TEEN SHOOTS FOR FAME AT THE TOP
BOSTON Mazlin has set his ambitions high after his first taste of playing basketball for his country.
The 16- year- old was the first Townsville teenager to be invited to play in the NBA Academy Games in Canberra last week, taking on teams from China, India, Africa, Latin America and the Global Academy in front of NBA scouts in sub- freezing temperatures.
But Boston relished the pressure, seeing it as a chance to one day play pro basketball.
The point guard has made the Queensland team for the past three years but wants to next make an impression on a world level.
“There is a Global Academy in Canberra which I want to make some day,” Boston said.
“I’m trying to get to a stage where I don’t have to spend a day working in an office.”
The NBA Global Academy is an elite basketball training centre at Basketball Australia’s Centre of Excellence at the Australian Institute of Sport.
The centre has produced the likes of Philadelphia 76ers forward Ben Simmons and Boomers stars Matthew Dellavedova, Patty Mills and Joe Ingles.
The Ignatius Park College student said playing in the NBA Academy Games with complete strangers in the BA Prospects A side was “interesting”.
“It was majorly different because I usually listen to what they ( the opposition) say but none of them spoke English,” he said. “They were also much taller.
“It was interesting, we had just two hours to learn everything and perform.”
Boston’s side beat India by 40 points and China by 20 but lost to Latin America by four and Global by seven.
He said facing intense scrutiny by scouts only pushed him harder.
“You’ve got to keep trying,” he said. “They ( scouts) had photos of our faces and crossed you out. You didn’t want that.”
Boston will play in the Townsville Heat under- 18 trials this weekend.