15 October, 2025
Kym Cheeseman
Queensland, Gold Coast - Basketball Victoria’s (BV) commitment to professional growth and collaboration was on full display recently, as members of our team travelled to the Gold Coast to manage the basketball competition at the 2025 UniSport Nationals.
The UniSport Nationals is one of the largest university sporting events in Australia, bringing together student-athletes from across the country to compete across more than 30 sports. This year’s basketball competition saw BV staff step into new environments, taking on key operational and coordination roles alongside UniSport staff and volunteers.
Developing Through Experience
Working as part of a national event provided a valuable opportunity for our team to grow and develop according to BV’s values - Lead the Play, Every Day is Game Day, and We Take the Court Together.
The experience offered a fresh perspective on event delivery, with staff learning new systems and approaches that can be implemented back home in Victoria.
Basketball Victoria Country Competitions Officer, Sarah Szczykulski enjoyed the experience, “It was great to be part of an event on a national scale, to be providing skills learnt in competitions across Victoria into a different environment” she said. “Whilst some of the basics of competition management were very similar, there were different challenges; most of all conducting an event for more than 70 teams across 5 days of competition. It was a terrific learning experience and provided ideas and thoughts for future opportunities for our Victorian basketball community.”
Building Connections and Networks
In true BV spirit, collaboration and teamwork were key themes of the experience.
The team met many wonderful volunteers, all from different backgrounds but just happy to be involved, whilst building strong connections with UniSport staff and university team managers that could be really valuable for BV in the future.
A highlight was learning from the event’s Sport Liaison Officer, who managed multiple sports across different venues. He was juggling five sports in different locations, always available to help, and still managing to make time to check in with our team twice a day. His calm and positive approach was a great example of leadership under pressure.
Basketball Victoria’s General Manager - Leagues and Competitions Greg Jeffers reflected “We’re thankful for the team at UniSport to think of us when they needed support. The opportunity for Sarah and Emma to develop their skills outside of their comfort zones on a national scale is one that we were very keen to have them pursue. We’ve built a strong relationship in recent times with UniSport through the University Basketball League and consider this collaboration one that will strengthen ties further whilst providing development opportunities for our staff.”
Memorable Moments
The week was filled with standout moments, from the surprising number of drawn games across pool rounds and finals, to the supportive and friendly atmosphere that defined the event.
When asked to sum up the UniSport Games in three words, the team didn’t hesitate: “Fun. Rewarding. Inspiring.”
At Basketball Victoria, we believe every experience is a chance to learn, lead and grow and our team’s involvement in the UniSport Nationals perfectly reflected our values in action.
To read about our values, click below.
