GSP partnered with the Mauritania Basketball Federation (FMBB) and its President Youssouf Fall, to implement a Level 2 Coaches Education Project. Phase 1 of the project was held August 17-21, 2024. GSP sent three coaches to lead the project, its International President, Dennis Chamberlain, as well as high-level basketball coaches, Guillermo Frutos and José Neto.
“This is one of the best GSP projects that I’ve personally been a part of! The quality of training that GSP provided, combined with the energy and enthusiasm of the Mauritanian coaches and the vision of the Federation to develop its coaches and players, contributed to the success of this project. Personally, I’m very excited about the future for the FMBB and the opportunity to take our partnership to the next level.”
The first four days of the project focused on U16 and U18 coaches, and 17 coaches from around the country participated. The experts led sessions on Coaching Methodology, Spacing, and Player Development. A key part of the project was teaching GSP’s Transformational Coach Level 1 course, which included sessions on What is a Coach?, Coaching Philosophy, and Core Values. Each of the four days began with two classroom sessions in the morning and concluded with two afternoon sessions held on the basketball court.
The last day of the project was the Pro Day, which focused on advanced topics for elite coaches in Mauritania’s first and second divisions, with an additional 12-15 coaches attending. Coaches Chamberlain, Frutos, and Neto led sessions on Ball Screen Offense, Ball Screen Defense, Plays for Special Situations, and Building an Offensive System. All four of these clinic sessions were held on the basketball court.
Chamberlain appreciated the very warm welcome and hospitality given by FMBB President Youssef Fall and Vice President Mohamed Bouya. The participants were actively engaged, asking great questions, and demonstrating a desire to learn and grow as coaches. One of the participants, coach Khary Cheikh Fall Ly said that the most useful part of the training was to “ask the right questions about who you are as a coach, why you are a coach, and what your strengths and weaknesses are.” Coach Khary also mentioned that he learned about the importance of “spacing and putting the player in game-like situations so that he will know how to make decisions.”
“This training course, one of the best organized in Mauritania so far, has greatly marked the minds of the stakeholders in Mauritania national basketball, firstly by the special nature of the partnership linking the two parties who shared the costs related to the organization of air transport, accommodation, teaching materials, etc.), and also , by the quality of the lessons provided and especially by the appropriate and stimulating teaching approach, the commitment, the passion, the sense of respect for others, the patience and the relentless desire of the instructors to pass on their knowledge to the trainees who remained diligent throughout the training course. In a word, this training course was a successful and very instructive. All our gratitude to Global Sport Partners.” – Mr. Youssouf Fall, President of the Mauritania Basketball Federation
Global Sports Partners and the Mauritania Basketball Federation are looking forward to implementing Phase 2 of the program, already being planned for May 2025.