Three Gunnedah juniors are set to take part in the Northern Inland Academy of Sport (NIAS) basketball program, starting in February 2025.
Flynn Royall, Henry Weinthal and Evie Randall were chosen in the NIAS squad, after being among nearly 40 candidates from the New England and surrounding area to take part in last month’s trials at Gunnedah Basketball Stadium.
With Flynn, Henry and Evie playing representative basketball for Tamworth, this year is the first time any of them have been chosen for NIAS basketball.
Henry, who plays in the shooting guard position, said he looked forward to the training, team meetings, camps, clinics and academy games.
“It’s really good – I feel really lucky as NIAS is investing a lot of time and resources into it,” he said, before stating that his selection enabled him to use basketball facilities in places like Tamworth.
The trio of Gunnedah basketballers attended a recent induction session at Lake Keepit, featuring more than 200 athletes and parents.
NIAS athletes were from hockey, netball, triathlon, mountain biking, golf and future stars, along with basketball.
Topics covered included initial fitness assessments, sports psychology and nutrition, while much of the information was vital for the parents as well as the athletes.
NSW Swifts netballers Julia Symons and Sophie Fawns spoke about their pathway journeys, and also talked about gratitude as well as inspiring the athletes to “give back” to their community.
Having co-authored the Australian sport system FTEM model, Dr Juanita Weissensteiner presented on performance pathways in sport while Matt Sibley from the Office of the Children’s Guardian spoke about sport integrity.
The NIAS basketball season subsequently began last Saturday with a four-hour training session in Tamworth, with another session scheduled this Saturday.
The girls squad will take part in a tournament in Coffs Harbour on December 7 and 8.
Gunnedah Basketball secretary Jody King said the dedication from the players and parents for basketball was outstanding “as they travel to Tamworth for training and out of town for opportunities with Basketball NSW pathway development programs.”
“Getting Gunnedah Basketball reaffiliated with Basketball NSW in 2022, and our board sharing information from BNSW has provided our members to participate in BNSW pathway opportunities and at representative levels, hence assisted in developing their skills,” she said.
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