Local teenager earns another State honour

Goldfields teenager Zayden Clements is reaping the benefits of his hard work on and off the basketball court by earning State selection for the second consecutive season.

At just 13 years old, Zayden has underpinned the first half of the Kalgoorlie-Boulder Basketball Association’s domestic campaign by lining up in both the men’s first and second divisions.

His selection to WA’s under-14 boys team has earned him a trip to Melbourne for the 2025 nationals from January 16-20.

It continues a hectic schedule that included last month’s WA championships in Perth and the upcoming 2025 country titles on February 8-9.

The hard-working point-guard debuted for WA earlier this year as a member of the same under-14 boys team that finished third at the Southern Cross Challenge.

It was preceded by three team camps and valuable exposure to top-level competition at a high-performance development carnival.

Zayden lined up in each of WA’s seven games and said he benefited from the input of coach Paul Rogers, whose decorated career includes NBL championships with the Perth Wildcats in 2000 and 2010, and two Olympic Games in 2000 and 2004.

Zayden’s latest selection is backed by a City of Kalgoorlie-Boulder Outstanding Individual Grant.