The Next Level Islington Basketball Academy is run in partnership with CCCG Sports and is based at City & Islington College. The city based full-service basketball academy competes as the CANDI Eagles and provides an elite basketball training and competitions program, alongside top-quality academic courses for ambitious young players interested in basketball excellence in Central London.
Led by Head Coach Ayende 'Swift' Lewis, the Academy is committed to providing the very best basketball environment for both elite and developing players alike. As a player, Coach Swift was an integral member of the most successful college academy team in English baskeball history (HCC) who recorded a run of 82 games undefeated over a 3 year period, winning a cabinet full of championships in the process. He went on to Loughborough Universtity, where he was a key player in back-to-back BUCS Division 1 Championships while also successfully competing in Mens National League Division 1. Our Head Coach knows what it takes to win and has a reputation as one of the best skills development coaches in London.
Our mission at Islington Academy is to guide and support every player through to becoming the very best version of themselves they can be, both on and off the court, then helping place them in the best situation for their success after they graduate from the college.
Our teams compete in the Colleges Basketball League (CBL), AOC and the Community Basketball League (Division 1 & 2) - providing more than 50 games per season for our teams. In addition, our Varsity team compete in international invitational tournaments overseas, giving our players invaluable experiences playing against international competition as we prepare our players for the next level.
The Basketball Academy is split into three areas of program development, Varsity, Junior Varsity and Rising Stars squads, for both males and females aged between 16-19
Our Varsity program is for advanced/elite players and provides intensive skills development, strength and conditioning training, athlete support, guidance, technical individual and team coaching and a minimum of 35 games per season for gifted and talented players, including international travel for competitions - all for free.
With strong links to professional basketball teams and universities throughout Britain and Europe – alongside a bespoke preparation and placement programme for American colleges, players on our Varsity program at CANDI will be well positioned to fulfil their basketball ambitions.
Our Junior Varsity program is for experienced/competitive players who are striving to get better and move up 'the ladder' to the Varsity program. Our JV program provides many of the same opportunities as Varsity, with the opportunity for JV players to move up to the top level as their skills develop.
For those who simply want to continue to learn and play the game, without the time-intensive commitment of the Varsity or Junior Varsity program schedule, we also offer a ‘Rising Stars’ program for early-stage/development players, which provides regular coaching, games and the opportunity to earn coaching qualifications alongside your normal academic college course while still enjoying all the benefits of being a student-athlete at the college.
ACADEMY PROGRAM FEATURES
Next Level Academies are dedicated to the comprehensive development of ambitious student-athletes. Combining elite coaching, top-level facilities, and a wide variety of academic courses that prepare players for higher education or employment, our academies foster an environment where potential is realised and refined and supported through to your 'Next Level'.
