A 15-year-old basketball prodigy from Falmouth has moved to an American high school to follow his dream of playing professionally.
Reggie Rusden, a former Falmouth School student, has now officially enrolled at Trinity Christian High School, Georgia
Towering at 6ft 11in and weighing in at 15 stone 7lbs, Reggie honed his skills with the Cornwall Saracens Basketball Club.
He was noticed by Matt Johnson, director of the Reading Rockets, who offered him a place at their player development programme in Berkshire.
After training with prestigious coaches and making some "tough family decisions", Reggie and his mum relocated to the US to help him take his next steps into elite basketball.
Now facing a "gruelling" daily schedule – including waking up for morning training sessions 1.5 hours before the school bell rings – Reggie has settled in to become a bit of a "campus celebrity".
Reggie started his journey under Dom Lilly at Titans Basketball, followed by a season with the Plymouth Patriots.
He then returned to his home county for two seasons with the Cornwall Saracens, developing rapidly under the guidance of coaches Andy Cummins, Richard Gilling, and Géza Gábor Petrucsik, even travelling to compete in Hungary and France.
Reggie's dad emphasized the vital role of local clubs in his sons success: "We have always supported our boy, and have loved being part of the Cornish basketball community.
"The coaches, who are all volunteers, give so much to our kids and are tremendous mentors.
"I just wish more local businesses would get involved with sponsorship, as running these clubs is very expensive."
Reggie hopes to play high school basketball in the United States for the next three to four years, with his sights firmly set on earning a university scholarship to play NCAA Division I college basketball.
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