Two of America’s biggest basketball stars showed off their skills to Harris Academy South Norwood pupils on Monday.

Veteran Sam Perkins, who played in the NBA for 17 years and won a gold medal at the 1984 Olympics, and women’s NBA star Swin Cash, who won 2004 Olympic gold, were at the school as part of a collaboration between London’s US Embassy and the Greenhouse Charity – which organises basketball programmes across south London.

Each spoke to pupils before leading coaching clinics.

“You have to have the right mindset to train and succeed and you need to be prepared to do this on your own,” said Perkins of his experiences.

“You need the mentality to eat right, train hard and be as healthy as possible.”

Cash emphasised the importance of education.

“My mum got me to hold a basketball in my left hand and a book in my right hand and she said to me one day the air in the basketball would come out but all the knowledge you get from books is forever.”