Liam Holt, Kaelin Dal Molin, Sam Scott, (front) Callum Holt.
When you come from a small town like Young or Cowra, a big road trip usually means heading to Canberra for a Saturday game. But for six young basketballers from our region, the road recently led far beyond the Hume Highway to Los Angeles and Las Vegas.
For Liam Holt, Kaelan Dal Molin, Callum Holt, and Sam Scott from Young, and Oscar and Leuwin McGill from Cowra, this was more than just another tournament. This was a chance to wear the green and gold of Team Oz Basketball and face off against some of the best junior players from across the globe. It wasn’t an opportunity handed to them; each boy earned his place through selection trials held around Australia in late 2024. Hundreds tried out. Only a select few made it.
Four squads were eventually formed to represent Australia on the USA tour in July. The mission? Compete in two international tournaments, one in Los Angeles and one in Las Vegas, over a packed fortnight of high-level basketball.
The countdown began in late June when all selected players gathered in Sydney for a two-day training camp. It was the first time the far-flung teammates met in person, and the atmosphere was part excitement, part nerves. “Some of these kids had only seen each other’s names on the team list before that weekend,” says Chris Holt, coach of the Young Pacers and father of Callum and Liam. “It was good for them to start building those connections before heading overseas.”
Departure day was set for Wednesday, July 2nd. Bags were packed. Passports ready. But in true travel fashion, the first curveball came early: the flight from Sydney to LA was cancelled. “It was a hectic start,” Chris recalls with a grin. “But these trips are like that, you have to adapt quickly. In some ways, it was a good early lesson for the boys. Sport is like that, too.”
By Thursday morning, July 3rd, the team was finally airborne. They touched down in Los Angeles early the same day thanks to the magic (and confusion) of the international date line. There was no time to adjust. “They got straight into it,” Chris says. “Morning and afternoon training, plus a recovery swim. Straight off the plane, no mucking around.”
From July 5th to 7th, Team Oz competed in the GTE International Cup. The tournament drew teams from across the USA as well as Germany, Canada, Mexico, the Philippines, and other Australian squads. “The LA side had a bit more of a relaxed feel,” Chris says. “But don’t get me wrong, the American kids are just next level. Bigger, faster, and their ball handling… unbelievable.” For the regional boys, it was an eye-opener. Courts were surrounded by noise, energy, and a crowd that lived and breathed basketball. Yet they rose to the challenge, winning roughly half their games.
Midway through the LA stint came an unexpected highlight. “That wasn’t even on the itinerary,” Chris explains. “Waz (Head Coach Warren) knows people everywhere, and he got a call, ‘Do your boys want to play an exhibition game at Venice Beach?’ Of course, we said yes.” For the locals, used to the polished floor-boards of indoor courts, running out on the sun-splashed concrete of Venice Beach felt surreal. Ocean air mixed with the smell of street food. Tourists paused mid-walk to watch. Locals pulled out phones to film. “They were treated like celebrities,” Chris says. “It’s one of those moments they’ll never forget.”
After LA, the teams headed to the Nevada desert for the Las Vegas Bigfoot Hoops Tournament (July 10–13). “Vegas was another level,” Chris says. “The competition was tougher. Some games we lost big, just mental switch-offs, but most were close, and the boys stayed competitive.”
In Vegas, the boys also got a taste of basketball’s biggest stage: the NBA Summer League. They attended games in an enormous college stadium that dwarfed anything they’d seen in Australia. “I’ve been to Kudos Bank Arena with 18,500 people packed in,” Chris says. “This place was bigger. And it’s just a college stadium. That blew me away.”
The Summer League wasn’t just about watching from the stands. In one match, Chris found himself sitting metres from the Chicago Bulls bench, surrounded by player managers and rookies. “We saw Dave Hickey, he played for Team Oz eight years ago, come over to say g’day,” Chris says. “For the boys, that was inspiring. To see someone who was once in their shoes now at that level.”
The sightings didn’t stop there. At one game, they spotted LeBron James courtside, cheering on his son Bronny. “Kal and one of the other boys are mad Lakers fans,” Chris laughs. “They worked their way down and ended up sitting about ten metres behind the Lakers’ bench. Pretty unforgettable.”
While wins and losses are easy to measure, Chris says the real growth from the trip came in confidence. “They might not have come back massively improved in skills that take longer, but their self-belief shot up,” he says. Liam’s post-tour decision to trial for the Western Region Academy of Sport’s under-18 program was proof. “Before America, he wouldn’t have even considered it,” Chris says. “He didn’t make it, but that’s fine. The fact he tried shows how much he’s grown.”
The Team Oz squads were a patchwork of talent from all over Australia: Sydney, Tassie, WA, Dubbo, and the Young-Cowra cluster. “It was good to see kids from so many places come together and gel quickly,” Chris says. “By Vegas, they were playing like they’d been teammates for years.” The Gold Team stole the headlines, winning both the LA and Vegas tournaments. Several of their players received college scholarship offers, including a full ride to a top-four NCAA program for their 6’9” centre, Tyrell.
Outside the tournaments, the boys explored American sports culture from a live Major League Baseball game in LA to soaking in the atmosphere of Vegas’ endless entertainment. “Everything over there is bigger,” Chris says. “For country kids, it’s like stepping into another world.”
When the dust settled and the long flight home was behind them, the boys returned to Young and Cowra with more than just new jerseys and a few souvenirs. “They’ve seen what’s out there,” Chris says. “They’ve tested themselves against some of the best. They know now that they can compete. That belief will carry them far not just in basketball, but in life.”
– Liam Stuart
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