Melbourne United basketball star Chris Goulding was king of the kids at a Sunbury Basketball Association clinic.
The coaching panel at the two-day clinic included former Olympian Jenni Screen, WNBL stars and New Zealand’s women’s coach Kennedy Kereama, but it was Goulding everyone wanted to see.
After working with different age groups last week, Goulding said it was gratifying to get the sort of reaction he did at Sunbury.
“Melbourne United has really taken off and we are playing some good basketball on the court and getting good crowds,” he said at the clinic. “Obviously, a lot of the crowds we get are kids like we see today.
“To come back to their environment to see how they are and get the reaction we do is pretty cool. It makes it all worthwhile when you come out and they recognise me or the team or some of my teammates.”
Goulding said he and Screen stressed to the children that they were once in the same spot as they are.
“We were in their shoes and all the players in the NBA and NBL were in their shoes, too,” he said.
“It’s about enjoying it and having some fun, and knowing we all started this way … if they love the game anything is possible.”
On court, Goulding’s focus is a premiership tilt with top-of-the-table United and then trying to make the Boomers team for the Olympics.
“We’ve had a successful year so far to this stage,” he said.
“The tough stuff starts in the next month or so. We’ve been getting good crowds and playing good basketball, so hopefully that translates into the finals.”
