Tracy Village Jets coach Dan East says his team, with young guns Clayton Jewell and Dante Ah Sam, will improve in Darwin Basketball
AFTER an impressive Under-18 Australian Junior Championships campaign, Clayton Jewell continues to get better at Tracy Village.He is one of a handful of star youngsters enjoying a solid Darwin Basketball League season, according to coach Dan East.
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AFTER an impressive Under-18 Australian Junior Championships campaign, Clayton Jewell continues to get better at Tracy Village.
He is one of a handful of star youngsters enjoying a solid Darwin Basketball League season, according to coach Dan East.
Jewell made a name for himself during Northern Territory’s stunning campaign at the national titles in Werribee last month, a highlight being his 20-point haul in his team’s thrilling and memorable 76-74 win over Tasmania.
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Basketball NT high performance manager Rod Tremlett described Jewell’s performance in that game as “phenomenal”.
East was also full of praise for the developing centre after his standout 25-point (seven rebounds) effort in the Jets’ 105-63 win over Essington last Friday night.
“Clayton has come a long way in a short time. He sat on the bench and learned a lot from our older players, and this is his first year starting in this team,” East told the NT News.
“He’s always improving and working on his shot. He was big at the nationals after spending a lot of time under the rim for us down there.
“Both offensively and defensively he’s playing great.”
Tracy Village captain Dante Ah Sam has also enjoyed a good season, his team sitting in fifth with a 3-3 record heading into what should be a tightly-fought clash against Ansett in Round 7 action on Friday night.
Ah Sam is averaging 17 points per game, including a 6-12 performance (24 points) from long range in the win over the Cannons last week.
“Dante is having a really good season. His shooting is improving and his passing game has been huge for us,” East said.
“As he’s getting older he’s seeing the game better. His vision in offence is really good.
“Kelvin Williams has also been impressive for us. He did a great job on (star Essington guard) Elijah Barbour last week (keeping him to 14 points).”
East knows he needs to be patient with his young team that is still finding its potential. “We’ve also had guys injured like Ambrose (Maclean) and Liam (Maclachlan),” the mentor said.
“Beating Ellas (83-69 in Round 4) was a really good win, even though they were without Deola D’Brown.
“Ambrose did an unreal defensive job, and Clayton was very good under the rim while also stopping some shots.
“But a couple of our losses could’ve been wins.”
Like Jets, second-placed Ansett also has plenty of local emerging players.
“They’re always great games whenever we face Ansett,” East said.
“They’ve always been a big rival for us.
“Guys like Matty Hunt, Henry Bui and Brad Davis are great players for them.
“Their roster is deep with a lot of good, young talented players.”
Palmerston also takes on Ellas on Friday night.
And in women’s Round 7 action, Jets v Uni Rebels and Razzle v Ansett are Friday night’s games.
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