NHS Basketball Player Participating In International Basketball Tour

Donte Brimm, a Nantucket High School student, has been able to experience a once in a lifetime opportunity this month after he was selected to participate in an international basketball tour in Spain and Portugal by StudentathleteWorld USA (SAWUSA), an organization that selects high school and college athletes from across the United States to act as ambassadors of the country internationally while playing the sports they love.

Brimm said that the tour began on June 19 and is ending on Wednesday, June 28. He said he has enjoyed the experience overall and while he has had the opportunity to play plenty of basketball, has also enjoyed the sight-seeing in these two countries as well.

“There have been so many fun things that we have done so far but I have to say my favorite thing has been meeting a lot of new people from around the country,” Brimm said. “I feel like I’ve met a few new lifelong friends while I’ve been here, learned more about the game of basketball, and just how fast paced the game is when competing at a high level in Europe.”

Brimm said he received a letter in the mail that invited him to a showcase in Boston with about 150-200 players. He said he went out, did his best, and afterwards was approached by coaches who said they loved his attitude and character before presenting him with the opportunity to travel on an international basketball showcase of his choice.

“I went in October (to the showcase in Boston) and played pretty well,” Brimm said. “I was playing with people from all different grade levels and there was a good amount people. After this showcase, I had a meeting with the people conducting the whole tour and they liked how I played as well as how I am doing in school, so I filled out an online form and now I am participating in this festival in Portugal.”

SAWUSA is an organization founded in 2009 to combine athletics with travel. Their goal is to provide opportunities for student-athletes to act as ambassadors of the USA and represent their country competing in the sport they love on an international stage.

“Our tours are designed to promote athletic development along with leadership development, personal growth, cultural appreciation, world perspective, patriotism, family bonding, and fun,” the organization says in their mission statement. “Simply put, our goal is to create a once-in-a-lifetime experience that is nothing short of ‘the coolest thing you’ve ever done’.”

Their founder, Tim Ryerson, was formerly a college basketball coach from 2001-2009 and coached four international tours with a separate travel company. It was on these tours he realized he wanted to begin SAWUSA.

“On those tours, I saw first-hand how awesome of an experience it was for athletes to Represent the USA on these types of tours while exploring the World,” Ryerson says on his site. “In 2009, I started SAWUSA to combine my love of sport, travel, patriotism, and leadership development. Over the years we've taken thousands of travelers overseas and helped create many more memories. I am proud that our tours give athletes a one-in-a-lifetime chance to Represent the USA and help make the World a better place through sport.”