Spanish coaching trio headline Wales's first international basketball clinic at Cardiff Met

Cardiff Met Archers hosted basketball coaches from across Wales at the Archers Arena on Saturday 4 July, for what organisers billed as the first event of its kind held in the country.

The clinic brought coaches together to swap ideas and learn from three internationally experienced Spanish coaches, with attendees encouraged to question and discuss the sessions and speak directly with the guests afterwards. Cardiff Met Archers players took part in practical demonstrations throughout the day, helping the visiting coaches show how their ideas translate to real training and match situations.

Building a defensive identity

Emiliano Rey Aloe opened the day with a session on building defence, moving from individual duels to team identity. He's an emerging Spanish coach with experience in the UK, Sweden, Austria and Spain, including spells with Pirlo Kufstein Towers, IK EOS Lund, Reading Rockets and the Wales Under-17 Women's national team. Rey Aloe stressed the value of tight, active, disruptive ball pressure, then built on those individual principles in five-on-five play, showing how solid team defence and smart help positioning can cover the gaps when one-on-one defence isn't enough.

Turning skills into game situations

David Torrescusa led the second session, on turning ability into game-ready performance. A Spanish head coach with more than 15 years' experience across five countries, his career has taken in a stint in FC Barcelona's academy plus roles at Polonia Warszawa, Tromsø Storm, Ockelbo Basket and CB Andratx. He walked through a set of core techniques before showing how to embed them in realistic, match-like scenarios, illustrating how well-designed practices sharpen decision-making and efficiency rather than drilling skills in isolation.

Developing early offence

Felipe Coello closed the day with a session on early offence for youth teams. A FIBA instructor with over 40 years in the game since 1974, he has worked across youth development and elite professional coaching, held sporting director and general manager roles, and had spells at CB Murcia, Náutico Tenerife, Balneario de Archena and CB Tenerife, picking up league titles and ACB promotions along the way. Coello started with transition-offence basics: the rebound, the first outlet pass, and quick positioning up the floor. He then added players and decision-making layers, building up to full five-on-five play that showed young players how to spot space, move with purpose and create early advantages.

A day for Welsh basketball

Reflecting on the event, Pentxo Cervantes, Basketball Coach at Cardiff Met Archers, said:

"I'm incredibly grateful to Cardiff Met Archers for the support that made this event possible. We wanted to provide the best possible experience for every coach who attended and demonstrate that, within the Archers programme, we are always looking to improve the quality of our coaching and help our players develop year after year and session after session.

"A big thank you must also go to the Cardiff Met Facilities team for preparing the Archers Arena and ensuring the PA system and venue were ready for the day. Their work helped the event run smoothly.

"I would also like to thank Sarah Wagstaff and Lucy Witt for their support throughout the organisation of the clinic. They responded quickly to every question and helped ensure that every detail was covered.

"Finally, a massive thank you to Emiliano, David and Felipe for travelling to Cardiff and delivering such engaging sessions with great passion and professionalism.

"The players were also excellent throughout the day. They listened carefully, worked incredibly hard and represented Cardiff Met Archers brilliantly. Their effort, attitude and enthusiasm demonstrated the exciting future ahead for basketball in Wales."

The clinic gave Welsh coaches rare access to international expertise and strengthened ties across the country's basketball community, a marker, organisers hope, for the sport's continued growth in Wales.