The Illawarra Academy of Sport, South West Sydney Academy of Sport, Western Region Academy of Sport and Southern Sports Academy all joined forces recently for an Inter-Academy Basketball Training Camp in Wollongong.
Nearly 150 athletes attended the event which began on Saturday morning with team-building exercises with Savvy, followed by training in the afternoon.
Athletes were then treated to a thrilling NBL match at the WIN Entertainment Centre with the Illawarra Hawks beating their rivals the Sydney Kings in a close, hard-fought game.
Sunday was game day as the athletes took to the court at the Snakepit in Wollongong with the four Academies facing off against each other, with each Academy playing numerous games.
“It was a great weekend of basketball,” Illawarra Academy of Sport CEO Salv Carmusciano said.
“Our athletes enjoyed the chance to test themselves against the other Academies and it was good preparation as we look ahead to the 2025 Your Local Club Academy Games in Tamworth next April.”
Illawarra Academy of Sport basketball athlete Lily Wildner said the Inter-Academy Basketball Training Camp provided a great opportunity for athletes from the different Academies to come together and have fun.
“The Savvy session was a great and fun way to kick off our weekend. We participated in great team bonding activities and got to know other players from Western and Southern NSW regions,” Wildner said.
“The Hawks v Kings game was a close match, with lots and lots of voices across all the Academies trying to out cheer each other. It was a great experience as some Academy players had never been to an NBL game before.
“The training and games brought another level of intensity with different styles of play from teams in U14s through to U18s. The IAS definitely showed the other Academies what we are made of!”
Illawarra Academy of Sport basketball coach and Hawks great Glen Saville said the athletes enjoyed the weekend of basketball.
“The training camp was a valuable opportunity for our athletes to test themselves against the other Academies during training and games,” Saville said.
“Everyone enjoyed themselves and it was a really good weekend of basketball.”
The Illawarra Academy of Sport would like to thank all the athletes, parents and staff from the Academies that attended the event and thank you to Savvy, Basketball NSW, Basketball Illawarra and the Illawarra Hawks.
