Commitment and persistence has paid off for four Tasmanian basketball players who are on the path to play in a world cup.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Launceston's Lachlan Brewer joins Kye Savage and Jacob Furphy were announced in the Australian under 17 men's team, while Rubi Gray was selected for the Australian under 17 women's team, with both to compete at the Asia Cup, and potentially the FIBA World Cup in July.
The Asia Cup acts as a world cup qualifier for the Crocodiles and Sapphires, which due to COVID-19 will see the tournaments played with a three-week turnaround rather than the usual year between competitions.
Basketball Tasmania state head coach Nic Martin said it was exceptional to have four athletes from Tasmania to make the teams, with 25 percent of the men's team being from the state.
"It's great for the athletes and everyone feels part of the journey from coaches, parents to people who watch them," Martin said. "There's always a lot of broader impact and flow on effect."
Martin praised the commitment of Launceston's Lachlan Brewer who travels to the Coast to play for Burnie in the NWBU and the North West Thunder in NBL1.
"It's been a prolonged commitment and it shows what can happen if there's commitment from talented athletes with passion and it's combined with driven parents," Martin said.
Smithton's Furphy is Tasmania's only bottom age player in the squads, and has a rare opportunity to also qualify for the under 19 team as a top age player due to the three year cycle.
"He's positioned quite well for something quite rare and you have to be an exceptional talent to pull off, which he has shown," Martin said.
He said top age players had been given priority in earlier Basketball Australia camps and squads, but Furphy had pushed his way through following a strong nationals tournament in Tasmania's bronze medal winning side.
"Jacob clearly established himself as one of the most legitimate players in Australia," he said.
Devonport's Kye Savage was another player who missed some of the camps and selections last year.
Martin said Savage continued to put the work in and was rewarded by making the long list and backed that up with a phenomenal nationals campaign where he finished the lead scorer.
"He's a guard and it's difficult to differentiate yourself from others, but he has incredible speed... and improved his defence to be able to do that," he said.
Devonport junior Rubi Gray's selection comes off the back of also being a scholarship holder to the Centre of Excellence.
The three men are all North West Thunder players and their inclusion to the Australian squad was one Thunder's coach Nick Haywood was proud of.
"It's a boost for team morale, we're really, really proud of them but in the same vein we will miss them for a month," Haywood said.
The selections come days after Tasmanian basketball under 16 state teams were announced stacked with players from the North-West.