DEVELOPMENT PATHWAYS
Age
Competition Level
5- 10 yrs
Mini Thunder
KBA
Development
School Clinics
Basketball Victoria
Development
Hoop Time/ School Basketball
10 -18 yrs
KBA Junior Domestic Competition
Skills Clinic /
Specialist Coaching
10 - 21 yrs
VJBL Competition
Keilor Thunder Performance Program
Tournaments
National Junior Classic
Eltham/Dandenong Tournament
10 - 21 yrs
Basketball Victoria Selection Camps
Keilor Thunder Performance Program
Jamboree - Under 12
Southern Cross Challenge -
U/14 - U/15
State Development Program -
U/15 - U/18
14 - 19 yrs
Basketball Victoria State Team Selection
U/16 - U/20
East Coast Challenge -
U/16 - U/18
+18 yrs
KBA Senior Team Selection -
Youth / Senior League
Centre of Excellence and
Australian Junior Teams -
U/17 - U/19
+18 yrs
National Performance Program
Centre of Excellence (COE)
The Basketball Australia Centre of Excellence (COE) - formerly National Intensive Training Centre Program (NITCP) and AIS
Basketball Program has been the world-leading junior development program since 1981. Dedicated to the development of
future Boomers and Opals, the scholarship athletes are exposed to the country's elite service providers and world-class
facilities based at the AIS in Canberra.
East Coast Challenge (ECC)
The East Coast Challenge (ECC) was a concept which was originally set up by Basketball NSW and Basketball Victoria for
metropolitan athletes at the U16 and U18 level to compete in a round robin style tournament in Sydney.
Due to the success of the tournament in recent years both South Australia and ACT have joined.
In January eight NSW Metropolitan teams (two U16 Boys’ & Girls’ teams and two U18 Boys’ & Girls’ teams) play against
teams from each of the other states.
The U16 teams are selected from the NSW Metropolitan selection camps while the U18 teams consist of the final 20 athletes
that remain in the NSW Metropolitan U18 State Team selection process for the upcoming Australian Junior Championships.
The ECC is a unique development opportunity as it takes athletes away from their comfort zone by exposing them to state
and national level talented athletes & teams. It aims to create positive challenges for players as they need to become
accustomed to the standard of play required to compete at an Australian Junior Championship.
Under 12's Jamboree
Under-12 Metro Skills Days will provide elite opportunities and skills development for 2010 and 2011 born athletes.
Basketball Victoria has sent invitations out to all athletes in the highest grades of VJBL (currently Pool XX and Pool AA) as well
as receiving nominations by their association’s Director of Coaching for those outside those grades.
The purpose of this camp is skill development and to gain experience at the elite level, with all Vic Metro athletes to be
coached by Basketball Victoria’s High Performance coaches under selection conditions. This will show the athletes what is
expected when being selected for the High Performance pathway, which officially commences in the Vic Metro boundaries at
under-16 age group.
Athletes from the Under-12 Metro Skills Days will be selected to attend the Under-12 Metro Jamboree (maximum 80
athletes). This is a four-day development tournament which will be held at Dandenong Basketball Stadium from 5 – 9 July
2021.
Sothern Cross Challenge U14 / U15
Held at the State Basketball Centre, the invitational tournament allows selected under-14 and under-15 teams from across
Victoria, New South Wales, South Australia, ACT and Western Australia to prepare as elite athletes and participate in high-
calibre competition.
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Victoria Metropolitan had three sides per age group featuring at the Challenge, including the Vic Metro Orange U14 team
featuring elite players from our entry point to the pathway program – the Basketball Victoria Metropolitan Showcase. These
elite players from the Showcase represented Vic Metro Orange as bottom age players and received an additional boost to
their development efforts throughout the weekend-long tournament.
But it’s more than just the wins and losses and who rises to the top.
​
As we do with the Country Jamboree and the recently created Metropolitan Showcase, the Southern Cross Challenge has
been put in place to help develop our next generation.
SCC stands as a stepping stone for our youngest elite athletes to help them transition from grassroots and community
basketball into our high performance programs such as the State Development Program, as well as joining our 10 High
Performance Hubs throughout Victoria. These elite athletes can also become part of our state team programs and head to
national junior championships... and it all starts with tournaments like the Southern Cross Challenge.
