Six months ago talented young basketball athlete Lewis Thomas was in charge of setting up the inflatable man at the Perth Wildcats game.  His other responsibility was to ensure the button was pushed every time the Perth Wildcats threw down a high powered dunk sending the inflatable skyward.

Today the sky is the limit for 6"7, Thomas who has been named as one of eight players, Australia wide, who will attend the Nike All Asia Camp to be held in Beijing from the 8th to the 12th of June 2009.

Rob Beveridge who is becoming a familiar name in Basketball WA circles with his recent appointment as Head Coach of the Perth Wildcats is the director for the Camp in Bejing and has the responsibility of hand selecting athletes throughout Australia to attend. 

"The Nike All Asia camp is one of the best and most professional camps I have been involved with.  The camp provides great opportunities for our up and coming players to get great coaching from NBA Head and Assistant coaches.  They also get an opportunity to train and play against  other international players from China, Korea, Japan and the Philippines.  Not only do they  get exposed to great coaching they get to experience a different culture, different languages and different environment that will only benefit them personally and professionally." stated Rob Beveridge currently still in Canberra.

"Lewis certainly impressed at the recent Australian Under 18 National Championships held in Gawler, South Australia.  He was what I would consider one of the find's of the tournament" added Beveridge.

Lewis who is a member of the Stirling Senators Basketball Club was a member of the Basketball WA Under 18 Metropolitan State Team that played in the Australian Under 18 Nationals recently.  This team was coached by another well known WA Basketball identity Mike Ellis.  Lewis is also a member of the Basketball WA National Intensive Training Centre Program and attends Hale School and is currently completing year 12.

"I am very excited over my selection to the Nike Camp.  It came as a total surprise and it is still sinking in that I will be attending and competing against some of the best young players throughout the world.  I have worked hard at my game over the past six months and now can't wait to be coached by some of the best coaches from the NBA and throughout the world." said an excited Thomas

Basketball WA would like to congratulate Lewis Thomas on his fantastic achievement of being identified and selected to attend the Nike All Asia Camp.  Very soon it might be another young aspiring Wildcats fan that pushes the button to send the inflatable man skyward to a Lewis Thomas high powered dunk.