There must be something in the water in Queensland's Far North.
Indigenous basketball prospects are continuing to bring a torrential downpour of praise and accolades all the way from the tropics to benefit the Australian game internationally.
In addition to the well-worn path of Patty Mills carrying the Boomers for much of the past two decades to another Olympics campaign on the back of 15 standout years in the NBA, further basketball journeys are also growing from the women of Cairns.
There's the upcoming WNBA prospect of Shaneice Swain, a Goreng Goreng, Yupanguthi and Gangalidda woman, who was drafted with pick 14 in the 2023 draft for the Los Angeles Sparks.
Before the 20-year-old Swain builds towards a promising career in a return to the US after an injury-prone rookie year, there's also Teyahna Boyd, who's shaping to mirror the rise through the ranks.
The virtuous 17-year-old of both Torres Strait Island heritage and the Taepadhighi mob of the Cape York is quick to point out the respect she has of Mills' representation off the floor as she does for his dominance in front of the hoops.
"I really admire Patty's skill set and shooting, but I love the way he represents his culture," Boyd told CODE Sports.
"He doesn't hide away from it; he embraces it.
"He's a big inspiration and he's paving the pathway for Indigenous athletes."
The St Monica's College student has just returned from being a member of this year's FIBA Asia Cup-winning Australia Gems lineup.
The shooting guard added imposing depth to the nation, taking out the back-to-back regional title with a comfortable win in the final over hosts China 96-79 after escaping the day earlier in a 68-63 semi-final victory against Japan.
The tournament was a great opportunity for Bond to add experience and knowledge to her game to also bring back to her Cairns Dolphins NBL1 women's side.
"I didn't doubt for a second that we were going to win (the title)," Bond said.
"I knew the talent that we had, but the semi-final was the closest game by far.
"It was nerve-racking because it was such a close game."
The Asia Cup women's success was the second occasion Bond has represented Australia in international competition, after playing a more formidable role in the FIBA under-17 Oceania win over New Zealand a year earlier.
Boyd's maturity on the court comes from being willing to sacrifice this year's school formal with classmates to play for Australia.
But the narrative doesn't end there for Boyd.
She nowadays shares a court with 16-year-old sister, Taryn Boyd, at the Cairns club.
It's a spotlight that Boyd is chuffed to embrace with her 465 days younger sibling.
"I haven't played with (Taryn) since under-12 reps, but I finally get to play with her again for NBL1 North this year," Bond said.
"We get to go on road trips away, which is great – we have a really great sister bond."
But it didn't seem the nieces of one-time NBA draftee, Nathan Jawai, once were prepared to show much sisterly love in the past, according to their mum and first basketball coach, Trish Sabatino.
Having a familiar rival, who used to share the same bedroom, to knock their egos down just a few rungs out there on a court gave the pair their competitive edge.
"Teyahna and Taryn have always been super competitive in a loving way," Sabatino said.
"We couldn't even go down to TAFE courts or the hoop in the backyard without it turning into a competition.
"Even when we're mucking around, we're seeing who's the best.
"There's no mercy, but they've always pushed each other."
From streaming online coverage of her daughters playing in serious competitions to noticing the intricacies of their games has supplemented mum's own time playing basketball a couple of decades earlier.
Not that Sabatino is complaining about living vicariously through her two daughters.
"I was never as good as my two daughters, but I did play," she said.
"From a young age, I could see (Teyahna) had something special.
"The way she applied herself, practicing even when I wasn't there.
"She has had to sacrifice being a normal teenager to train early in the mornings and head out on the road for competitions.
"Luckily, she shares the same love for the game that I do."
Turning 18 before the end of this year, Boyd could almost be labelled a NBL1 veteran in after debuting in the second-tier national competition following her 15th birthday.
The sisters have, one-by-one, walked the same path from Cairns Basketball ranks onto state and national programs.
