Despite representing Victoria at the Ivor Burge national basketball championships earlier this year, Doreen’s Lachlan Brannelly wasn’t expecting an easy run to make the team a second time.
In fact, he thought it would be even harder.
“They scrapped having Vic Country and Vic Metro teams, and have just one team this time,” he said. “We had two try-outs, and they selected 15 players. I felt pretty confident at that stage I could make the team.”
A phone call from the coach confirmed Brannelly’s selection for the championships, the national competition for basketballers with intellectual disability.
Brannelly, 21, was part of the country team that won bronze earlier in the year. He averaged slightly more than six points and nine rebounds per game. The metro team took out the gold.
Vic Metro has won the men’s competition all but one year since 2003.
Brannelly, who also represented Vic Metro at the 2016 AFL National Inclusion Carnival, started playing basketball in 2007 with St Thomas Basketball Club at the Diamond Valley association.
He now plays in the Doncaster All Abilities Basketball Competition.
The Ivor Burge Championships are being held in Bendigo in February.
