Over 650 students came together in Tamworth NSW to compete in the ‘magic round’, with Olympians Marianna Tolo and Nick Kay attending the final two days of competition to motivate and inspire the next generation of basketballers.

While in Tamworth, the duo also took part in an Olympics Unleashed visit sharing their Olympic journeys with over 200 of the young athletes and passing on their expert tips and tricks to the those competing.

Tamworth local, Nick Kay, said he was grateful to have the opportunity to return to his hometown, give back to his community and encourage the young athletes to chase their dreams.

“Giving back is so important, I remember when I was young having athletes come out to Tamworth and being so inspired by them to be the best I could be. It is so important to me to be able to do the same thing for the next group coming through,” Nick said.

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“Being able to come face-to-face with Olympians that grew up in regional areas is so important for these kids. It shows that you don’t have to be from a big city to be the best that you can be, and that it’s possible to come from somewhere like Tamworth and go on to compete at the top level in sport."

For dual Olympian Marianna Tolo, it was a special visit from Cathy Freeman just after the 2000 Olympics that lit the Olympic dream in her. Fast forward 20 years and Marianna hopes to be that source of inspiration for the next generation of kids aspiring to become Olympians.

“Seeing Olympians in the community just makes it so much more relatable, more believable and gives you that drive and inspiration to keep going and do your best to achieve your dream,” Marianna said.

“I was lucky enough to be visited by Cathy Freeman at my primary school in Mackay, which had a huge impact on me.

“Her visit was just after the Sydney Olympics, watching the home Games drove me to want to go to the Olympics myself. To then see Cathy Freeman in person made it a lot more believable that I could go and achieve my dream,” she continued.

“Cathy was a local Mackay girl, so I thought if she can do it, I can do it."

With another home Games in just nine years' time, the two Olympians said they hope to see some of the young athletes competing at the Championships go on to represent Australia at Brisbane 2032.

“If these kids just keep working hard, keep putting in the time and effort, then they have every chance of making that Australian Team come Brisbane 2032,” Nick said.

“I hope each of these students just strive for their dreams,” Marianna continued.

“To have an Olympics at home in Brisbane is amazing, I feel very fortunate for the young athletes coming through and it's very exciting to think some of the kids that we spoke to today could be there competing.”

When asked what the highlight of their trip was, both Marianna and Nick said it was the opportunity to watch the junior basketballers play the sport they’re all so passionate about.

“There are so many talented kids at this tournament and their passion and love for basketball is great to see. I can’t wait to see these kids take it to the next level and maybe one day be future Olympians themselves,” Nick said.

“Getting to meet so many of the junior basketballers and the up-and-coming stars has been amazing,” Marianna added.

“It has been so great to see them play their hearts out on the court, that’s all you can ask for really.”

Hockeyroo and aspiring Olympian Zoe Newman was also in attendance at the PSSA Championships, visiting three schools in the local area and assisting at the NSW state hockey goalkeeper trials during the first two days of competition.