Ben's Oak Hill's first

SHOREHAM-based basketball player Ben Mockford has had a great few weeks. He has been selected for the England under-18 basketball team and has become the first-ever English player to be selected for a scholarship at Oak Hill Academy in Virginia, America.

By The Newsroom

Published 3rd Apr 2007, 17:11 BST

Updated 7th Jun 2018, 23:44 BST

Oak Hill is ranked the number one High School in America and 22 of their former students have gone on to play in the NBA.

Mockford, 17, said: "We were applying for a few High Schools and Oak Hill were the first we got a reply from. I had to send over a few DVDs of games I've played in and I'm over the moon to get in.

"I've not been there before but am going out at half-term to look around the school.

"I know of people who are studying at Oak Hill next year but I don't know them personally yet. It's good to be the first Englishman to go to High School there. I'm so happy."

Mockford will be at Oak Hill for one year, starting on September 3, and then hopes to go to a college or university in America. He said: "I'll hopefully be at uni there for four years studying for a degree, probably sports science or something sports related, while playing basketball as well."

For full article, see this Thursday's Shoreham Herald.