THE Limestone Coast has again been well represented, with 16 junior Lakers and three coaches selected in SA Country teams.
The teams will compete at the 2020 Australian Country Junior Basketball Cup in Albury/Wodonga and the Southern Cross Challenge in Melbourne in January.
Next year will mark the 34th anniversary of the Country Cup, which continues to grow.
The first cup was held in 1985 when 28 teams from country NSW, Victoria and SA competed.
In 2020 the cup will be conducted at the Lauren Jackson Sports Centre from January 11-18 where there will be around 64 teams with more than 750 players, coaches and officials participating.
Tasmania has an increase in team numbers, while Fiji will compete for the first time, along with regulars New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia and New Zealand.
Another 1600 people comprising of families and spectators are expected to visit the border cities.
The Southern Cross Challenge is a development tournament run by Basketball Victoria.
It provides elite junior basketballers the opportunity to compete against development squads from other states.
The tournament has grown since its inception in 2012 and now involves Under 14 and 15 boys and girls teams from ACT, along with Country and Metro teams from NSW, Victoria, WA and SA.
The event will be held at the State Basketball Centre, Wantirna, Victoria from January 17-20.
Six Under 14 Lakers – Taj Brumby, Ava Collins, Macey Griffith, Indi Lawrence, Stella Mobbs and Cara Nulty – will have their first taste of the state experience when they represent SA Country at the Country Cup.
Three Under 15 Lakers players – Paige Exelby, Mackye Baron and Harry Wright – are members of the SA Country teams to compete in the Southern Cross Challenge.
Under 16 Lakers Ben Young and Zachary Nulty, reserves for last year’s state team, are joined by State Under 16 player and former Laker, Rori Perryman in the Country Cup Under 16 teams.
The Lakers are strongly represented in the SA Country Under 18 Women’s teams by Pioneers squad members Emily Dawe, Mikaela Horrigan, Claire Hunter and Sarah Nulty.
Former Lakers coach Dan Stratford has been appointed head coach of the SAC Under 16 boys after his success with the state team last year.
Bryan Green was state Under 16 boys assistant coach with Stratford in 2019 and returns as team coach in 2020.
Former Pioneers’ championship player Kurt Russell is a newcomer to representative junior state team coaching and will get his first experience as a team coach of the SA Country Under 15 boys teams competing in the Southern Cross Challenge.
As well as attending trainings in Adelaide, these players will undertake a three-week home training program under the guidance of Green before the January events.
