He verbally committed to play college basketball at UMass, choosing them over Villanova, Maryland, Georgetown, and George Mason.

[1] He was released from his letter of intent following the resignation of Minutemen head coach Bruiser Flint,[2][3] and Basden then committed to play for Charlotte.

In his senior season, he was also named National Defensive Player of the Year by many college basketball analysts.

He averaged 8.4 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 3.3 assists in 25 minutes for Fenerbahçe in the Euroleague and was a key player in the team's 2007 Turkish Basketball League championship.

[7] After finishing his contract with the Toros, he went to play for the Alaska Aces of the Philippine Basketball Association, but was ultimately rejected for exceeding the league's 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) height limit.