Jack McVeigh is an Australian basketball player from the regional town of Murwillumbah in NSW, an hour from the closest basketball court. The sports program "Aussie Hoops" is making the sport more accessible in the regions.
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00:00Australian basketball and NBA star Jack McVay turns tough plays into highlight reels.
00:15But it wasn't always easy for the star who grew up in the regional town of Marwa Limbaugh in northern NSW.
00:22For me, my mum was a hooper. She was an Australian junior.
00:26I was in a small beach town north of NSW, an hour away from the closest court.
00:32But it didn't matter because I had my mum coaching me in the backyard with a homemade hoop and a dream.
00:38To help make basketball more accessible to future ballers across the country, Basketball Australia has teamed up with Ford for Aussie Hoops.
00:47The program helps teach 5-10 year olds the fundamentals of the game with branches located in prime positions among the regions such as Wagga Wagga and Bendigo.
01:06Jack McVay is part of the program helping to inspire the next generation and says his support network was the key to his success.
01:14I would say mentors are everything. It started with my mum and my older brother, then it goes to basketball coaches.
01:21I've had so many from when I was a young kid to weights coaches to psychologists and there's so many mentors that I'm grateful for.
01:29They all know that I wouldn't be here without them.