At the age of 18 years, Elena Marin Dawid decided to move to the United to combine studies and basketball. The former player of Sparta Bertrange was part of the U18 national team that competed in the Division A championship this summer. She averaged 5 points, 3 rebounds and 2 assists as a starting guard of the team.
Elena decided to go to the United States for various reasons: „I am currently studying in the University of Wheeling in West Virginia, majoring in exercise science and playing basketball for its team, the cardinals.
I chose to go to the United States for a variety of reasons. The main reason was that I wanted to continue to play basketball at a good competitive level without it having a major effect on my studies. I wanted to be able to continue my education alongside basketball which is something that is harder to balance in Europe. In the United States all universities are set up to be comfortable for student athletes and allow you to both get a degree and play the sport you love. In Europe, university basketball is not taken as seriously and in order to play at a good level most of the time you have to find yourself a club outside of the university. This takes a lot of effort and may be harder to combine the basketball schedule with your academics. That being said, I was also curious to experience a different environment as well as a different playing style on the court. I wanted to expand my skills of basketball but most importantly also my knowledge of basketball. I thought going to a country that is well known for its large presence of basketball would be a great place to expand my knowledge and improve as a player.
Overall, playing basketball in America had always been a dream since the day I picked up the orange ball, a dream that I never thought I would achieve. When I got the chance, I didn’t even think twice because I knew this was what I had always wanted and what I had worked hard to get. I know I made my younger self proud and there is no better feeling than that. »
Elena notes that the focus in the United States will be both on the sport and the school in order to have different options in the future: „My goals for the next few years here are to improve my skills as a basketball player and expand my knowledge of the game. I hope to come out of college with a bachelor’s degree in exercise science, a mind full with new basketball concepts and the physique and skills to become the basketball player I always dreamed of being. I want to continue to learn as a student both on and off the court.
After university, I hope to have an even clearer idea of what I would like to do for work and I may also continue my studies to get a masters degree. Basketball is for sure a focus for my future as I would love to continue playing and one day become a coach. Through playing and coaching I would love to continue learning about this beautiful game and share what I have learned through the years with others. I would love to help others become better players and people as well as inspire younger players to believe in their dreams, just like how some coaches did for me.“
Elena Marin Dawid with her former coach Karl Abou Khalil
The young player will be far away from Luxembourg but she will continue to follow basketball in Luxembourg: „I will definitely be trying to catch some of the Luxembourg basketball games live whenever I can and I’ll be following the standings and game scores via the FLBB app. I will of course mostly be following the games of my previous club, Sparta Bartreng. I will be focusing mainly on how the men’s team performs this year with head coach “Karl Abou Khalil” taking the team from the start of the season. He has been my coach in the past and has played a major role in my development as a player and as a person. I have him to thank for making me fall in love with the game more, teaching me and encouraging me to reach for my once dream and now reality, of playing here in the United States. I am curious to see what changes he makes with his team as he implements his philosophy and if the team will benefit from it to reach another level this season. I will be supporting him and his team as well as of course the Sparta Women. I am curious to see how the Sparta women’s team performs this season with their different roster of players, and see the impact this change has on their playing style. With the new roster put together by head coach Mike Feyder, they seem like they can still really compete this year. If I have enough time I want to also watch some other games aside from the Sparta ones to support my younger national team friends who are still playing for their women’s teams. I hope to stay in contact with teams and Luxembourg in general as one day, who knows, I may come back to work and play.
Elena Marin Dawid at the U18 European Championship 2024
