He got his work done in the classroom and graduated. He was a standout member of one of our European Exposure teams that played 20+ games in Europe. He advanced his experience and his resume and is now the Associate Head Coach at Tusculum College.
Click on the photo of Devin to find out more.
He was a hero and was National
Defensive Player of the Year by the Sporting News.
He joined USA Select Basketball and continued his career in France and Czech Republic. Ricky just won a second National Championship as a coach at his beloved U Conn.
USA Select Basketball salutes Alumni Ricky Moore!
Click on the photo of Ricky to get our camp information
John is an incredible, hard working player who no one gave a chance. He came on tour, we got him his start, he played all over the world and is now a coach with the Bakersfield Jam in the NBA D League!
We believed in John and he believes in us!
Click on Coach Bryant’s photo to see photos from past tours!
Register for our camp June 12-14.
Make your career a slam dunk!
You will play games, not skills and drills, but games! We have a brand new, air conditioned 4 court facility and we video the games and provide LIVE STREAMING to our contacts all over the world! Top level officials and very well organized!
We expect you will play at least 8 games over that 3 day event!
Camp cost is $375 and you may pay at registration or in advance by Pay pal. If you prepay, you get a free USA Select European Exposure Tour T shirt!
Have the experience of a lifetime!
Schedule:
June 12:
9-11.30 am Registration
Quality Inn and Suites
13470 E. Independence Blvd
Matthews, NC
(704) 821-9800
1-3 pm Mandatory Seminar and overview of European Tour, jobs, contracts and evaluation process
5-6 pm team assignments
7-10 pm Evaluation games.
June 13:
9am-9pm Evaluation and pool play games.
June 14:
9am-Noon Playoff Games
1-2 pm All Star Selection
2-3 pm Championship Game
Other Details:
We cannot promise you a job, just fair chance at exposure! We have been successful and helped a lot of guys have that chance….you can be one of them!
Some guys will go to great lengths to extend their basketball playing days.
Former Valley Forge and Youngstown State star Ryan Patton went farther than most. He went all the way to England, with a brief stint in Qatar.
Patton, who led Forge to a Division I regional final in 1997 and scored more than 800 points in just two high school seasons, is in his sixth year as a European professional and his playing career is not much different than it was in the United States.
He still is a terrific shooter and scorer.
“I always thought he would end up playing professionally somewhere,” said John Stavole, who coached Patton for two seasons after he transferred from Holy Name to Valley Forge. “If ‘gym-rat’ was in the dictionary, his picture would be there. He just loved to play. He was the kind of kid you loved to coach.”
Patton, 31, earned All-Ohio honors as a senior at Valley Forge and became just the second player in YSU history to score 1,000 points and have 400 assists before graduating in 2002.
The 6-0 guard plays for the Sheffield Sharks, the defending champions of the British Basketball League. The season lasts from September to May and teams play about twice a week. The Sharks, 30-6 one year ago, are in the BBL Championship Finals, which begin next week. Patton is averaging 18 points a game and is in the league’s top five in assists, 3-point shooting percentage and free throw percentage.
“I would have considered playing anywhere in Europe,” Patton said in an e-mail. “England was the first country that I played in. I played a short time in Qatar, but it’s beneficial to be in a country without a language barrier and I felt at home in England.”
Each BBL squad is permitted to have just three Americans on its roster.
“That puts a little added pressure on me to keep performing well,” he said. “It’s good to have played at the college level in the States because it was a pressured environment. We get treated well here, your accommodations and car are paid for and the English fans and management are very supportive.”
Soccer remains king in England but Patton said basketball’s status is improving.
“Basketball is not one of the top sports in the country so we don’t pull in the same crowds,” he said. “Our games are showing now on Sky sports, which will improve the profile and popularity of basketball in the UK. The Cup Championships and the finals always draw big crowds and a great atmosphere.”
Patton still spends his summers in Ohio and has begun running basketball camps at local schools.
“I’ll play as long as my body allows me to,” he said.
Spoken like a true gym rat.
– Tim Rogers
The Linbraze Arrows returned to action in 2016 with a heart – stopping victory over London Westside by 85 – 80. After a sluggish opening which saw the Arrows trail 30 – 17 at the end of the first the Arrows eventually overhauled Westside down the straight behind 24 points for Callum Mccallum, 20 points for the debutant Chris Dixon and 16 from Joseph Baugh.
The Arrows performed better in the second quarter as they attacked the basket with greater urgency behind some clever moves from Chris Dixon and the inside play of McCallum and Denis. Rory Wheatcroft and Andreas Lycoudis showed great promise with rebounds and two clever finishes respectively as the half closed with the Arrows now trailing by only 43 – 44.
The teams were locked together for much of the second half. In the third quarter Joseph Baugh began to show his offensive skills while Andre Rankine began to show his experience at both ends of the court. However it took a clever steal and athletic finish by Dixon in the final seconds to see the teams locked at 64 – 64.
