Stephanie Cumming has flown to Canberra to take up an AIS scholarship to continue her already impressive basketball journey.By Marc McGowan
BUDDING Endeavour Hills basketball star Stephanie Cumming has left for Canberra in her pursuit of stardom.
Cumming, 16, is taking part in the invitation-only Australian Junior Development Camp at the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) this week.
She will stay on after the camp finishes on 28 January to begin her two-year scholarship in the elite program.
The camp comes on top of a sensational 2006, when Cumming made her debut for Australia in the Oceania Youth Tournament and in the Women’s National Basketball League (WNBL) for the Dandenong Rangers.
Cumming, who plays both guard spots, impressed all and sundry with her performances and has a big fan in Rangers coach Gary Fox, who believes she has made huge inroads in her game since starting with his side.
“I think she has matured a lot,” Fox said. “She has more poise, she certainly has more of a sense of direction as to where she’s trying to head, and she knows more about senior basketball.”
Cumming played six WNBL matches last year, with her best effort coming on debut when she hit a three with her first shot and finished with seven points.
It was slim pickings for the teenager on the veteran-laden Dandenong squad, but her reaction to her limited minutes did not go unnoticed by Fox.
“We could use her and things could go great, but because of her (lack of) experience, they could also go bad,” he said.
“It wasn’t a problem for her. She just came back to practice and tried as hard as she could – it was a real mature and good approach.”
This attitude has played a big role in Cumming’s lofty reputation in the sport – as has her killer instinct on the court.
“The thing about Steph is that she’s a real goer,” Fox said. “She’s not afraid of anything – in training or in games.
“She plays hard, doesn’t take any backward steps, shows courage, has a nice shooting touch, good quickness and a great attitude.”
Despite the amazingly mature state of Cumming’s game for her age, Fox is still quick to point out that she has plenty of development to go – particularly with her playmaking.
“She has a bright future. She just needs to develop the skills to play the point (guard position) and needs to gain more experience and strength,” he said.
“The benefit of being a 16-year-old and playing in one of the best leagues in the world is that it will hold her in good stead for the future.”
With Cumming suiting up for the AIS in the WNBL for the next two seasons, Fox will be able to watch the growth in her game from close quarters.
“They will retain a lot of people (from the AIS program this season), so it will be more of a development role for her,” he said.
“I will very much enjoy watching her.
“It’s always a pleasure to see how the young players that come through our program develop.”
Fox has no intention of losing his charge forever, and on hearing about Cumming’s scholarship last year he made sure to let her know the Rangers wanted to regain her services after her AIS stint.
For the Rangers’ and for the local audience’s sake, one can only hope Cumming’s talent is back on display at Dandenong Basketball Stadium in 2009.
