Centre of Excellence hosts training camp for Rising Young Talents

From November 30 – December 3, sixteen athletes identified from State & Territory Performance Programs were invited to travel to the AIS, with consideration to current travel restrictions, based on performance in current clubs and associations, previous tournaments, and feedback from the Talent ID network plus State & Territory High Performance Managers.

Over the four days, the attending athletes were immersed into the high-performance environment with elite training and on-site living arrangements alongside the CoE and NBA Global Academy (NBA GA) students. They were also provided with education around “off-court” commitments that scholarship athletes make in order to become elite and professional athletes.

Other education workshops included: strength and condition, given by the Men’s CoE strength and conditioning coach James Tatham; and an information session explaining requirements for eligibility to play in the NCAA United States Collegiate system; and ways to better yourself outside of basketball delivered by the CoE & NBA GA Athlete Wellbeing & Engagement Manager, Shane McDonald.

Coaches from the training camp have praised the talent and commitment of the athletes, stating that the event was “exciting” from an Australian basketball point of view.

After the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic during 2020, the hosting of this event was a remarkable achievement to end the calendar year, bought to life by the hard work and commendable efforts of the CoE staff, respective State & Territory High Performance Managers and attending athletes.

The attending athletes: