BTN News: At 15 years old, dreaming of becoming a professional basketball player, many girls find themselves at a crossroads. Balancing intense training sessions with academic demands becomes increasingly challenging, and the pressure from parents and friends to focus solely on studies can be overwhelming. Statistics reveal that three out of four girls eventually give up, a dropout rate not seen to the same extent among boys. This has significant repercussions, as basketball and other team sports are vital for physical health and instilling values like teamwork, dedication, and problem-solving that extend beyond the court. The Law6 project, taking place this week until Sunday the 28th in Barcelona, aims to counteract this trend. The project has been honored with the first edition of the Basket Girlz award, an initiative by Endesa designed to reverse the realities they have highlighted. Twenty-four basketball prospects will train with professionals like Claudia Soriano (Ensino Lugo), Regina Aguilar (Cadí La Seu), Txell Alarcón (Hozono Global Jairis), and Laura Méndez (UFAB 49). They will have the chance to be evaluated by top-level coaches who will provide individualized reports and guide them through tactical, physical, and foundational exercises, outlining the path to professional basketball careers. The ultimate dream for all involved: to make basketball their way of life.
The genesis of Law6, as one of its founders, Sergio Vera, an experienced women’s basketball coach, recounts, came over a casual coffee. The concept gripped them from the moment it was conceived, driving them to take action. With extensive knowledge of Catalonian women’s basketball at all levels—from professional to amateur—they recognized a glaring need. Every summer, they would receive calls from players seeking help with their post-season individual training. These summer months are crucial for players to focus on physical or technical aspects of their game that go overlooked during the competitive season, such as shooting mechanics, leg strength, and lateral quickness. There are countless details to refine. This arduous and sometimes solitary work, as Vera notes, is often done away from the public eye.
Law6 also addresses this issue. Everything is better as a team, in a community. The enthusiastic reception of the idea was no surprise: “Everyone who could fit it into their international competition schedules wanted to join,” says Vera. For such an ambitious project, he teamed up with professionals like Marta Santiago, the U21 3×3 basketball team coach and a key figure in one of Barcelona’s most prestigious women’s basketball academies, Siglo XXI. “This is just the first step. Hopefully, we can expand this experience beyond Catalonia and repeat it every summer,” both express with excitement.
So, how does Law6 work? Before gathering at the La Salle Bonanova pavilion in Barcelona on Tuesday, the 24 participants submitted videos of themselves playing. The 10 coaches involved in the project analyzed these videos to create individualized reports. These documents detailed their strengths, weaknesses, and the potential evolution they could achieve by working on the indicated aspects. This information is invaluable, rarely available in youth clubs due to limited resources. It suddenly provided these young talents with a vision of the path to becoming professional players. What could be better for these budding stars than working on these areas alongside professionals like Laura Méndez or Txell Alarcón? “It’s crucial for young players,” Vera notes. “They can see tangible benchmarks, such as how much they need to improve their shooting to reach the level of a professional guard or which player to model their game after based on their own physical attributes.”
This learning extends far beyond the end of these sessions. Once the players’ muscular or joint conditions and physical states are assessed, along with injury risks predicted by these reports, the advice and exercises practiced during the camp should continue into their regular season with their teams.
“At first, when a player places their trust in you, it’s an act of faith,” Santiago explains, “but it doesn’t take long for them to see how what you offer produces results.” This message resonates deeply because it helps them develop their competitive culture while simultaneously instilling values that take root in these young athletes. “We are there for them.” This unique opportunity opens a door to fulfilling their dreams. Today, these 24 young women have even more reasons to persevere, to not give up, to continue being Basket Girlz.
