BE coaching camp wraps up
The BE Sri Lanka Basketball Camp 2025 wrapped up yesterday, marking a milestone for Sri Lanka’s basketball community. Over the course of four days, the camp brought together coaches, players and aspiring young players, delivering high-quality training by coaches Don Showalter and Tony Townsend from the USA, gaining exposure to global basketball standards.
Despite the initial challenges, including a lack of support from the Sri Lankan Basketball Federation and the government, the event pushed forward with the backing of private sponsors. During the press conference leading up to the event, Coach Showalter, visiting Sri Lanka for the third time, expressed his concern over the absence of cooperation from the country’s sports authorities.
USA coaches Don Showalter and Tony Townsend conducted the training camp - Pic by Indika Handuwala
“It’s a little concerning that the Basketball Federation of Sri Lanka doesn’t seem to support these events. I’m not sure what the purpose of the federation would be if it’s not supporting initiatives like this, which improve basketball in the country,” he said.
A standout feature of the camp was the USA Basketball Certified Coaching Certification, apart from the training sessions of 10-time USA gold medallist and the Director of USA Basketball Youth and Sports Development, Showalter, alongside coach Townsend, a former professional basketball player and coach from the USA. The training camp made history by bringing a USA national team coach to South Asia for the first time.
Event organiser and former national player Keshawa Perera said “BE Sri Lanka Basketball has been running since 2019, and this marks our fourth basketball camp here. Our goal is to develop basketball in the country by creating opportunities for both coaches and players. We aim to educate them, provide international exposure through basketball camps, and open pathways for scholarships to the USA.”
The primary objective of our basketball camp is to enhance the sport in Sri Lanka and support coaches and players in refining their knowledge and skills, Perera said. “Through this programme, we hope to create opportunities for them in USA basketball, including coaching academies, coaching camps, and player camps.”
The first day of the camp for coaches set off earlier this week, on Wednesday, at the Sugathadasa Indoor Stadium followed by a three-day, full-day camp for players from Wednesday up till yesterday. Additionally, the event drew attention to Sri Lanka’s potential as a basketball tourism destination, something the organisers are eager to build upon.