Basketball: Teen off to Vegas to face the best

Wanganui basketballer Jeron-Reef Hiri-Gush during the fitness event at Cooks Gardens, being held as a fundraiser for his trip to Las Vegas with the NZ Basketball Academy U13 team. Photo/Stuart Munro

The 13-year-old who hustles across the Springvale Stadium will now try his hand under the neon lights of Las Vegas as Jeron-Reef Hiri-Gush is the latest Wanganui teen to be selected for the NZ Basketball Academy's annual July tour.

The Wellington-based academy takes youth teams to Las Vegas, where they will play American state teams, along with other squads from Canada and Australia.

A number of Wanganui players have taken part - with five going in 2013 - including older cousins from Hiri-Gush's family.

Proud father Justin Gush said his son had attended five to six training camps and then a series of trials to make the academy's Under-13 team for the tour.

The trip is considered an excellent opportunity to play in two major youth tournaments and develop players as student/athletes, with many dreaming of following the footsteps of Steven Adams, drafted in 2013 and this week named in the NBA All-Rookie 2nd team after a strong debut season for the Oklahoma City Thunder.

"It's another level of basketball," said Gush. "With the explosion of Steve Adams, and [Jeron-Reef] attended the camp that Steve attended, that was a big thing."

From a basketball-mad family, Hiri-Gush has grown up in the sport, now a member of the Wanganui High School junior boys team, which plays in the Men's B-grade on Thursdays and the secondary school competition on Friday nights. He is also a member of the Wanganui Under-15 team, which is off to a national grading tournament in Napier next week.

A point guard or shooting guard, Hiri-Gush's game had improved playing against men regularly, and his father said he has always shown good work rate on court.

"He's a hustler, quite a strong player, he's very confident."

The family are now fundraising for the trip, which included a group fitness session at Cooks Gardens yesterday morning.

The group were sponsored to complete a series of fitness drills designed by Hiri-Gush's uncle Terrence Matthews.

Gush said his son has also received support from Whanganui Maori Sports Trust, Te Runanga O Ngati Apa, and Te Puni Kokiri.

The two-week tour to Las Vegas starts on July 20.