Locals compete at National Classic
The best local junior basketballers showed what they were capable of against the finest Australia has to offer whilst competing at the 2018 National Junior Classic held over the Queens Birthday long weekend.
The National Junior Classic is the most prestigious junior basketball tournament in Australia.
As an invitation-only tournament with a stringent qualifying criteria, entries are capped at 16 teams per age group which ensures the nation’s strongest junior representative teams face off across the three days.
Male and female junior teams, from under 12 to under 18, come from across Australia with tournament games split between the State Basketball Centre and Dandenong Basketball Stadium for the highly anticipated event that captures the attention of the Australian Basketball community with the best up and coming talent on display.
There were 10 players from the local area including Warragul, Bunyip, Neerim South and Poowong representing Dandenong Rangers Basketball Club at the Classic.
The Dandenong Rangers, with seven teams making it through, has the largest representation of any club in Australia and is the destination of choice for the local areas elite junior basketballers, who gravitate towards the high quality coaching and support provided.
Players and parents are in agreement.
“Dandenong has a lot of strength in it’s ranks with a big pool of very good players competing for spots in it’s top teams, just being selected in a number one team for Dandenong Rangers is a big accomplishment,” they say. Local coaches are left in no doubt. “These local kids are up there with the best in Australia in their age groups, they are exceptional basketballers and the commitment they make given the distances they have to travel multiple times per week to training and games is enormous,” they said.
“It is widely agreed that it is a rare opportunity and privilege to participate in the National Junior Classic but if anyone is deserving it is these young athletes.”
The following local athletes took part in the Classic:
Billy Bundle (U18 boys), Shanara Notman and Makaela Zeldenryk (U18 girls), Thomas Crole (U16 boys), Brooke De Riter, Georgia Koopmans, Dallas Loughridge and Rebecca Orwin (U16 girls), Breana Granger (U14 girls) and Meg Cooper (U12 girls).