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Sport | Basketball

Young Mahara one step closer to NBA dream

Looking up to NBA stars as a child, 13-year-old Logan Mahara (Tainui) is off on an American basketball adventure most young b-ballers only dream of.

Logan has been playing basketball since he could walk.  Mum Josie Ormsby reckons he's been shooting hoops since he was in nappies!

But Logan only joined an official basketball team this year, the Phoenix Bears who train in South Auckland.

The call up came when Coach Tim Dennis, a revered name in Auckland basketball circles, sought out interest from local clubs.

Logan says he worked hard and made it in to the Air Raiders squad, which is the team heading to North Carolina on June 16, 2017.  The Air Raiders have been taking players to North Carolina for some years now.

This year, 26 players are going on the trip with another six helpers, flying from Auckland to Brisbane, to Dallas and then to North Carolina.

The troupe will head to Duke University, as well as Michael Jordan's own alma mater, North Carolina University.

Logan says that participants from all over the world will undertake the intense five-day training camp.

But it won't all be sweat and tears he says, the Air Raiders are looking to make a well-deserved stop at Universal Studios before coming home.

The Golden State fan says the most exciting part will be doing everything on their itinerary.  "I can't wait to do it all!" he says.

Mum Josie says it's been a huge whānau effort to get Logan prepared for this trip of a lifetime, and thanks everyone for their support.  She said they held fundraiser Zumba classes, and even started a Givealittle page to ensure he wasn't going to miss out.

Logan says when he finishes school, he hopes to return to the States with a basketball scholarship to continue to pursue his passion.