National call-up for college basketball players

England and Scotland honours for Tom and Ashley

Two young basketball players, who are on the Elite Basketball Academy Programme at Ivybridge Community College, have been selected to play for their country.

Seventeen-year-old forward Tom Elliot-Smith, has been selected for the England Under 18 squad and fifteen year old Ashley Hall has been chosen for the Scotland Under 16 squad.

“This is such an honour,” said Tom, who came to Ivybridge Community College in September last year so that he could focus on developing his basketball career while continuing his academic studies. “Since coming to Ivybridge the level of my game has improved so much. I train at least twice a day, every day, for around twenty-five hours per week, and I’m delighted that I’ve made it into the England squad.”

Tom, who stands at 6’7”, started playing the game just three years ago when he was introduced to it by a friend. He then moved from his school in Plymstock to Ivybridge in September last year, as the Plymouth Raiders run their Basketball Academy in liaison with the College. In addition to training hard with the Academy, he also studies A Levels in Chemistry, Biology and PE.

“It’s been a huge step up for me,” he added, “but I think that playing at the higher level has been the driving force behind the big improvements in my game. The academy structure here means that I can get the best out of my game and my studies. My short-term ambition is to make the cut for the Under 18 European Championships team in Turkey in June, as only ten or eleven players from the squad will go and my longer term goal is to get a scholarship to play and study in either the USA or Gran Canaria.”

Fellow Ivybridge Community College student Ashley Hall is just as thrilled, as he has been chosen for the Scotland Under 16 squad. “I was so excited when I got the phone call,” said Ashley, “as it’s my ambition to improve my game further and eventually become a professional player.”

Ashley made the move to the College in order to develop his skills in the Basketball Academy too. He plays for Plymouth Marjon’s Under 16 team as point guard and he has high ambitions: he hopes to be chosen to play for Scotland in the Under 16 European Championships in Macedonia in August and is determined to continue his training by studying in the USA in the future.

“The USA is traditionally the best place to go for basketball and I would love to study there,” he added, “but at the moment I am getting the best possible opportunity here in Devon. Joining the Academy at Ivybridge was an easy decision to make because I know that my future and my passion lie in basketball.”

The Plymouth Raiders Academy at Ivybridge Community College plays in the EABL, the Elite Academies Basketball League, against some of the UK's best academy teams. The Academy's Head Coach, Jay Marriott, is also the Plymouth Raiders' BBL Team Coach and has an ethos and philosophy that is based around skill development, intense strength and conditioning, sports science and next-level contacts.

For more information on Ivybridge Community College's sports academies, visit www.ivybridge.devon.sch.uk