Teen shoots for the top

Ricky Bevan received a Pierre de Coubertin Award last month in recognition of his sporting contributions. 31969 Picture: Meagan Rogers

By Marc McGowan
RICKY Bevan isn’t kidding when he says sport is ‘pretty big’ in his Narre Warren South home.
The 15-year-old is in the Dandenong Stingrays’ under-16 squad and leaves for the Czech Republic next month to compete for Australia’s intellectually disabled basketball team at the Global Games.
Bevan, who attends Marnebek School, is the youngest member of Australia’s nine-player side and will be making his international debut.
Sport is encouraged in his family, with his mother, Kerry, and nine-year-old sister, Mackenzie, currently or previously involved in callisthenics, and his twin brother, Cory, is a cricketer.
Mackenzie is heading to Queensland next month to represent Victoria in the National Callisthenics Titles.
He also has a 10-year-old brother, Brady.
Bevan was one of 150 Year 10, 11 and 12 students to receive a Pierre de Coubertin Award at Melbourne University on 31 May.
The presentation was repeated at his school on Monday morning.
All secondary government and non-government schools are invited to nominate one recipient each year.
Each nominee must participate actively in the school’s physical education program with a consistently positive attitude and must have represented the school in an Olympic sport.
Nominees also have to submit a piece of original art or literary work that demonstrates their appreciation and understanding of the Olympic movement.
Bevan was thrilled to earn such a prestigious honour.
“I didn’t really know what it was and then I got told and I was pretty happy,” he said.
“My friends already knew (before the school presentation) because I told them, but everyone else was happy to hear about it.”
Bevan is looking forward to representing his country in basketball, but football is still his greatest love.
The 177cm athlete has been playing both sports for around eight years and enjoys the physicality of football.
Bevan’s local club is Berwick after spending most of his junior career at Narre Warren.
But basketball will take preference next month after he booked his spot with a superb performance for the gold medal-winning Victorian team at last year’s Pacific School Games.
Bevan was one of the leading scorers at the tournament and was named in the All-Australian squad.
“I’ll get nervous on the plane (to the Czech Republic), but I don’t really get nervous – I’m not a nervous kid,” he said.
“I’m hoping to be one of the starters, but it doesn’t matter because I’ll be on the court anyway because the point guard can’t run for the whole game.”
Bevan’s feats are all the more impressive considering he had to battle back from serious injuries sustained in a car accident two years ago.
He wore a back brace for three months after splitting his bowel and fracturing the L3 and L4 vertebrae in his back.
Bevan admits he was a little hesitant when he returned to the football field after recovering from the injuries.
“I was a bit nervous when I got back and still am now, but I’ll get used to it,” he said.
“My big goal is to make the Stingrays’ 18s squad next year.”