Basketball 101 At The 2018 Professional Basketball Combine

Basketball Insiders is excited to be a part of the 2018 Professional Basketball Combine’s first ever Basketball 101 program, led by Basketball Insiders’ publisher Steve Kyler.

What Is It?

The Basketball 101 program that’s part of the Professional Basketball Combine is a multi-day program that starts on May 20th and runs through May 23rd. It is one-part classroom experience and one-part in-the-gym experience.

The idea is to bring in people who are working professionally in basketball to one place to help attendees understand the jobs and the paths people working in the business have taken.

During the classroom sessions, attendees will hear from people working in the Media, the agent world and for NBA teams both as scouts and executives. These will be panel-format discussions where experts share their story, answer questions and help attendees understand how to begin their journey towards a job in basketball.

The classroom session is designed to be small and allow attendees to not only hear from professionals but have a chance to meet and network with them.

The classroom session will also feature a look at the NBA Salary cap system with some of the brightest salary cap minds in the business.

The classroom session will also feature a resume review and professional coaching on how to get noticed in the interview process.

The on-court sessions will give attendees access to the actual Combine workouts, meetings and coaching sessions to experience how it all works.

There will be opportunities for player interviews for those interested in the media track, chances to meet and talk with the coaches running the workouts for those interested in the coaching track, and exercises for those interested in the scouting and executive track.

Who Attends The Professional Basketball Combine

The Professional Basketball Combine or PBC is a secondary NBA draft combine for NBA draft-eligible players designed to give them an opportunity to showcase their talents in hopes of being selected to play professional basketball. Each player who attends the PBC has the opportunity to participate in combine testing, compete in private workouts and scrimmages, and interview for NBA executives, G-League personnel and overseas opportunities.

Many of the players who attend the PBC are right on the fringe of making the NBA Combine. With more and more college level players opting to “test the waters” more and more draft level players get left out of that process making the PBC an even better opportunity.

The PBC invites NBA teams to IMG to see players work out in a similar format as the NBA’s event and gives players a chance for exposure to scouts and executives.

The final list of players is fluid, as players that get invited to the NBA event typically do not attend. Once the NBA sets their roster, then the PBC finalizes their roster.

The PBC is in its second year, after featuring 16 NBA teams and 23 draft prospects last year. Many of the inaugural PBC alums went on to play NBA Summer League, be on NBA training camp rosters and signed two-way contracts with NBA teams. The inaugural PBC roster featured G-League Rookie of the Year and Chicago Bulls two-way player Antonio Blakeney.

The final roster for this year’s event will get set after the NBA invites for Chicago go out but will feature 24 draft-eligible players.

Who Is It Geared Towards

The program is designed for people wanting to explore working in basketball. This is an in-depth experience designed to help attendees understand what’s real in basketball and how to begin their journey as well as network with real people.

The Basketball 101 program is not a fan experience event, it is a professional development experience designed for people wanting to learn more about the business of basketball.

How Much Does it Cost?

The program is at the IMG Academy campus in Bradenton Florida. Attendees will have to cover their own transportation to and from IMG at their own expense.

The program has two price points:

The Basics – this includes access to all of the program components, including the social experiences such as the 101 pick-up basketball game. The cost for the Basics package is $495 USD.

The Experience – includes access to all of the program components, plus lodging and meals on-campus at IMG. The Experience package has attendees within walking distance to everything happening during the program and costs $995 USD.

All fees are payable in advance and non-refundable. The last day to register is May 15th.

What if I Don’t Want To Work In Basketball

While the program is built for people looking to understand working in basketball, it doesn’t mean people wanting to understand basketball more thoroughly cannot attend. There is a screening process all attendees go through to make sure the program is right for them, and more importantly, they are right for the program.

This is a limited space event, and not all interested attendees will get the chance to take part.

What Do I Do Next?

If this program sounds interesting to you, please drop an e-mail to pbcclass2018@gmail.com