The young Duke of hoops making a global impact

FROM Wangaratta to the Philippines, China and back again, local Duke Mendoza is making a mark on the international stage. The 10-year-old Wangaratta Warrior earned the chance to represent Australia at an international Philippine-based basketball tournament in Manila throughout March and April this year after only one year of representative basketball in Wangaratta. He was invited as part of his association with MIC Basketball Australia, a training academy based in Melbourne, going through rigorous try-outs, trainings and practice games. In Manila, Duke had the opportunity of going up against the under 12s USA team which boasted players as tall as 1.8m. Duke’s Australian team couldn’t beat the Americans, but the 10-year-old still managed 17 points against the challenging opposition. On the back of his success, the Point Guard Academy, a Philippines-based junior basketball development club, then gave the chance for Duke to travel to Beijing to be part of their under 10s team as an Australian grassroots player, and was the youngest member of his under 12s team in the Asia Youth Championship League. The St Bernard’s Primary School student was his under 10s team captain and said coach Ricky Longares was a big influence on his success. “Coach Ricky’s efforts encouraged me and pushed my skills to another whole level that I didn’t realize I can do,” he said. Duke said his best game from his overseas ventures came when it mattered most at the championship game in Beijing. The Australian grassroots Philippines under 10 team would go on to win 55-41 against Mongolia, with Duke outscoring the Monglian team himself, with 48 points, and earned MVP honours in the Beijing Youth Asia Basketball League. Duke’s under 12s team was also runner up, earning him a silver medal. During his travels Duke said he enjoyed getting to see places he had never been to before like the Great Wall of China and filming locations of the Karate Kid movies, but most of all his experiences on the court. “It was a learning and fun experience on the court with my team win or lose, and the new faces I met that became my friends,” he said. To top it off Duke also helped his Wangaratta Warriors under 12s team taste success in the Adelaide Easter Classic in April, winning the championship. Duke was born and raised in Wangaratta, often hooping against younger brother Ace and older brother Prince, while having family ties to the Philippines. Duke’s all-time basketball idol is Michael Jordan, while he currently follows Stephan Curry, this season’s NBA MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and his Oklahoma City Thunder, cheering them on in the NBA Finals. But the young star said his biggest influence in basketball was his dad, Gilbert, who has trained Duke since he was a toddler and helps develop his skills on a near daily basis. The 10-year-old will soon be back playing in the Philippines junior MPBL 11 and under division, the biggest grassroots league in the country, which expanded to include junior grades for the first time this season. Following his MPBL stint, Duke vies to continue to take his basketball globally, with his ultimate goal to represent the Australian-Filipino under 12s international team next year.

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