2023 Basketball Australia Schools Championships Insider: All the stories behind day one’s action

The level of rising basketballers has “changed dramatically” according to Boomers coach Brian Goorjian after viewing the talent first hand on the Gold Coast. Read more in our Schools Championships Insider.

Australian Boomers coach Brian Goorjian was blown away with the talent on hand on the first day of the Australian School Basketball Championships on the Gold Coast.

“I don’t know names because I am not familiar, but the brand of basketball, the overall skill of the kids, the bodies, the size, the athleticism, has all changed dramatically in the last five years,” Goorjian said.

“I think the kids are more skilled, better basketball players, better shooters, better dribblers, and they play better together as a five.

“It is really exciting, I came up here and one of the best things I did as a Boomers coach, when I started 16 years ago, I brought the team to the Gold Coast.

Boomers coach Brian Goorjian at the Basketball Australia School Championships on the Gold Coast. Picture: Basketball Australia

FIND EACH COURT’S LIVE STREAM FROM THE OPENING DAY BELOW

“So we did our camps here in Southport and so I am very familiar with this area and a perfect example is these facilities now and the Commonwealth Games coming here, the interest and development of basketball on the Gold Coast compared to what it was when I first came up here 15 years ago.

“I am seeing a lot of guys that I coached against in the NBL or that I coached, now coaching teams and living up here, all of this is tying the line with making the game grow.

“It used to be a second tier sport, even third tier to cricket, football, swimming, tennis but that is no longer the case.”

Goorjian and Opals coach Sandy Brondello were in attendance for the competition’s opening ceremony and are also holding a coaching clinic tonight.

“The whole purpose to come in here is to promote the support Basketball Australia has for the schools competition and what is going on underneath the Boomers and the Opals is really important for the future of the game,” Goorjian said.

“So this tournament becomes really important, so my purpose for being here is to look at talent, see how the kids are playing, what the coaches are doing, what the schemes are and show Basketball Australia’s support for it.

“As far as the clinic goes, they asked for a clinic and I said ‘whatever you guys want I am here to do’ and they asked me to do something on zone defence so I am prepared and ready to go.”

Goorjian said the role of schools in developing young players was of high importance. Picture: Basketball Australia

Originally coming to the country from America, Goorjian has seen first hand the change in focus for basketball development in the country.

“It is interesting, when I originally came to Australia, I came out of a system where there weren’t clubs, it was all schools, America is built on school systems and this is all club,” he said.

“Now in the last 10 to 15 years, I know it started in Victoria, a lot more ex-players are going to schools and developing rivalries and bringing development and education to the schools.

“Now this competition is really important because a school can do a lot for a kid, the facilities, the coaching and the coaches being professionals and full-time, I think it adds a lot to the development.

“There is a place for club basketball, but the growth in this has been great for players and for coaching and the proof is in this tournament now which is just in its grassroots.”

He said competitions like these are vital for the growth of the next generation of Boomers.

“In the position I am in, I only get these guys for a short window at a time, I am totally reliant on these processes to have a good national team,” Goorjian said.

“So it is exciting and it means that our national program is very strong right now and it is going to go from strength to strength.”

CRUNCH DECISION BEHIND SA STAR’S BIG RISE

Glenunga International High School’s Alex Dodson kick-started the Basketball Australia School Championships with a bang as he recorded an emphatic double-double with 35 points and 22 rebounds in his side’s comeback win over Berwick College.

Standing at 6ft 8, he is certainly a physical presence on the floor and the young gun has made a meteoric rise through the basketball world.

But it was a crunch decision 12 months ago, which has put the South Australian on the path to the elite level.

“I have been playing since around year four or year five, so about six or seven years now,” Dodson said.

“I first started playing to help me with my footy, just to help me with my agility and pace and movement.

Alex Dodson in action for SA at the U18 National Championships earlier this year. The Glenunga big man dropped 35 points at the School Championships on Monday. Picture: Taylor Earnshaw Photography

“That was the overall reason why I started and I just fell in love with it.

“I am basically basketball focused now, I dropped footy last year just to focus on basketball so that is the main goal right now.”

The 17-year-old is now plying his trade in the NBL1 Central with the Norwood Flames, a move which has been pivotal in his development as a basketballer.

