You will also find talent among them.
Aivo: „This season I am the coach of the U14 boys team in the 3rd division of the Estonian Championship. Although I have never worked as a coach in such a low league, the experience is interesting. These are fierce Russian boys. We will talk about Russian basketball separately and in more detail in another post.
I know well that the game is about emotions, it holds kids onto basketball. Playing is what develops, but training alone is not enough. We are participating in the Estonian youth championship in the U14 age group, and as from December 10th, we have already played 2 Estonian championship games in the current season, and they are on the same day, according to the instructions. Throughout the season, the number of our games increases to 12. I will not judge this number by whether it will ensure development. Let this opportunity remain for the reader.
In parallel, let the number of games in the main tournament of the teams playing in the 1st and 2nd divisions of the Estonian Championships of this age group be added here, that is 14! In order for the reader to have a comparative moment, following is the division of Latvian peers and the number of games. The information comes from a good colleague Martins Fomins, who works in the youth basketball club DSN. There are 12 teams in the Latvian U14 age class I division, which will play 22 games in the main tournament. Division II is divided into two – East and West. There are 13 teams in the East and a total of 24 games during the season, 19 teams in the West and 36 games during the season. I believe there is room for thought!”
Aivo: “Christmas is at the door and the kids are waiting for the gifts, we all know that! I think it is the same with recognition, who would not want and need recognition?! Children definitely need it more than adults!”
BUT, IS IT SO?
Aivo continues: „At the Estonian Adult Championships in the men’s championship league, the champion of the season will be determined and medals will be awarded, both in the I league and the II league. Honour and fame in addition!
As sad as it may be, unfortunately in the youth classes the best are not awarded at all levels. In the first or strongest league, all eight teams will qualify for the play-off, in addition to them, the 4 best from the second league will qualify for the play-off. And finally, there will be a final tournament with the participation of the four best, where the brightest recognitions of the season will be shared and the champion will be determined.
The winner or medal winners of the second strength youth league will not be determined separately. The teams of the third league of the Estonian championship do not have the opportunity to play EVEN with the weakest of the second league. It could be said that the teams of the third league just have the “pleasure” to participate in the Estonian championship. Let it be added that everyone pays the same amount of participation fees in the youth championship, regardless of the league level and the number of games!
The emotion a gift or recognition brings to the face of a child of any age is so unique and genuine that they will remember it and it will keep their motivation up high! We have experienced it ourselves as a child, seen from our children or basketball kids.
I think young players need attention and recognition even when playing in the lower leagues!
Talent does not ask where he is born, he is free to start basketball as a child from the 3rd league, from where we have helped two young people to an foreign club! To whom known and to whom unknown club. I believe that the two will certainly not be left without the third”.
Marten: „Just as children and young people need recognition, so do adults (on the picture there is Tanel Kurbas, who is a client of Marten and the first Estonian to win Slovanian Championship – great recognition to the player and the agent – foto from Tanel Kurbas instagram). Unfortunately, in Estonia it is very difficult for a fresh adult to survive as a basketball player. You’re supposed to be a decent player to be able to ask for a decent reward, but I think it’s unclear, how to become such a player? This is not very well thought through, at least in Estonia. The U18 league is the last junior class for young players, which is mostly played by 11th grade students, then in the last (12th) grade the player has to get started between men. There we usually can’t talk about individual work, but the young player has to start fighting for himself amongst men. Is the 18-year-old already ready to be a player? The structure of training changes and individual development is largely left to the player. If a young man has the willpower, but does not have the right support system around him, then he simply lacks knowledge. Even our Audentes system has no cure for this. If until the end of the 12th grade you are in a good place, you have good conditions and coaches around, then after the graduation ceremony you are on your own. You’re lucky if a top league team pulls you in, gives you a place with a couple of other young people to live and eat – and then the fight begins. At this point, I don’t really want to point the finger at the managers of Estonian clubs, because most Estonian clubs are “one-man bands” and if it weren’t for these men, I don’t even want to think what the situation would be like. But it also shows how much we have to develop in terms of sports management and organization. How much do we have to develop as a society so that there are more people who would contribute to sport and not just criticize it.
The next stage for a young player is to start raising his head in the Estonian top league – if you have stayed strong for 5 years and your parents still believe in you and support you. The young player is being talked about in the media, and often our young players have developed a good reputation in Estonia. It seems to me that the athletes cannot really see the real picture of their skills compared to larger basketball countries. On the one hand, you are good, but nothing stormy happens in your career”.
