Tara Murray
A group of young Whittlesea Pacers basketballers are set to take on the best players from across the country later this year.
The Pacers under-14.1 boys team has been selected to participate in the Australian Junior under-14 Club Championships in September.
Just 48 teams from across Australia are selected to be involved in the championships, making it one of the most elite youth competitions in the country.
Pacers coaching director Shannon Bodley said it was a pretty massive achievement from the side.
“The club is very proud of them,” he said.
“I think it’s the first time in Pacers history, we’ve had a team make the championships. It’s definitely the first time in my 10 to 12 years here that a team has made it.”
The team qualified for the championships through their performances in the Victorian Junior Basketball League.
The side finished on top of their VC pool, which was enough to secure their spot at the club championships.
They currently sit in fourth spot with six or seven rounds left in the overall competition.
Bodley said their results in the VC competition were massive for the club by themselves.
“They did all the hard work early in the season to get to the top of their pool,” he said.
The side also earlier this year finished runners-up at the Dandenong Classic, which included teams from South Australia and New South Wales.
Bodley puts down the success to a group of players, who play well together.
“They played under-12s together and kept the majority of the group as one,” he said. “They know each other’s games back to front so that certainly helps.
“Coach Rory Smith has done a good job getting them playing together as a team.”
Bodley said they had no expectations for the club championships, but were hoping they could put out a good show.
“We obviously want to be competitive,” he said. “It will be another step up and it’ll be good to play at that level.
“It would be great to get to the finals, but the experience alone will be enough for these boys. It will be amazing.”
The side is also looking for sponsors to help them make the trip to New South Wales for the championships.
Meanwhile, the Pacers have advertised their Big V coaching roles for next season.
The club has advertised for coaches for both their senior men’s and women’s teams, and their youth league men’s and women’s teams.
This season the club didn’t have a senior women’s division, with Bodley saying they were trying to get that side back up and going.
