EIGHT local junior basketballers will take the next step in their development in September after the recent announcement of selections for this year’s Country Under-12 Jamboree in Echuca.
Held each year in Echuca, the event invites 120 boys and 120 girls from across country Victoria to participate.
The focus is on gaining experience and developing basketball skills in a high-performance environment, under the tutelage of some of the state’s best junior basketball coaches.
Swan Hill will be represented by two boys and six girls.
Lucas Pay and Deacon Roberts were selected, along with Isabel Free, Scarlett Free, Mia Hirst, Rubi Kelly, Ivy Patterson and Stella Scott.
Starting on Saturday, September 21, and finishing on Tuesday, September 24, the Jamboree will allocate players into 24 separate teams to encourage development alongside different teammates.
The 240 players are selected from their region’s under-12 Skills Day, with the final squads selected from the top-age players who excelled.
“We’re extremely proud,” the Swan Hill Basketball Association said in a statement.
“It’s great to get eight players from Swan Hill into the program, it’s great to see young local kids rise and take the next step.
“It all starts with our domestic competition, which is improving year on year both in numbers and development.
“The focus is on getting back to basics with our domestic competition, that’s where we start and where we build from.
“That’s the grounding and where they get their skill base from, obviously the majority of the kids selected for the Jamboree are squad players and they get extra trainings, but they all get their skill base from being part of a strong domestic competition.
“It’s a great achievement to have eight boys and girls selected this year and one we as an association are really proud of.”
