Colfax's Maldonado finds new spark with overseas basketball program

Diego Maldonado's basketball journey is taking an unexpected turn. The Colfax High School graduate and Pioneer Valley League MVP committed to play college basketball at Simpson University in Redding, but after a change of heart, he's now pursuing his career through an international program in Ireland, trading the familiar hardwood of the foothills for the opportunity to develop his game abroad. Maldonado was excited to commit to Simpson initially and looked forward to playing in the NAIA but soon after, he said he was losing his spark for basketball and having second thoughts. "It didn't feel right," said Maldonado. "I went through a dead period of basketball and for the first time in my life, I genuinely didn't want to play it anymore. I felt burnt out. I felt I was done." Maldonado continued to train with his personal coach, Dan Mooney, who previously coached at Bear River and played professionally in the NBA and Europe. Mooney introduced Maldonado to a program in which players can earn a chance to play basketball at a prep school in Dublin, Ireland. "I was super interested in that from the jump," said Maldonado. "I will get to be at a prep school in Dublin and I'll also get to play in Spain, Eastern Europe and other countries." The North Atlantic Basketball Academy is set up to help players progress in their careers, giving them year-round training and teaching players how to handle the daily grind of college athletics in preparation for the next level. NABA athletes have gone on to earn Division I offers when they had none coming out of high school and some have even earned professional contracts in Europe. Previously, NABA has focused on European players and has programs in Dublin, Barcelona and Oslo, but in the wake of the current state of college athletics dominated by NIL and the transfer portal, program director Dermot Russell has seen an opportunity to bring American players overseas. "We partnered with a local university to put together a full prep school program so we could offer student visas for American students," said Russell. "The focus is to use this year out here to develop, to get bigger, smarter, stronger and hopefully get these players in a position to compete better for college scholarships back home." Russell says NABA also provides them with a chance to be seen by European scouts and earn basketball scholarships in Ireland and the United Kingdom. Maldonado says he has some nerves being away from his family for nine months, noting he has never been that far from them and has never traveled to another continent, but he's eager to learn and take his game to the next level. "It's a different game overseas," said Maldonado. "I'm excited to learn new things and it just creates so many bigger opportunities. Ten first-round draft picks this year have European experience. I trust my ability to play basketball, but I also understand that it is going to be a different experience over there." Russell sees the potential in Maldonado and believes that with a year in Ireland, he can potentially earn a Division I offer or a chance to play in Europe. "He's on the brink of greatness. He just needs a little bit more passion and I think a little more experience and maturity to go to that next level," Russell said. "The hope is that we can get him to a point where we make him bigger, stronger and give him a higher aptitude of basketball so that he will be able to compete at the Division I level once he goes through our program. He's a great kid and he has a world of ability in terms of his playing." Russell says he plans to do his best to replicate the college experience for players like Maldonado, who has hopes of returning to the U.S. with an NCAA offer on the table. "Typically, we will train in the morning for an hour, sometimes two hours. Then they'll go to class for five or six hours until around 3 in the afternoon. Then they'll come back and train for another hour or two in the weight room or on the court," said Russell. "We try to give them the college experience." Maldonado is confident this experience will make him a better basketball player, saying if he can combine the best elements of the American and European games, he'll have a unique skill set on the court. Said Maldonado, "There will be a learning curve but in a good way. I've learned the American way of basketball, but European basketball is such a different play style. If I could combine the two play styles, I feel like I'll be a pretty decent weapon."