THE National Basketball Association (NBA)’s Global Academy (GA) has announced two new additions to its scholarship program, as it look to expand its reach and find the best young talent the world has to offer. This time it is two young Australian basketball guns who have made the cut, with the nation’s basketball system continuing to produce impressive young talent.

The program launched in Australia in 2017 in collaboration with Basketball Australia, with the country’s basketball system rapidly growing and producing young talent at an extremely fast rate. The program offers elite facilities and coaching for the best prospects from the land down under. Young guns from China, India, Africa and Argentina were also included in the initial intake.

Aussies Jensen Bradtke and Rocco Zikarsky have had their strong play recognised by NBA GA selectors with a position each in the program, after both displayed tremendous talent over recent years. Selection in this process is a huge step forward in their development toward a basketball career, and the two teenagers will now have a massive boost in their hopes of progressing their respective basketball journeys.

Bradtke was born into the basketball world, with his father inducted into the Basketball Australia Hall of Fame thanks to a successful career that included four Olympics appearances for Australia and a terrific National Basketball League (NBL) career. The younger Bradke was recognised as a basketball talent early, and with the right resources and support, was able to flourish on his way to forging a professional basketball path.

Following a strong stint with the Sandringham Sabres, Bradtke soon began to gain recognition both domestically and internationally, thanks to strong individual play, and eye-catching professionalism for someone at such a young age. The 17-year-old is expected to settle in at the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) by the end of the month.

NBA GA Technical Director Marty Clarke has expressed his excitement in seeing what Bradtke has to offer.

“We are looking forward to having Jensen in a challenging environment where we believe he will flourish. We look forward to broadening his skill base and we want to maximise his athletic abilities.”

Zikarsky has become a social media sensation in recent years, with the big man standing at 7 feet at just 15 years of age, making it difficult for selectors to pass him up.

He was a big part of Queensland South’s championship side, imposing his presence on the series with averages of 14 points, seven rebounds and three blocks per game. Clarke had scouted the youngster in the past, and was immediately drawn to Zikarsky’s excellent ceiling for growth.

“His potential was obvious, the combination of size and skill at such a young age, he exhibited an ability to compete with confidence against older-aged talents,” Clarke said.

“We are excited to start working with Rocco, improving his body, refining his skills and watching him develop his potential.”

The NBA GA recently had their first program success, with 2019 alumni Joshua Giddey taken by the Oklahoma City Thunder with the sixth pick in the 2021 NBA draft.

The Centre of Excellence (CoE) has also announced an addition to the AIS, with Ben Henshall set to take advantage of the training and development resources provided by the CoE.

The elite scorer was named the Western Australia Basketball League (WABL) Player of the Year for 2021, with the guard delivering an outstanding season.

Henshall will now get to follow in the footsteps of Aussie basketball greats such as Patty Mills, Joe Ingles and Andrew Bogut, all of whom are products of the CoE’s program.

Picture credit: Arctic Moon Photography