BASKETBALL
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NATIONAL Basketball League royalty Cal and CJ Bruton will be in Orange next year as part of the Rock the Rim basketball camps in February.
Born in New York before making the move to Australia as an import player with the Brisbane Bullets in 1979, Cal is a NBL hall of fame member, having played professionally in Australia for more than a decade, and is now a highly-sought-after mentor and the senior coach of Marist College, Canberra.
CJ is a former Boomers star who has played extensively in the NBL - he’s had stints with the Perth Wildcats, Brisbane Bullets, Wollongong Hawks, Canberra Cannons, Sydney Kings and the New Zealand Breakers - and was last year named in the 25-year anniversary Kings team, such was his imprint in Sydney.
Massive names in Australian basketball, the Brutons converging on Orange is a huge coup for the game in the western region.
“I gave them a ring, pitched what I was doing and they said they’d be more than happy to come up and run a clinic,” Rock the Rim’s Grant Cole said.
“It’s a big coup for Orange Basketball.
“Cal’s probably one of the best imports to ever come to Australia.
“And CJ’s a Commonwealth Games gold medallist, a dual Olympian, has played internationally ... I can’t remember the last time we had a couple of guys like this come to Orange and be part of something like this.”
The duo will be in Orange for two days, with the initial clinic for under 12s and under 14s players on Saturday, February 7.
The Brutons will run another clinic on Sunday, February 8, for athletes in the under 16s through to under 20s age groups.
Cole said interest in the clinics - set to be staged at Sir Neville Howse Stadium in Orange - has been massive.
And with a six-time NBL champion and Gaze medallist in CJ, why wouldn’t it be.
“I’ve sent out invitations to the entire Western League - Young, Gilgandra, Dubbo, Lithgow, Bathurst - and there’s plenty of interest,” he said, with entries closing on February 4.
Additionally, Cole has 60 primary school kids set to compete in a school holiday clinic on Monday and Tuesday and said with clinics in January as well leading into the February sessions with the two Australian basketball icons, the festive season was a busy one for basketball in Orange.
“It’s been full on,” he added. Anyone interested in being part of the clinics can contact Cole on 0428 011 820.