This pamphlet is aimed at players with the ability and potential to reach the elite level

of senior basketball. It covers the aspects of the basketball program at Barking Abbey
School, that has made it the number one academy in the UK with a Europe wide
reputation.
The program is aimed at talented players but most importantly, talented players that t
with our character values. Our environment creates the opportunity for young talented
people to develop on and o the court as they prepare for elite basketball and adult life
This information pack provides more of an insight into what we are about at the
academy, and to provide more information to help make a decision on whether or not
Barking Abbey is the place to spend the next stage of your career.
As much as we want the best talent to join us, we only want players here who want to
be a part of BA. It must be a decision that you feel is best for you.
Please do not hesitate to get in touch if you have any further questions or need
anymore information,
We look forward to speaking with you soon,
Barking Abbey Basketball Academy

For more information visit the website at www.abbeybasketball.com

Founded in 1922, Barking Abbey was one of the rst co-educational grammar schools
in England. At the time, it was situated in a largely rural area, with elds and farmland
close by. In 1970, Barking Abbey Grammar School was merged with Park Modern
School to form what has now become Barking Abbey School: A Specialist Sports and
Humanities College.
The Basketball Academy was established in 2005, giving the opportunity for talented
basketball players to work everyday with high quality coaches in an elite development
environment, while also attending an educational institution of high academic
standards.
Barking Abbey is a mixed school of approximately 2,000 pupils. It is traditionally heavily
oversubscribed and each year takes 270 new pupils. With a large Sixth Form of over
600 students the school oers a large range of AS, A2 and BTEC courses to our 16-19
year olds.
We are proud of the fact that we are a multi-cultural community and we seek to
celebrate our diversity in as many ways as possible. Tolerance of, respect for, and
understanding of others are vital aspects of preparing young people for adult life. This
ethos is what underpins our school motto:
Barking Abbey School is a place where everyone gives and expects the best and
where everyone can say, I belong.
The mission of the academy is to provide a situation similar to that found on mainland
Europe and in the United States where basketball is scheduled throughout the day
around academic qualications.
The major ambition of the Academy is to test elite UK talent against the best in Europe
and the USA, whilst preparing players for professional basketball careers.

For more information visit the website at www.abbeybasketball.com

Vision:
Laborare et servire (to give and expect the best)
Mission Statement:
To create elite level basketball players able to compete at the highest levels of
international basketball and develop young men and women able to succeed in life.
We aim to do this through the following values Values:
Aspiration

A focus on continual self-improvement and development, of players, coaches and basketball.

Balance

A recognition that life skills are just as, if not more, important than basketball skills.

Excellence

Commitment to excellence, innovation, integrity and quality.

Culture

A culture of not being afraid to fail.

Family

Making everyone who comes into contact with the organisation feel valued and a part of the family.

Elite

To have a relentless pursuit of basketball excellence.

Unparalleled

To provide an unparalleled basketball academy experience.

Revolutionary

To continually challenge the current boundaries of basketball clubs within the United Kingdom.

For more information visit the website at www.abbeybasketball.com

We are extremely proud of our reputation of high academic achievement,

outstanding teaching and excellent support and guidance.
Barking Abbey was rated as good in its most recent Ofsted inspection, with
some teaching outstanding. Ofsted believes BA to be eective in delivering
outcomes that provide well for all its pupils needs, preparing them well for the
next stage of their education, training or employment.
Ofsted added that students enjoy the family community atmosphere of the
school, at the core of which lie the values of tolerance and respect. These are
central to promoting exemplary attitudes to learning and excellent behaviour.
Barking Abbey is one of the few basketball academies that oer an extensive
range of Level 3 courses. The school oers a variety of both A levels and BTEC
subjects and has a pass rate of over 99.4% for A Level subjects with 74% of
those passes coming with A-C grade.
The progress made by our A level students is signicantly above national and
local averages. Given such excellent results, the vast majority of students
progress to higher education, with many of our students achieving places at
Russell Group Universities, including Oxford and Cambridge, and having had a
number of student-athletes achieve scholarships to Ivy league schools in the
US.
BA has been the only GB basketball institute and we have been described as
the closest to a specialist sport school in the UK, being compared favourably
with sports schools across Europe and Australia.

