NBL legend Bruce Bolden has put together a team of talented young aussie ballers to China to take part in the annual pro-am JUMP10 World Hoops Challenge.
The tournament, which is being held at Shanghai’s Rucker Park started on Thursday with Australia’s team having dominated the competition and are now into the preliminary finals having just beaten Mexico and the Dominican Republic.
Players selected for the Australian team were selected from state league players from New South Wales, Queensland and Victoria.
Goran Veg / CTR / Hills Hornets
Paul Brotherson / FRD / Hills Hornets
Emmanuel Adu / PF / North Bears
Jordan Lum / PG / KonSt George Saints
Cirkook Riak / SF / Yarra Wildbeasts
Adrian Cabrera / GRD / Sydney Comets
Devon Sullivan / SF / Gold Coast Rollers
The four-day tournament, now in its second year, features a total of 24 teams from 12 different countries. Teams from America, Germany, France, Spain, Mexico and the Dominican Republic are all competing for a total prize money of US$200,000.
The opening ceremony was attended by Milwaukee Bucks’ Giannis Antetokounmpo.
“Shanghai has the world’s best hoops venue and tournament. A future NBA star might be found here,” said Antetokounmpo
The majority of players with the Australian team compete in the Premier City Division of the Sydney Basketball League (SBL), who has struck a partnership with Jump10 to attend the Shanghai tournament.
“For this, our first time at Jump10 Hoops Challenge, we have marshalled a team of extremely skilled players to represent Australia to play against strong teams from Europe, UK and the likes of the Drew League team from the US” said Australian team coach Bruce Bolden.
There are plans to expand the SBL Premier City Division to Melbourne and Brisbane in 2018, each featuring a $10,000 prize and a new pathway for players to gain exposure and international opportunities like the Jump10 tournament.
Each year an All Star team will be chosen from all City Premier Divisions to attend the Jump10 World Tournament in China. This will offer basketballers who are at the top of their game, the opportunity to compete at an international level where they can hone their skills and athleticism while being visible to talent scouts from the U.S. College, European and Asian leagues.
“We are focused on creating a premium basketball league of top ranking players which sits comfortably between the state and local league associations,” said Head Coach and Ex-NBL Professional, Bruce Bolden.
Bolden commented that Australia’s participation in the JUMP 10 Hoops Challenge is a terrific opportunity for elite Australian players to challenge themselves by competing on a world stage.
“This is the beginning of creating a whole new concept in establishing premium domestic competitions in Australian cities – a platform for really talented players to continue to push their skills and offers players exposure to scouts and other future professional possibilities.”
Dan Boyce is a die-hard Sydney Kings fan who grew up in Melbourne during the roaring 90's of Australian Basketball and spent far too much time collecting Futera NBL Basketball cards.
