But during the April school holidays, a group of up-and-coming Echuca basketball players were given an unique opportunity to learn from the best through a two-day Tomorrow's Stars Basketball camp.
Run by former NBL player Brett Rainbow, who spent eight seasons at the Melbourne Tiger's in the 1990s, the team at Tomorrow's Stars Basketball put more than 50 juniors aged five to 16 through their paces at Echuca Basketball Stadium.
After first visiting Echuca in 2019 to run a program alongside Njernda Aboriginal Corporation, Rainbow said it had become a major focus of the Melbourne-based program to frequent more regional areas.
“It's not something we have done a lot in the past, just here and there, but we are looking to provide this camp and our services on a more ongoing basis in Echuca,” Rainbow said.
“Regional areas are the grassroots for basketball, and players may not be able to get access to these programs.
“Sometimes you need to travel hours to get to a quality program, so we wanted to bring this out to you guys.”
Rainbow said the camp was targeted to players of all skill and experience level.
“We provide a range of fun drills and exercise,” he said.
“Even if you are doing it for fun, or are more serious and want to aim for college, or the NBL or NBA one day, these pathways can put you on the right track.
“We wanted kids to come along and build up their confidence and social skills, along with a good range of skill development.”
And with recent COVID-19 lockdowns hampering players’ abilities to progress their games at a key age, Rainbow said player development was more crucial than ever before.
“The whole of Victoria struggled last year, so it's important for us to get kids back on court,” he said.
“It's all about the children, putting smiles on their faces after the pandemic and giving them a quality service.
“It can take serious work to take your game to next level, so after 12 months off it's important kids can catch up and work on their fitness and skill development.”
Participants received a Kobe Bryant t-shirt and drink bottle at the conclusion of the camp in memory of one of the greatest basketballers of a generation.
For more information on Tomorrow's Stars Basketball camps, head to https://tsbasketball.com/.
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