But the tuition wasn't coming from coaches.

Instead, Special Olympian and good friend Lisa Keen was sharing her knowledge with the French-bound guard.

The pair have known each other since 2005 after they struck up a friendship at a tournament in Newcastle.

Renae and Lisa were the only Wollongong players in town that weekend, forging a strong relationship and staying in touch since.

Camino, 21, is considered one of the hottest prospects in Australian basketball and will join fellow Australian Hollie Grima at Aix-en-Provence in southern France for the new season that begins on September 18.

Keen says she doesn't mind giving Camino some good-natured encouragement and admitted that she benefited from the pair's impromptu shoot-arounds at the stadium.

"It's really good - when she comes home, she'll send me a message, or we get in contact and I come into the stadium, we shoot around and I rebound for her," Keen said.

"She gives me some good tips, so that helps me a lot."

After representing Australia at the World Games in Shanghai last year, where she won gold, Keen is now looking forward to the 2010 state games to be held in Adelaide.

Camino has recently taken on the role of Special Olympics ambassador.

"I think the Special Olympics and the programs they've got for the intellectually disabled are just phenomenal," she said.

She says her friendship with Lisa has been beneficial for both parties.

"It is good - I see how excited she gets when I come and shoot," Camino said.

"I give her a lot of my old gear that I've got - it's a pretty special thing."

The athletic point guard, who just missed out on selection for the Opals at the recent Beijing Games, says she can't wait to sample the lifestyle in France.

"I'm pretty excited about the experience," Camino said. "It should be pretty good - I'm playing in the south of France, near the Riviera, so it sounds pretty exciting."