Whittlesea Pacers’ Jack Petruccelle was initially going to skip the Basketball Australia Prospects Tournament.
When invited to attend the three-day tournament a week before it began, Petruccelle was more worried about other things.
“I had no idea what it was until a week before, when Mum messaged me to say I’d been invited,” he said.
“I wasn’t going to go at first. I didn’t know what it was and it was in Canberra and I was thinking about school.”
Petruccelle soon changed his mind and was given an opportunity only 31 other young basketballers were afforded.
The tournament, run by Basketball Australia, provided an elite development opportunity which saw players train and play under the eyes of national team staff, professional coaches and American college representatives.
Petruccelle said he was glad he made the decision to go.
“It was a really good experience with the top players from the country,” he said.
“We were split into four teams and we trained and then played together in the tournament.
“It was different from down here. The intensity was a whole new level and even a step up from nationals.
“It felt weird. I didn’t think anyone would watch me play basketball.”
It’s the latest opportunity for Petruccelle, who is becoming one of Victoria’s best young basketballers.
The Pacers won the Big V youth league division 1 premiership and Petruccelle was a finalist in that division’s rookie of the year award.
He has made his senior Big V debut this season and was selected in Vic Metro under-18 team for the national championships.
He averaged almost 10 points and four rebounds a game in the national championships as Metro took out the title.
Petruccelle said the experiences over the last 12 months had opened his eyes to what opportunities might be there for him in basketball.
“I’ve always wanted to continue basketball, but [US] college was something I’d never thought about,” he said.
“I don’t like being away from home [but] it gave me a good idea what it might be like and that I’m a player who can go over to college and play basketball.”
