Last week, I was privileged to work with The Basketball Embassy to implement a program we planned alongside World Learning and the U.S. Department of State Sports Diplomacy division over the last couple of months. In this program, we hosted 12 basketball coaches from Tunisia for a variety of learning sessions, workshops and tours to introduce them to American basketball culture and provide them with knowledge and resources to bring back to their country.
In addition to cultivating relationships with these wonderful people, I was privileged to meet with Fayçal Gouia, the Tunisian ambassador to the U.S., explore the nation’s capital, and give two presentations of my own on Effectively Evaluating Youth Basketball Players and Building Your Brand Through Social Media.
I can say without fear of contradiction this was the best work trip I’ve ever been on, and that’s saying something. I learned so much about Tunisian culture, their customs, and their glowing personalities. I’m not sure whether I’ll be able to attend the second installment of this program, which takes place in Tunisia, but I absolutely will find my way to visit these fine people in their homeland sooner rather than later.
Check out a few photos from the trip below:
My first presentation highlighted a variety of ways these coaches could identify and establish brands for their respective academies through a strong social media presence.
More pictures from my presentation.
Visiting the Tunisian Embassy wasn’t on the schedule, so it’s safe to say that I was underdressed when we got the chance to meet Fayçal Gouia, the Tunisian ambassador to the U.S. Either way, it was a fantastic experience. He talked to our group for about an hour about relations between our two nations, and we all brainstormed ways to strengthen the basketball scene in Tunisia. One of the great highlights of the trip, to be sure.
After meeting with former Georgetown basketball coach and current youth sports director at the YMCA in Silver Spring, MD, the group was itching to get some court time. Coach Reid was happy to accommodate us and we ran a few pickup games before heading back to D.C.
This is from my first presentation, but my second presentation was an interactive workshop teaching the coaches how to evaluate youth basketball players.
Part of the trip’s purpose was to expose the Tunisian coaches to American culture, so naturally we walked around the Washington Mall to sight-see some of the country’s most historic monuments. It was 100 degrees with a heat index of about 10,000, so by the time I climbed up the endless staircase that led to the Lincoln Memorial, I was ready to collapse. I managed to snap this photo before succumbing to utter heat exhaustion.
The group and I stayed at the dorm rooms at American University. This was often our meeting spot before we all hopped in our respective Ubers to head to our activities of the day.
Even after a full day, our group was eager to check out the night scene, and that we did. Here I’m pictured with Houria Mrad, a teacher of physical education and sports at the Mahdia Basketball Sports Academy., which she founded back in 2015. She’s one of the nicest people I have ever met!
The Washington Monument was amazing to see up close and even cooler to see at the footsteps of the Lincoln Memorial.
We were able to secure tickets to a WNBA game and stick around for the press conference as well as a quick autograph and photo session with some of the players.
zachmasonwrites.com 
Leave a Reply