Highlights
- One's physical appearance does not always measure a person's ability.
- Andrei Kyle Honrada is determined to make some serious waves in Australian basketball
- Basketball Australia selected Honrada to be part of Jr NBA Global Championship in Florida.
At 5.5 feet, the 14-year-old Filipino-Australian dreams of playing professionally at the National Basketball Association (NBA).
"My ultimate goal is to reach pro-level while doing the things that get to it like doing college, and one day play at the NBA," says varsity player of Oakhill College in Sydney.
The young player religiously trains and play basketball for Hills Hornets in New South Wales where he started playing at the age of 9.
"Before the pandemic, I was training everyday, individually and for the team. I was playing games every other day to focus on my basketball skills," says the point guard.
After leading the Hornets to win the U-14 Australian Club Championships in 2019, the Western Sydney teenager was selected for the Asia Pacific team to take part in Jr NBA Global Championship. The tournament was supposedly scheduled in Florida last month. But because of the pandemic, the trip got cancelled.
Andrei Honrada Source: Basketball NSW
Though it was disappointing for him, he kept his focus on further improving his game.
At the young age of six, Andrei's talent and inclination for basketball was evident. In fact, according to his dad, Arlan, the young Honrada was only two years old when he first held a proper basketball and started dribbling it.
His father added that when his youngest was only seven years old, he played both basketball and soccer at the same time and he was both good at it. But there were many instances that the child prefers to play basketball.
Andrei Honrada (middle), with his dad Arlan, sisters Arianne and Audrey and mum Marianne, receives MVP award after leading Hill Hornets U12 Div 1 to win the Metro Junior League championship in 2017. Source: Jun Almario
"Kapag nasa basketball game siya, sobrang saya at sigla niya, kaya nagdesisyon kaming mag-asawa na, sige sa basketball na lang siya mag-concentrate," shares the older Honrada.
Andrei's family is all out in supporting his basketball, especially his father, who's always with him in all his trainings and games.
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