Newcastle Basketball Elite
Develop Your Game. Elevate Your Future
Train with purpose. Compete with passion. Graduate with confidence. Welcome to Newcastle Basketball Elite.
At Newcastle Basketball Elite, we are committed to helping ambitious student-athletes reach their full potential both on the court and in the classroom. Our programme is designed to provide an elite basketball environment that combines high-performance coaching with outstanding academic support, allowing you to pursue your chosen degree whilst competing at the highest level of university basketball.
Whether your goal is to maximise your individual development, compete nationally and internationally, or prepare for the chance of a professional playing career, Newcastle Basketball Elite provides the coaching, facilities and support to help you succeed.
Every aspect of our programme has been carefully designed to accelerate your development as a player. You'll benefit from:
- Individual one-to-one coaching tailored to your personal development goals.
- Small group skill development sessions focusing on position-specific training and game situations.
- High-performance team practices introducing multiple offensive and defensive concepts, tactical understanding and different styles of play.
- Individual and team video analysis to identify strengths, improve decision-making and enhance overall game performance.
- Strength and conditioning programmes delivered by qualified performance coaches to improve athletic performance while reducing the risk of injury.
- Athlete performance support designed to maximise your physical and mental development throughout the season.
- Regular competitive fixtures against university and club programmes across the UK.
- Opportunities to compete internationally against some of Europe's leading basketball academies.
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Excellence On and Off the Court
At Newcastle Basketball Elite, we believe that outstanding student-athletes are outstanding students first. Our players study a diverse range of degree programmes, from Business Management, Law and Psychology to Engineering, Computer Science, Biomedical Sciences and Law. Whatever subject you choose, our coaching staff work closely with the University's academic departments to ensure you receive the support needed to excel. We take the term student-athlete seriously. Academic progress is monitored throughout the year, and athletes are expected to maintain high standards in the classroom. If a student falls behind academically, additional support will be provided, and basketball participation may be temporarily suspended until satisfactory academic progress has been achieved. This approach reinforces our commitment to developing successful graduates as well as successful athletes. The University also offers an extensive range of academic and wellbeing support services, ensuring every student-athlete has access to the guidance, resources and pastoral care needed to thrive throughout their university journey.
More than Basketball
Newcastle Basketball Elite is more than a basketball programme it's a pathway to personal growth, academic success and sporting excellence. You'll join a community of ambitious student-athletes who challenge each other every day to improve, compete and succeed. With elite coaching, international competition, world-class facilities and a degree from a world top 80 university, you'll graduate with the skills, experiences and opportunities to shape your future whether that's in professional basketball, business or any career you choose.
Chris Bunten - Academy Director & Performance Lead
Chris has been one of the UK's leading basketball coaches and performance practitioners for almost two decades, with experience across junior, university, professional and international basketball. A proven leader in developing talent and building successful programmes, Chris has guided athletes from grassroots to elite performance while helping student-athletes achieve both academic and sporting success.
Career Highlights
- Two-time National University Champion with Northumbria University.
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Led Newcastle Eagles Women to their first-ever national title and WBBL Championship Finals.
- Strength & Conditioning Coach for England U14 & U15 National Teams.
- Assistant Coach with Great Britain U18 & U20 Women's National Teams at European Championships.
- Assistant Coach for England Women's team, winning Commonwealth Games Silver in 2018.
Will Neighbour - Head Coach Newcastle Basketball Elite
Will brings over 20 years of elite playing and coaching experience to Newcastle Basketball Elite, combining international knowledge with a passion for developing the next generation of student-athletes. Following a successful NCAA Division I career at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, Will enjoyed a ten-year professional career competing across Europe and Australasia before transitioning into coaching at some of the UK's leading university programmes.
Career Highlights
- NCAA Division I student-athlete at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock.
- Represented Great Britain at U20 and Senior Men's level.
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Ten-year professional playing career in Spain, Sweden, China, Australia, New Zealand, Hungary and England.
- Former Head Coach at the University of East London, Newcastle College and Newcastle University.
Will is passionate about developing complete student-athletes, combining elite coaching with strong values, discipline and personal development to help players achieve success both on and off the court.
