The success of Sunbury Jets’ youth women’s side in Big V division 2 this season is inspiring the town’s next group of young female basketballers.
The Jets have struggled in recent seasons, with many of the girls who have been in the program for the past five years not being on the winning side very often.
That has changed this season, with the side sitting 9-1 after losing for the first time at the weekend to a buzzer-beater from over halfway.
Coach Andrew Seidel said he would have taken a start like that before the season began.
“I was assistant coach last season and when the opportunity arose I threw my hat in the ring,” Seidel said before the weekend’s matches.
“Morale was down as we hadn’t won very often.
“As I was appointed late in the piece, we weren’t able to recruit heavily.”
Half of last year’s team returned for this year, with a few players who had time off returning.
Four of the players, Tamara Knox, Terri McIntosh, Tayla Allen and Naomi Stevens, gained plenty of experience last season playing several games with the women’s senior team. Knox and Stevens are playing for both sides again.
“To a degree [playing women’s] has helped them. They have been in the program for five years,” Seidel said.
“They help form the nucleus of the side and we are one of the more experienced sides in the competition.
“We’ve been training with the senior women and played games against them in training, which adds to the experience.”
The Jets were in division 1 last season but with the introduction of a division 2 they found themselves demoted.
“I tell the girls not to think about whether we’re in division 1 or division 2,” Seidel said.
“We could probably do damage in division 1. We were stiff last year; it wasn’t like we were being thrashed.
“We wanted to be competitive but [our good start] is a shock.”
Seidel has been named the division’s coach of the month in both the opening months of the season.
The Jets lost their first match of the season 56-53 to Camberwell on Saturday night.
Scores were level when a half-court shot from Camberwell clinched the win on the siren.
The Jets bounced back with a 84-57 win over Mornington in their next match.
