In partnership with Nike, Jordan and the London Basketball Association (LBA), BPT offer free basketball certification courses at the BPT Hub throughout the year. The ROC programme is designed to give basketball enthusiasts the opportunity to become qualified referees, table officials or coaches.
ROCs play a vital role in allowing basketball to be played in the UK, but a lack of qualified officials often mean games are unable to take place. Therefore, this course is able to provide people with the right qualifications to help fill the gap of these roles in the UK and gain invaluable skills for their daily lives.
We caught up with one of the participants from the programme, Mohamed (Mo) Jalloh to see what he has been up to since earning his qualifications…
Last summer, Mohamed Jalloh was selected for the level 2 basketball coaching course as part of the programme. After earning his qualification, he received many opportunities, not only in London but also internationally, however for Mo the best opportunity came when he was offered a head coaching role with University College London’s (UCL) Women’s Second team, which he accepted ahead of the 2022-23 season. Mo described his first season as a head coach ‘challenging, but exciting at the same time’ and a role he has been thoroughly enjoying. This was the beginning of a new experience for Mo, who was new to the basketball scene in London, but soon after completing his qualifications, he received his first taste of coaching in a women’s league and at university level.