Basketball: Forshaw dreams of breaking into big time

Promising Hawke's Bay basketballer Midge Forshaw was quick to reply when asked who his idol was.

"LeBron James ... he does a lot of work off the court," Forshaw said referring to the Miami Heat star.

It wasn't a surprise the Taradale High School 14-year-old year 10 student opted for a player with such an internationally recognised commendable work ethic. Forshaw's IMS Payroll Paul Henare and Paora Winitana Academy coach Paora Winitana praised Forshaw's work ethic.

"Midge was the only Hawke's Bay player to make the tournament team at his national under-15 tournament this year. He does the non-flashy stuff so well, can play in any position if asked and definitely has a bright future if he continues to work hard," Winitana said.

Forshaw, who like James attempts to secure and study as much information as possible on opponents before games, dreams of scoring a basketball scholarship in the United States.

"Basically, the long-term goal is to keep improving my game and see where it takes me," Forshaw, who also intends to own his own food business, said.

A fourth-year Hawke's Bay representative, Forshaw will discover how close he is to his dream when he joins 11 others from his Academy on a three-day National EOE (Eye Open Experience) camp with the New Zealand Breakers next week.

"I want to get more experience on and off the court. I also want to help our Academy team try and beat the Breakers Academy team ... but I know it will be tough," Forshaw said.

A four-man post player, Forshaw, is a big fan of Breakers point guard CJ Bruton. Like the other members of his Academy squad Forshaw will have the opportunity to ask questions of Bruton, his teammates and coaching staff during a question-answer session with the Breakers, which will also involve a leadership discussion with the Breakers coaching staff.

"This is all part of our motto of preparing future leaders, on and off the court," coach Winitana said.

"It's one thing to be a great player but we also like to help our players be better people."

Former Tall Black Winitana pointed out in addition to training with and playing against the Breakers Academy players the Hawke's Bay contingent will be based at the Millennium Institute of Sport where they will experience a High Performance environment, as well as have a strength and conditioning session with the Breakers trainer. Before attending the Breakers game against the Melbourne Tigers in the North Shore Event Centre on Thursday night the squad will attend the Breakers closed pre-game training session to observe the players' routines and drills.

"Most of our players have never been to a Breakers game, let alone trained with the Breakers. A lot of our players are from Maraenui and Flaxmere and when we did this Breakers visit last year it was an amazing experience for everyone involved ... I'm sure it will be the same this time."

He said the trip would not have been possible without support from Kevin Atkinson of IMS Payroll and other major sponsors, including Unison and the Jarrod Cunningham Youth Sports Trust.