Having come up through the junior basketball ranks in Melbourne, Tom Wilson is passionate about giving back to the sport and carving a pathway for young hoopers to follow moving forward.<\/p>\n
That is why when the opportunity presented itself to coach a junior team at his former club, the Melbourne Tigers, the United star jumped in head first.<\/p>\n
Speaking to Melbourne United Media, Wilson touched on why he\u2019s loved taking the reins and helping out at his former club.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was very fortunate as a kid to have some very good coaches help me along my journey,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cBeing around the Tigers is very special to me, and as someone that\u2019s been around the game for a long time it\u2019s always been something I\u2019ve wanted to do.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs soon as they asked if I would be interested in coming down and doing some coaching sessions, I was all for it. It\u2019s been so much fun working with all the kids, they\u2019re all pretty cheeky, so it\u2019s a fun environment.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt sort of reminds you of why you started playing, just to have fun and be energetic on the court. It\u2019s really grounding and rewarding to be a part of.<\/p>\n
The hot-scoring guard, who recently won MVP of the NBL1 South with the Tigers, said he hopes he can have a positive influence on the children he\u2019s coaching.<\/p>\n
\u201cBasketball is something that you should play because you love it, and I think having a good coach that cares about the game can help build that love.<\/p>\n
\u201cHaving good coaches really rubbed off on me coming up through the ranks and I hope I can do the same for the group I\u2019m working with.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sunday afternoon will see the club celebrate everything to do with local basketball as part of The Grassroots Game.<\/p>\n
Kicking off at 4:30pm inside John Cain Arena against the Cairns Taipans, this is the perfect opportunity to see our stars hit the court and represent your local basketball club.<\/p>\n