ALEX Fuhrmann has hailed the dedication of Weymouth Basketball Club members after several junior players were recognised for their excellent performances on the court.

Louis Weaver, Bradley Morgan and Emily Screen have been picked for the South West England Under-13 squad which will feature in competitions in Sheffield and France this summer.

Meanwhile, Josh Westlake is on standby for the England Under- 15s, and both Max Gilmartin and Jerry Thompson are set to attend the basketball academy at Itchen College in Southampton.

And Weymouth head coach Fuhrmann is understandably proud of the players’ achievements.

He said: “As head coach, I’m of the opinion that the club is only doing as well as the juniors are doing.

“Max and Jerry play for the under-16 team I coach and they are undefeated going into the play-offs.

“And Louis and Bradley’s under-14s are one of the highest ranked teams going into the play-offs.

“The exposure of basketball in the media is increasing and the publicity will only inspire those watching it.

“All the kids are talking about at the moment is the NBA playoffs with the likes of LeBron James and Stephen Curry.

“The youngsters will watch what they are doing and want to do the same.”

He added: “Since I’ve been with the club we’ve gone from one men’s team to three, no women’s teams to one, and we’ve also now got four junior teams.

“And I couldn’t have done that without the support of the coaches.

“I couldn’t run eight teams on my own and it’s been great thatother people have stepped up to help. We’ve got a great bunch of individuals who are dedicated to the club.”

Russ Weaver, who coaches the club’s under-12 team, also paid tribute to the junior members’ parents.

“Every year we have a group of kids that really do enjoy playing and we’ve had a fair few that have gone through the South West selection process,” he said.

“It’s a struggle for parents to be able to get them to tournaments abroad and in the north of the country.

“Training sessions are in Paignton and Cirencester so it’s quite a commitment with the cost of travelling. But the parents of these players are committed and it’s showing with how they are doing.”