Bendigo basketball stars and good friends Dash Daniels and Mia Harvey are set to represent Victoria Country at this month's National Junior Championships.
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The duo will head to Brisbane with their respective under-18 squads - Daniels (boys) and Harvey (girls) - for the tournament, which will be held over a week starting April 7.
Daniels will be joined in the side by NBA Global Academy teammates Mading Kuany and Sa Pilimai with the three stars forming a formidable trio that has Daniels excited for their chances.
"I think we've got to be favourites to win this tournament," he said.
"I don't want to put too much pressure on ourselves, but we have a very good side, so I'm looking forward to it a lot.
"Mading, Sa and myself are very close, and hopefully, the other nine guys can come along, and we'll form a great bond together."
Leading the way for state
Along with being one of 13 on the NBA Australia Global Academy roster, Daniels is based in Canberra at the Basketball Australia Centre of Excellence.
It makes him one of the leaders of his Victoria Country squad.
A role he relishes.
"The COE and NBA Academy are certainly taking my game to new levels, and I come back to Victoria Country and see myself as a leader of the group," Daniels said.
"Being one of the older guys in the squad now becoming a better leader and person at these Championships is important to me."
Harvey is also seen as one of the leaders of her side.
The bottom ager has been appointed co-vice-captain for the Championships.
"I was shocked when I was announced as vice-captain, and being chosen for the role by my teammates is a huge honour," Harvey said.
"But I'm still going in striving to learn plenty.
"Our captain, Tayli Dimarco, who is a top athlete, is awesome to look up to.
"Playing the same position I do at point guard, I bounce plenty of her at training.
"I can't wait to play with and against the best players in the country to see where my game is at and bring home a medal, which I think we're a good chance for."
Big half year for players
It has been a big six months for the pair.
Being one of country Victoria's brightest young stars, Harvey was invited to train with the Bendigo Spirit over the summer.
It was an experience she described as incredible and one that should hold her in good stead for the Championships.
"It was an amazing opportunity to train with those girls and get the coaching off Kennedy Kereama (head coach)," she said.
"Being able to enhance my game training with them was incredible."
For Daniels, the National Championships are almost an entrée after he helped guide the Australian under-16 team to gold at the FIBA Asian Championship last September, which qualified them for the under-17 World Cup in Turkey later this year.
"Our team is looking strong this year, and hopefully, we can go far in the World Cup," he said.
"It's a World Cup, so it's easily the biggest tournament I've been involved in.
"But I also have NBA Academy games in America at some stage mid-this year where we'll play against the other academies around the world.
"And I'm also hoping to make the under-19 Asian Cup team as a bottom ager."