The fourth quarter was always going to be a tight and tense affair with Westside taking the early initiative but Joseph Baugh’s “3 point play” levelled the scores again. James Kelly made a vital steal with Westside looking certain to score, turning this instead into a McCallum basket which gave the Arrows a five point lead inside the last minute. There was still some nerves but Chris Dixon capped a long day for him personally with the free throws that ensured victory at 85 – 80.
Scorers; Mc Callum 24, Dixon 20, Baugh 16, Kelly 9, Lycoudis 4
The victory keeps the Arrows in second place in the division with an 8 – 3 record and importantly unbeaten at Killamarsh Sports Centre for the season. This is important as they play the next 3 games at home starting with Worcester on the 17th
January at 5pm.
It will be a day Chris Dixon will have in his memory for a long time the longest trip to a game ever. Only 10 days earlier Chris was working at the YMCA gym in Atlanta helping people appreciate the powers of basketball on and off the court then he heard of the opportunity to do something similar in another country with the Arrows he gathered his stuff booked and paid for a flight that was scheduled to land some 9 hours before the flight. However because of engine problems and weather it landed some 6 hours late.
He arrived in Sheffield 4 hours before the game but armed with his kit and great love for the game he laced up his boots and accepted the number 10 shirt for the Arrows. Chris opened his account with 2 free throws and a clever finish in the first quarter then iced the game from the line some 60 minutes later to make it a winning debut in his first game overseas.
Chris Dixon returned 20 points in the game a tremendous effort considering he had never met his team – mates before the warm up. He linked well with Captain James Kelly who appeared to enjoy the extra space the arrival of Chris Dixon will give him.
James Kelly stated “It was an impressive effort on debut from Chris, his pedigree is great and I look forward to learning from him on and off the court. He is a most welcomed addition to 2016 and will help us face the tough challenges ahead with greater confidence.”
At the end of the game Chris was pleased but clearly trying to take in an extraordinary 24 hours in his basketball life as he reflected and commented.
“I’m just grateful and excited for the opportunity to help this team win games. I know and have worked with former USA Select and Arrow Noah Brown who told me what a great experience he had enjoyed and how he continues to feel part of the family. I would like to thanks the management and coaches for allowing me to become a part of this same Arrows family. It was fun today however I can and will play better”
Another product of the Team USA Select organisation under coach Sean Kilmartin Chris Dixon will have the chance to experience life and basketball in another country.
Some guys will go to great lengths to extend their basketball playing days.
Former Valley Forge and Youngstown State star Ryan Patton went farther than most. He went all the way to England, with a brief stint in Qatar.
Patton, who led Forge to a Division I regional final in 1997 and scored more than 800 points in just two high school seasons, is in his sixth year as a European professional and his playing career is not much different than it was in the United States.
He still is a terrific shooter and scorer. “I always thought he would end up playing professionally somewhere,” said John Stavole, who coached Patton for two seasons after he transferred from Holy Name to Valley Forge. “If ‘gym-rat’ was in the dictionary, his picture would be there. He just loved to play. He was the kind of kid you loved to coach.”
[MORE]
For the 2nd year in a row the USA Select team (number 1) were victorious in the annual Stuart Robbins Memorial tournament at the University of Limerick. They overcame UCC Demons in a competitive final game that capped a great weekend of men’s basketball in Limerick.
This is the 4th year of the tournament and the President of Basketball Ireland, Mr Gerry Kelly, was on hand to present the memorial cup to the winning team, and to present the MVP of the final to Raymond McElroy, the captain of the USA team. The President also paid tribute to UL, to the organisers of the event, the referees and table officials for their work on the tournament.
In an entertaining match played in front of a decent-sized crowd at Worthing Leisure Centre, Ziffit-sponsored Thunder edged out their American counterparts 101-97 with an impressive display that leaves them in good shape ahead of their first competitive match of the season – at Reading Rockets in the National Trophy on Saturday.
New signing Tom Ward was the star of the show, top-scoring with 28 points and seven rebounds on debut, and Bud Johnston also chipped in with 25 points.
Thunder coach Daniel Hildreth said: “We knew that they would come with a big squad and that they wouldn’t get fatigued, so I was impressed with the way we kept going, even in over-time.
“We’ve done a lot of work off the court in pre-season and we carried on our good form on the court, which I’m happy with.
“I cannot say enough about the crowd. I thought as it was a friendly only 100 or so would turn up but they were loud throughout the whole game and they were great. I was very impressed with the way we approached the game in general and how we played. It was a good test for us.”
Terrence Bridgeman was the pick of the USA Select team, scoring 18 points, along with Elijah Wilson, who netted 14 points and claimed three rebounds.
The hosts led 21-20 at the end of the first quarter and had extended their lead to five points by half-time.
Consecutive three-pointers from Clay Wilson and then Antonio Bethea took the USA side ahead and the game remained close throughout as Donald Qualls’ three-pointer levelled the game for the USA and sent it to over-time.
Despite falling behind early on, Thunder held their nerve and they took the lead for the first time in the added period with a minute-and-a-half remaining.
Two converted free throws from Max Richardson in the dying stages then sealed victory for Thunder.