Nihat Izic, head coach of Turkey’s team which took silver at last year’s U20 European Championship, was among the instructors at a coaching clinic held in Kuremaa, Estonia.

The clinic, organised by the Estonian Association of Basketball Coaches with the support of FIBA Europe, focused primarily on youth development.

		Nihat Izic shared his expertise with coaches in Estonia.

In Izic and Rolandas Radvilavičius, the 100 participants on hand were able to gain valuable insights from two coaches who have demonstrated success in developing young players.

Izic has played a crucial role in the development of Turkish rising stars Ersan Ilyasova and Cenk Akyol.

Radvilavičius, a coach at the Arvydas Sabonis basketball school, helped nurture talents such as Mantas Kalnietis of Kaunas and Martynas Andriuskevicius of the Chicago Bulls.

Dr. Gunnar Männik, a physiotherapist for the Estonian National Football team, Dr. Gunnar Männik, a professor in the psychology field, and Reet Rausberg, a basketball coach at the Audentes Sports School, also shared insights in their respective fields as it relates to youth basketball player development.

“Developing youth talent has been a key to Europe’s rise to the top of the basketball world,” said FIBA Europe Coaching Coordinator Michael Schwarz.

“Such a task requires instruction, not only in basketball techniques, but also in mental and physical development.

“This clinic in Estonia provided a very thorough review of all areas relating to youth player development and I am confident that the coaches in attendance came away with valuable information that they can use with their players.”