NORTHERN Inland Academy of Sport's basketballers cleaned up at the annual Academy Awards in Armidale and might be about to benefit from a brilliant debut season in the NIAS ranks by hosting some high class basketballing squads later this year.
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NIAS executive officer James Cooper told The Leader the basketball program will be enhanced thanks to the successes of the first-year girl's and boy's squads at the Clubs NSW Academy Games earlier this year.
The NIAS boy's and girl's squads went through their Academy Games unbeaten with the likes of Miah O'Sullivan and Nathaniel McGrath earning selection in their respective All Star Five.
They were then awarded the NIAS female and male athlete of the year awards at the glittering ceremony in the Armidale City Bowling Club.
Added to that was the fact the three coaches, Greg O'Toole, Jono Willis and Matt Hobson, shared the NIAS coach of the year.
"They were very impressive," James Cooper said of the basketballers and coaches.
"The teams were undefeated at the Academy Games (boy's and girl's) and on the back of that Pymble PLC are looking to bring their squads up here for a training camp.
"They were very impressed by the NIAS squads that they are looking to training and playing up here."
He said the whole NIAS program had enjoyed a great debut 12 months, while all the other programs toiled away to help improve and hone the skills of all the 200 or so juniors.
"We just hope they leave NIAS better players and people," James Cooper said.
"When they read out the resumes of the athletes of the year I just thought what an outstanding young group. We have a lot of impressive young men and women across the board."
Head coach of the NIAS Basketball Program, Greg O'Toole, described the NIAS player and coaching awards as "sensational" and confirmed the fledgling NIAS program had impressed and interested their basketball programs about the prospect of hosting visiting squads.
He said three other three other junior "academies" - Hunter, Pymble PLCl and the Southern Academy of Sport - had all contacted him about holding camps in Tamworth.
"We could only fit in two," Greg O'Toole told The Leader this week.
"Pymble are coming up in early November and Hunter in December.
"Ian "Moose" Robilliard, the former Olympian, is the head coach of the Hunter Academy.
“He's been up here with the Kings and knows how good a facility we have at the Sports Dome.
“He approached us to come up after he also saw how strong we were at the Clubs NSW Academy Games on the Central Coast earlier this year. Our girls and boy's squads went through unbeaten.
“Hunter usually have their pre-season camp on the Central Coast but Moose wants to come up here. They will be here in December.
“It just shows how good a program we have even though it is only in its first year.”
The recent NIAS Academy Awards in the Armidale City Bowling Club showed that with Miah O'Sullivan and Nathaniel McGrath winning the NIAS female and male athletes of the year while O'Toole (head coach) and assistant coaches Jono Willis and Matt Hobson shared the coach of the year award.
"It was great for Matty too being so young," he said.
"It's also great for the growth of basketball in the region. It can only get bigger across the Northern Inland.
“If we can continue to identify young players from across the region it will benefit everyone."
He said that benefit could even flow into the senior Tamworth Thunderbolt sides playing in the Waratah State Leagues.