THE annual Australian Junior Basketball Country Cup took place in Albury recently and provided an opportunity for the South East’s brightest young talents to get a glimpse of what it takes to compete at the highest level.
There was also a heavy Mount Gambier presence off the court too, with Bryan Green coaching the Magpies Under 16 boys team and former Lakers coach Dan Stratford leading the Sharks.
Green said the Mount Gambier athletes held their own at the competition, but has identified some areas of improvement if South Australia Country is to compete with the larger teams in the future.
“Victoria and New South Wales play a much more aggressive defence,” he said.
“They press up the floor and deny the wing catch, which forced the offence to start much later into the shot clock and caused a lot of bad shots.
“We progressively got better with this throughout the week with counters to their defence, but it is something we should look at in the future.”
On the individual front, Green said he was impressed by Ben Young in particular.
“Ben was outstanding,” he said.
“He was the captain of the Magpies team and lead from the front.
“He played in a different position due to injuries, but still finished the week as the fourth highest overall scorer, while his defensive efforts on much bigger opponents were also fantastic.”
Green was also proud of his Under 16 Lakers point guard Zach Nulty.
“Zach performed well after coming back from a three-month layoff with a knee injury,” he said.
“He performed to a high standard and controlled the court from the point position.
“I know his coach was impressed with his efforts.”
Some of Mount Gambier’s Under 14 players made their debut at the tournament and believed it was an exciting and nerve racking experience.
Cara Nulty, Ava Collins and Stella Mobbs played for the Magpies, while Indi Lawrence and Macey Griffith were members of the Sharks team, which finished fourth overall.
Macey Griffith loved her first experience facing off against some of the best in her age group and Under 14 player Taj Brumby was tasked with many defensive assignments and showed a lot of composure for the Magpies.
Former Lakers players who are now based in Adelaide also enjoyed solid weeks for their sides.
Rori Perryman helped her Under 16 girls Sharks team to a top-five finish, while Lewis Stratford also performed.
The Under 18 girls team finished the week in fifth place after strong performances by Claire Hunter, Mikaela Horrigan, Sarah Nulty and Emily Dawe.
Hunter received a black eye during her ninth and final Albury tournament and said she will miss the competition.
“It has been great to play basketball and make new friends,” she said.
“It has been a lot of fun and I will miss it for sure next year.”
The tournament was a valuable experience for Mount Gambier’s juniors to learn and develop their skills at a high-calibre event.
