Sandringham Sabres: Williamson, Box, Nunn, Taulapiu, Simos head for US
A group of talented Bayside basketballers are headed to the US to take up college scholarships. See who made the cut.
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In a normal week these teens shoot 40000 baskets.
The tough training routine, which includes daily 6am starts, is what it takes to get a shot at a professional career in the US.
And it’s paid off for five Sandringham Sabres.
Kobe Williamson, Kingsley Box, Tyrone Simos, Brody Nunn and Sam Taulapiu have all landed college scholarships and most will head to the US this month to start the next stage of their dream.
Williamson and Nunn have both accepted offers from the University of Seattle, Box is headed to Southern Utah, Simos will land at North Carolina’s Gardner Webb University with Taulapiu joining South Plains College in Texas.
Nunn will follow in 2021 after completing his VCE this year.
Sandringham under-18 coach Matt Nunn said the exciting prospects were reaping the rewards for their dedicated efforts.
“They’re very hardworking young athletes,” he said.
“The boys work out at 6am every morning before school, they’re shooting up to 4000 shots a week.
“They are real role models to any basketballer that wants to go to college and not just college but Division 1 schools.”
Earlier this year, the “Fab Five” were part of the Victorian State team at the under-20 national
championships in Canberra.
Williamson, who was last year named Basketball Victoria’s junior male of the year, averaged 15 points and 8 rebounds across the campaign, Box was in the top 15 scorers while Nunn broke a tournament record for three-point percentage (63 per cent).
In 2018, they played influential roles for the Sabres who knocked off the previously-undefeated Melbourne Tigers, who boasted NBA Global Academy-bound Josh Giddey, in the under-18 Victorian Championship Grand Final.
Southern Basketball Association president Phil McFarlane said the Sabres were incredibly proud of their exports.
“The boys started back in the under-9’s and have advanced through our junior programs to get to this level which is testament to our structure and having community-based sport supporting the growth of basketball for junior basketball. It’s an amazing result,’’ he said.
“The boys will now develop their career path and studies and we hope to see them come full circle and back in our colours, representing Sandringham, again in the future.”
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