Young ace has taste for gold

By Tania Martin
WILL Sinclair has scored a slam dunk as he steps closer to his dream to play professional basketball.
The 17-year-old Kilsyth Cobra has recently returned home after winning gold at a tournament in Germany.
Sinclair donned the green and gold to take part in the under-19 Australian men’s squad at the Albert Schweitzer tournament in April.
He was selected for the 12-man team following several gruelling training camps at the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) in Canberra.
But he is no stranger to playing representative basketball, also playing for Victoria in the under-16s and under-18s.
Sinclair was thrilled to put on the Aussie team colours for the first time for the trip of a lifetime.
“It was an awesome experience and it was also my first time overseas,” Sinclair said.
It was a trip of firsts with the Australian Emus team taking out gold at the tournament for the first time.
Sinclair said the competition overseas was like playing in a different league.
“You see how different cultures play the game differently,” he said. “Depending which country you play the game can be a lot faster – if you are playing against someone like Spain it’s very fast.”
The 205 cm centre-forward first started playing the game five years ago after a friend asked him to join an after-school competition at his primary school.
Sinclair then went on to play in the domestic competition before winning a spot on the D-league Cobras squad.
Taking home gold from Germany is just another step in the right direction for this rising star who is currently in talks with several colleges in the United States.
After undertaking a college scholarship in the US, Sinclair hopes to play in the European league.
He is currently working not only on his game but on his grades to ensure he can win that elusive scholarship.
Sinclair currently trains four times a week including focusing on his strength training in the gym as well as court side.
He also dreams of one day playing for Australia in the Olympics or Commonwealth Games.
“Representing your country is always a good thing to be proud of,” he said.