Southland basketballer and SBS Bank Academy Southland leadership year athlete Maggie Manson has had a busy start to her year, with two South Island camps and a trip to the world’s largest junior basketball event in Melbourne.

This year will also seen Mason take on the Head Girl role at Central Southland College.

Mason, who travelled to Guam last year with the New Zealand under 15 basketball team, attended two Mainland Eagles Academy camps in Christchurch recently.

The programme aims to help support the development of young people and coaches throughout the South Island. The programme “utilises basketball to develop well rounded, educated and community service-focused individuals who contribute to society in a positive manner.”

The camps are definitely not a holiday, with drills and skill work over three demanding days putting an onus on good nutrition.

Taking part in the HoopNation Classic in Tauranga last year opened up a further opportunity for Maggie, albeit unwittingly.

Given it was her first time at the Classic, a qualifying tournament for self-selected teams, she had not put her name forward for the major event, the Eltham Dandenong Junior Basketball Tournament in Melbourne, which also runs under the HoopNation brand banner.

However, the manager of the New Zealand team she was part of in Guam was keen for her to go.

“They rang me on the same night as the Academy celebration and asked if I wanted to go. It was a pretty quick decision,” she said.

Described as an opportunity that every young basketballer should embrace, the tournament is considered the major talent exposure event in Australian junior basketball.

Mason enjoyed the chance to test her game against talented opposition. She was judged the top performer in one of her games and her team finished second in the A reserve grade.

After not being able to field an under 18 girls team last year - Maggie was part of the Eastern Southland team which went to the nationals for the first time - the Southland Basketball Association has selected a team in that grade in 2024.

Later in the year Mason also hopes to put her case forward for the New Zealand under 17 team which will travel to Mexico.