Welcome to our ‘Sport – A Career Choice Series’, a one-to-one meeting with sport professionals. On a regular basis, we will discuss sport career paths with leaders from the industry, who will share their tips, journeys, backgrounds, experience, ups and downs. At its core, this is an initiative to promote the exciting types of employment opportunities available in the sport environment, key points that will also be addressed at the sport business conference, which will be held in Bucharest between 28-30 September (PS: the Super Early Bird promotion is live until the end of June!)

A 1-2-1 with Jonte Flowers

Can you briefly introduce yourself?

My name is Jonte Flowers and I am a professional basketball player with over 20 years of experience. I have spent the last 10 seasons playing professionally in various countries that include: Sweden, France, Finland, Romania, Italy, and Lithuania. On the court, I have a reputation of being a tenacious defender and a sharpshooter from the distance.

Walk me through the step-by-step process that you went through to get to where you are today.

I began my basketball career at the age 10 as well as playing American football, and competing in athletics – 800m, high jump, and triple jump. But basketball was always my favorite and I developed a strong passion for the game.

As I got older, more and more people became interested in the skill set I possessed on the court. That would eventually land me an opportunity to play for a NCAA Division II Institution, Winona State University. I had a stellar career at Winona State University where I won multiple national championships and received numerous individual honors. My success landed me on the radar of professional scouts, particularly teams from the NBA. I had the opportunity to showcase my skills in front of two NBA teams: Minnesota Timberwolves and Detroit Pistons. From there, Detroit Pistons gave me the opportunity to play on their NBA summer league team.

Although that would serve as my only opportunity with the NBA, it opened the door for me to prolong my career in Europe. The first team I signed with was Solna Vikings located in Stockholm, Sweden. Here is a timeline of my professional career path:

• 2008-2009: Solna Vikings – Sweden
• 2009-2010: Ja Vichy – France
• 2010-2011: Hyeres-Toulon – France
• 2011-2012: Ja Vichy – France then moved to Solna Vikings – Sweden
• 2012-2013: Kataja Basket – Finland
• 2013-2014: CSU Asesoft – Romania
• 2014-2015: CSU Asesoft – Romania
• 2015-2016: Fortitudo Bologna – Italy2017: BC CSM Timisoara – Romania
• 2017-2018: Juventus – Lithuania then moved to CSM Steaua – Romania

What’s the …

a) proudest moment of your career?

Throughout the multiple championships I won college and professionally, one particular championship stood out as my favorite moment. That was winning the national championship my senior year in college. This championship was special to me because we won in a “come from behind” fashion and because it was the last game I would ever play for a team and city I grew to love. The memories that were created there will always be something I am so very proud of.

b) best experience you’ve had as a basketball player?

The best experience as a basketball player is this journey that I am on now. Traveling and playing throughout Europe has been so rewarding for me on and off the court. I am a person that like to travel and learn about new cultures.

c) one person / role model that has inspired you the most during your career?

Growing up, Kevin Garnett had served as a role model for me, his intensity and passion for the game was something I always admired. I also have to mention my mother as my inspiration because she is the main reason for how I got to where I am today.

Playing for a Romanian basketball club, obviously, has its own ups and downs. What do you consider to be the best and the worst part of being a sportsman in this region?

As in any country, the best part is being able to play the game but there is so much more than to just playing the game. Some clubs in Romania do a good job in providing for the player the necessities that are needed to endure a long season. For me personally, the best thing is having access to a physical therapist and a facility for recovery and to help take care of my body.

I guess some of the worst part in this region is traveling. For some clubs because of the budget, bus trips throughout the country can be very hard on an athlete’s body. I think another issue in Romania is the quality of game film. People outside of basketball would not know this, but for players and coaches, being able to scout the opponent is extremely important. Often time there is poor quality of the game film unless the game was featured on tv.

Having played in several countries around Europe, what’s your perspective on how fan engagement is perceived and implemented in Romania?

From an overall viewpoint, I think there can be some improvements with fans, more so in helping fans have a better understanding of the game. I don’t mean this in a negative way because there are plenty of clubs who have outstanding fans support and know how to engage with their fans but from an overall standpoint and comparing to other leagues, Romania is a step behind in this regards.

Taking this conversation a bit further, how does NCAA get involved in the sportspeople’s development, both on and off-the-field?

The NCAA is not directly involved with the development of athletes but more so in creating rules and guidelines for institutions and coaches to follow. NCAA’s members (institutions), does the development. The development varies amongst institutions because each coach has their own philosophy that they believe and follow. On average, each institution/coach does a good job of providing their athletes with the proper training, nutritions, accommodations, tutors, and much more to help their athlete develop on and off the field. The sports world is very competitive and being able to provide the “best” in the business will help recruit the best athlete.

What’s the one thing you think should be improved in the Romanian sport that, if implemented, could boost this country’s sport industry?

For basketball, some things that I would like to see is more live-streaming of games throughout the entire season. Live-streaming allows for people all over the world to be exposed to Romanian basketball.

As I mentioned earlier, I think one important improvement is the engagement with fans because the more the fans know about sports, the more this leads to a greater interest and involvement. Also from a media standpoint, more coverage could significantly boost the sport industry. But also the quality of coverage is important. For basketball, some things that I would like to see is more live-streaming of games throughout the entire season. Live-streaming allows for people all over the world to be exposed to Romanian basketball. Also, a league’s website that is more hands on for fans would be instrumental in growing the fan base. Being able to easily access team’s home page and roster, as well as each player bio. The website could also feature on the website weekly updates and videos of top plays, news, and more. Some of these things are already implemented but with some upgrades could definitely help boost interests around basketball.

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