Four Shropshire basketball stars selected for national programme
Four talented players at a Telford basketball club have been selected to take part in a prestigious nationwide programme.
Rawzone Basketball Club, based in Telford, has had four of its stars - Ethan Sealy, Arjun Singh Dhami, Jaja Palmer, and Evie Adams - chosen for the 2025/26 Basketball England Aspire programme.
The Aspire Programme, part of Basketball England's national pathway, is aimed at eight- to 15-year-old players who are assessed by coaches across clubs and schools nationwide. From a pool of around 20,000 young players, only the most promising are invited to join, giving them access to structured training and development opportunities.
Furthermore, alongside Arjun, Jaja and Evie, Rawzone member Rohin also features for the Leicester Riders in the National League Development Programme, further highlighting the exceptional talent within the club.
Coach Lester Green expressed his pride in their achievements, saying: "I am very proud. It gives them added extras as well.
"They have gone on to play at national level with Leicester. They could then go through to scholarships, university programmes, that's another alterative pathway to go professional as well.
"We've watched their growth, experience increase, and understanding grow. You can look at it on a life skills aspect too, what they have learned from it.
"The whole structure and how they have formed themselves has been a pleasure to watch.
"When you watch them play, from how they played before to now, you can see the pure development."
On the possibility of the youngsters turning professional, Green added: "For sure, progressing into the Leicester Riders squad, going national level, itself is a big achievement.
"There's a lot of commitment for them. Being Telford based, they train two or three times a week and travel far for this.
"It gives them an idea that if they go professional, they're going to have to have a lifestyle that is structured."
Founded by Green and Michelle Palmer, the Telford-based club is not only dedicated to nurturing local talent but also to supporting the wider community. However, the club faces challenges, particularly a lack of suitable training venues.
"We have got hundreds of children who are involved, but our problem is always with training venues," added Green.
"It's really difficult to find somewhere because we are competing with other indoor sports.
"But, it's a social gathering for the children, for the parents, and for the whole community. It's taking kids off the street and giving them some form of direction."
