Gold Coast basketball rising star Lilly Rotunno was selected for the 2020 NBA Women’s Academy Next Generation Showcase

It was the career defining moment which put Gold Coast basketball rising star Lilly Rotunno on the path to the NBA Women’s Academy.

IT was the career defining moment which put Gold Coast basketball rising star Lilly Rotunno on the path to the NBA Women’s Academy.

Last month, the Hillcrest Christian College student became one of 40 female athletes selected globally to attend the 2020 NBA Women’s Academy Next Generation Showcase set to be held in New Orleans.

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The camp provides athletes an unmatched opportunity to improve their basketball knowledge and skill, meet players from around the world and play in front of some of America’s most respected college coaches.

Gold Coast basketball rising star Lilly Rotunno with her little sister Layla who has just started her first season of rep basketball. Picture: Isaac Insoll

“I had no idea what the camp was but one of the main coaches at the Basketball Australia camps nominated me and so we did some research and the camp was perfect for me and my aim of going to college in the US,” Rotunno said.

“Playing in front of NCAA coaches and scouts would’ve helped with college opportunities and the chance to see the American system in action.”

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Unfortunately the camp has been cancelled due to the ongoing threat of the COVID-19 pandemic but dealing with heart break is nothing new to Rotunno.

Trialling for the Basketball Queensland Under-16 state team, Rotunno was bottom-aged and one of the youngest to trial.

“I was going up against some pretty good players to make the state team but I got knocked back pretty early which was heartbreaking,” she said.

“It pushed me to work harder and prove to the people who cut me out earlier that they shouldn’t have.

“I was focused on improving myself and my performances and really used that rejection as motivation.”

Gold Coast basketball rising star Lilly Rotunno. Picture: Isaac Insoll

Unsurprisingly, Rotunno trialled and was selected the following year and now finds herself in the Under-18 Queensland south state side as a 16-year-old, all while managing club, representative and school basketball commitments.

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Rotunno has also attended two Australian development camps at the Australian Institute of Sport in the past six months and hopes to one day play for her country.

“One of my goals is to earn an Australian jersey so representing my country is a big dream but I’m also interested to see where college basketball takes me,” she said.

“The big thing I learned from the development camps is how to hold myself accountable because there’s never someone at your side telling you what to do.”