BRENDON EGAN

March 7 2015

Kyle Coston is living proof that practice makes perfect.

From the age of 13, the Canterbury Rams’ American import carried out the daily ritual of shooting 1000 three point baskets.

Coston was meticulous about his craft, keeping a chart of his numbers to illustrate his improvement.

Older brother, Tyler, also a talented basketballer, would often defend against him on the family court in Lynden, Washington, to provide a game-type situation.

“My brother and I went at it. We weren’t the best of friends all the time. We played one-on-one all the time and it probably ended in some fights,” Coston said. “In retrospect, that helped me out and gave me that competitive edge.”

Coston credits the toughness his brother instilled in him and the countless hours on the training court, to where he is today.

The 27-year-old forward has played professionally in Argentina, China, the Netherlands and South Africa. New Zealand will be his fifth destination.

“The only thing I knew [about New Zealand] was extreme sports. Around the world, especially in America, that’s what this country is known for.”

Coston is a bit of a daredevil. He planned to fit in some bungy jumping and skydiving at the end of the Rams’ season and has a spear-fishing trip planned next week.

The Coston clan are a gifted sporting family. Kyle’s father, Jeff, was a professional golfer on the PGA tour, competing in the US Open and PGA Championship. He still plays on the Champions Tour.

Kyle caddied for his dad in several US Opens, but was “more of a hacker” playing off a 23 handicap.

“My dad is a big time sports guru. Even before the foundation of the house was laid, we had an asphalt outdoor full court with lines painted and glass backboards and breakaway rims.”

Coston, who is 2m tall, is a versatile basketballer. He mainly plays small forward, but can easily switch to the shooting guard role or step out to power forward.

He has earned a reputation for his silky three point shooting ability, but said he was much more than a long-range bomber.

“I love to get out in transition. I love high flying finishes at the rim. I try to see the floor really well.

“I try to not just create for myself, but create for others and get others easy opportunities. I pride myself on defence.”

Coston runs a basketball academy, called HoopStar, in the United States with his brother. They started it up six years ago and operate out of three US cities with 450 athletes in their programme.

Coston loved mentoring the new generation of basketball talent and will be carrying out coaching in the Canterbury region during his stint with the Rams.

“After this, I’ll start a few other academies back in the States. Maybe, I’ll marry a New Zealand girl and start one out here.”

Coston spent three seasons at Portland State University between 2006-09, helping lead the school to back-to-back NCAA “March Madness” appearances – the first time they had qualified for the 68-team elimination tournament.

He transferred to Trinity Western University in Canada, where he was the leading scoring in the nation [24.5 points per game] in 2011-2012, and named as a first team All-Canadian.

Coston will form an imposing Rams’ frontcourt this season, which includes Richie Edwards, Marques Whippy and centre Mickell Gladness, who played 26 games in the NBA with the Miami Heat and Golden State Warriors.

“I think we’re some guys you don’t really want to mess with,” he said. “Without playing any games, I’m excited for what could happen.”

The Rams tip off their season at Christchurch’s Cowles Stadium against Manawatu on April 3.

 – The Press