Elite Basketball Skills Camp in Belgrade with a World-Champion Coach

A typical day at the camp has two on-court sessions, each an hour and a half, plus video work and games. The morning session usually focuses on individual skill development — footwork, shooting mechanics, ball handling, finishing — while the afternoon tends to be more game-situational: live drills, competitive games, and then breaking down the footage afterwards. Head coach Srzic runs every training session himself, which is unusual for a camp of this size. You're not being handed off to a rotating cast of assistants; the man who coached Divac and Petrovic is the one blowing the whistle.

What sets this apart from a lot of skills camps is the individual plan. On day one, Srzic evaluates you and identifies the two or three areas that will actually move your game forward. From there, you get one-on-one or small-group work on those specific things. Everything is filmed, and you sit down with the coaches to watch both the good and the bad — they'll pause the tape, correct you, and explain what they'd want to see instead. At the end you get a verbal and written analysis with advice for what to work on after camp. For a player trying to make a school team, a college roster, or a club academy, that's the part that matters.

The camp is capped at 16 players per week, so spaces really are limited. Players are split into groups by age and skill level, so a 13-year-old beginner isn't stuck doing the same drills as a 19-year-old who's already playing senior basketball. Boys and girls are both welcome, and the coaches have worked with every age group — they'll build the training programme around where you actually are.

The coaching staff is a family operation with genuine pedigree. Dejan Srzic "Susla" has over 35 years of experience and has coached in six leagues and eight countries, as head coach and assistant, at more than 13 clubs and 11 national team selections. His medal cabinet includes a World Championship gold, two European Championship golds, a Balkan Championship, three Greek League titles and two Greek Cups — 12 gold, 8 silver and 2 bronze in total. Josko Srzic has coached 13 teams across Serbia, Croatia, Germany, France, Switzerland and Ireland, from youth level up to Super League senior, and has spent 14 years with Hoop Talents. He's specialised in individual player development and has helped 17 players earn NCAA Division I scholarships; over 100 of his players have represented their countries at European and World Championships.

Belgrade itself is a basketball city. It's the capital of Serbia, sitting where the Sava and Danube rivers meet, and it's home to Red Star and Partizan, the country's two biggest and most successful clubs. The camp base is Sport Center Dynamic in the city centre, and if you take the full package your apartment is a minute from Terazije Square — the dead centre of the Balkans — with the Sava River, Republic Square and Knez Mihailova Street all within a short walk. You're also close to Belgrade's restaurants and shops, seven minutes on foot from the riverside, and about 20 minutes by car from Nikola Tesla Airport. All training facilities are air-conditioned, so the summer heat doesn't cut into sessions.

Beyond the camp itself, Hoop Talents runs an exposure side for players with ambitions in the US. Talented attendees can be invited onto Showcase/Exposure tours in the US and Europe, and the organisation has helped over a hundred players secure high school and university scholarships in America. If you're a player (or a parent) thinking about the NCAA route, this camp is built with one eye on that pathway.

What's included

- All camp sessions (individual training sessions, video analyses) - Camp jersey - Unlimited advice from staff regarding your game and career - Verbal analysis and advice for further improvement - Accommodation (full camp only) - 3 meals per day (full camp only) - Use of fitness/weight room, athletic track, swimming pool (optional add-on) - Athletic-physical trainer (optional add-on)

What's not included

- International flights - Travel insurance - Personal expenses - Airport transfers - Optional add-ons (fitness room, athletic track, swimming pool, conditioning coach) if not selected