Country basketballers from South Australia treat the annual Australian Junior Country Basketball Cup on the Border as their most important tournament of the year.
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The South Australians have been present at every edition of the event since its first staging in 1985.
South Australian Country Basketball Player and Development Officer Jamie Petty said there is a big emphasis placed on the Cup for the state’s entire high performance program.
“It’s one of the few times we get to train with all our players and work with them against each other to see where they’re at,” Petty said.
“It’s a great measuring stick for us against high-level opposition from around the country.
“The other thing is we don’t get a gauge of how kids perform under pressure, so it’s a really challenging time for them and the diamonds tend to stand out under the pressure.
“We get a lot of great improvement from this tournament, it’s a big part of what we do.”
Petty admitted one of the biggest challenges in developing players is the geography of the state.
“We have an association in Rocksby Downs, seven hours north of Adelaide and then we have one in Mount Gambier, five hours south of Adelaide,” he said.
“We have kids situated literally 15 hours from each other, so to get them here in one group is a big thing.
“It’s great for the kids because they make a lot friendships from kids all over the state.”
He added it is arguably the biggest trial for the players to face.
“After this tournament we will name the 10 under 18s who will play at the Australian Junior Championships, so it’s added pressure for them to compete and develop, but also keep impressing us,” Petty said.
“The under 16s will have a trial afterwards because the nationals are a bit later, but we take their performances very seriously because its hard to emulate the high standard and intensity we have here.”
The 180-strong South Australian touring group at this year’s Cup includes 14 teams across under 14s, under 16s and under 18s age groups, as well as 26 coaches and even more managers.
However, they have no shortage of support.
“It’s a big operation, but we’re really lucky we have a great volunteers and managers that put in a lot of time,” Petty said.
“We have three coach buses to get everyone around, but we’re fortunate the parents are very invested in it.
“From Adelaide it’s a 12-hour drive and most of the parents drive up and follow the buses to cheer the teams on, which the kids definitely appreciate.”