Basketball Queensland’s  (BQ) High Performance Partner Acceleration Australia, welcomes BQ pathway alumni back to their gym during the US College off-season..

Acceleration’s head performance specialist Daniel Nilsson says he looks forward to the athletes’ return each year.

“They love coming back here and we love working with them; some of the guys and girls we’ve been working with for 6 to 10 years,” said Nilsson.

Two of these athletes are Queensland and Brisbane Capitals juniors Audrey Fuller and Max Mackinnon.

“It just helps me keep in shape and prevent injuries because we work a lot on agility and strength here,” said Fuller.

“I like to come back and get all my physical tools together - just get a reset and see what parts of my body I need to work on,” Mackinnon added.

Audrey Fuller is getting ready to take on her junior year at Campbell University.

“I was the starting point guard last year and I’m getting a lot of minutes now. I love the level of competition, it’s a very fast paced game and that’s what I like."

Fuller has three session per week with Acceleration when she’s home, working on strength, power, jumping ability and many other aspects of her game.

“Audrey is a smaller guard - she’s pretty quick and nimble, we want to help her get faster and more agile so she can play off the ball a bit better [and] get around the court a lot faster,” Nilsson said.

Meanwhile, Max is looking to build on his NBL1 North Youth Player of the Year performance when he returns to Elon College.

“I love it there; I learned a lot about myself. It’s been good to get into a new environment and I can’t wait for my sophomore year,” said Mackinnon.

He has been working with Nilsson on his strength and mechanics.

“Max came back wanting to work on his bounce and speed, and that’s certainly what we prioritised to make sure he leaves feeling lighter, bouncier and faster,” Nilsson noted.

His goal is to ensure these athletes are given every opportunity to succeed when they return to their college programs.

“Even though they may only come back for a month or so, we make sure they get better [and] we establish a base for them to build off, so when they go back to college, they’re not behind the eight-ball.”

Sign up for one of Acceleration Australia's holiday camps for Strength or Speed. BQ members get 10% off programs via BBQLD.