Southern Pen represented at National Events
Whilst the vast majority of our Association have been making the most of their extended break over Christmas and New Year’s, many of our young athletes and Coaches have been consistently working on their game, for some athletes five days per week, in preparation for the Australian Country Junior Basketball Cup and the Southern Cross Challenge.
The Australian Country Junior Basketball Cup (ACJBC), held in Albury from January 14-19, hosts u14, u16 and u18 teams from Country Victoria, New South Wales Country, South Australia Country, Tasmania and New Zealand. The ACJBC is a breeding ground for some of Australia’s most recognised and successful players like Mitch Creek, Matthew Dellavedova, Cameron Gliddon, Damian Martin, Suzy Batkovic, Abbey Bishop, Cayla Francis, Belinda Snell plus many many more
For u14 athletes, the ACJBC is purely about development. It provides the athletes the opportunity to compete against some of Australia and New Zealand’s finest athletes whilst being coached by some of Country Victoria’s brightest coaches.
Whilst the focus remains development, athletes selected to attend the ACJBC in the u16 age group also have an additional element of further selection on the line. In conjunction with the u15 athletes at the Southern Cross Challenge, approximately 24 athletes will be selected to progress towards the 2019 u16 Country Victorian State Team, with further camps and selections to take place in the coming months.
The ACJBC is the final selection stage for the athletes selected to represent Country Victoria in the u18 age group. At the completion of the tournament, the final 2019 u18 Country Victorian State Team’s will be selected ahead of their Australian Junior Championships in April.
The Southern Cross Challenge (SCC), hosted at the State Basketball Centre from January 18-21, hosts u14 and u15 teams from Country Victoria, South Australia Metro, Victoria Metro, New South Wales Metro, Western Australia Country, Western Australia Metro and the Australian Capital Territory. Although the SCC is relatively new, having been ran for only a handful of years, it has quickly become regarded as the premier event for the u14 and u15 age group in Australia.
Those competing as u14s have a pure development focus as per the ACJBC, they’re provided with the opportunity to play with and against some of Australia’s finest young players and to be coached by some of Country Victoria’s best coaches.
Development remains the ultimate focus for the u15 age group as well, however, as previously mentioned, they’re eligible to be selected as a part of approximately 24 athletes that will continue within the selection pathway towards the 2019 u16 Country Victorian State Team.
The Southern Peninsula Basketball Association will have 24 representatives participating across the Australian Country Junior Basketball Cup and the Southern Cross Challenge;
Kyra Webb (SCC u14 Girls)
Corey Hastings (SCC u15 Boys)
Jasmine Amendola (SCC u15 Girls)
Chantelle James (SCC u15 Girls)
Shannon Tuffy (SCC u15 Girls)
Darcy Jones (ACJBC u16 Boys)
Toby Snow (ACJBC u16 Boys)
Bella Breen (ACJBC u16 Girls)
Amber Grant (ACJBC u16 Girls)
Sienna Privitera (ACJBC u16 Girls)
Liam Porter (ACJBC u18 Boys)
Charli Dobson (ACJBC u18 Girls)
Olivia Pollerd (ACJBC u18 Girls)
Paige Price (ACJBC u18 Girls)
Gemma Simon (ACJBC u18 Girls)
Lani Thornton (ACJBC u18 Girls)
Keely Toohey (ACJBC u18 Girls)
Emirson Devenie (ACJBC u18 Girls)
Axel Goodall (SCC Referee)
Scott Ramsey (ACJBC Head Coach u14 Boys)
Darcy Thornton (ACJBC Asst Coach u14 Boys)
Joe Boothroyd (SCC Asst Coach u15 Boys)
Ben White (ACJBC Head Coach u16 Boys)
Lucas Allen (ACJBC Mentor Coach u18 Boys)
Gerard Hillier (SCC Head Coach)
The Southern Peninsula Basketball Association extends our best wishes to all of our family that will be participating in these events and trust that all involved will become better at their craft as well as better people through the experiences gained.