Fifty students from Crawley’s Holy Trinity School were given a chance to meet basketball legends as part of the Jr. NBA programme in London.

The secondary school took its year seven players to watch a training session and game, led by NBA champions Caron Butler, Bob Dandridge and Phil Chenier as well as four-time NBA All-Star Latrell Sprewell.

It was staged as part of the activities relating to the NBA London Game 2019 between the Washington Wizards and New York Knicks, providing another fantastic opportunity for Jr. NBA participants to enjoy incredible experiences through basketball.

Holy Trinity’s students provided support as Queensbridge School triumphed 27-16 against Warwickshire school Alcester Grammar.

Teacher Danny Hildreth said: “This is a great opportunity for the students. None of them have been to this venue or even played outside Sussex. To watch this event and meet some stars is great.

“They are all in year 7 so a lot of them only started basketball in September.

“It’s a new sport to them and they are hugely enthusiastic about it - you can tell by the number of kids we’ve brought along today.”

After the game the legends, including the 7ft7in Gheorghe Mureșan, signed autographs and posed for photos with the youngsters as well as with Watford striker Troy Deeney, who also attended to support the teams.

Jr. NBA Basketball England Leagues are designed to leverage the excitement of the NBA to inspire participation, and the programme aims to promote the shared NBA and Basketball England values of teamwork, leadership, fitness and healthy living through league games, Jr. NBA youth clinics, and league Finals events.

In 2018, Basketball England expanded their Jr. NBA offering significantly, moving from five to 13 leagues across the country to help bring the programme to more than 4,500 children aged 11 and 12.

Hildreth added: “The NBA is one of the biggest sports leagues in the world and they are idols for the kids to follow.

“It engages them at an early stage more than just a teacher or a coach. They have something to associate with the sport. It’s cool and trendy sport.

“It helps them aspire to more than just a basketball club at a lunch time.

“Putting on an event like this and engaging so many people, effecting the thought process and lives of some of these young kids.

“It’s so inspirational just seeing some of these big names walking in. It gives a wow factor.”

To find out more about Basketball England the Jr. NBA programme, please go to www.Basketballengland.co.uk/Jrnba