Teenager Sejr Deans hits his alarm early and springs straight out of bed.
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Wake-up calls for regular 6:30am practice sessions are never too much trouble for the Launceston basketballer.
“I don’t mind to get up early in the mornings if it means I play basketball,” he said.
The vigorous 15-year-old has good reason to banging the boards as the sun rises.
Deans’s name was called out for a place in a Basketball Australia development camp for the next four days.
It’s deserved recognition for Tasmania’s standout at the under-16 national championships back in July.
He averaged 16.22 points per game at the tournament on the Sunshine Coast that included four games when he broke the 20-point barrier.
The power combo guard is also in line for selection in the Australian under-15 squad ahead of the qualifying process for the under-17 world championships in 2020.
“Just to play against the best competition and meeting new players on the court should be a good learning experience,” Deans said.
Deans is hoping the latest experience can help shape his basketball future further.
The Riverside High School student has ambitions to turn his passion into a career.
“Hopefully I can get to play US college basketball until I’m still here,” Deans said.
“College basketball has been my aim, so yeah I’m keen to get a scholarship.”
Joy for Deans has proven heartbreak for Lauren Wise.
She is set to miss the same camp through surgery that rules her out of action for between four and six weeks.
Wise was picked for a NBA Asia Basketball Without Borders camp in India in May.