00:00Australian basketball and NBA star Jack McVay turns tough plays into highlight reels.
00:15But it wasn't always easy for the star who grew up in the regional town of Marwa Limbaugh in northern NSW.
00:22For me, my mum was a hooper. She was an Australian junior.
00:26I was in a small beach town north of NSW, an hour away from the closest court.
00:32But it didn't matter because I had my mum coaching me in the backyard with a homemade hoop and a dream.
00:38To help make basketball more accessible to future ballers across the country, Basketball Australia has teamed up with Ford for Aussie Hoops.
00:47The program helps teach 5-10 year olds the fundamentals of the game with branches located in prime positions among the regions such as Wagga Wagga and Bendigo.
01:06Jack McVay is part of the program helping to inspire the next generation and says his support network was the key to his success.
01:14I would say mentors are everything. It started with my mum and my older brother, then it goes to basketball coaches.
01:21I've had so many from when I was a young kid to weights coaches to psychologists and there's so many mentors that I'm grateful for.
01:29They all know that I wouldn't be here without them.
