautiful country of Spain first hand.
Between morning practices and evening games, the tour included city bus tours, local cuisine, a day at the beach, and much more.
About US Sports Camps
US Sports Camps (USSC), headquartered in San Rafael, California, is America’s largest sports camp network and the licensed operator of Nike Sports Camps. Over 100,000 young athletes will attend a US Sports Camps program in 2019. The company has offered summer camps since 1975.