MATOSINHOS (Portugal) - Basketball players are dealing more and more with social media. And while there is no lack of on-court instruction, the FIBA Players' Educational Workshop at the FIBA U20 European Championship 2019, Division B taught the stars of tomorrow some valuable lessons about dealing with the media world.

Great Britain captain Kieron Achara and four-time Portuguese champion Nuno Perdigao spoke to the players in Matosinhos in three one-hour sessions.  Achara, who played at the 2012 Olympics among his 105 caps, stressed the importance of knowing the do's and don't's for social media.

"It's an excellent feeling to be here. For me the purpose is to make sure the next generation is coming up and learning from the mistakes in the past. And it is really exciting to be part of this process," Achara said.

"Especially in this generation, social media behaviors can define your career. If you are making mistakes and you are perceived as something that you are not. It can cost you opportunities to advance your career."

The players were shown some examples where athletes got into trouble with posts on social media. 

Perdigao, who earned 92 caps for Portugal, discussed how to behave with media during interviews or other situations where they are frustrated with media.

He recommended the players to think before they speak, be aware of their body language and know that how they communicate and present themselves on and off the court has a big impact on how others perceive them. Perdigao also emphasized to the players that developing their communication skills would strengthen their marketability as an athlete.

FIBA regularly organizes the Players' Educational Workshops at youth events to bring the other side of basketball a bit closer to the players.  

FIBA