HISTORY:
We are a company established in 1985 to arrange domestic
and international basketball competition. Our staff is comprised of former
coaches and players who have an outstanding network of basketball contacts
around the world. All but one of our staff members competed in athletics at
the collegiate level.
Over 200 collegiate and high school teams participate
annually in tours and tournaments organized by Basketball Travelers, Inc. In
addition, we organize NCAA foreign exhibition games as well as international
Olympic-qualifying tournaments for national teams.
As basketball's popularity and skill level continues
to grow around the world, Basketball Travelers, Inc. seeks not only to contribute
to the sport's development, but also to facilitate goodwill and understanding
between nations and peoples of all backgrounds.
STAFF:
Nels Hawkinson, Executive Director
Nels is the executive director of BTI and is a well-known and respected member
of the international basketball community. Nels has a masters degree in Sports
Administration, has played and coached in the US and overseas, and is a certified
FIBA instructor. He has traveled to 50+ countries to establish his network
of international basketball contacts.
Neal Holden, President
Neal directs the business and administrative
end of BTI. His knowledge of computers
and background as a systems analyst have been instrumental in keeping BTI's
daily operations running smoothly and efficiently. Neal has a master's degree
in Business Administration and also has experience playing and coaching professional
basketball in France and Norway.
Erik Evans, Vice President - Tournaments
Since 1992, Erik has been running the high school San Diego Surf 'N
Slam Tournament, which has grown into one of the largest Christmas-time high school
competitions in the U.S. Erik also coordinates the men's NCAA Division I MTE tournaments such as Basketball Travelers and World Vision Classics. Erik played basketball during his undergraduate years at Seattle Pacific University
and also interned at BTI.
Nancy Hawkinson, Creative Services Director
Nancy’s duties include updating the company's two websites, writing the company newsletter,
and adding the special details that make BTI's tours and tournaments unique. She has worked for BTI since 1988, but after the birth of her and
Nels’ two children, she now works only part-time.
Nancy played basketball at the University of Washington and professionally in
Denmark.
Jason Sarkies, Tournament Director/Sponsorship Coordinator
Jason directs the Phoenix Cactus
Jam, a boys and girls high school and Men’s Div. III basketball tournament
in the Tempe area held every Christmas. He also oversees coordination of summer overseas tours. Jason
played football at Willamette University and finished his undergraduate work at
Seattle Pacific University. After completing his masters in Athletic Administration
at Ohio State, he began working full-time for BTI in 1995.
Craig Jonas, Marketing Consultant
Craig markets BTI to collegiate coaches nationwide and also consults on BTI's
sponsorship and television contracts. He recently stepped down as VP of Business
Development for SportVision and Coaches Edge to pursue duties as a marketing consultant
with the Jonas Group and to complete his PhD from Kansas University in Sport Psychology.
Craig coached at Lakeland College and has served as an advisor on the Olympic
Committee and the South African Professional Basketball League. He is also a certified
FIBA clinician. Craig lives in Littleton, Colorado with his wife, Seanna, and
their two children.
Jennifer Ashby, Tour Administrator/Tournament Director
Jenn co-directs the U.S. Virgin Islands Paradise Jam, BTI's Division I tournament
in St. Thomas, U.S.V.I. Jenn also works directly with Nels, primarily handling
the administrative details involved in the organization of foreign and domestic
tours. Jenn played basketball at Puget Sound Christian College.
Becky Johnson,
Travel Manager
Becky brings over 28 years of experience in the travel industry
to Basketball Travelers. Becky coordinates the air ticketing and
hotel bookings for our many tours and tournaments.
Brooke Ingalls, Tour Administrator
Since 2002, Brooke brings Division I coaching and playing experience to her position
here at BTI as a tour and tournament administrator. Her main duties will be to
facilitate the "Junkanoo Jam" Grand Bahama Island women’s NCAA Div. I basketball tournament and coordinate summer tours. Brooke graduated from UNLV, where she played four years of basketball,
followed by one year as an assistant coach. She hopes to pursue a masters degree
in Sports Management.
Gary Cunningham, Executive Consultant
Dr. Cunningham officially joined the Basketball Travelers, Inc. staff February 2009. He will act as the lead liaison with NCAA Division I Athletics Directors and Conference Commissioners. He will also work closely with the Basketball Travelers team to communicate with the NCAA on legislative issues and to create new international sports opportunities for the company. Dr. Cunningham was most recently the Athletics Director at UC Santa Barbara, retiring in 2008 following a thirteen-year stint there. Dr. Cunningham began his career at UCLA in 1967 as an assistant coach under John Wooden. He took over as head coach in 1977, compiling a 50-8 record over two years, the highest winning percentage of any UCLA coach. In 1979 he left the coaching ranks to embark on a career in athletic administration, serving as Athletics Director at four different universities over the past thirty years. Dr. Cunningham is currently the President of the United States International University Sports Federation, overseeing Team USA in the World University Games and World University Championships. He also serves on several boards including the National Association of Basketball Coaches Blue Ribbon Committee. Dr. Cunningham has been the recipient of many prestigious honors and awards, including the NACDA James J. Corbett Award and the Division I-AAA Athletic Directors Association Lifetime Achievement Award, which was subsequently named after him.
Sean McShane, Tournament Director
Sean has been involved with Basketball Travelers, Inc. since 1996. After graduating from Saint Martin’s College in Olympia, Washington, Sean spent extensive time overseas as a player, coach and basketball administrator. His experiences include the Australian ABA and NBL as well as the American CBA where he served as an assistant coach and director of sales. He also coached at both Saint Martin’s College and TCU in Fort Worth, Texas where he still resides with his wife Kelli and son Sullivan. His duties with BTI include directing the Junkanoo Jam tournament in Freeport, Bahamas as well as assisting with the Surf ‘N Slam tournament, MTE events and overseas tours.
Ben Scheffler , Tourament Administrator
Ben is heading up the U.S. high school and AAU tours to overseas destinations, as well as incoming foreign youth tours to the United States. Ben also handles many of the details for the Paradise Jam tournament as well as spends time researching and developing ideas for new company interests. He has led several foreign tours for NCAA universities and has also helped administrate numerous tournaments. Ben was an assistant basketball coach for Seattle Pacific University, where he also played for four years.
Jason Taylor, Director for Turkey
Jason is a 1992 graduate of California State University, Chico. While there
he was a member of 3 Conference Champion teams under Prescott Smith. His passion
for basketball and travel have always coincided. Jason founded the New Life
Basketball Tournament in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan after living there for one year.
He then came back to the States to play 5 seasons for Athletes in Action's USA
team and numerous international teams. In 2003, Jason and his wife Sara moved
to Istanbul, Turkey with their 3 children where he enjoys the responsibility
of looking out for BTI's future business interests. Jason also serves as a sport
consultant to the wide variety of professional sports teams throughout Turkey.
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