Dickson was one of 25 athletes from the IMS Payroll Paul Henare and Paora Winitana Academy who spent Friday with the Breakers during a three-day visit to Auckland as part of the academy's National Eye Open Experience.
After the 25-strong group had a training session with Tall Blacks head coach and former Hawk Henare, who tested them on their skills and fundamentals, and another with Breakers Academy coach and another former Hawk Judd Flavell and his academy squad, Dickson and Amariah Luki were invited to train alongside the Breakers Academy squad during their own session.
"They did an amazing job and received some awesome feedback from the players and coaching staff of the Breakers Academy," former Tall Black and long-serving Hawk Winitana said.
Earlier in the day multiple ANBL Championship winner with the Breakers, Henare, welcomed the Hawke's Bay group to the Breakers Training Facility where he gave them a private tour and explained what it means to be a Breaker. The tour took in the video and analysis room, changing rooms, recovery rooms, gym and court facilities.
Later in the day the Bay contingent attended the Breakers pre-game training which is closed to the public, media and fans. All 25 Bay players and their five coaches, Clifton Bush, Reece and Rhandell Tuala-Fata, Jordan Pomana and Graham Takie, got to see the Breakers pre-game rituals including the focus and mental application of the strategy required at the top level.
After being introduced to the Breakers coaching staff, specialist trainers and owners Paul and Liz Blackwell, Dickson and co had a leadership workshop with Breakers stars Corey Webster, Cedric Jackson and Hawke's Bay Tall Black and former Hawk Everard Bartlett.
"This is where our athletes get to hear the experiences and messages that reinforce our academy philosophy and values. Corey spoke about the importance of believing in yourself and making the most of every opportunity every day, Cedric spoke about work every day and staying hum-ble in your successes, Everard emphasised the key of surrounding yourself with the right people to help you when times get tough," Winitana said.
Following that session the Bay group had a 90-minute private session with Breakers legend Kevin Bracewell.
"Kevin's life story was inspiring. He spoke about how he overcame challenges and used basketball as a vehicle to become a great leader, provide a living and see the world. He put our group through their paces with new and challenging drills they have never done before and our athletes were blown away by his passion and love for the game," Winitana recalled.
A highlight of the tour was watching the Breakers 88-80 win against Perth on Friday. One of the Bay academy coaches, Hawks guard Jarrod Kenny, played for Perth. Three games were also played by the athletes. The Junior Girls beat a St Mary's College team 52-32, the Junior Boys beat a Murray's Bay Intermediate team 66-35 and the Senior Boys team which included Dickson lost 88-84 to national secondary schools boys champions Rangitoto College.
"It was good to play Rangitoto as I hadn't played them before this year. We could have beaten them but it was still a good experience to play them," Dickson said.
Rangitoto coach Kenny Stone was impressed with the toughness and unity the players displayed.
He told Winitana and was excited about the futures of several of the Bay players. Winitana said the trip was a taster for next year's International Eye Open Experience which will see an academy squad visit the Utah Jazz and San Antonio Spurs NBL teams.
