Sport
7 December, 2023
Basketball star visits Terang
AUSTRALIAN basketball star Mitch Creek has praised the talent Terang offers on the court.
The former NBA and Australian Boomer brought Wolf Pack Hoops to Terang on Sunday, giving kids an opportunity to learn skills from one of the best in the nation.
Just one day after leading NBL side South East Melbourne Phoenix to a win with a game-leading 26-point performance, Creek, said bringing skills training to regional Victoria was something he strongly believed it.
“It’s massive because being from Horsham you understand what it’s like for smaller towns who maybe don’t have the access to some of the elite sport-based programs that kids in the city get to see,” he said.
“Now I get the best of both worlds - I get to be a professional at the highest level and I get to create change in communities where the younger people get to learn the necessary skills that being a professional requires.
“We are learning pretty basic skills but you can see how hard they are to master so it’s amazing to see the progression and hear from kids and families how they can use the skills they’ve learned.”
Basketball has skyrocketed in popularity across the world, with Terang and Australia in general, no exception to the charms of the widely popular sport.
Creek said he believed the growing visibility of role models and a grassroots evolution of the game in communities was driving the sport’s growth.
“We put a lot of time developing coaches and players, we’ve had good success internationally and people are starting to see that basketball in Australia is actually pretty damn good,” he said.
“We’ve always been pretty good but we’ve developed a really good crop of young athletes with a lot of guys and girls who can have big aspirations because they’ve got good role model.
“You see the NBA guys and girls now who have done a great job of developing a pathway.”
Creek said he was pleasantly surprised by how well-developed Terang’s young basketball talent was, with the kids showcasing no shortage of skills.
“The sessions have been really high quality and you can see how quickly they can pick up a new skill, how well they listen and how intensive they practice,” he said.
“An hour is a long time for some kids to stay engaged but, if you can keep them engaged and teach them something they’re going to use in a game, then you know you’re on the right track.
“The kids will go home and their parents and families can help the kids learn slowly and patiently, without rushing it, and you’ll see a lot of progression.”
