WITH BASKETBALL becoming a more prominent sport in Australia on a yearly basis, the nation is still continuing to produce exciting prospects.

Late last week, Basketball Australia announced the scholarship signing of four of the country’s brightest young prospects to two of the nation’s best institutions. Emmett Adair (NSW), Mading Kuany (Victoria) and Jacob Furphy (Tasmania) have joined the NBA Global Academy, while Abass Bodija (Queensland) has kicked off his time at the Centre of Excellence (CoE).

Both programs take place at the Australian Institute of Sport, and will develop the players as they enter a crucial phase of their respective basketball journeys. Adair is a 200cm forward from the Northern Suburbs Basketball Association, who brings plenty of versatility to the program. He can play at both the three or the four, and has plenty of skill to complement his physical features.

Kuany offers the same height as Adair, and stands above his peers at just 14 years of age. His length and wingspan make him a raw prospect, while he has shown smarts at local level which will be likely honed at the AIS. Like Adair, he can play both forward positions.

The 16-year-old Furphy is a promising shooting guard who was identified through the Basketball Tasmania High Performance Program. He has plenty of experience at international level, highlighted by a 20-point performance against Slovenia on 80 per cent shooting from the field.

Bodija stands at a mighty 205cm, and slots in nicely to the power forward position. He has no shortage of talent to match his size, and brings experience at state level. The forward has also suited up for the South West Metro Pirates.

Basketball Australia’s Centre of Excellence head coach Robbie McKinley says the addition of the four players is an exciting time for the program.

“These four young players have the athletic ability and basketball skill set to add value to the current cohort of athletes in the CoE and Global Academy,” he said.

“The ability to engage in a daily performance environment with some of the best players in the country will help them continue to develop and we are excited about the group moving forward.”

The program will see the youngsters involved in daily training programs from some of the nation’s top coaches and staff, with access to some of Australia’s premier sports science and high performance staff.

With a number of esteemed graduates from the program, the future is bright for these four rising stars.