BASKETBALL
OAKLANDS WOLVES BASKETBALL ACADEMY
CREATING & DEVELOPING TOP BASKETBALL PLAYERS
About
Oaklands Basketball Academy, for males and females, works in conjunction with Basketball England.
We combine elite sports training with vocational or A Level courses to create the rounded performer.
REGISTER AN INTEREST here.
We’re an accredited England Development Programme. We deliver the Diploma in Sporting Excellence (D.I.S.E). We work with local sixth forms to enable student athletes to reach their academic and sporting goals. Our internal player pathway enables us to deliver performance programs at every stage of basketball development from club through to National Team level. Competing in the EABL, WEABL, NBL and WBBL as well as national schools and AOC competitions, we have a team for every player as they progress through every level.
Our academy is split into performance and development groups: PERFORMANCE STUDENT ATHLETE and DEVELOPMENT STUDENT ATHLETE
Virtual open event video
PERFORMANCE STUDENT ATHLETE...
As a performance student athlete at Oaklands Basketball Academy you will benefit from:
- Integrated education and basketball timetable – your outline daily timetable will be shooting before College starts, academic classes in the morning and training/S&C/video in the afternoon or evening. Games will take place on wednesdays and at the weekend for those chosen in the WBBL/National League squads.
- Player-centred coaching from International level coaches
- College teams including EABL, WEABL, AOC and National Schools
- Women’s elite WBBL franchise
- Division 2 Womens National League Team
- Division 2 Mens National League Team
- Division 3 Mens National League Team
- National Team 2 Court Sports Hall
- Fully equipped performance gym
- Strength & conditioning programs
- Onsite physiotherapy suite
- Joint sports academy collaborations
- On campus residential housing
- Potential progression with US College CCR Partnership or UK universities
- Location close to London and major road and transport links
DEVELOPMENT STUDENT ATHLETE...
As a development student athlete at Oaklands Basketball Academy you will benefit from:
- Integrated education and basketball timetable – your outline daily timetable will be shooting before College starts, training/S&C/video in the morning and academic classes in the afternoon. College games will take place on Wednesdays.
- Player-centred coaching
- College teams including AOC East
- Fully equipped performance gym
- Strength & conditioning programs
- National Team 2 Court Sports Hall
- Easily accessible local location
You will be required to study one of the following courses:
- BTEC Level 1 Introductory Diploma in Sport
- BTEC Level 2 Diploma in Sport
- BTEC Level 3 National Foundation Diploma in Sport
- BTEC Level 3 National Foundation Diploma in Sport and Exercise Science
- A Levels
Details of these courses can be found on the OAKLANDS COLLEGE website.
WHAT YOU NEED...
Ability will be assessed by three basketball trials during the year.
The trials are held in October half term, around the Christmas holiday period, at February half term and around the Easter holiday period. Trials are listed on the College website. Please click on the link below to find the next trial opportunity:
https://oaklandswolves.com/events/
Players can be recommended to the Academy through your school, club coach or regional coach/teacher. Entry requirements for the A Levels and BTEC courses can be viewed alongside the course listing in the course guide.
In general we are looking for student athletes who demonstrate the following personal abilities:
- A love for the game.
- A desire to get better on a daily basis and to become the best they can be.
- An open mind to learning and to being stretched.
- Wanting to be a student of the game on and off the basketball court.
In addition the following basketball characteristics are always being sought by the academy:
- Competitive spirit and never say die attitude.
- Physical attributes of quickness, jumping ability, height/length.
- Ability to read the game (high basketball IQ).
- Able to play both sides of the ball and defend their player 1v1.
Details of these courses can be found on the OAKLANDS COLLEGE website.
WHAT YOU WILL LEARN...
The basketball programmes are timetabled to work alongside your academic and is focused on developing your individual ability to maximise your basketball potential.
In addition to your academic qualification all student athletes within the basketball academy have the opportunity to gain a L1 qualification as a table official and to develop their refereeing and coaching abilities through work experience in their first year at College. For those students that demonstrate some ability in their second year there is the chance to gain further qualifications as table officials, referees and coaches and to be paid for those services on Wednesdays or at the weekends.
Details of these courses can be found on the OAKLANDS COLLEGE website.
Gap year academy - READ more about our programme for third year student-athletes
COACHES
Meet our coaches…

LEE RYAN
HEAD OF PERFORMANCE & MEN'S ACADEMY HEAD COACH
Lee Ryan is well regarded as one of the leading coaches in the UK with near 20 years coaching experience and has been integral to the rise of Oaklands Basketball Academy on the national stage. A wealth of domestic and international coaching experience, including 7 years with the England National Team, Coach Ryan has overseen winning programs at all levels from County, Regional to National throughout his career.
Coach Ryan has lead Oaklands Wolves to numerous national titles; winning with our Senior Women, U18 Men and U18 Women since his arrival to Oaklands College in 2011. Currently the head coach of the WBBL professional team and our men’s EABL squad, he also directly works with our WEABL squad in his performance role.
Well renowned for his individual player development system at Oaklands, he continues to oversee the recruitment and progression of athletes that have gone onto the National, International and Professional basketball stage around the world.

LAUREN MILLIGAN
WOMEN'S ACADEMY HEAD COACH
Lauren Milligan was a basketball academy student-athlete from 2011 – 2013. After her two years at Oaklands she earned a basketball scholarship to Chestnut Hill College in Philadelphia, USA. Lauren spent four years playing college basketball in the USA, graduating in 2017 and then returned to the UK to play professionally with the Oaklands Wolves WBBL team.
Lauren is known for her toughness and competitive drive in the game, something she is now able to pass onto the next generation as she combines playing with coaching in the Wolves organisation.
Lauren became the lead assist WEABL coach in 2019 whilst head coaching our junior U12 girls program. In 2020 Lauren moves to become the lead coach of the WEABL program and head coach of the clubs U16 girls premier team.
TEAMS
MENS 1ST TEAM
- Player Level: National Teams and Regional Level
- Number in Squad: 16-18 in a squad
- League: Compete in Elite Academy Basketball League (EABL), Division 1 Men National Basketball League, Under 18 Mens Premier National Basketball League
WOMENS 1ST TEAM
- Player Level: National Teams and Regional Players and National League Players
- Number in Squad: 16-18 in a squad
- League: Compete in Womens Elite Academy Basketball League, Womens British Basketball League (WBBL), Division 2 Women’s National Basketball League
MENS 2ND TEAM
- Player Level: National League and County Level
- Number in Squad: 16-18 in a squad
- League: Compete in Association of Colleges Mens London League, Under 18 Mens Premier National Basketball League
MENS 3RD TEAM
- Player Level: National League and School Teams Level
- Number in Squad: 16-20 in a squad
- League: Compete in Association of Colleges Mens London League
MENS 4TH TEAM
- Player Level: School Teams and Recreational Level
- Number in Squad: 16-20 in a squad
- League: Compete in Hertfordshire Schools/6th Form League
OTHER TEAMS
We also enter Basketball England National Schools competitions depending upon the playing format.
All players are assessed when they attend the Academy in the first 4 weeks and also in January to reassess players to see if the level is correct for them. Players can move up and down within the Academy based upon effort and development.
Academy games take place normally on Wednesday afternoons and National League games at the weekend.