Tyrese Proctor's selection by the Cleveland Cavaliers with the 49th pick in the 2025 NBA Draft marked a significant milestone in his sporting journey, one that began on the basketball court of Bangor Public School in southern Sydney. 

The son of former NBL player Rod Proctor and Greenacre Public School principal Melissa Proctor, Tyrese’s talent was evident from an early age - excelling at baseball, soccer and basketball.

“At 10 years old, he said ‘I’m going to make the NBA, mum’ and I was like ‘OK buddy, that’s really good’ and it’s incredible that we’re now there,” Mrs Proctor said after touching down in Cleveland today.

Tyrese left home at 15 after being awarded a scholarship to attend the NBA Global Academy in Canberra. He debuted for the Australian Boomers at 16, before moving to the United States in 2022 to chase his hoop dreams on a scholarship at Duke University. 

Tyrese won an Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) championship with Duke in his first year and this year he has repeated that feat, while also leading the team to the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Final Four. 

The 193cm 21-year-old guard isn’t the only member of the Proctor family to taste success at a US university.  His mother Melissa Proctor won the Teachers Mutual Bank Harvard scholarship in 2017 after implementing major cultural change and boosting enrolments while principal of Bass Hill Public School. 

“My time at Harvard taught me to be a better leader and the things I learnt from that experience continue to have flow-on effects at Greenacre Public School where I’ve been principal for the past seven years,” Mrs Proctor said.

One of Mrs Proctor’s favourite days of the year at her school is the ‘wear your sporting colours’ P&C fundraiser, where she has proudly donned her son’s Number 5 Duke University jersey.

“The school has really got behind Tyrese - the students screamed with excitement at assembly when they heard he’d been selected by Cleveland and I’m sure I won’t be the only person wearing a Cav’s jersey at this year’s ‘wear your sporting colours’ day,” Mrs Proctor said.

“I hope the success of Tyrese - a kid who attended a public school just like theirs - can inspire them to work hard to achieve their dreams, whatever they might be.”

Across town at Endeavour Sports High School in the Sutherland Shire, Mrs Proctor’s daughter Kaila is also catching the attention of talent scouts for her skills on the basketball court.

Earlier this month, the year 12 student co-captained the Endeavour Sports High School's Open Girls Basketball team that won the NSW Combined High Schools Sports Association championship. 

Kaila was one of only nine Australian juniors selected for Basketball Without Borders Asia 2025 in Singapore, where she learnt from WNBA and NBA stars before flying to the United States to be with her family for the 2025 NBA draft announcement.  Kaila now has her sights on US college basketball and the WNBA.

While Mrs Proctor is taking no credit for her children’s basketball skills (“that’s all come from their dad”), they have inherited some of her traits.

“I’m very driven and resilient - being a principal isn’t an easy job but I am very positive. If something doesn’t work, I am like, ‘let’s go again’ and I’ve instilled that in my kids,” Mrs Proctor said.