Basketball star shoots for the top

SHE MAY only be 12, but Sarah Penese’s basketball skills have seen her picked in the under-15 New Zealand Basketball Academy team.

Sarah will be the youngest girl in the squad when it travels to Las Vegas for an international tournament in July.

A pupil at Cannons Creek’s Brandon Intermediate, Sarah said she was determined to show the older girls she deserved her place.

‘‘It’s a challenge for me to prove that even though I’m young, I’m better than some of the older girls. It’s a privilege to be picked in the New Zealand team.’’

A 1.75m tall shooting guard, Sarah is already used to mixing it on the basketball court with much older players.

She has been playing in her mother Luana’s mid-week team since she was 10.

Basketball features plans for the future.

‘‘I’d like to play for New Zealand, and maybe in the [women’s] NBA.’’

Before she heads to the United States, Sarah must raise about $4000. Luana Penese said the family would probably ramp up the sausage sizzles during the next few months.

‘‘We haven’t even about where to start.’’

Mrs Penese said she was shocked when her daughter was named in the squad. ‘‘I said ‘but she’s only 12’.’’ However, her coaches had told her husband that Sarah’s basketball smarts belied her age.

‘‘They said she picks up plays quickly, makes good decisions and is pretty tough for her age.’’

When Sarah first took the court against adults, she was ‘‘quite nervous’’, her mother said.

‘‘But then she got used to the environment, and now she’s probably the go-to person in the team.’’

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Twelve-year-old Sarah Penese has the basketball skills to go a long way.