The basketball pros were in Cloncurry on Monday and Tuesday and continued the workshops in Mount Isa on Wednesday as part of the Sport 4 Life holiday program. 

Milner and Hurst said the skills they learned in their sporting career, such as leadership, goal setting and persistence, were ones that transferred to other aspects in their life.

These were skills they hoped to develop in their students this week. 

During a medal presentation at the PCYC hall in Cloncurry on Tuesday afternoon Hurst also explained the achievements of the previous two days were due to the success of team players working together. 

“I like helping people I support,” Hurst said when asked why he was part of the program, which was sponsored by Whitelion and Glencore.

He hoped the skills and strategies that worked for him would “rub off” on children in the Mount Isa and Cloncurry communities. 

He said achievement was made when doing the best you could. “It may not be Olympic level...but to me you’re successful in my book,” Hurst said. 

Milner grew up in Melbourne, and spend much of her time practicing in a basketball stadium. She believed the skills she learned in that stadium could be passed on to aspiring athletes in rural areas, such as resilience and leadership. 

“The town should be proud of the kids we have had the last two days,” Milner said on Tuesday afternoon. 

She noticed that some young players were nervous when they began the workshop on Monday. 

However their attitudes became more outgoing and had proved they had overcome their fear, Milner said. 

Whitelion community programs coordinator Alex Birnberg said the workshops continue at the Mount Isa basketball stadium on Thursday and Friday. 

Sessions for 7-12-year-olds are held between 9.30am to 11.30am, while sessions for 13-17-year-olds are held between 12.30pm and 2.30pm. 

The workshops are suitable for children of all skills levels, he said.