Kristy Wallace
Junior Association
Bio
National
Performance Program
Play the reel
Developing Queensland's top basketball athletes to represent Australia
The National Performance Program (NPP) is a dedicated and intensive program for Queensland’s elite basketball athletes, providing development, training and support for athletes identified or potential to be identified, at the national & international level.
BQ, in conjunction with Basketball Australia’s (BA) Centre of Excellence (CoE), identifies Queensland’s elite junior basketball athletes for selection into the NPP each year. The aim is to identify international standard athletes &prepare them for selection into the Australian Under 17 and Under 19 Junior teams, or for a scholarship at the AIS as part of BA's CoE.
Program objectives
01
Development
Identify players with the potential to be international standard athletes.
02
Training
Targeted training for individual physical skills, technical skills, and tactical knowledge
03
Pathway
Prepare athletes for national and international level programs and camps with a focus on Australian Junior teams.
04
Support
Empower athletes with the tools to balance their workload and education to manage their lifestyle as an elite athlete.
Joining the program
As an NPP athlete, you will benefit from individually tailored training and support, overseen by a dedicated team of coaching professionals, experts in sports science, and esteemed partners affiliated with Basketball Queensland. Our program is designed to provide athletes with comprehensive assistance and support to effectively manage their training, work, and educational commitments, ensuring that every athlete is afforded the best opportunity for success.
Program selection
Selection process
BQ and BA selectors will identify athletes from their applications who best fit the future Boomers and Opals characteristics, ability to play at an international junior level and improve the quality of the overall BQ state program.
Selected athletes will have the potential to be identified for or have been identified for the following national teams or programs:
- Under 17 Crocs (men) and Under 17 Sapphires (women)
- Under 19 Emus (men) and Under 19 Gems (women)
- CoE or NBA Global Academy Scholarship.
The following attributes can be used as a guide to help determine the value of a selection. A player can show exceptional ability in one area and that be enough to be identified as a future opal or boomer. The more attribute a player displays, the more likely he or she is at being a successful international athlete. It is important to understand that the player will be viewed and treated as a 365 athlete (multi-purpose) and shouldn’t be labelled due to size, speed etc.
Selection criteria
Exceptional athlete
Physical attributes — Speed, size, length, vertical leap, anticipation, endurance
Growth mindset
Off court psychological attributes — Resilience, mental toughness, competitive mentality, internal drive
Game sense
On court psychological attributes — Court awareness, decision making, “feel” Basketball IQ,
Skillset
Technical ability — High level shooter under pressure, passing and reads, dribbling and creativity, footwork and counters and skill versality
Tactical ability
Student of the game — ability to learn and transfer different concepts and systems into practise and game play
Community
Understanding of a “Team First” culture and willingness to play a role for the success of a team
NPP Freshman: Born 2010 | NPP Sophomore: Born 2009 | NPP Junior: Born 2008 | NPP Senior: Born 2007
Eligibility
Australian National teams operate internationally on three-year cycles and as such national identification is based upon athletes’ DOB as determined by the international competition calendar & for building to World Championships at U17 & U19 age levels. Currently, this is U16, U18 BQ age eligible association teams and for athletes, meeting the stated National selection criteria.
Athletes must be Australian residents & eligible for or hold an Australian passport.
Athletes must be registered and financial members of both Basketball Queensland and Basketball Australia.
Applications
Athletes wishing to enter the National Performance Program must provide an application. There are two windows for applications:
July 16th (Mid-year intake)
At conclusion of U18/U16 National championships athletes who perform over this period will be asked to apply for NPP, if available positions exist within the program. Athletes need to be age eligible and identified under the selection criteria.
October 31st (Main intake)
All athletes who fill the 2024 age criteria are free to apply and existing athletes must apply for re-submission into the program.
Submit NPP Application
Please make sure you select the correct age group and location.
Frequently asked questions
When can I apply for NPP?
What age groups is this program for?
How does my child go to the Centre of Excellence?
Need a bit more information?
Want to learn more about the National Performance Program? Get in contact with our BQ State Performance Manager, Luke Cann via luke.cann@basketballqld.net.au.
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