The 2024 National Junior Classic (NJC) took centre stage this King’s Birthday weekend, with the nation’s best junior teams invited to compete for the eight coveted titles up for grabs. 128 teams in divisions from Under 12’s to Under 18’s for both girls and boys took to the court over three days, with 61 of the 128 teams invited, travelling from interstate. The NJC was played at both the newly opened State Basketball Centre in Wantirna South and Dandenong Basketball Stadium.
From the outset it was obvious that many of Australia’s best junior players had descended on Melbourne to compete, many doing so for the first time, including the Under 12 Girls from Swan Hill in north-western Victoria. There were also those visiting clubs and players who’ve become synonymous with success at the annual national tournament, such as Sturt (SA), South Adelaide (SA), Norths (NSW) and the Sydney Comets (NSW) all in Melbourne to take on the very best from across Victoria.
The older age groups (as usual) were littered with talent who’ve represented their state and country already. The opportunity for strong performances to be noticed at the National Junior Classic though, can create a platform for the next generation of players we see competing in the NBL and WNBL in the years ahead.
The experiences for participants will stay with them for a lifetime, but these events don’t come together without the support of many.
Emma Hayes, Leagues Administrator & Events Coordinator, Basketball Victoria said, “On behalf of Basketball Victoria, I'd like to thank our volunteers, the event management team and technical officials for ensuring the 2024 National Junior Classic was a huge success. I'd also like to thank our partners for their support and acknowledge the terrific work of our media partners who shared hundreds of special moments.”
Emma continued, "We saw large crowds, highlighted by a massive 2,000 people at the final match of the tournament - the Under 18 Boys Grand Final. Throughout the weekend we saw plenty of matches being played into overtime and buzzer beaters leading to excited crowds and great experiences for the children! We thank the teams and their families that travelled from all over Australia to participate and we look forward to seeing the best come together again in 2025!”
The tournament was officiated by our most talented and dedicated referees from across the state who officiate every Friday night for our VJBL competition. With the Classic being a marquee event on the calendar, we want to ensure that our referees perform to the highest of standards so the competing teams have a positive on-court experience. To elevate our referees skills and performance, a referee coach is assigned to every game, coaching and developing referees throughout the tournament and beyond. The referees had a busy tournament with up to four games per day to officiate so the BV team made sure the referees had a balanced and positive environment throughout the weekend.
It was amazing to see amongst these high performing referees many were under the age of 18 (Green Whistle) confirming age does not equal ability. Victoria has invested significantly in the Technical Officials landscape and an event like the Classic highlights the depth of our talent. With BIGV, NBL1 South, NBL and FIBA referee coaches giving up their weekend to support the next generation of referees, it also confirms that our culture is strong. The future of refereeing in Victoria is very bright with 83% of our Grand Final referees being 23 and under and 19% were under the age of 18 which is exciting for the future of our Technical Officials.
The Basketball Victoria (BV) team scheduled 384 games played by over 1400 athletes and to keep those games running on time, covered over 50,000 steps over the three days!
After three tough days on court, thrilling moments of play and atmosphere– the final standings and our Grand Final MVPs for each age group were as follows:
Congratulations to all teams, coaches, families, officials and volunteers who participated! So many great moments captured across the weekend, click below to view the full gallery of images.
Want to re-live the action, atmosphere and fun that was the 2024 National Junior Classic? You can watch our wrap video below – ENJOY!
Official Event Media
Photography - Sport in Focus
Video - Baseline Hoops
