Competing on the world stage and winning a gold medal for your country.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
or signup to continue reading
It's something few people can dream of but 14-year-old Tully Pickering can already add it to her growing list of accolades.
The Dubbo Rams junior star has returned home after leading Australia to glory at the NBA Basketball School Tournament at Abu Dhabi earlier this month.
"It was very exciting to be over there," Pickering said.
"It was tough but we came out with gold so that was really good."
As memorable as the on-court experiences were, what Pickering got to do off it is much of what will stay with her.
As well as getting to tour Abi Dhabi and learn about the culture in the United Arab Emirates, the year nine student also got to experience the kind of moments most basketball fans would give anything for.
As part of the tournament in Abu Dhabi, Pickering got to be coached by Australian Hall of Famer and three-time Olympian Shelley Gorman, played on an NBA court, and saw greats of the game like Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving in action during an NBA pre-season game.
On top of that, players also attended a Q&A with NBA and WNBA greats like Tim Hardaway.
Getting to hear from greats of the game about their journey only made the fire within Pickering burn brighter.
"Definitely. It (the dream) would probably be playing in the WNBA," she said.
"It really switched something on that I want to go further and be one of those people.
"It was great to hear their backstories on how they overcame injury and other obstacles that did set them back in their career."
Pickering's achievements in recent years combined with her showings at Abu Dhabi prove she could well be on her way to the top.
As well as starring for the Dubbo Rams, Pickering played for NSW at the National Indigenous Basketball Tournament, competed at the Southern Cross Challenge in Melbourne and was selected in various other representative squads.
At the Abu Dhabi tournament, Pickering collected two player of the match awards during wins for Australia.
"It's been so good playing with different girls from Dubbo, NSW and Australia. It's really good playing with different people," she said.
"It's good representing where you come from. Representing a small country town, that was really good."
NBA Basketball School was designed by the NBA's elite basketball development team and focuses on skill development as well as personal growth through on-court sessions and off-court programs on topics like goal setting, mindfulness and nutrition.
Reading this on mobile web? Download our news app. It's faster, easier to read and we'll send you alerts for breaking news as it happens. Download in the Apple Store or Google Play.