“NBL1 has been awesome, working with the older guys has been great, they develop you, they teach you, it is almost like having another coach on the floor,” Dodson said.

“I think it has really helped my development playing with bigger bodies, being more physical and knowing how I can improve and get better.”

Between playing for Norwood and representing his school, the young gun is flat out most days with basketball, spending three to four hours a day working on his game.

The dedication has been vital for his recent success as he has made the move from playing center, to playing at the three or four positions.

“I used to play the center but when I developed into the men’s league, I realised I wasn’t the biggest anymore, so that was when I realised that I had to transition my game to the three or four spot,” he said.

“It was tough at first, because you have to develop a whole new skill set with ball handling and shooting, but working individually with coaches really helped me and over time, I got way better and now I’m really comfortable in that position.”

Dodson (back row, third right) with his Glenunga International HS teammates. Picture: Glenunga International High School

One person who Dodson credits his success to is Norwood NBL1 coach Tim Odell.

“My Norwood NBL1 coach Tim Odell, he is definitely someone who has always believed in me,” Dodson said.

“Back in under-16s, I wasn’t a great player but he gave me the opportunity to play Division 1.

“He is someone who has always believed in me and I’m really thankful for him, he has inspired me to go on with my game.”

In terms of future goals, he has his sights set on making an Australian side with Brian Goorjian in the building, Dodson needed no extra motivation for his first contest.

“I have missed out on a couple of Australian teams, so that has lit a fire under my belly to keep going and that is my biggest goal,” he said.

“Then also just playing at the highest level I can, whether that’s NBL or elsewhere in the world, those are definitely my goals.”

After tearing the house down with a stellar team performance on day 1, Dodson and his side have their sights set on taking home the championship.

“I am super confident for the rest of the competition, I reckon we can go all the way,” he said.

FORMER WNBL BIG GUIDING MARSDEN’S NEXT GENERATION

She is the quiet and calm voice that balances out the Marsden State High girls coaching staff, but don’t be fooled, assistant coach Maddy Allen still has plenty to say.

And her players have been instructed to listen.

The former WNBL big, who played a season under Shane Heal at the Sydney Flames, has been a welcome addition to Charmian Mellars coaching staff for the school’s first crack at the elite division at the Basketball Australia School Championships.

Every match of the Championship division, as well as select matches from the Under-20s divisions, will be exclusively live streamed on KommunityTV this week from the Gold Coast Sport and Leisure Centre.

The Marsden girls will face the toughest test first up, clashing with reigning champions UC Senior Secondary College Lake Ginninderra on Monday morning.

Maddy Allen in action for the Southern District Spartans in the NBL1 North. Picture: Taylor Earnshaw Photography

Maddy Allen during her time at the Sydney Flames.

But they will have the experience of Allen on the sidelines, who was part of the dominant John Paul College side of the late 2000s and won the Schools Championship MVP in 2010.

“(Allen) played in that John Paul College side with my younger sister Kalani, they had a period where they dominated Australian basketball for years,” Mellars said.

“I already knew who Maddie was as a person because of that and then we played several years together in the NBL 1 North at Gladstone and Southern District. I knew who she was as a player and person, and I knew the skills she could bring to our program at Marsden.

Marsden State High's girls team will be wildcard entrants in the Championship division at the Basketball Australia Schools Championships on the Gold Coast.

“I brought her in with me this season because she understands the game well and she articulates herself well. She is very knowledgeable as a guard.”

Allen is still playing basketball at state league level, helping the Southern District Spartans to reach the finals in the NBL 1 North this season, averaging 23.1 points, 8.1 rebounds and 4.9 assists per game.

While she coached the Marsden Under-15s at the BA School Championships last year, Mellars decided to bring Allen into the Championship fold to cut down the assistant coach’s workload.

But it has come with its own hidden benefits.

“We definitely have that balance there,” Mellars said. “I am a yeller on the sidelines. I am the loud dominant voice and Maddie then pulls the girls aside for a quiet word.

“She works really well with the girls. She gives her five cents worth, which is always valuable and incredible.

“I think we work incredibly well together and bounce off each other.”

Originally published as 2023 Basketball Australia Schools Championships Insider: All the stories behind day one’s action