Basketball GM & Scouting Course

How to Become a Basketball Scout

Live mentoring from a former NBA GM and a veteran pro scout—learn player evaluation, film study, and front-office skills teams actually use.

NEXT START DATE: November 9 NEXT START DATE: November 9 Weekly Live Interactive Zoom Chats With Carl Berman
MONDAYS 6 pm PT 9 pm ET			TUESDAYS 1 am GMT
Click here to view in your timezone.
Weekly Live Interactive Zoom Chats With Rick Sund
WEDNESDAYS 6 pm PT 9 pm ET			THURSDAYS 1 am GMT
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8-week online course Access to SMWW network Resume enhancement Ongoing career advice Class size limited to 25 students

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Learn More About Becoming a Basketball GM and Scouting Student

We want to help you find the right course for your career. Fill out the form below and an SMWW Career Counselor will follow up directly with you.

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What you’ll learn

Scouting & Player Evaluation

• Pro grading scales, archetypes, comps, advantage creation

• Live & film scouting (NBA/WNBA/NCAA/FIBA) with feedback

• Writing NBA/WNBA-style scouting reports teams will actually read

GM, Draft & Roster Mechanics

• Draft prep & free agency workflows (boards, intel, role fit)

• Roster & cap basics that inform scouting recommendations

• Contracts & negotiations: trades, exceptions, and timelines

Systems, Tools & Landscape

• Synergy Sports workflows and film habits used around the league

• Scouting pipelines: high school vs. college vs. international

• How NBA, WNBA, G League, and FIBA ecosystems connect

Relationships & Communication

• Presenting to coaches/execs; concise report writing

• Building a credible network (ops, video, coaching, analytics)

How it works

• 8-week online course with weekly live Zoom sessions (recorded if you miss)

• Small cohort (max 25) for personalized feedback

• Weekly assignments: live/film reports, draft boards, dossiers

• Resume & LinkedIn enhancement (badge included)

• Access to the SMWW network and ongoing career advice

Who teaches the course

Rick Sund — Former NBA GM; leadership roles with the Atlanta Hawks, Dallas Mavericks, Detroit Pistons, and Seattle SuperSonics.
Carl Berman — Managing Partner, NetScouts Basketball; veteran scout with a global network and extensive event coverage.

What happens after you finish

• You’ll graduate with a polished scouting dossier and writing samples.

• You list Rick Sund and Carl Berman as professional references on your resume & our staff will format your resume

• You’ll be considered for SMWW Basketball Scout opportunities and introduced to NetScouts pipelines when available.

• Ongoing career support and alumni networking to help you land interviews.

“The SMWW Basketball GM & Scouting course fit my schedule and opened real doors. The knowledge, feedback, and network were invaluable for understanding how an NBA front office operates.”
— Nick Mazzella, Sr. Director, Pro Personnel, Los Angeles Lakers & GM, South Bay Lakers

Alumni success stories 

Graduates have moved into roles with NBA, WNBA, G League, NCAA programs, and leading international clubs—scouting, video, player development, and front office.

Where our graduates work

NBA / WNBA / G League · NCAA (D-I, D-II, D-III) · EuroLeague, Liga ACB, BBL · National federations · Pro clubs worldwide

Jobs this course prepares you for

• Basketball Scout (pro/college/international)

• Player Personnel / Basketball Operations

• Video Coordinator / Player Development

• Front Office / Assistant GM (pathway)

• Game & Team Operations, Media/Comms

• Entry-level basketball internships (ops/scouting/video)

Everything You Get — Beyond the Course

• Résumé, rewritten by pros: ATS-friendly, recruiter-ready, with your mentors as references

• Mentor-picked reading list: practical texts and playbooks (some not available retail)

• Instant credibility: LinkedIn badge + CERTIFICATE to share with teams and employers

• Doors into the industry: lifetime access to the SMWW network of mentors & alumni

• Member perks: discounts on next courses + preferred pricing for SMWW conferences

• Weekly connection: global live chat with Dr. Lynn Lashbrook to stay sharp and plugged in

• Aftercare that matters: portfolio polish, introductions where appropriate, and ongoing career advice

Learn More About Course Mentors Rick Sund & Carl Berman

Rick Sund, former NBA GM

Rick Sund has more than 40 consecutive years of managerial NBA experience spanning five decades. The longtime league executive was the Atlanta Hawks Executive Vice President and  General Manager from 2008-2012.  Prior to thd Hawks, Rick was the GM of the Seattle Sonics from 2001-07, Sund and the Sonics were the inaugural champions of the Northwest Division in 2004-05, advancing to the semifinals in the  Western Conference.  Sund held titles with the Detroit Pistons organization as Vice President of Player Personnel, and worked his way up to Executive VP and GM of Basketball Operations. Prior to his time with the Pistons, he served in several executive capacities with the Dallas Mavericks. Sund was part of their expansion season in 1979 until his final season as their Vice President of Basketball Operations in 1994. Sund began his NBA career in Milwaukee under the tutelage of famed basketball executive  Wayne Embry, spending five years with the Bucks after graduating with a Master’s in Sports  Administration and Management. Rick is excited to share his 40 years of wisdom with you and help you grow in your career.