Marten continues: „If I look at young Estonian basketball players, then in many cases the impression is that if a few good performances have taken place or some more, they are very „full of air“. Throwing 30+ points in the Estonian youth leagues or making a good game in the Estonian top league is a good achievement, but in the big picture it may not help you enough. As Estonia is small, it is easy for a young person to fall into a whirlwind of attention and the sense of reality may disappear. The basketball profession may seem sexy and glamorous, but that’s not quite what the NBA or Euroleague men reflect on us on the social media. Often we do not see the sweat and tears that these men have had to go through. There are no highways to the top. What needs to be understood is that to get there, you have to go through a great path of trials: you have to make sacrifices, work hard, develop yourself in many ways, follow your diet, your regime, and so on. Several blog posts and books could be written about it. Are our athletes ready for that? Are we aware of this at all? Or if we are, why don’t we see the results?
In players I really appreciate the internal burning, where the player is ready to go even through the wall and is ready to fight against any opponent. I also see it in many of our Estonian players, but somewhere there is a line between self-confidence and arrogance. I think that if he is a player in the Estonian league, he should not consider himself a good player and pound against his chest yet. If elsewhere abroad you work hard in the summer under the guidance of private coaches, invest in your summer development both financially and in terms of time, then our athletes often play 3×3 basketball or chill. Why are US basketball players so much better than us and why are there so many of them in Europe? One of the reasons is that if they didn’t work hard in the summer, they wouldn’t have a career as a basketball player. It is not possible for them to use the expression “you can still play in Estonia”! Think about it!
Marten continues: „I liked the speech of Kuno Tehva, the president of the football club Nõmme Kalju (photo: screenshot from youtube), in a very recent interview, which I have to quote: „I think that one of the problems with Estonian football is that people don’t really understand, that the work of a coach or a professional footballer is all or nothing. It’s not a popular activity, it’s a big and a hard job, discipline, order, dedication. Both team and individual goals must be at the highest level, then the footballer will be able to take a step forward in his career. The bar must be very high ”. At this point, I would turn football into basketball and leave the rest the same.
Blind faith alone does not help, as Aivo likes to say. Successful decisions must be made for success. It is great that the Estonian Basketball Association created a basketball home in Tallinn and things are getting better in our summer work as well. But even there you can go more into detail, because each player is different and needs a different approach. Who needs work with the physique, who with something else. When we come back to the beginning of the post, every player needs recognition. The best recognition is how the hard work pays off and getting a good offer from abroad. Of course, these things don’t happen that easily, you need an agent to help you – but that’s the subject of some of the next posts. The Estonian top league is also important, but it cannot be any player’s dream, because good players play elsewhere. I hope everyone understands that the point of me talking is not to give up on everything, because this journey is damn hard, but I want to say that if you have already taken on this journey, give it your all. Give so much of yourself that you don’t have to think at the end of your career „damn it, I could have given/done much more“. Believe me, basketball can earn you a very good living and it is as dignified job as a lawyer or any other important person. In addition, the work of a basketball player has many other benefits that are worth working for. Knowing Estonian basketball players, helping to advance their careers, I know that there is much more to our athletes. If you work hard, surround yourself with the right people, then things will happen – everything has it’s time and place.
ESTONIAN NATIONAL TEAM WINDOW
One recognition for a basketball player may be to represent his youth or adult national team. Aivo also has something to say on this topic.
Aivo: „Unfortunately, the EM “bubble” bursted. Some games were lost, but the Estonian national team’s hope of reaching the European Championships is still alive. A lot of talk and criticism has been caused by our loss to Russia. The former world champion and “basketball expert”, whose coaching career was not overly successful, neither in Finland nor in Estonia, repeatedly emphasizes that THIS IS OUR LEVEL! I do not agree with that! I think the level is better than we saw in the failed game with Russia. It is always easier to criticize than to do something for the development of basketball yourself. It takes 10+ years to grow a player, roll up your sleeves and try to see if you can put the theory into practice”.
MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Marten: „As the end of the year is coming and Christmas is coming, we wish you a pleasant time with your family and loved ones! But don’t forget to keep up with basketball life during the holidays! Together we have received a Christmas present, because we now also have a new basketball president. I am glad that the speeches of the new President of EKL have gave the impression of creating and saving the unity of the basketball family. I have to admit that I, as a basketball agent, often feel like a foreign body in Estonian basketball, but I hope that it will change soon! Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR!