We have thought that it is about time to talk of basketball from a different perspective than it has been done so far. We think that people who speak up, should have experience and knowledge, not just rumours from different sources. We have created a blog, where we can dissert basketball topics the way we see them. The way people take it, is up to themselves. To whom we are strangers, let us quickly introduce ourselves!
AIVO ERKMAA
„I have worked as a trainer with children, youngsters and adults for already 30 years. I have been the head coach of different youth national teams (over 10 years) and mens’ top league. I have an EOC (Estonian Olympic Committee) 7.cat coach’s professional qualification – Master Coach. I am glad that I have had the chance to work with many players, who have got to European clubs, NCAA and Estonian mens’ national team. Basketball has given me people who I have learnt a lot from and they have broadened my mind. As a trainer my goal has always been to offer great quality basketball studies. I am convinced that well prepared players and teams are the best valuation to my efforts. Along with the work as a trainer, finding talents and crossing the borders has always been exciting for me. For nine years I have organised Erkmaa Summer Course, where over 40 trainers from Italy, Spain, Germany, France and USA have participated. In cooperation with different agencies I have contributed to transfering 19 youth players to Italy, Germany, France and Spain clubs.“
MARTEN LOMBIOTS
„My whole life I have been a big sports fan and my favourite has always been basketball. As a young boy I already knew that helping people inspires me – so at the age of 22 I decided, that I must become a basketball agent. I wished to be a part of their careers and help them. At this moment there were no agents at Estonia and I saw that we have players, that could play in foreign clubs. I was an unknown man in the basketball field and the beginning was not simple at all. By today I am the only FIBA licensed agent and about to become 30. I have made over 60 international transfers to many European countries. I have represented Estonians as well as foreigners. Actually I feel that my path in the agent world is just about to begin. I have learned very much in these years and gained experience on how to do things right and what is best for the players. I like to work with people who have high standards, wish to work hard and strive for becoming better every day. I have worked with professionals and also helped young players make their first steps towards professional basketball.
It is nice to meet you! We dare to say that we together have enough experience to speak up about basketball topics. For a while now, we have heard different pronouncements about youth players going to foreign countries. It really disturbs us that people who talk about this topic, have no experience themselves or if they do, only superficially. The information that we hear is often misleading, hypothetical and incorrect.
On November 16th we listened to Postimees podcast-show „Kehakultuur“, where the guest of the show was Estonian basketball union member of the board and president candidate Priit Sarapuu. His argument was: „Several places where our youth players for some reasons, some confusing reasons end up at, do definitely not have better conditions than our Audentes“. These are the kind of moments we wish to express our vision and can not remain silent.
Aivo Erkmaa: „As I mentioned in my introduction, I have organized Erkmaa Summer Course for more than 9 years already. Over 40 foreign trainers have been here and in cooperation with different agencies I have helped transfer 19 players to foreign leagues. These have been big and life-changing decisions for the players and their families. Here, talking about confusing reasons is offensive to boys, their families and agencies. Sigma Sports is an European top agency that represents many Estonian players in Italy and their representer also performed at BSBC in January 2019. It was a good opportunity to ask about the „confusion“.. By today the first transfered boys have become young men – Kaspar Treier (photo from Dinamo Sassari Facebook page) and Henry Drell have reached Italy Serie A and Arnold Mitt, Hugo Erkmaa, Joonas Riismaa, Mikk Jurkatamm and Kaspar Kitsing to Serie A2. Would they be there today, if they had stayed to Estonia? I’m pretty sure the answer is no. This should also be asked from them.
