Jacob Furphy selected for Basketball Without Borders camp

Tasmania’s most exciting young basketball prospect is set for an opportunity which will see him under the watchful eye of NBA franchises and his local club isn’t surprised by his success.

Tasmanian star Jacob Furphy made a huge start to the Under-20 National Championships. Picture: Taylor Earnshaw

Jacob Furphy is set to be under the watchful eye of NBA teams later this month.

The Tasmanian basketball talent has been selected for the Basketball Without Borders Global camp which brings together some of the sport’s top high school age prospects from across the world.

The camp, which is open to all franchises, will be held this weekend as part of the NBA All-Star Weekend and will see athletes participate in athletic testing, skill development and five-on-five games.

Furphy is one of three Australians to be picked for the trip to Indianapolis alongside Luke Fennell (Victoria) and Roman Siulepa (Queensland).

On the opening night of the 2023-24 NBA season, there were 41 players on rosters that had previously been involved in the camp including current MVP candidate and Oklahoma City Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

Now based at the Centre of Excellence in Canberra and part of the NBA Global Academy, travel has never been an issue for Furphy who used to drive from Smithton to Burnie, over an hour apart, as part of his journey.

Burnie Basketball Association president Peter Johnstone said the teenager deserved every bit of success that came his way.

Jacob Furphy.

“I would never think there would ever be a bad word spoken about Jacob Furphy,” he said.

“He came across to the club at a time where we pretty fortunate to have some great coaches and players who helped his development.

“To be selected in this camp is a massive achievement for him personally. But as the old adage goes, you get what you deserve for the work you put in and we’ve seen him work so hard on his game.

“The way he conducts himself second to none.”

Furphy recently played a key role in Tassie’s run to the bronze medal at the Under-20 National Championships where he averaged 20 points, 6.14 rebounds and 5.86 assists.

It was a run of form which impressed NBL Next Stars general manager Liam Santamaria.

“You can’t help but be impressed with Jacob Furphy,” he said post-tournament.

“Every time I watch him play, I think he’s got tremendous leadership quality and he’s got a big future ahead of him.”

The end of the three-day camp will also see awards handed out to participants including camp MVP, sportsmanship award, three-point champion, defensive MVP and playoff MVP.

Those in attendance will also attend the NBA All-Star game.