ONE of the best basketball pathways for young Australian prospects is through Basketball Australia’s Centre of Excellence (CoE).

Having hosted some of the brightest young players in the country, the Centre of Excellence program offers elite training and development to allow these youngsters to take their respective games to the next level.

The next player to be offered a scholarship with the CoE is Tasmanian young gun Kye Savage, after the guard showed promising form at both domestic and international level.

Hailing from the Apple Isle, Savage has emerged as one of the strongest prospects in the nation, proving himself with some consistently strong form.

Savage has been suiting up for the North West Thunder in the NBL1 South Men’s competition, and has been producing some standout performances in that time.

He comes off the bench for the Thunder, and has been working his way into the season nicely, and is now a valued contributor for the team.

Savage is currently averaging 10 points per game in 19 minutes of court time each match, with his offence continuing to improve as the fixture rolls on.

His biggest strength is being able to get to the hoop and finish, showing plenty of craft despite standing at just six-foot-one. Savage is also one of the quicker players on the team, which he uses to get downhill and burst past the defender.

He was also a part of the Australian Under-17 national team during the 2022 FIBA World Cup, and showcased his talent at international level.

Head coach Robbie McKinlay expressed the program’s excitement around Savage’s arrival into the program.

“Kye has already represented Australia and has dominated at the National Junior Championship level, so we are pleased he has agreed to join the program,” McKinlay said.

“We have monitored his progress and thanks to the work of Basketball Tasmania and the Thunder program, he has earned this opportunity and we feel he will bring another dimension to the daily training environment.”

Savage should continue to develop at this level thanks to the constant ability to work on his craft, and his inclusion into the CoE could see him evolve into one of the best guards in the country in years to come.