The National Basketball Association (NBA) has selected five young New Zealand athletes to be part of their NBA Academy Asia Development Camp this weekend.
The five athletes are: Jackson Ball, Lachlan Crate, Oscar Goodman, Hayden Jones and Merrick Rillstone.
All five players participated in the U17 National Camp in Auckland last month, with the quartet of Crate, Goodman, Jones and Rillstone playing key roles for the U15 National Team that claimed silver at the U15 Oceania Champs last November. Ball is the youngest Kiwi player to be selected, having only turned 15 in March.
The four-day elite basketball development camp will be held in Singapore from 8-11 May at the OCBC Arena at Singapore Sports Hub, and will bring together 32 of the top male basketball players from across Asia to compete and develop alongside their peers.
The camp will be led by NBA Global Academy Technical Director Marty Clarke and NBA Academy India Technical Director Scott Flemming, along with staff from the NBA Academies in Australia and India. Prospects will take part in skill development, anthropometric and athletic testing, exhibition games, and off-court activities that promote cultural exchange. The top performing prospects from the camp will have the opportunity to attend future NBA basketball development camps, showcases and programs.
In addition, a team comprised of prospects from NBA Academy India, an elite basketball training in Delhi National Capital Region (NCR), will travel to Singapore for a short-term basketball development program that will include exhibition games against NBA Academy Asia Development Camp participants and the Singapore Under-18 Men’s National Team.
About NBA Academy
NBA Academy is a year-round elite basketball development program that provides top high-school-age athletes from outside the U.S. with a holistic approach to player development and a predictable pathway to maximize their potential. The program emphasizes health and wellness, character development and life skills, and gives athletes the opportunity to learn the game from coaches with professional, collegiate and international coaching experience.
Since 2017, NBA Academies have been launched in Canberra, Australia; Delhi NCR, India; San Luis Potosí, Mexico; and Saly, Senegal for top prospects from their respective countries and continents. In March 2018, the NBA launched the NBA Academy Women’s Program, a series of basketball development camps for top female prospects from outside the U.S at the league’s academies.
To date, more than 100 NBA Academy participants have committed to or gone on to attend NCAA Division I schools in the U.S., and 18 have played, are playing or have signed to play professionally. Find out more about the NBA Academy program at nbaacademy.nba.com, on Twitter (@NBAAcademyPR) and on Instagram (@NBAAcademy).
New Zealand Attendees to NBA Academy Asia Development Camp:
Jackson Ball, Hawkes Bay
Lachlan Crate, Basketball Manawatu / Manawatu Jets
Oscar Goodman, New Plymouth Basketball / Taranaki Airs
Hayden Jones, Nelson Basketball / Nelson Giants
Merrick Rillstone, Waikato Basketball
