By Tara Murray
Four Bacchus Marsh players are in line for higher honours, having been selected in squads to play with some of the top country basketballers in the state.
The four boys have been selected in the squads for the Southern Cross Challenge and Australian Country Junior Basketball Cup (ACJBC), which will earn them an insight into elite development and higher-level game play across the two elite junior tournaments held in January.
Reece McGrath and Bailey Wilson have both been selected in the under-14 squad to play at the [AJCBJ] in Albury.
Jackson Djatschenko has been selected in the under-15 Southern Cross Challenge, while Oliver Morin has been selected as an emergency in the under-16 AJCBJ squad.
Playing as part of these squads is the first step in trying to qualify for Vic Country squads for the national championships at under-16 and under-18 level.
All four boys started playing basketball at Bacchus Marsh in under-8s.
The boys have all been part of the Basketball Victoria Regional Academy Program this year and were selected for the championship squads after an intense training camp.
McGrath and Wilson are both bottom-age players trying to make the under-16 Vic Country team for next year.
Bottom-age athletes are selected for the Australian Junior Country Basketball Cup, while top-age athletes compete in the Southern Cross Challenge.
McGrath said he was excited to be selected and was learning a lot, while Wilson said it was an honour to be selected and he is looking forward to gaining more skills and knowledge.
Morin, who will be hoping to get a call-up to the under-16 AJCBJ squad, said it was fantastic to get an opportunity and hoped any chance he got would further his career.
Patricia Pitts, who manages the Ballarat Region of the BV Academy program, where all four boys train, said it was exciting for the boys to get this opportunity.
She said being part of the program and then being selected in the championship squads is the only way to be selected for the Vic Country teams.
“It is huge,” she said.
“You have to be part of the academy program to be selected.
“They all went really well at the Golden Nugget Camp. I’m looking forward to seeing them at the next stage.”
Pitts said seeing players from some of the smaller associations make it to this level is exciting.
She said all the boys travel to Ballarat each week to train.
Meanwhile, Bacchus Marsh’s Country Basketball League side had a big win against Ararat RedBacks in the south-west competition.
Despite missing their leading scorer, Billy Feben, the Lions had no trouble accounting for the RedBacks 114-72 after leading by 12 points at the main break.
Max Beaumont, who scored 31 points in his first five games combined, had a night out by scoring 42 points for the Lions.
Jordan Kirk also had a good night, scoring 25 points. The win takes the Lions to a 4-2 record. They will face Terang Tornadoes on Saturday night.