Why our Basketball GM and Scouting Course is Your Perfect Match

The journey to the front office of your favorite NBA, NBA G-League, WNBA, or EuroLeague team starts with mastering the process of player evaluation. Scouting basketball is an art form, meshing statistical and video analysis with a deep understanding of the game to evaluate an athlete’s true professional impact.

Unlike most online classes, our 8-week course focuses on interactive Zoom video chats directly with your course mentors Rick Sund and Carl Berman, allowing you the opportunity to build a personal relationship with a veteran NBA executive and a well respected NBA Scout. After completing our Basketball GM & Scouting course, we will redesign your resume to highlight your new skills and include that you have been taught first-hand by Rick Sund and Carl Berman. The professional resume rewrite is included!

With graduates currently working in the NBA, NBA G-League, WNBA, NCAA, EuroLeague,Spain's Liga ACB, Germany's Basketball Bundesliga (BBL), and so many more, our success ratio is high.

What Happens After I Complete the Course?

Upon successful graduation of the Basketball GM & Scouting Course you'll have many options:

Become an SMWW Scout

Graduates will be invited to join SMWWscouts.com, our network of professional scouts working across all sports and in all countries

You will advertise yourself as a certified scout and trained evaluator. Teams, coaches, and agents use this service to find qualified talent evaluators in areas they need them.

We become your match-makers!

The site will include your own webpage with your picture and biography and samples of your best scouting reports. As a graduate of the Basketball GM and Scouting course, you are eligible to apply for acceptance as an SMWW scout and be featured on this website

Work for a Team

Our goal is to see all Basketball GM & Scouting graduates gainfully employed in basketball worldwide. SMWW will customize a basketball portfolio to assist you with your career, and Rick Sund will be a reference on your resume.

Through our extensive network of professional basketball teams and organizations worldwide, basketball departments, and basketball non-profits, our objective is to prepare you for when the right job opportunities become available. Numerous people that have gone through our programs are now employed in great positions and you could do the same. We want to help you launch your basketball career and help you find a position where you can be the most successful and satisfied.

Scout with the Best

As a Sports Management Worldwide graduate of the Basketball General Manager and Scouting course, you will have the opportunity to be trained in NetScouts Basketball's scouting process and given on-the-job training. This training will allow graduates to be credentialed for college games and will give you experience providing scouting reports on several players from each team. These scouting reports will be critiqued by NetScouts Basketball's Managing Partners. 

NetScouts Basketball, "The International Basketball Connection"™, provides consulting and scouting to basketball teams worldwide. They have the largest database of collegiate and International U20 scouting reports and are the experts on International Basketball. 

Resume Redesign Service

Acquiring the skills necessary for your dream sports career is only one part of the employment journey. Even with the required skill set, you still have to market yourself properly to attract the attention of sports industry employers. 

At SMWW, we’ll teach you the skills you need to thrive AND help you redesign your resume for optimal impact in the sports industry. We’ll help you craft a resume to include your new skills in Basketball Scouting and Management, including a reference from Rick Sund, Carl Berman and Dr. Lynn Lashbrook while optimizing it to reach hiring managers searching online. 

We want you to become the next SMWW success story and will go to great lengths to help you get there!

Course Certificate & Resume Reference:

Successful graduates of the Sports Management Worldwide courses will be sent an SMWW Certificate of Accomplishment. This certificate represents not only your achievements in the course but also demonstrates your personal commitment to self-improvement and the ability to "self-train" yourself for higher positions within the sports business industry.

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THREE MONTHLY PAYMENTS OF $650 Or a single payment of $1,950 Includes all course textbooks and access to a web-based classroom. Shipping is additional. PRICE IN   APPROXIMATELY $1950 Exact pricing including the discount is shown before you complete checkout. Payment plan options are provided during checkout. PAYMENT METHODS: Prerequisites: Must be 18 or older to participate and have a passion for sports.

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