FOR the second time in her young basketball career, Cambewarra's Asha Phillips has been selected to represent NSW Country on the national stage.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Basketball NSW last week unveiled its under 18s NSW Country and Metropolitan sides, which will compete at the Australian Junior Championships, to be held in Werribee from April 10-17 - with Phillips headlining the former.
"This opportunity is so special to me - it's something I'll never forget," she said.
Although this selection has been a goal of the 16-year-old's for some time now, she admits the journey had plenty of challenges.
"There was a time period of about seven months when I had no game time at all [because of COVID-19]," she said.
"I knew when nationals were scheduled and I set this as a goal to work toward.
"Not training and playing against other athletes was hard, however aiming to make the state team gave me the motivation to improve on my own game and be fit and ready for when the time came for selections."
Once basketball did resume, the selection process was different from years past, including when the Nowra High School product was named in the under 16s state team in 2019.
"We first had a camp at the end of September, where a squad was selected of about 25 players," she said.
"But then because of COVID-19, the country tour was cancelled.
"However, Basketball NSW put together a tournament called 'Hoopfest' at the start of January.
"This consisted of two metro teams and two country teams.
"We played each other over a three day period, which also included two training sessions."
Following this, Phillips' squad had one more selection camp before the final roster was named.
"My role for this team will be the point guard, so I will have the ball in my hands quite a bit," Phillips, who won the 2019 Illawarra Academy of Sport Tobin Family Award, said.
"I will be looking to lead my team on offence and create strong looks for my teammates.
"I'll also look to be aggressive myself if an opportunity presents itself.
"Other than that, I'm aiming to be a solid team player and be able to adapt to any role given to me by the coaches, to give my team the best opportunity to be successful in this tournament."
Joining Phillips in the side is fellow Illawarra Hawk Yasmin Butler, as well as Newcastle's Kelsey Crossan and Emily Foy, Maitland's Mila Wawszkkowicz and Sophie Williams, Cootamundra's Amelia Hassett, Coffs Harbour's Isla Jeffermans, West Wyalong's Bridie White and Albury's Grace Whyte.
"We are a tall, versatile team, who all play well together and compliment each other games," said Phillips, who is confident she can use her previous experience at this level to her advantage.
"I believe these strengths will give us the opportunity to be very successful at nationals."
As well as team success, Phillips has set a number of personal goals for the week-long tournament.
"My main focus is being as aggressive as I can be with and without the ball," Phillips, who is playing for both Illawarra's under 18s and youth league women's sides in 2021, said.
"If I do that, it will create more chances for my teammates to succeed, which is one of the main roles of a point guard."
Phillips hopes this tournament, as well as her success on the hardwood with the Hawks, can help her springboard towards her long-term goal.
"Playing college basketball is definitely something I'm looking into and a strong showing at nationals will only assist in bettering my game and helping me to achieve that goal," she said.
We depend on subscription revenue to support our journalism. If you are able, please subscribe here. If you are already a subscriber, thank you for your support.