State Development Program (SDP)
The State Development Program (SDP) is the first step on the way to representing Victoria or taking your game all the way to
Australian junior representative teams and beyond.
Basketball Victoria’s SDP U/16 and U/18 Stage 1 Country Selection Trials are an excellent opportunity for athletes to develop
their skills and improve basketball knowledge in a challenging and enjoyable environment.
These SDP selections will hold even more meaning for athletes, after the majority of basketball in 2020 being restricted to
the backyards of many athletes.
National Junior Classic
The National Junior Classic is the most prestigious junior basketball tournament in the country. With male and female teams
coming to Melbourne from across Australia to compete over the Queen’s Birthday long weekend each year, spectators are
treated to some of the best players from under-12s through to under-18s.
As an invitation-only tournament, entries are capped at 16 per age group, which ensures the nation’s strongest junior
representative teams face off across the three-day tournament.
Eltham Dandenong Tournament
With Australia Day done and dusted, the World's Largest Junior Basketball Tournament: The Eltham Dandenong Junior
Basketball Tournament. The tournament attracts teams from across Australia, with every state and territory represented by
teams or individuals. The tournament which is in its 42 year continues to show extraordinary growth, with 1,307 teams
and 12,500 players in 2016! This is in addition to 1,250 Head Coaches, approximately 600 Assistant Coaches and another
1,307 Team Managers. Every level of competition is catered for, from the elite teams playing in the Victorian Championship
competition (or equivalent) to the local community level and school teams (eg. Shore School from northern Sydney). The
tournament also includes an All Abilities competition. The only basketball tournament to run All Abilities alongside the
mainstream games.
Victoria National Performance Program
The VNPP is an elite opportunity for Victoria’s elite junior basketballers to take up scholarships and develop their skills within
the program. The players are selected from both our Victoria Country and Victoria Metropolitan U16/U18 programs.
These players have been awarded scholarships based on their performances at recent Australian Junior Championships or
have been identified by our High Performance Coaches as having the potential to represent Australia in the future.
Basketball Victoria State Team Selection
In January, eight Victoria Metropolitan teams (two U16 Boys’ and Girls’ teams and two U18 Boys’ & Girls’ teams) play against teams from each of the other states. The Under 16 teams are selected from Victoria Metropolitan’s selection camps while the U18 teams consists of the final 24 athletes that remain in the Victoria Metro U18 state team selection process for the upcoming Australian Junior Championships.
VJBL Competition
The Victorian Junior Basketball League incorporates competitions conducted state-wide and provides the highest level of
junior competition in Victoria. VJBL boasts 1248 representative teams from 54 associations across Victoria. In the last VJBL
calendar year we scheduled 14,549 games across 78 venues and had 11,934 registered players participate.
The competition includes the U12 to U21 age groups, in a graded structure from Victorian Junior Championship League to
the Regional Competition.
The Victorian Junior Championship League serves as a benchmark for excellence in competition and is the premier
competition for junior teams nominated by affiliated associations.
Domestic/Local Competition
Domestic basketball competitions are local competitions run by associations at various venues across the state. These
competitions cater for all age groups ranging from U8 through to open age and masters grades.
Often times, these competitions are graded to suit all age and ability levels.
Aussie Hoops
Aussie Hoops is Basketball Australia’s official introductory program, providing a fun and inclusive Basketball experience for
5-10-year-olds that serves as an introduction to a lifetime of involvement in the game. In addition to promoting healthy and
active lifestyles, the program serves as a platform for social development and inclusion - fostering stronger and more vibrant
communities and individuals.
Aussie Hoops has been designed in three staged programs to ensure that for each age group, participants are participating in
activities and games that are relevant to their physical and mental capabilities, which will increase in competitiveness until
participants are ready to transition into local club competitions.
Mini Thunder
The Mini Thunder program is a basketball skills development program for boys and girls aged 5 to 12. The participants will
learn all the relevant skills needed to play basketball by some of our best coaches and players.
Keilor Thunder Performance Program (KTPP)
The Keilor Thunder Performance Program (KTTP) is a development program to give Keilor Representative Players a taste of
what Basketball Victoria Program/Camps offer and the level required to attend.
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