Basketball: Salt set for Cavaliers with scholarship

Jack Salt has been peppered with offers in the US. Photo / Dean Purcell

Fast-rising talent Jack Salt has been selected for a scholarship at the University of Virginia's Cavaliers basketball team for next year.

The 2.09m 17-year-old centre from North Shore's Westlake Boys High made his Tall Blacks debut in last month's Stankovic Continental Cup in China, and had been selected in the developmental squad for the three-time ANBL-winning Breakers.

He will be under the command of former North Harbour player Tony Bennett at the Cavaliers.

There had been a lot of interest in the left-hander with Boise State University in Idaho, St Mary's University in Texas and University of Pittsburgh making him offers.

Breakers assistant coach Judd Flavell said it was a big opportunity for the youngster.

"Jack was identified by the club as having tremendous raw talent and a huge future, and Virginia could obviously see that," Flavell said.

"The US college system is getting better at picking up NZ players, and that can only be a good thing for NZ Basketball in the long term."

Flavell said the news was bittersweet, as the Breakers do their best to try to hold on to homegrown talent.

But the lure of the US college system was something hard to turn away from, and Salt couldn't be expected to, Flavell said.

"A big part of the success at the Breakers has been our ability to nurture New Zealand players, but if they choose to play overseas then that's great for their personal development."

Bennett was also involved with the US college careers of Tall Blacks Kirk Penney and Thomas Abercrombie. Both Penney and Abercrombie also attended Westlake.

Flavell said that having Kiwi players in the US system had major benefits for the sport in New Zealand, as the Tall Blacks are the big winners with the additional experience that the players gain.

The choice of going pro with the Breakers or a lucrative college deal in the US wouldn't have been an easy one, according to Flavell, but made sense in the end.

"It's a tremendous chance for Jack and the club wishes him well, and no doubt he will be back in the black jersey [Tall Blacks]."

Neither the University of Virginia nor Bennett have yet to confirm Salt's move but many US sport news outlets were reporting the news yesterday.

Salt was unavailable for comment as he was on his way back from the US and not due to arrive in New Zealand until late last night.