Basketball
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His Wollongong teammates have nicknamed him ‘Grom’ and he loves searching the Illawarra coastline for a solid surf break.
But the basketball court is where Kyle Adnam hopes to drop in and make a name for himself.
The 20-year-old surfing nut from Victoria is filling the role of development squad player this season alongside Illawarra junior Luke Jamieson.
A former Victorian Metro junior rep, Adnam cut his teeth in the senior ranks as a development squad player with Adelaide last season, learning from established guards Gary Ervin, Adam Gibson and Jason Cadee.
He was hand-picked by Hawks coach Gordie McLeod in the off-season to join the club and is excited about his future prospects.
‘‘Gordie phoned me up and said they were looking for a point guard to go against [imports] Jahii [Carson] and Gary [Ervin] and all those guys every training session. The plan is to hopefully develop until it’s my turn,’’ Adnam said.
‘‘It’s a bit more opportunity to train and play and learn. As cliched as it sounds, you have to be a student of the game, especially as a point guard. There’s a lot to learn and I’m always all ears.
‘‘Hopefully I’ll get some minutes under my belt and experience. I’m confident in my abilities at this level. There’s a thousand things that I put my hand up and say I have to work on, there’s no question about that. But I’m definitely confident in what I can do and I’m excited to get out there and play and learn from these guys.’’
Adnam played juniors with Kilsyth, progressing through representative tournaments and training camps in Victoria.
He might not pack a powerful frame and looks closer to 15 than 20, but the 180-centimetre point guard has been bred tough and punches above his weight.
His skills and reading of the game are obvious. The only thing missing is a few extra kilograms to help against bulkier opponents.
‘‘First and foremost is to build my strength. Not necessarily stacking on kilos, but I definitely have to get stronger,’’ Adnam said.
‘‘With my quickness, I can get up into people a bit more defensively, which is something I did throughout juniors and still like to do. I want to keep my speed and change of direction. I don’t think I’m ever going to be a big, solid guard, but there’s different types of guards.
‘‘While I am this frame, I just have to be as crafty as I can and get by everyone. Go under their legs, however I have to get there.’'