For more information visit the website at www.abbeybasketball.com

Domestic regular season playing opps - NBL D1, WBBL, D3, EABL, WEABL
There are few places in the UK that oer the domestic playing opportunities that are available at Barking Abbey
With teams competing in Mens NBL Division 1, the top ight Womens British Basketball League (WBBL), Mens NBL Division 3, along with the Elite
Academy Basketball League (EABL) and Womens Elite Academy Basketball League (WEABL), and a variety of National Schools competitions, Barking
Abbey caters to every talented players level.
Additionally, Barking Abbey is the only programme to boast having played against the likes of major US college programmes such as Notre Dame,
Georgia Tech, George Washington, Virginia Tech, Florida Tech and Michigan State. Through our extensive links in the US, we receive a number of oers
to take part in teams pre-season exhibitions during tours of Europe.
Barking Abbey focuses its playing opportunities within the Basketball England Senior National Leagues and the WBBL. On the boys side the team
essentially has two playing opportunities with our own Barking Abbey team participating in EBL Division Three and then our partnership with the Kent
Crusaders EBL Division One program. The Barking Abbey team is made up completely of Barking Abbey students across our Key Stage 4 and Sixth
Form programs, with the Kent Crusaders also using a small number of additional players increasing the playing experience and knowledge of the BA
students selected to play in this team.
Though our focus is always on player development rst, a side eect of that has been success at a number of dierent levels. With 22 National Schools
titles, 7 appearances in the Senior Final Fours, winning the 2015 NBL Mens Division 1 Playo Title using a team made up of 10 BA players, as well as
the 2016 WBBL Trophy Final runners up, BA has become renowned across the UK for developing the top up and coming talent.

For more information visit the website at www.abbeybasketball.com

Barking Abbey prides itself on seeking out the best competition, and as a result
competes internationally on an annual basis.
Over the years we have travelled to Spain, Bosnia, France, Lithuania, and the
USA for tournaments, taking on some of biggest global powerhouses in youth
basketball, including Real Madrid, Estudiantes, Maccabi Tel Aviv, Union Olympia,
and ASVEL.
Additionally, we are the only club in the UK to have hosted the Euroleague
Junior Tournament Qualifying Round (2010), as well participate at the Sabonis
Cup, Sarajevo Tournament, and Girona Womens tournament.
We have taken a mens team to the US every year for the past three Christmas
breaks, competing in the world renowned City of Palms Classic, Chick-Fil-A
Classic and most recently the Basketbull Hoopsfest. On these trips, not only do
we face o against future Division 1 college basketball players and
professionals, but we visit a number of US colleges that feature former BA
student-athletes for tours to give an overview of the entire US experience.
In 2015, the basketball academy took part in its rst preseason training camp in
Madrid, Spain. All 40 players from the Sixth Form academy on both the mens
and womens program spent two weeks in the Spanish capital. The trip proved
a fantastic and life changing experience for both the student and sta, and we
aim to make it an annual trip.

For more information visit the website at www.abbeybasketball.com

No academy in the UK can match Barking Abbeys track record when it comes
to placement post-BA.
In the US Division 1 college system, currently 50% of the British players
developed in the UK, both male and female, on scholarship have come
through Barking Abbey.
Since our inception 2005, we have had over 70 players win scholarships to to
an NCAA, NAIA or JUCO institution in the USA, with Barking Abbey students
having earnt more than $7 million in scholarship money.

scholarships
We are incredibly proud to be the leading club in the country with Senior
international alumni, currently boasting nine players that have gone on to
represent the Senior national teams; four men (Robert Gilchrist, Zak Wells,
Joe Ikhinmwin, Teddy Okereafor), ve women (Jamila Thompson, Ella Clark,
Savannah Wilkinson, Harriet Yea, Leah Deehan), six of which did not play for
any Junior National Team before attending BA.
BA is also one of the leading clubs in the country to have produced future
professionals, currently with 10 alumni having gone on to professional
careers; a number that is expected to increase considerably in the coming
years as more graduate from college.

For more information visit the website at www.abbeybasketball.com

Barking Abbey currently has three indoor basketball facilities, four full size FIBA dimension
courts where we play our National League games, and one smaller gym used for small group
workouts. Our main show court was a practice venue for the 2012 London Olympic Games
with FIBA quality playing oor and top of the range baskets. There is planning for an
additional facility built with seating for up to 1000 people on school premises.
Additional to this, we have a dedicated strength and conditioning area, with free weights and
Olympic lifting platforms and a physiotherapy suite managed by our dedicated strength and
conditioning and our full time physiotherapist
For those students who live a further distance from the school and so are unable to commute
daily, we have player accommodation available. Each year the basketball academy has a
number of students live away from home in one of our houses, all within close proximity to
the academy. Players live with a supervising adult and learn to live independently, we also
have a host family option if this suits individual circumstances.

For more information visit the website at www.abbeybasketball.com

Barking Abbey is one of the only programmes (including the BBL) in the
country to have a full time coaching and support sta of six.
There are currently four full time basketball coaches, one full time
physiotherapist and a dedicated strength and conditioning sta. Additionally,
we have three volunteer coaches who provide day to day support, to round out
a sta roster of nine.
No less than ve of our coaches have National Team experience, with a former
Head Coach of GB Senior Womens team, along with assistants from U23, U20,
U18 and U16 levels. There is also professional and international coaching
camps experience, such as Nike Basketball Without Borders, and a number of
Coach of the Year honours between the sta.

For more information visit the website at www.abbeybasketball.com

Are you the next Great Britain Senior International to come through BA? Our next
alumni going on to achieve a full scholarship to an NCAA Division 1 school? We want
you to be a part of the Barking Abbey family - let us help you get to where you want to
be.We have a challenging environment that will maximise the potential of every
individual that becomes part of #AbbeyNation