Lau shines for NSW at nationals

Sydney Kings young gun Henry Lau has shone for NSW during the recent under 20s Australian Basketball Championships in Ballarat.

The Kings development player and his NSW Blue opened the week-long tournament with a 77-68 win over ACT, before losing close battles to Queensland, Victoria, South Australia, Victoria Navy and Tasmania.

On the back of these results, Lau's Blue side was pitted against their fellow NSW side in the playoff for seventh, which the latter won.

Lau, who scored in double-figures most games including a tournament-high of 20 against Queensland, was happy with how he performed on the national stage.

"I am very happy with my performance at this tournament," said Norths Bears junior Lau.

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"I have noticed so much growth from last year’s nationals both on and off the court.

"Over the course of the week, there were ups and downs but my overall consistency and ability to pick myself up after a bad moment is what I’m most proud of this year.

"There was a great energy and togetherness our team had that supported and gave me confidence throughout the week, collectively we played with a great toughness and gave some really good teams a run for their money."

Lau went on to say how this season with the Hoops Capital club has been beneficial for him, both on and off the court - as shown by his performances at nationals.

"My time with the Kings has been invaluable in my development as a player," he said.

"Competing with the best of the best at practice has forced me to adapt my game and learn the nuances of basketball which I was not aware of previously.

"The support of the team has also been key in my development, all the advice and tips they give me have greatly aided me growing as a basketball player.

"With the likes of Brian Goorjian and my teammates, who have been around the game for a long time, there have been so many lessons I’ve been taught that gave me the upper hand when competing against people my age."

Lau's harbour city side now head to Wollongong on Friday to take on the Hawks, from 7.30pm AEDT on ESPN.