New Zealand - Paalvast joins emerging Ferns

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It’s no surprise that young basketball star Chevannah Paalvast is on the road to sporting success.

Athletic ability appears to run in the family.

Both of her parents shone on the court while mother Sheroll also represented New Zealand as a trampolinist.

And it’s not just their footsteps that the 17-year-old is following in.

Brother Duane Trembath was a top-class rollerskater and competed in a host of international events.

"My mum and dad both played basketball and I started when I was about seven or eight," Chevannah says. "I’ve just been brought up with it."

The Waitakere resident has used that upbringing to good effect and was recently selected for the under-21 Emerging Tall Ferns team to take part in an Oceania tournament in Saipan during June.

She is one of the youngest members of the squad but is unlikely to let that bother her.

Chevannah is familiar with competing against older opponents. She played in the under-19 national side as a 13-year-old.

"It was challenging but it made me a better player," she says. "I think it was actually a lot easier because there was less expectation than there is now. They expect more from me now that I’m a bit older."

The under-21s are also expecting a lot from themselves. Anything less than first place at the Oceanias will be deemed a failure.

"Last time we came second to Australia so we want to go one better. The Aussies will be tough to beat though."

Chevannah’s goal is to tie down a place in the starting five. The Massey High School student can play in nearly every position but prefers guard, a playmaking role which is usually occupied by the team’s best ballhandler.

"I’m probably best at driving up the court and penetrating through gaps," she says.

"I’d like to get better at my long range shooting so I can score more three-pointers."

Not that the Waitakere City player doesn’t find the basket enough already.

She was part of the Junior Tall Ferns squad that won an international tournament in Las Vegas last year and top-scored for her team in the quarter-final, semifinal and final.

She has also made a slam dunk off the court, getting an offer of a basketball scholarship from Monmouth University in New Jersey.

"A coach here approached a contact they had in America and told them about me. Then they came to watch in Las Vegas and offered me the scholarship. They have an up-and-coming team because they’ve just got a new coach and he’s trying to build the squad up."

Going to college in the United States is a goal she has had for a long time but Chevannah still has another couple to tick off.

She wants to join the few Kiwis to have played in the WNBA, the national women’s league in the United States, and she hopes to pull on the black singlet at senior level in time for the London Olympics in 2012.

Chevannah’s family is fundraising for her Oceania trip. Call Sheroll on 810-9405 if you can help with donations or sponsorship.