Seb Sloan (13), a pupil at the town’s Richard Coates Middle School, has impressed since he swapped swimming for the court sport, and is now having trials with Newcastle Eagles’ School of Excellence.
The teen used to swim on a weekly basis but, when the local pool was closed, he decided to try his hand at the school’s basketball sessions on Fridays.
He immediately stood out at the class run by the Eagles’ Foundation coach Graham Heath, and was asked along to play for the North-East’s U13 and Newcastle’s U14 teams.
Now, he has his sights set on one day playing for the Eagles’ senior team, the most successful outfit in the history of the British Basketball League.
Seb said: “I always wanted to play basketball as a young kid, but I didn’t really know where to play.
“So I went along to the school club once I found out about it, and now I’m hooked. I practise two to three hours a day, and I want to make it to the senior team.”
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