Future stars on show at Victorian Under-18 Basketball Country Championships
Some of Victoria’s elite basketball talent will be on show in Bendigo this weekend. We’ve named the young guns to watch ahead of the under-18 country championships.
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Some of Victoria’s best basketball talent will be on display in Bendigo this weekend.
International and national representatives will take the hardwood in the Victorian Under-18 Basketball Country Championships.
WATCH SUNDAY’S LIVE VICTORIAN UNDER-18 BASKETBALL COUNTRY CHAMPIONSHIPS ACTION HERE
WATCH SATURDAY’S REPLAYS FROM THE VICTORIAN UNDER-18 BASKETBALL COUNTRY CHAMPIONSHIPS HERE
Heraldsun.com.au will be livestreaming selected games across the weekend.
We’ve highlighted out some elite youngsters to remember from across the competition.
MACEY EATON & MARTIN STEEN (Bendigo)
The Braves pair are both in the Victorian National Performance Pathway program, which identifies elite junior talent in the state. Steen was selected in last year’s Vic Country under-16 squad while Eaton was an emergency for the under-18s. The talented young guards will hope to leads Bendigo to back-to-back championships titles on their home floor.
ALEX MOLAN, FLETCHER BURGER & LUCAS IMPEY (Ballarat)
All three were part of the Vic Country under-16 squad last season and part of the Victorian National Performance Pathway program for 2021. Despite the Miners being seeded 10th, they’ll form a strong triumvirate that will need to be marked closely. Alex Molan is the brother of Richmond AFLW player and former Vic Country representative Sophie Molan.
JAMIE BOTTRELL & JET KNEEBONE (Geelong United)
Bottrell and Kneebone were both part of the Vic Country under-16 squad that won a silver medal in 2019 and will be looking to return to the national stage with strong showings this weekend. Power forward Bottrell is a threat at both ends of the court and will link up nicely with the speed and vision of Kneebone down the wings.
GEORGE STEVENS (Warrnambool)
The 200cm big man led Warrnambool to the under-16 country championships title in 2020, scoring 26 points in the grand final. Stevens averaged a tournament-high 23 points per game. Draws double teams due to his size and is capable of finding the open man. A battle between basketball and football looms large in the future over the talented multi-sport athlete.
JACK HREHORESEN (Maffra)
Was the lone underage selection in last year’s Vic Country under 18 squad and will have plenty of interested onlookers this season. A member of the Victorian National Performance Pathway program, the strongly built guard doesn’t mind using his body to get down low but is just as comfortable shooting from range. Averaged 16 points a game at last year’s country championships.
DARCY JONES & BEN FORSYTH (Southern Peninsula)
Both Jones and Forsyth are in the Victorian National Performance Pathway program and in the Southern Peninsula senior squad, giving the Sharks one of the best one-two combinations in the tournament. Jones was a Vic Country under-16 rep in 2019 and was an emergency in the under-18s in 2020. Expectations are high in 2021. Forsyth was also an emergency for last year’s under-18 squad.
LACHLAN SMITH (Wonthaggi)
Smith was selected in the Vic Country under-16 squad last year and secured a spot in the Victorian National Performance Pathway program, underlining his promise. The 195cm centre is capable of stuffing the stat sheet with a neat scoring touch and ability to rebound at either end.
GIRLS
JEMMA AMOORE, MILLY SHARP & ROSIE TODD (Ballarat)
There’s a reason Ballarat is seeded No.1 for the country championships. Amoore and Sharp were selected in the Vic Country under-16 squad last year while Todd was a bottom-ager in the under-18 squad. All three will be looking to help break the Rush’s grand final losing streak. Amoore is a guard with strong leadership, Sharp and Todd are both energetic forwards who are capable of swooping on loose balls and quickly transitioning defence into attack.
TANIELLE KNIGHT (Geelong United)
Was set to make her Australian Junior Championships debut last year after earning a spot in the Vic Country under-18 squad as a bottom-ager before COVID-19 arrived and will be hoping to hold onto that spot in 2021. The 188cm forward boasts three-point shooting range but is just as comfortable in the paint.
SIENNA PRIVITERA (Traralgon)
Represented Australia Country at under-15 level in New Zealand in 2019 as well as Vic Country at the Under-16 National Championships in Darwin and will be looking to bounce back strongly after the 2020 season was wiped out. The young point guard will have to shoulder a lot of the work for the T-Birds.
BRIANNA BEHSMANN (Mildura)
Behsmann already has a gold medal around her neck this year after helping Victoria to the Australian Country Junior Championships title in Albury in January. Already playing senior basketball in Mildura, the young gun claimed the Mildura Basketball Association MVP and her club best-and-fairest in 2019-20.
DALLAS LOUGHRIDGE & MYAH HEALEY (Warragul)
Loughridge will be looking to impress in Bendigo after earning an invite to a Gems FIBA Under-19 World Cup training camp later this month. Already an Australian international at under-16 level, the point guard is a danger anywhere on the court with her speed, passing and scoring touch.
Healey is a Vic Country under-16 representative and will be an imposing figure on court for Warragul. The centre will be hard to stop down low and having come through the elite pathways with teammate Loughridge, will form a deadly one-two combination. Also a member of Casey’s Victorian Netball League squad.
JAIME GALLATLY (Maffra)
A rising star in Victoria Country basketball, Gallatly was selected in the Vic Country Under-16 squad for last year’s national championships in Perth and will look to step up an age group this year. A member of the Victorian National Performance Pathway, the young gun will be hoping to press her claims for a shot at the Under-18 national championships.
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