Bailey Set to Take on Best in Basketball
By Jem Anshaw
He may be relatively new to playing basketball, but Bailey Wilton has shown pure talent in the sport having qualified for the New South Wales County Under 16s side.
The Muswellbrook teenager will fly out today to Perth for the National Championships where the team will play 10 games in the space of a week.
“At the end of last year, I tried out for Mustangs Maitland division one, made that team and the opportunity came up to try out for the State team to go away to Nationals,” Bailey told The Hunter River Times.
“We didn’t think much of it, we thought it was just a learning curve then I went all the way.”
The tryout process involved travelling around different clubs where hopefuls took part in intensive trials and trial games against teams like the Illawarra Hawks Under 18s team and the ACT National team.
Bailey said he has taken away a lot from that process alone about what it takes to play at the top level, but he is still surprised and excited to have made the cut.
“Since the better people kept staying, you’re versing them more often and competition just got harder and harder,” he said.
They have a support team travelling with them to help with not only coaching, but recovery and nutrition that will play an important role in getting through the competition.
Games will take place from July 2 to 9 and Bailey hopes he will be able to come home with a medal, but court time will be satisfying enough as an indicator that he is playing and performing well.