Big V basketball: Wallan prepares for Division 2 season in its 40th year
A club who continues to “punch above its weight” is ready to make an impact on Big V basketball in its 40th year with the club outlining its path to success.
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There are plenty of reasons to be excited as a Wallan basketball fan.
In its 40th year, the Panthers four Big V teams look set to make plenty of noise throughout the upcoming season.
And that’s without mentioning the amazing achievements of some of the club’s junior teams.
All four Big V teams will compete in Division 2 with tip-off this weekend.
Club president Tracy Connors admitted it was difficult to contain her excitement just days out from the start of the season.
“We have so much to celebrate at the money and we couldn’t be happier with where the club is at,” she said.
“We’ve got huge numbers in our junior ranks - we’re up 15 per cent on pre-Covid numbers. So many people are just wanting to give basketball a go.
“Then our senior teams have had some fantastic results in the lead-up to the season which has us really excited about their potential.
“We might only be a small club compared to the others but we continue to punch above our weight.”
One of the must watch players to arrive at the Panthers for the 2022 is men’s import Arcaim Lallemand.
The former Eastern New Mexico University big man has replaced Sharif Black, who has made the step up to the Championship division after joining McKinnon.
“Arcaim has already proven to be a really popular pick up,” Connors said.
“He’s the epitome of Wallan basketball with the fantastic attitude he has shown. He’s a big presence on the court which isn’t the type of player we’ve targeted before.
“But most importantly off the court he has a beautiful nature and that’s what we want to see from the players we bring into our club.”
The senior teams will be hoping to follow in the footsteps of Wallan’s top under 12s team after it qualified for the Victorian Championship in the Victorian Junior Basketball League - the top tier in the state.
Coach Peter Casper’s team had started the qualification process ranked 58 but eventually worked its way to 20.
Now they’ll have the opportunity to face off against some of the state’s best basketball programs.
“Peter has been a breath of fresh air for our club,” Connors said.
“It was a remarkable achievement for our club to have a team competing at this level.
“We’ve shown we can compete against the bigger clubs and we’re looking forward to watching the boys develop.”
WALLAN’S OPENING ROUND FIXTURES
Men
March 19 v Altona (H)
March 20 v Sherbrooke (H)
Women
Bye
Youth League men
March 19 v Southern Peninsula (H)
March 20 v Albury Wodonga Bandits (H)
Youth League women
March 20 v Blackburn (A)
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