HOOPS DREAM
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SOUTHPORT State High School head of physical education Dave Mason believes their basketball program is one of the “best kept secrets”.
With two quality and respected coaches in Sean Carroll (girls) and Thalo Green (boys), a state championships division girls side and a division 2 boys side, it’s hard to disagree.
“We’ve been building this program for the past five or six years now,” Mason said.
“We’re focused on working with what we’ve got. We don’t go out and target players.
“We’re one of the best kept secrets going around.”
After their girls side finished in the top four in the championship division for the first time in the school’s history at the 2018 Champion Basketball Schools Queensland tournament, Southport are hoping they can do it again.
“We’d like to get there again but our main goal is to be known as a side who plays hard and competitive basketball,” Mason said.
“They’re quite a young side. They only have two Year 12 students and one Year 11 and the rest are Year 10s and 9s.
“There’s so much depth in the boys competition that our aim is to finish in the top four in division 2.”
Irrespective of where both sides finish at the end of the tournament, Mason said player development was the main aim.
“We’re really proud of what we’re able to deliver to our students,” he said.
“For us, it’s not really about winning trophies but more so developing students in the program day to day.
“It’s cliche but we know the results will come.”
Players to watch from both sides include national performance program and Queensland representative athlete Skye Mason and Queensland player Toby Harold Evans. “He leads the team around the court,” Mason said of Harold Evans.
“She (Mason) is one of our building blocks.”
More than 200 students are currently enrolled in Southport’s basketball curriculum, giving students access to strength and conditioning sessions, multiple training sessions a week as well as an ever-changing program.
“We’re quite developed in what we’re trying to achieve as well,” Mason said.
“3v3 is all the rage at the moment so we run a 3v3 unit and really help the kids develop their individual game.
“We have a fair number of kids in the program who referee as well so it’s great that they’re giving back to the game on their weekends.”
Mason also lauded the impact of coaches Carroll and Green, the former a current state level coach and the latter an ex-Gold Coast Roller and Melbourne Tigers player in the NBL.
“Any school would want them but they chose us because they believe in what we’re doing,” he said.
Southport play today at 12.30pm against Mountain Creek State High School.