Basketball Victoria is excited to announce the Victoria Select U18 men’s and women’s teams for the upcoming Kumon Country-Metro Challenge.
With three Victoria Metropolitan and two Victoria Country U18 teams selected to attend the Challenge, there was an opportunity to add a sixth team to the draw to ensure each of our teams would play across all four days of the Challenge in January 2022.
This sixth team in each draw features 10 athletes who have either just graduated Under-18s in 2021 or are U16 top age athletes who are not involved in the Under 18 state team selection for 2022. The Victoria Select teams have been selected with equal numbers of Metro and Country athletes and for all graduating U18 athletes selected, it is a chance to prepare for the National Performance Camp in Canberra the following week.
Basketball Victoria is fortunate to have secured a quartet of exceptional coaches to lead the Victoria Select teams – with Dee Butler and Sam Woosnam to coach the Victoria Select women’s team and Darren Perry and Craig Stratford to coach the Victoria Select men’s team.
“We believe adding the Victoria Select teams to this event is a great opportunity for not only the selected players, but everyone involved in the Kumon Country-Metro Challenge too,” Basketball Victoria General Manager – High Performance and Pathway Grant Wallace said. "Instead of one team missing out every day, we've now got six elite teams in the Under-18 draw and will give even more Victorians a chance to learn and develop in this High Performance environment.
“For the best competition to help our Under-18 squads approaching state team selections, we are pleased to give this opportunity to 20 deserving Victorian athletes who are keen to participate in this competition.
“This will give the players, referees and coaches across the U18 draw a chance to play four days of high intensity, meaningful basketball and for everyone to get the most out of this one-off event.”
The 2022 Kumon Country-Metro Challenge will be held at the State Basketball Centre, 291 George St, Wantirna South from 14-17 January 2022.
VICTORIA SELECT U18 WOMEN
Elsie Noonan (VC)
Aleks Connolly (VC)
Isabella De Jong (VC)
Hannah Day (VM)
Emilia Marinkovic (VM)
Keira McKinnon (VM)
Dyani Ananiev (VC)
Georgia Koopmans (VC)
Amy O'Hara (VM)
Holly Griffiths (VM)
VICTORIA SELECT U18 MEN
Malik Gordon(VC)
Henry Hayes (VC)
Brody Hull (VC)
Brennan Dick (VM)
Cedric Rault (VM)
Fraser Roxburgh (VM)
Darcy Jones (VC)
Ben Forsyth (VC)
AJ Magbegor (VM)
Daniel Poelsma (VM)