Top rising junior players of Gympie Basketball Association in 2023
From MVPS to players who’ve made the Qld development squad or high level championships, here are some the biggest young talents of Gympie basketball, their dreams and what they love about the sport.
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Basketball has a powerful presence in the Gympie sporting community, with the Gympie Basketball Association frequently hitting full capacity and making headlines in its quest for expanded facilities.
Within the local competition, there are many talented and competitive sportsmen and women making representative teams and gunning to one day play in Australia’s National Basketball League.
From long-time players dedicated to training to aspiring juniors, these are the rising stars of basketball in the Gympie region:
Kobe Harlen Kent
Age: 13
Teams: Division 2 Thunder and Under 14s Comets representative team.
Kobe was inspired to play basketball about 18 months ago so he could be on a team with his mate.
He loves to defend and dribbling the ball across the court.
His greatest achievement has been earning a place on the under 14’s representative team in 2022 and he has his eyes set on earning the title of season MVP.
Cody Fitzpatrick
Age: 15
Teams: Division 1 high school seniors and under 16 Gympie Comets.
Cody began playing basketball at the age of 10, after his friend encouraged him to do so.
He enjoys learning new skill, and making new friends on the basketball team.
For the last two years, Cody has held the title of “best defender” and is determined to keep on improving throughout this year.
Benjamin Dibsdale-Godwin
Age: 11
Teams: Gympie Wildcats Division 2 boys, Noosa Eastern Eagles White under 12s division 1 and under 12s Sunshine Coast Phoenix.
Benjamin has four years of basketball experience under his belt and followed in his parents’ footsteps in the sport.
His favourite part of basketball is meeting new people and making friends, he said.
His greatest achievement was being voted “Player’s Player” by the Sunshine Coast Phoenix team and he dreams to play professional basketball NBL.
“I love to play defence, hustling hard and seeing my teams do well,” Benjamin said.
“I enjoy learning new moves and plays.”
Lila Mamet
Age: 16
Team: Aces women’s team and the high school girl’s competition
Lila found her passion for basketball when she went to watch one of her friends play at a local competition and has been playing for the past six years.
“I knew I wanted to learn the skills required and be a part of such a great sporting community,” Lila said.
She loves the welcoming and “friendly competitive nature” of the club and has played in the women’s competition and various tournaments.
Her aim for the future is to improve her basketball skills and abilities through her training and to continue representing Gympie in competitions.
“I try to play my best not only for myself but for my team,” Lila said.
Winning is not the most important thing for me I just want to support other and enjoy playing the game.”
Jordan Jenkin
Age: 17
Team: Suns men’s League: Suns and Raptors Senior High.
Jordan Jenkin started in Aussie Hoops when he was six years old.
“Dad was the main reason I started playing but I particularly enjoyed the end of season pizza party” he said.
Jordan loves the social aspect of playing basketball.
“[People] make the sport much more interesting and fun regardless of who they are or their skill level.”
His biggest achievement so far was getting to the state championships in 2022 on the Gold Coast in the under 18’s team.
Jordan’s basketball goal is to be a dominant player within his area.
Lara Jenkin
Age: 15
Team: Women’s: Scorpions, high school girls: Gems and Maryborough: Magic under 16 girls
Just like her brother, Jordan, Lara has been playing basketball since she was six years old when she joined Aussie Hoops.
She says her dad was her inspiration for playing basketball and she loves the “competition” of the sport.
Lara has made it to the Queensland Development Squad in 2022, and hopes to play in the higher levels of basketball in the future, such as the Women’s National Basketball League.
Josh Elson
Age: 14
Team: Division 1 Thunder, Men’s Comets and Under 16 Gympie representative team.
Josh has been playing basketball since he was eight, when his father encouraged him to give it a try.
His favourite thing about the sport is the team work required.
“It‘s exciting and I love scoring and grabbing rebounds.”
At 12 years old, Josh played for the Wide Bay team, and since then has played against the best in Queensland at state trials.
His dream is to make it to one of the Queensland teams and play in the NBL.
Josh is really proud of his Under 16 Gympie rep team which just won three out of four games and the team is “progressing really well”.
He is hoping the team will do well at the state championships in April 2023.
Jake Henry-May
Age: 15
Teams: Sunshine Coast Phoenix under 18 representative team 2022-2023 and Wide Bay basketball team in 2022.
Jake has been playing basketball for seven years, after his father inspired him to take up the sport.
“I love everything about the game. It has provided me with so many opportunities, so far,” Jake said.
Jake said he travels more than 1000km to attend training every week.
His greatest achievement to-date was when he was invited to the US to chat with college coaches about possible career opportunities after graduation.
His dream is to play basketball in college, and then play professionally overseas.
Damian Small
Age: 15
15
Team: Under 18 men’s Phoenix team .
Before finding his love for basketball in November 2019, many people questioned if Damian Small was already a player due to his tall stature.
“I eventually went to try it out at the Noosa club and I have been hooked ever since,” he said.
Damian loves that he can play the sport all year round and enjoys the fast paced action.
He said there was always something to learn, new people to meet and that he loved the “challenge” of having to push yourself.
Damian has played in the Queensland State Championship as an Under 16 Gympie rep between 2021 and 2022 and as an Under 18 Maryborough rep in 2022 and 2023.
His dream is to join the NBA, but he is also currently doing a sports coaching certificate, hoping to pass on his knowledge to younger players.
Jack Gottke
Age: 14
Team: Division 1 high school boys team, men’s Huskies team and under 16s Gympie team.
Jack Gottke started playing basketball five years ago, when he joined his school team with some of his friends from Hervey Bay.
Jack said he loves everything about basketball, from the fast pace and competition to meeting new people and playing against new teams.
His greatest achievement was seeing his Gympie rep team come together in 2022 and “coming away with a couple of wins” at state championships.
