25-year-old Kay played his first game on home soil this week in front of an Adelaide crowd – which included “extremely proud” mother Terrie who remembers Nick’s introduction to representative basketball.

After first taking to the court midway through year 2 at school, Nick made his way into the Tamworth representative ranks a year later.

“It was probably a family friend who came and spoke to us a year or so later and said ‘come down and do training with the under 12s team’,” Terrie remembered.

“We thought ‘he’s only nine’, but they said ‘It’ll be good for his game even if he doesn't make it.

“It was a rebuilding stage at the time and he did get in. They played Coffs Harbour and I think the score was about 120-6.

“It was quite eye-opening in terms of representative basketball.”

The baptism of fire didn’t turn Nick off the sport, though.

Instead, Nick and his side toiled away.

“That same team stuck together. Six year later they beat Coffs Harbour in the grand final,” Terrie said.

Terrie was proud of Nick then and was again proud of him on Monday.

While Daniel Kickert was the Boomers’ go-to man with 22 points, three assists and seven rebounds, Nick was the top rebounder for the game with 10 in the 24-point victory.

“I think he [Nick] played well and it was a great team effort,” Terrie said of the match against Japan.

“Even speaking with Nick, he said when they played against Chinese Taipei, they got through the game but this was better as far as teamwork goes.”

The Boomers sit at the top of their group with two wins after the first window of the FIBA World Cup qualifiers.

The Australian side will now break up before regrouping in February next year where they will take on the Phillippines and Chinese Taipei – both games will be played in Australia – in the second qualifying window.