I work as a coach for 30 years already and I have visited more than 20 clubs in Europe. I’m not sure about the basis he rates the clubs on and how many clubs he has visited? It’s sad that only very few trainers see, how the work of coach is being done elsewhere. In Audentes there are great conditions and opportunites for development, that’s not even under a question. Erkmaa Summer Course has transfered 6 players there in the past years. Still, I don’t think that the head coach of Audentes, would call his son back from Italy to fill the shoes of point guard. Unfortunately I don’t know anything about America, but it’s an interesting fact that the director of Audentes, has preferred America for his son instead of Audentes. Life is full of opportunities and people make choices, let’s accept that.“
Marten takes over here and take up another topic. Once again, the magical 16 – on the 16th of June 2020, our Finnish national teams’ head coach Jukka Toijala went to Betsafe podcast #16. It has to be admit that the show consisted of several claims that I don’t agree with and want to share my thoughts on.
The first argument: „Players go to foreign countries at the age of 13…“. To calm down parents and other sports fans – the only player who has left Estonia at the age of 13 is Aivar Kuusmaa’s son. Some others have gone at the age of 14, but mostly at 15+. No clubs can make players go there involuntarily. It is true that the clubs start looking at players already at the age of 12-13, but the final decision is always very well considered and nothing is rushed there.
„At the age of 15 they go to the world from here, on the conditions of people who are called agents… it could be said that it looks like child labor.“ Forcibly, it sounds like agents are some kind of massive dorks, who put the kids into dark bags and smuggle them into warm climate. This is actually a pretty brutal accusation and I do not agree with that. I know that the players are underage and everything has to be thought through. In a normal basketball country the action of scouting is perfectly natural. In sports – the goal is to be better than others and achieve great results. As a result of that, clubs look aroung the world to find talents.
Estonia is not the only place where youth players leave to foreign countries. We don’t have to search from very far – from Latvia players also leave every year. Many great players (Kristaps Porzingis, Ronald Smits, Anžejs Pasečņiks, brother Kurucs…the list will go on) has started their professional career in foreign basketball academies as underaged. Today the social media and YouTube have made finding players easy for the clubs themselves as well. Agent communicates with both parties and takes people with similar interests together. It is not for the agent to decide if a player joins a foreign club – so this accusation is not only done on my account, but also to other agents, that have helped young Estonians. The fact that agents get money for their contribution (so that the transfer happens as smoothly as possible for the club and family) – I can’t see anything illegal here. FIBA has a clear set of rules of how the transfer should look like. Many documents are gathered for final decision. I have learn all the regulations, visit FIBA main office Genf to pass the agent test. I became FIBA licenced agent because my clients deserves best representation. In the other countries, this is a natural part of the sports culture. How am I or other agents to blame for, that Northern countries do not admit this tendency? It’s funny that Toijala wants to see these same, under „child labor“ suffering youth players in the national team. They are the ones that the national teams’ „masterplan“ and future are built on! Every year in January we have BSBC tournament and the basketball union and sports media always shout out, how many different scouts and agents are participating. So – I do not understand – are we glad that our talented players are being noticed or do we want to keep them to ourselves, looking for excuses for them to stay at home? I think that today we can not offer youth players the career opportunites in Estonia that big basketball countries have.
„There are many sad stories compared to the one success story. There is a possibility to get injured – no school, career ends. Also other things can happen, so that the agent loses their interest towards a player.“ This once again, seems exaggerated. Out of the 19 players who have gone to foreign countries from Erkmaa Summer Course, no-one has came back. If we talk about education, I have acquaintances, who have studied in elite schools and later still got caught up with their lives. There are also examples of people who have filled the „minimum program“ in school, but are very successful entrepreneurs today. Citating Aivo: „Everything in this life is relative.“ The player can get an injury in Estonia as well. If there is a serious injury, that ends the career, it’s always possible to continue school. What’s the problem here? We have many good examples in our society – for illustration, let’s take Tanel Padar (one of the famous Estonian musician) – he rocked for the first period of his life and later got his higher education. Being abroad young people learn a lot, but we’ll talk about that in next posts!
Citing Aivo again: „Life is full of opportunites and people make their choices – let’s accept that!“
We will soon be talking about why we think it’s reasonable for a player to go abroad!
Let’s be positive and stay negative!