Next big thing?

Here's an article I read on WNBA.com about an Australian girl who might be the next big thing in women's basketball.

By Mike Hurst
September 20, 2007
A 12-YEAR-OLD Sydney girl has won a sporting scholarship to attend a top US boarding school after she recorded and emailed the school a video of herself playing basketball.
Her lucky break is reminiscent of the circumstances which led to a scholarship offer to nine-year-old Brisbane boy Rhain Davis after his grandfather mailed a DVD of the soccer prodigy to Manchester United in August.
In this instance, coaches at MonteVerde High in Florida liked what they saw and offered Tomilayo Akinpetide - "Tomi" to her friends - a scholarship valued at around $25,000 a year.
"I'm not worried or frightened," Tomi told The Daily Telegraph.
"I'm very excited. This is a chance to play at a higher level and that's good because I want to play in the WNBA." With the dedication Tomi has shown, she could well follow in the footsteps of Australia's Lauren Jackson and Penny Taylor, who won Most Valuable Player awards in the US women's professional league this year.
"When I was six or seven my brothers started to play basketball and we all got up at 4am three days a week, caught a train to Burwood PCYC, worked out for 45 minutes, took the train home, showered, had breakfast and went to school. I loved it," Tomi said.
Edward Smith, the coach who started her in the game and still helps out, predicted: "Tomi will play for Australia. She will play professionally.
"They're going to take one look at her in the US - at her age and her ability - and she will be given every coaching resource available to her. She is a coach's dream."
At 175cm, Tomi has the height and athleticism to go with exceptional ball-handling skills, but even she is dwarfed by her big sister Tolu, 15, who is 184cm and has also won a scholarship at the same school.
Both girls play for the Rosellas club in the Northern Suburbs competition but turn out for Minto-based Macarthur Heat in the Sydney representative interdistrict competition.
Their brother, Femi, paved the way for the family two years ago when he was scouted on a holiday basketball tour to the US.
It was Femi who suggested his sisters apply for a scholarship to join him. And now, with the help of coach Smith, their other brother, Segun, has also won a scholarship to play basketball with a high school in Virginia.Tomi, Tolu and Segun, who live at Prestons in Sydney's south-west, will line up tomorrow to apply for US visas to start the adventure of their lives.