Our coaching and admin team includes Navid, Cameron, Georges, Dominik, Cezary, Walid, Leon, Laurence and Neb. We run sessions in Cambourne, Northstowe, St Ives, Cambridge and St Neots for Under 10, Under 12, Under 14, Under 16, Under 18 and adult age groups. We also have several National League teams: Falcons and Kestrels.
navid@fastbreakbasketball.co.uk
Navid is a passionate and dedicated figure in the Cambridgeshire basketball community. He is a qualified and licensed table official (Level 3), referee (Level 2), and coach (Level 2), bringing a wealth of expertise to every aspect of the game. Navid has been actively coaching junior and adult players since September 2018. His coaching journey has spanned across several teams, including the Cambourne Raptors Juniors, Cambourne Falcons U14 National League, Northstowe Kites, St Neots Eagles, and St Ives Falcons.
Navid was also a founding member of the Cambourne Raptors, established in 2016, where he served as the club’s Chairman until 2023. His leadership was instrumental in building the club from the ground up and establishing a strong foundation for basketball in the region.
As the Director of Fastbreak Basketball, Navid is deeply committed to promoting grassroots basketball, ensuring that the sport is accessible to everyone in the Cambridgeshire area. His dedication has helped countless players develop their skills and passion for the game.
In the 2024/25 season, Navid will take on the role of Head Coach for the St Neots Eagles, where he aims to elevate the club's visibility and community impact. Additionally, he will continue to provide valuable support as an assistant to the U18 National League Cambourne Falcons team.
Navid’s ongoing contributions to basketball, both on and off the court, reflect his unwavering dedication to the sport and his community.
Cezary is our Game Delegate for our home matches. He is a Level 2 Basketball England referee and is becoming a Level 2 Coach. He is one of the main referees for the Fastbreak League and regularly referees games for the Cambridge University College League. He will be helping with running U12 National League team in 2024/25 season.
My dad introduced me to basketball after a failed try-out for a youth football team in my hometown, Gdańsk. I was seven years old back then and haven’t looked back since. I got the privilege of learning to play under some great coaches as I progressed through a plethora of junior teams (10–18 years of age), with much success at both regional and national levels in Poland. At the age of 19, I had to choose whether to try my luck in playing professionally or leave to study abroad. I chose the latter, which began a new basketball journey. Between 2006 and 2009 I played for University College London, including serving as President of the Men’s Basketball Club for two years, before playing for Cardiff University in Wales during my Master’s degree.
After moving to Cambridge, I played in the University College League, first captaining the WT/CRUK Gurdon Institute, finishing top of the league in three consecutive seasons; and, more recently, Wolfson College, winning the Cuppers competition in 2022. I have played for the Cambourne Raptors Men’s Senior team since 2018 and was given the team’s MVP award in 2019 and 2020.
My passion for the game remains as strong as ever, which is why I’m currently training to become a Level 2 coach. As my friends know (probably all too well), I’m a devout supporter of the Boston Celtics. Having enjoyed playing basketball for nearly 30 years, I feel it’s now time for me to give back to the game and inspire the next generations. I look forward to sharing my knowledge, experience and passion with the Fastbreak Basketball community!
Georges is an experienced skills development basketball coach with a wealth of talents harvesting aptitude of basketball athletes to teach them intermediate to advance individual skills and team concepts.
In the U.K. - Georges played National Men’s Div. 2 and 3. Accomplishing the feature of team leading scorer for many years in Division 3 whilst maintaining high level defence and demonstrating a penchant intellectual understanding of the game.
He will be helping with U18 National League team in 2024/25 season and he has been helping with our various community clubs including Cambourne U15 and U17 sessions.
leon@fastbreakbasketbalk.co.uk
I am currently a Professor in Performance (Knowledge Exchange) at the University of the Arts London (UAL), where I integrate cutting-edge technology with established performance, art and design practices to train the next generation of creatives. My academic pursuits are matched by my passion for basketball, where I have been coaching youth basketball for the past three years. Holding a Level 2 Coaching License, I bring a technical and analytical approach to the game, focusing on developing players’ skills and understanding of basketball strategy. My experience spans working with diverse teams, helping players improve their performance both on and off the court. As a lifelong learner and educator, I aim to inspire my players by example, emphasising dedication, teamwork, and the pursuit of excellence. I am thrilled to be a part of this dynamic community, contributing to our shared goals and successes on the basketball court.
