Underneath the three banners hanging in Sportz Central testifying to the supremacy of the 'Suns' basketball team in the NSW State Basketball League Men's and Women's competition, the next generation of "future stars" received their first momentos of what we hope will be impressive representative basketball careers in years to come.

Coffs Harbour Basketball has for several years run a "Future Stars" program where talented boys and girls from the Primary School competitions conducted at the stadium each Saturday are identified and offered elite coaching in small groups to help them on their path to future representation with the "Suns".

As well as running domestic competitons for some 120 teams of boys, girls, men and women, the local basketball association also selects teams in U12, U14, U16, U18 and State League Men and Women to represent Coffs Harbour as the "Suns" in competitions which have a state wide reach.

Recently appointed General Manager Steve Smith said "I can't think of another sport in Coffs Harbour which fields as many teams in competitions which have such a large footprint. As well as playing regularly on their own doorstop in Lismore, Grafton, Tamworth, Port Macquarie and Bellingen, our teams regularly travel to Newcastle, the Central Coast, Sydney and even the Illawarra to test themselves against the best in the state."

"Our teams just don't compete, they excel, and as a result, our players are now starting to pop up in NSW and even Australian teams and over recent years, some of them have 'lived the dream' by gaining scholarships to play in the USA and Canada."

"The 30 young boys and girls who last week became our 2014 Future Stars have been given an opportunity under Head Coach Laurie Van Loo to see if they can become Suns stars of the future.

Head Coach of the program Van Loo is strong believer in teaching the fundamentals early.  if this year's participants needed any extra motivation, the news that Lizzy Tonks, Brock Dries and Siarn Woods to name just a few who have gone on to achieve big things in basketball, were all former members of our Future Stars program should give them that extra spring in their step.

We suggest you save this photo, we expect in a few years time at least some of the players pictured here will be making a name for themselves in the basketball world."
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