Sassafras basketball star Taylor Dyson puts in some final training before the World Championships. 49409
By Tania Martin
TAYLOR Dyson is living his dream.
THE 17-year-old basketball star will represent his country next week in the under-17 World Championships in Germany.
The Knox Raider has been preparing for this moment for the past 12 months.
He has lived and breathed the game, even missing school to attend training camps at the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) in Canberra.
But Dyson said it was all worth it to be named on the final squad for the championships.
It also puts this rising star one step closer to playing professionally.
The fight for a place on the squad first began back in May last year when Dyson was chosen to attend a selection camp at the AIS.
He then went on to play in the under-17 team at the 2009 FIBA World Championships qualifying tournament in August.
For the past 12 months Dyson has been training non-stop.
“I have been doing everything I can to make sure I am as healthy and fit as I can be … I worked really hard to make sure I made the team,” he said.
But this is nothing new for Dyson who has been playing since he was just four and can’t imagine life without basketball.
“My brother made me play and I have been playing ever since … I just love it,” he said.
The final squad was cut from 25 hopefuls down to 12 earlier this month in preparation of the championships.
Dyson said making the squad was a dream come through.
He’s not only excited about representing his country but travelling overseas for the very first time.
“I’m really excited but it’s still hard to believe,” Dyson said.
“I have been training every day sometimes two or three sessions a day and fitting school and exams around that.”
Dyson knows just how important school is if he is to earn a basketball scholarship to an American college.
His school attendance has suffered this year with only 60 per cent due to numerous trips to the AIS for training camps.
“But it’s all been worth it,” Dyson said.
He said playing in the World Championships would give him a good exposure to different cultures and the way other countries play the game.
“But the best part is just being able to represent the county I live in – the best country in the world,” Dyson said.
Knox Basketball Association’s development co-ordinator Glenn Clark said it was a fantastic achievement to be named in the squad.
“I know that Dyson will do his utmost to help his Australian team compete not only for a medal, but to help them win the gold,” he said.
Following the championships, Dyson plans to concentrate on earning that elusive college scholarship in a bid to play basketball professional.
“I want to play in Australia, Europe or America,” he said.
But Dyson knows he has a long road ahead of him.
“I need to continue to work on my skills … my shooting, ball handling and defence,” he said.
Like most young basketballers, Dyson also dreams of one day representing his country in the Olympic or Commonwealth games.
The World Championship will be held from 2 to 11 July in Hamburg, Germany, and Australia will face Spain, Canada, Korea, Poland and the host nation in its group round.
