Caledonia Gladiators has announced the formation of Caledonia Blues as it creates a development team for players under 23 years
Today, 14 March, Scotland’s professional basketball franchise Caledonia Gladiators has launched a new development team, Caledonia Blues, as it looks to support younger players into professional basketball in Scotland.
Caledonia Blues will work as a stepping stone to the professional men’s and women’s teams, allowing young people to train like elite athletes with the goal of eventually making the Caledonia Gladiators’ first team.
The second team builds on and supports the existing work of basketball clubs in Scotland and will provide a direct route for some of the county’s most talented players to achieve their ambition of playing professional basketball at the highest level.
The basketball franchise will also work closely with local universities and colleges, allowing players to continue to progress with their education while working towards professional basketball.
Replicating the professional model to instil commitment and work ethic from a young age, players will follow an extensive programme as well as take part in a competitive league. The model allows players under 23 years old to train and play for Caledonia Blues whilst also providing those ready, the opportunity to integrate and play with Caledonia Gladiators’ first team.
Caledonia Gladiators runs a number of community basketball programmes for children from the age of five with over five hundred children participating weekly, as well as a High-Performance Programme that exists to help support players from across Scotland improve. Current players within both the men and women’s first team squads that have participated in the High-Performance Programme include Kerry McGhee (20), Alix McIntosh (18) and Lewis Stevenson (16).
Miguel Ortega, Head of Basketball for Caledonia Gladiators, said:
“Currently, the leap into professional basketball is too big and teenagers playing in Scotland at an amateur level often need to move elsewhere whether that’s across the UK, Europe or further afield.
For us to ensure that we are nurturing home-grown talent and developing the very best players that we have, it is essential that we make a change and design a system that allows aspiring professional basketball players to stay in Scotland.
Caledonia Blues will allow players like Kerry, Alix and Lewis to have two teams where they continue training and playing with the professional players but build up more on court time during games within the second team.
We’re really excited about this new team and believe that it can be transformative for Scottish basketball, allowing us to instil the behaviours of elite athletes from a younger age, improving performance and creating a legitimate pathway for young people in this country to play basketball at a professional level.”
Applications for Caledonia Blues will open soon. For more information, visit Caledonia Blues
