SEABL Basketball. Photo by Trevor Jackson
With the current disappointing trends at our elite basketball level, one league appears to be heading in the other direction. An article published on the SEABL website recently, Basketball Booms in SEABL, cited some good reasons for optimism in our game.
SEABL is fast becoming the premier league in the country, with its community based model.
Teams representing the major cities of Hobart, Melbourne, Canberra and Brisbane and major regional centres such as Albury/Wodonga, Mt Gambier, Bendigo, and others, all provide great coverage for the sport.
Import players offer entertainment, excitement and experience to the league.
A development league has been established in Victoria concentrating on players under 23 years of age, providing a pathway to a bigger and better career.
I’ve attended a number of Bandits games this season, (Albury/Wodonga) and the crowds have been very supportive.
Our whole team structure has changed this year with new coaches and international players lifting the performance and profile of the struggling club.
New Zealanders Lisa Wallbutton and Toni Edmondson crossed the Tasman with coach Ken Kareama, providing a much needed boost for the girls, who are currently sitting fourth on the ladder
With some very young players in the squad, this is an excellent result so far, not just for the club but for basketball in general.
While the men have still been doing it hard new coach James Madigan and two imports in Fernandez Locket and Jermaine Williams have provided a talented pool of locals more opportunities to shine, and the local boys are certainly stepping up to the plate.
The competition itself is hard and fast and very physical in nature offering our youth a taste of the ‘real deal’ and providing fans with an exciting viewing experience.
While I’ve been a big supporter of the NBL I have to say I’ve enjoyed SEABL for a number of years now.
Their model of community based involvement and their ability to attract top level players offers so much to the areas they represent.
The youth wanting to further their experience/careers, once the domestic comps no longer provide the level of competition they desire, have this opportunity through the SEABL programs.
With some excellent junior representative programs in place at the grass roots level, the new D-League and SEABL all the stepping stones are in place.
All we need now is a sustainable elite level competition and our game will be back to where it belongs.
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