​A RISING basketball star from Swadlincote is aiming to impress Team Great Britain scouts – and fulfil his dream of playing at the Olympics.

Nick Lewis will fly out to Malta this month to play for Wales in the European Championships, with GB selectors expected to be keeping a close eye on the talent on offer.

The 20-year-old has been at St Thomas More School, Connecticut, on a basketball scholarship during the last year.

Now Lewis  has his eyes firmly set on achieving his dream.

“To represent my country at the Olympics would be a great honour.

“Hopefully, the European Championships will be my chance to shine and get a place at the 2012 games,” he said.

Lewis, who qualifies to play for Wales because he was born in Bangor, was invited to the GB trials last year but was in the States at the time and could not get back to England.

The former Derby Trailblazers point guard feels he has benefited greatly both on-and off the court from the experience he gained in Connecticut.

“Being in America was great,” said 6ft 2in Lewis.

“St Thomas More is an all boys Catholic School, of similar prestige to that of Repton School in Derbyshire.

“Everything is really back to basics there and you have to pass an entry exam to get in.

“I had to dig in but I really excelled academically and got lots of As and Bs,” he added.

The team at St Thomas More also performed well on the court, which led to him making the step up to international basketball with Wales.

“We came third in a county-wide basketball tournament, which was a fantastic achievement,” he said.

“I’ve already played for the Welsh Under-16 and Under-18 sides, and now I’ve graduated to the senior side,” said Lewis.

But while the Derbyshire youngster has lofty dreams of NBA stardom in the States, he still remembers his roots and credits much of  his success to his mum, Avril.

“I come from a single-parent family and my mum is my rock,” he explained.

“She has made so many sacrifices so I can pursue my dream.

“Although my place at St Thomas More was a basketball scholarship, there were still things my mum had to pay for, such as medical insurance, living costs and plane tickets.

“Without her, none of my success would have been possible.”

Nick is travelling with the Wales senior squad for a tournament in Belgium before returning to Swadlincote for a hard earned rest over the summer while weighing up his options.

“I have a few options available now. I could either go back to America and go to a prep school or college, or I could go and play professional basketball.

“My aim is still to play in the NBA one day.

“There are some big decisions to make, but at the moment I have six to eight weeks off in Swadlincote with my mum that I’m going to enjoy.”