South Dragons young gun Joe Ingles this week donned senior national colours for the first time ahead of what is tipped to be an illustrious career with the green and gold.

Ingles joined Sydney Kings veteran and Boomers teammate Jason Smith at a clinic for junior basketball stars at the weekend, his first outing as a representative of the senior Australian team.

While he may be a fresh face on the national scene, Ingles has already attracted a legion of young fans keen to see their idol in action for Australia later this year.

Almost 100 junior basketball enthusiasts attended the weekend clinic, where Ingles was on hand to offer advice and inspiration to the next generation of stars.

It will be some time before we see Ingles’ young protégés in action for Australia but, for now, the excited juniors are just as happy to track their hero’s own rise through the national ranks.

That rise will next see Ingles head to Canberra in June for a national training camp ahead of the team’s tour to China later that month.

Ingles will remain committed to the national squad for a number of events leading up to the 2007-’08 NBL season, including the all-important Olympic qualifying series against New Zealand in August.

And, starting this week, all South Dragons fans will have the chance to get inside the mind of a national basketball star when Ingles begins his exclusive on-line diary at www.southdragons.com.

Each week Ingles will update fans with the latest news and events from on and off the court and provide a key insight into what goes on behind the scenes at South Dragons HQ. If you’ve ever wondered what goes on in the day-to-day life of an NBL athlete, here’s your chance to find out!

Read Ingles’ all-new on-line diary this Thursday for his take on the South Dragons’ second season and all that’s going on away from the game, right here at www.southdragons.com.