Two years ago, the decision was made by Costain and his parents to commit to play for Illawarra, due to the fact that there was no longer a Shoalhaven team.

It has been a huge decision and commitment for the family, who now travel three to four times a week to Wollongong for training and competition, on top of the heavily loaded representative schedule all over the state. 

Costain said this was an awesome year and probably the best of his five year career to date.

The year started with his selection as a bottom age player for the Illawarra Hawk’s under 16 Country Premier League team.

The Hawks were crowned champions in all three major events of the year, with Costain playing an important role within the side.

Firstly, they defeated Newcastle in the final of the NSW country tournament held over the June long weekend.

The next event on the agenda was the Country Premier League title, a round robin tournament starting back in March and running for five months.

Illawarra defeated the Western Reds in the final, to claim their second title for the year.

The last and biggest event on the calendar was the NSW state championships played against the best eight club sides in the NSW.

The Hawks lost one of their pool games to North Sydney to finish second in their pool, setting up a semi-final with Penrith 

After getting through that game with a hard fought victory, the Hawks again met North Sydney in the state final.

Through hard work and grit,they turned the tables of the pool rounds and defeated Norths 78-68, to claim their third title for the year. 

Along the way, Costain was also a part of the under 16 NSW Country Waratahs at the Australian Country Junior Basketball Cup in Albury in January.

Once again, a gold medal was the result, defeating a strong Victorian Bushrangers in the final.

While the list is too long to name, Costain would like to thank all the coaches that have put countless hours into his game but in particular local coach Scott Balsar from Basketball NSW, who puts in hours each week with him as part of his NITP Scholarship.

“Without all these coaches and mentors, my game would have gone nowhere and I wouldn’t be in the position that I am now” Costain said.

Costain has set his goals high, aiming for selection in the NSW country tour side in January, before hopefully gaining selection for his first state national team in July, which will travel to Kilsyth, Victoria for Nationals.