Jack’s ultimate goal is to play full time professionally in Australia, he said.
“I also enjoy reffing the younger divisions when I am not playing.”
Tavian Khan Keatley
Age: 14
Team: Division 1 boys competition, Suns men’s division and Gympie Comets representative team.
Tavian Khan Keatley has been playing basketball for two and a half years now, after he played basketball at Widgee State School.
His father also encouraged him to play in the local competition.
Tavian said he loved playing basketball and called the sport his “therapy”.
His greatest achievement was playing in state championships and his goal was to play in the NBA and NBL.
Tavian wants to become the “best possible version” of himself, he said.
Bella Stewart
Age: 15
Team: Under 18s girl’s competition and Mystics women’s competition.
Bella Stewart started playing basketball five years ago, after her school principal encouraged her to try out for the Gympie Basketball Association.
“I love trying to get my three-pointers in a game,” she said.
Her biggest achievements have been making the Wide Bay team for under 16s, and playing in the Gympie Comets Women's rep team.
Bella said her dream was to make it into the Women’s National Basketball League.
Daniel Dighton
Age: 15
Team: Thunder high school senior boys division 1 and Comets men’s competition.
Daniel Dighton began his basketball career five years ago when his primary school principal Matt Elson encouraged him to try out for the club.
He said he loves meeting people he wouldn’t have known if it wasn’t for competing with or against other players.
“This gave me the opportunity to make many new friends that I now go to school with,” he said.
His biggest sport achievement was playing tournaments against teams from all over Central Queensland in 2022, and then travelling to the Gold Coast to compete in the state championships with the Gympie Comets under 16 rep team.
“My goal for the future is like most basketball players my age, which is to play professionally in the NBA,” he said.
He has also been reffing for three years and now refs all age groups and coaches a primary school team to help young players develop their skills.
Caitlin Killian
Age: 13
Team: Division 1 girls and women’s under 16s Division 1 for Maranoa Heat.
Caitlin Killian started playing basketball when she was five years old, joining the sport to make new friends and to have fun.
She said she loves the friends she has made through basketball and the joy she gets from playing.
Her biggest achievements to-date have been earning the title of last season’s women’s MVP, winning six premierships and joining the Wide Bay team.
Caitlin’s goal for the future is to always find joy in the sport no matter the obstacles that may come her way, she said.
Asher Brown
Age: 12
Team: Under 14s boys Noosa Cyclones, division 1 boys Gympie basketball and under 14s representative team.
Asher Brown has been playing basketball for most of his life but began playing competitively at 10 years old.
“My dad has played basketball his whole life, so it was always a sport I had fun playing, but it really wasn’t until I started going to school that I really gained my passion for playing basketball,” he said.
He said basketball had helped him develop confidence in himself and to“zone out and focus” to do his best.
“When I play basketball in my driveway at home, I don’t even think about what I’m doing with the ball – I’m often thinking in my head about other things,” he said.
“It doesn’t really matter what I think about, it just gives me a sense of freedom.”
Asher said he had plenty of things to be proud of in his basketball career, including MVP awards and scoring titles but what meant the most to him was playing as captain for his rep team.
“It gave me a lot of self-confidence that I didn’t have before, but considering it was my first year playing representative basketball made it mean even more to me,” he said.
His biggest goal is to play for the Portland Trail Blazer in the NBA to represent Portland in Oregon, USA is where he was born.
Julian Hille
Age: 12
Team: Gympie under 14s division and under 14s Noosa competition: Grade A.
Julian began playing basketball four years ago and knew it was the right sport for him when he tried for the Noosa Cyclones.
“I loved the running and exciting gameplay that inspired me to go to training and learn the foundations of the game,” he said.
“The moment I get on the court I am ready to match up to my player and try to create a turnover.
“Basketball is great because everyone in the team has their part and when the team comes together it is so thrilling,”
Julian said his greatest achievement was being selected for the Gympie district and representative teams and being named the best defensive and most team-oriented player on the representative team.
“My future basketball goal is to keep developing my skills, learn from my mentors and teammates and to experience the highest level of basketball I can,” he said.
“I hope that one day Gympie Basketball can provide a stadium to help people explore their potential and possible skills and so that we can host our own representative competition here in Gympie so that other regions can enjoy our town.”
Jack Elson
Age: 15
Team: Thunder division 1
Jack Elson’s basketball career began seven years ago when his father encouraged him to give the sport a try.
“I love playing in competitive games with big crowds, it brings a rush of adrenaline,” he said.
Winning gold while playing for Bundaberg in the under 12 division 3 state championships was Jack’s biggest achievement.
He aims to keep improving in the sport and is honing his skills so he can start dunking the ball, he said.
“I played my first season in the men’s league this season which is a good achievement for 15 [years old] and I’m looking forward to playing rep for Gympie in under 18s at the end of the year,” Jack said.
Jaxyn Gray
Age: 14
Teams: Celtics men’s division 1 and Comets under 16s representative team.
Jaxyn found his passion for basketball two years ago with encouragement from coach Matt Elson and his brother.
“Once I got a taste for it, I realised I loved it,” he said.
He is grateful to have found something he is so passionate about and is always striving to better his game, he said.
Following some jokes about beating his coach one-on-one, Jaxyn said joining the rep team has been his biggest achievement to date.
Jaxyn also wants to take his basketball career to the NBL.
Tessa Krogh
Age: 17
Teams: Division 1 Girls: Storm and Women’s Mystics
Tessa started playing basketball at the age of eight after her mother encouraged her to play. Her favourite thing about basketball is the fast pace of the game. Tessa’s biggest achievement so far has been playing for the Wide Bay team in Cairns. She wants to continue playing in the future, and improve as much as she can and play more representative games.
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