Founder Story

London Roots

Born and raised in London, Gary Maitland’s basketball journey began during the rise of British basketball in the 1990s. As a junior athlete, he competed for London Towers under respected coaches Joe White and Tony Garbelotto, developing within one of the country’s most recognised basketball programmes of the era.

Alongside club success and national titles, Maitland also represented England at junior European Championships level, gaining early exposure to elite competition, international basketball environments and competing against future NBA players such as Andrei Kirilenko. Those experiences helped shape the standards, professionalism and competitive mindset that would later influence the foundation of Bridge the Gap and the Coach Maitland brand.

London Towers 1997/98

England U16, European Championships 1997

Learning the Game in America

Determined to continue developing both as a player and student of the game, Maitland took his talents to the United States, playing basketball in Mississippi and Louisiana while learning from highly respected coaches including Errol Gauff, Jay Ladner and Billy Kennedy.

His time in America provided first-hand experience of the structure, discipline and culture surrounding high-level basketball development in the high school and U.S. college systems. The experience would later play a major role in shaping his approach to skill development, athlete preparation and building professional basketball training environments in London.

St. Stanislaus College Prep 1998/99

The Birth of Bridge the Gap

After returning to London, Maitland felt a strong calling towards coaching and player development. He began coaching youth basketball teams across North West London before launching a basketball programme at Harrow High School in 2004.

As participation and ambition around the programme continued to grow, Harrow High introduced a basketball academy in 2008; creating a structured pathway that combined education and elite basketball development. The programme became part of a wider vision to raise standards within British basketball and provide young players with opportunities to pursue basketball at a higher level.

Those early years laid the foundations for what would eventually become the Bridge the Gap ecosystem: a platform centred around skill development, athlete growth, education and basketball culture.

Early Basketball Content Pioneer

Long before basketball training content became mainstream on social media, Maitland was already filming drills, documenting workouts and publishing basketball development content online. As an early adopter of YouTube and emerging social media platforms, he consistently shared skill development content, training concepts and behind-the-scenes basketball footage from London.

By 2011, professional players competing overseas had started reaching out to train with Maitland during the offseason when returning home to the UK. This led to training relationships with athletes including Jamell Anderson, Ashley Hamilton and Tayo Ogedengbe.

Jamell Anderson

Tayo Ogedengbe

Ashley Hamilton

At the same time, Maitland continued developing ambitious young players pursuing opportunities in the United States and professional basketball pathways around the world. Athletes including Dwayne Lautier-Ogunleye, Sesan Russell, Kayne Henry and Tomiwa Sulaiman would go on to earn athletic scholarships and professional opportunities internationally.

During this period, the Coach Maitland brand

began establishing itself within British basketball as a respected name

in basketball skill development, offseason training and long-term player development.

Professional Player Development

Between 2017 and 2019, Maitland worked with Pure Sweat Basketball, where he was mentored by renowned NBA skills trainer Drew Hanlen.

The experience further elevated his understanding of elite player development, modern skill training and professional athlete preparation. During this period, Maitland expanded his work with professional athletes internationally and eventually became the personal trainer for Ovie Soko as he competed professionally around the world.

Exposure to NBA-level training environments, offseason preparation

and professional athlete routines helped shape the premium training standards

that continue to define Bridge the Gap today.

Today, Gary Maitland continues to grow Bridge the Gap

into one of the UK’s leading basketball development and offseason performance ecosystems.

Built around elite skill development, professional training environments, basketball culture and community impact, Bridge the Gap now operates across private training, memberships, offseason programmes, academy basketball, events, content creation and international development opportunities.

Hong Kong Island, Hong Kong

Grenada, West Indies

Los Angeles, USA

With London continuing to emerge as an offseason destination for NBA players, professional athletes and elite basketball talent, the long-term vision is to keep building an environment where athletes, brands and basketball culture can genuinely connect.

Cameron Payne

Jimmy Butler

Brandin Podziemski

Bridge the Gap is actively seeking partnerships with forward-thinking brands looking to authentically engage with basketball culture, elite performance environments and one of the UK’s most ambitious basketball communities.

Bridge the Gap was built to raise the standard of basketball development environments in the UK;

combining elite training, authentic culture and long-term athlete development under one platform.

Vision

The vision for Bridge the Gap is to continue building one of Europe’s leading basketball performance and culture ecosystems; connecting elite training, community, education, media and authentic athlete experiences under one platform.

As basketball continues to grow globally, London has the opportunity to become a genuine offseason destination for NBA players, professional athletes and elite basketball talent. Bridge the Gap aims to be at the centre of that movement by creating premium basketball environments that combine skill development, performance training, recovery, content creation and culture.

Beyond the court, the long-term vision includes expanding internationally, developing stronger pathways for British players, creating meaningful educational and community opportunities and building partnerships with brands that genuinely align with the values of performance, wellness, innovation and basketball culture.

Bridge the Gap is not simply building training sessions.

We are building an ecosystem designed to elevate the standard of basketball development environments in the UK and create long-term impact within the game.

Currently, our Bridge the Gap ecosystem extends across:

• Private player development
• Bridge the Gap Membership
• Elite offseason training
• Whitefriars Basketball Academy
• Basketball camps and clinics
• International basketball initiatives
• Digital basketball content and media

Through consistent work, authentic relationships and a commitment to raising standards, Bridge the Gap continues to establish itself as one of the UK’s leading basketball performance and culture platforms.

MEET OUR BRIDGE THE GAP TEAM

Bridge the Gap continues to grow through a collective of coaches, performance specialists, physiotherapists, content creators and basketball professionals who all contribute towards building a world-class basketball environment in London.

From skill development and strength & conditioning to recovery, media and athlete support, every member of the team plays a role in helping maintain the standards, energy and culture that define the Bridge the Gap experience.

Building the Future of Basketball Culture in London

Bridge the Gap was created with a long-term vision: to build a basketball ecosystem where elite development, authentic culture, community and opportunity all exist within the same environment.

Today, that vision continues to grow through private training, memberships, academy basketball, offseason performance, international initiatives, content creation and brand partnerships; all centred around raising the standard of basketball development environments in the UK.

Whether you are an athlete looking to improve, a brand looking to connect with basketball culture, or an organisation seeking meaningful collaboration opportunities, Bridge the Gap is committed to building authentic partnerships that create long-term impact.