Laurence is currently coaching for both Fastbreak Basketball Club and Anglia Ruskin University (ARU) teams. He is a Level 2 Basketball England Coach with experience coaching senior teams and National League Junior teams at ARU, Cambridge Kestrels, Cambourne Raptors, and West Suffolk Wolves since September 2021. Additionally, Laurence has been a Level 3 personal trainer since 2008.
I learnt how to play basketball by playing for the Cambridge Cats as a youngster. My teams won multiple titles with school basketball and I also became a county captain for the East of England. During my U16 season, I was scouted by two clubs, the Chester Jets and the Broxbourne Bulls. I played a couple of seasons for the Bulls in the Junior National League. I then took a break from basketball and got back into playing in my mid 30s. I am now starting my second season coaching the Cambourne Raptors Mens team which I has helped me gain a lot of experience. I will start coaching our newest team, Cambridge City, in September 2023.
Walid is a Level 2 Club Coach. He has a wealth of playing experience and has volunteered to transfer his knowledge to his local community. In 2024 season, he will be running our advanced technical skills sessions from September.
I grew up in Tunisia and started playing basketball when I was 9 years old. My dad is a football coach so I grew up with a coaching mindset.
I played competitively in a national level club and we won the Tunisia Junior championship twice.
I played in Wessex League D1 2017-2019 and we were runners up twice in the playoffs.
Basketball is a very fun game to play. I learned a lot from it as a player, not only on the court, but off the court as well. It taught me how to be a better human being, to care about the feelings of teammates, to control my emotions in difficult situations, to be patient, to push myself to the limit and to think before acting.
I'm looking forward to learning more about the game as a coach.
Neb is a Basketball England Level 2 coach. Following his promotion to a professorship at Cambridge University, Neb has become too busy professionally, hence he will not be able to help with our NL teams. Yet, he is still happy to act as a consultant to pass on his wealth of knowledge to our coaches and players when possible. He will be helping as a consultant to our coaches where needed in the 2024 season.
I started to play basketball many years ago, in 1970 when my country, Yugoslavia won its first world championship. I was ten at the time and went out in the street to play. Everyone did. Very soon I joined BASK, one of the oldest sport clubs in Belgrade. I went through their junior programmes (12-18 yrs of age) and then continued to play for their first team (1978-1991). At the peak of our success, we played in the second, professional (we could say today) Yugoslav division. Those were the 80s and the first Yugoslav division was by far the best league in the world, outside of the American NBA. From 1985 to 1992 Yugoslav clubs won all of the European championships but one - and all of that without American or any other imports or players older than 27 years. In this socialist country, local players were not allowed to go and play abroad before age 27. And no one needed imports because they produced very good local players. So, the second division was pretty good.
In 1989 I was on a Yugoslav selection team that toured New Zealand. We went there without any training but did manage to beat, among others, the local national team in Wellington.
In 1991 I moved to New Zealand for good. I played two seasons for the Nelson Suns and started coaching. I then moved to Auckland in 1994 and set up a team with a bunch of ex-Yugoslav players from all parts of the war torn country. We played the local social league against all professional players in the area, including American imports, and were quite successful.
I was an academic in Auckland and received an offer to come to Cambridge. I accepted the offer and since 2001 I have been an Associate Professor and the Director of the University of Cambridge Language Programmes.
Since 2002 I have also been coaching the University men’s basketball team. I also played Maxi-basketball tournaments for the over 40s, then 50s, then… we won a couple of British championship and I also played at one over 50s World Championship.
I have three sons. The two big ones play(ed) rugby. The youngest one, Marko (now 16), played rugby since the age of 5 but decided to switch to basketball. I welcomed the spirit and positive vibe! He joined the Raptors Basketball Club (now the Falcons) and that's how I got involved in the club. I felt that with my experience, knowledge and passion I could contribute to the development of the team, the individual players and the club as a whole.
Looking forward to seeing you all and to some great basketballing times in and around Cambourne.
