Bunbury basketball player James Goodlad.

21st December 2009

Local court talent James Goodlad can add another trophy to his cabinet after taking out the highly coveted Emerging Star Award at the South West Academy of Sport’s annual dinner.

The promising basketball player accepted the award in front of a 180-strong crowd at a special red carpet event at Bunbury’s All Seasons Sanctuary Golf Resort earlier this month.

“I was really shocked when they read out my name − I couldn’t believe I had won something like that,” Goodlad said.

The award – which honours just one athlete from the academy’s four partner sports – is the latest achievement for the promising Bunbury teenager who can look back on 2009 with pride.

His highlights over the past year include being part of the team that represented Western Australia at the U18 Australian National Basketball Championships at Gawler in South Australia, being one of four SWAS players chosen to train with the Perth Wildcats during the NBL team’s visit to Bunbury and seeing his Junior Slammers team win the WABL competition for the third consecutive year.

Just recently, 16-year-old Goodlad was told he had been selected for the 2010 National Intensive Training Program.

“I’m looking forward to the program because it gives all the best in WA the chance to train together,” he said.

“It means we get the chance to train with our rivals who we normally play against.”

…ENDS