Hoops

Tassie kids imported into Vic metro teamS

That is the most unqualified, unsubstantiated, unsportsmanlike comment I've heard here. Certainly hope I won't be sitting near you anytime soon - anywhere!!

What's stopping Victorian kids moving to Tas to get a walk on spot if it's that important? There's three vacancies now!

Matt63. So if it's not about the kids but they were promised spots on the quiet?? Telling 16/17 year olds something like that would leak out quick. While some coaches may inclined to whittle down numbers with some preconceptions promising squad spots to players who only then have to show up. Rubbish!! No coach is going to risk a nationals result on selecting a squad that doesnt have the potential to perform.

They took the only risk here. All credit to them or getting this far.

Think you are missing the point Anonymous. Kids should not become in eligible to play for their home state because they have lived in another one for 2 weeks, particularly where the reason is outside their control. That is just morally fair for the kids. If coaches and selectors want to "make promises " then they shouldn't be in the position. We shouldn't have to penalise kids to ensure proper behaviour of those controlling the game.

Vics are on a winner as this group made it on talent. Two of the 3 were arguably the best Tas player at 16's and 18's respectively in 2013. The other is a very hard at it player who gives her all ever game.

When things stalled in Tassie they took a chance and it paid off. BTas was unconcerned about losing them. The GM said publicly losing players, "part of the deal" as there are "plenty of athletes there ready to step in." And if they came back they would have to "come along and try out like anyone else." LOL

Res87: if they don't technically qualify to play for Tasmania despite living there until Dec 31 then this is where I think the system is wrong. Players should have the choice of playing for state of origin.

I am told that when Darren Perry went to Brisbane Bullets as a 17 year old, he wanted to play U20 for Victoria in National champs. He had represented Victoria 3 or 4 times already but Basketball Queensland said he had to play for QLD as he was living there. What a ridiculous situation that he was not allowed to play for Victoria. Rather than play against his home state he chose not to play.

We teach loyalty and pride in representing our state but set rules that go against this. Kids should be given an option under these circumstances. Rules need to change.

Agree with last Anon that any 20 players could make it on a given day. That is the strength of the Victorian competition. I was at the ECC and have seen the Vic players over a number of years. Am not one of the coaches or selectors. As I previously said , all the Vic ECC kids played well over the tournament, some a little better than others. The Tassie kids in question played well but certainly were not stand out better than all the Vic kids in my opinion. you could make an argument to leave them out but also, others could make an argument to leave them in. it is not easy to select as all the girls are all very good. The Tassie kids have talent and I don't believe that those questioning the selection are disputing this. The question is more on principle. The 3 Tassie kids would walk into the Tassie state team, no question. What I am about to say is no disrespect to other states but the best 20 Vic kids would rank reasonably high across the best in Australia but because they live in Vic, 11-20 miss out on the opportunity for national champs. In fact there have been questions in the past as to whether Vic should send two teams. So now we have the situation where three girls who could easily go to Nat Champs for Tas taking a Victorian spot which means three very unlucky Victorians miss out. On principle , there are a lot of people who don't agree with this. When we select our club teams, we look at imports against club players and where the skill is of a similar level, we choose the club person first. Now the selectors will say in their opinion the Tassie kids are better which is why they were selected. In my humble opinion, while certainly talented and fantastic and lovely kids, they are not clearly better than the Victorians and on that basis, I would have selected differently but that is just my opinion and i am not charged with that responsibility. Now that the team is selected, I will be right behind all the kids that will represent us and hope to cheer home a victory for the Vics!

No one has had a dig at any of the kids. Not sure where this keeps coming from?The depth of the competition could have as many as 20 players make the team on any given day.Its the system and events leading up to this situation that is in question. All the 'experts' have made the process quite clear As far as them living here? Interested if they're in Vic this week? Know where I'd be!

Wowww!! Where did THAT come from? Actually meant the Vic girls probably know the Tassie girls from previous Nats like U16's...How do you wrangle that to being 'buddies get-togethers' with a dash of 'click elitist' young Ladies??
My child has never actually been in a State team and prob happy not to be if thats how the Vic teams are looked upon??
This word 'entitlement' thats cropping up..if the coaches pick who best fits the team, which most say has happened here and always does. Then there is no 'entitlement'..is there??

Res87..you have twisted your reply..again. The girls have all played for a very long time and they're mostly 15/16 year olds -
Not new to selection processes and certainly not particularly bothered about what their parents might think! Sure they are overjoyed to make the team, but maybe have reservations about what the hell has happened here?? They all know each other from previous tournaments and Im sure they will be more than capable of giving their best. That doesn't mean they're all comfortable with whats gone on. Once again, we find that the actions of a few 'grown ups' has moved the goal posts for the kids. It is what it is - agreed...but why should everyone 'suck it up' and the girls go work(even) harder?? All these kids work hard, they're all training 3/4 times a week, some do extra strength & conditioning sessions and a lot on end of year school & NITP tours. Its obviously odd enough to warrant discussion.

They dont have to play!!!

BA has different nat titles rules for AIS kids ??!! - not when Angela Marino went through in the early 2000's , she was quite authoritatively told she was ineligible to be selected by SA for the u20's and that she was eligible ONLY for the ACT , so she gave the u20's a miss. If the rules are changed now then thats been a recent thing.

Nothing more to add - just wanted to be the 109th post on this thread. Crazy that this has gone on for so long. Let's hope it stops here

give yourself a little ball Isaac.

If this outcome is all above board and the right thing to do - why has everyone here been objective, subjective, offensive, defensive for a whole day now?? If it was the right process with even a 'near enough' result wouldn't it be 'end of discussion'?

Now that's a conspiracy which is about as feasible as the rest of them on this thread. If I am one of their coaches they are in real trouble! I am sure the group of kids will have a great time and gel together just fine, and probably laugh together at all the silly old buggers dribbling rubbish on here.

Well said!

Let him go res87, you wont win - its irrational. He is making assumption these Tassie kids cant play or at least not 3 in one age group. In the recent Aus U19 team there were often 3 Tassie boys in starting 5, but I guess that was a conspiracy too?

What experiment? Seriously, have you ever considered a bunch of kids who were eligible went to trials and they picked the ones they thought were the best? Simple as that.

I don't recall people crying last year when 2 Vic women were allowed to play for Tas U20 team due to shortage of numbers. Gave them a chance to play and Tas could field a team in their 'home' championships.

As the 'Schueller thread' showed many didn't want to sit around while geriatrics work out how to offer high performance program that doesn't match what they had.

They found an option and it's paid off.

Agree with dandy lion about them having the choice
To either tryout for origin or place of residence.
Perhaps this is the answer, as clearly this will
Continue to happen if Vic and nsw set up
The majority of ball academies

Two bottom age Bulleen kids were named emergencies. Great effort by the two girls

Why does BA have different rules for AIS? Should be the same option for all states IMO. Kids should be able to choose whether they play for state if origin or state they have moved to.

Did any other Bulleen kids make the team??
Just asking?

"race card" not a good call.
If I were sth aust basketball I would be worried about this
It is not small picture it is more about what the
AJC will look like in 5 years if basketball aust
Don't fix this now

Red87 stated that 5 or 6 families uprooted and
Came over for school and a better program or similar.
Now the families haven't come over according to someone else.
It changes all the time.
The same people who are obviously linked to the decision
Either by parentage, coaches or club keep spinning
Same crap about "they were the best kids"
Or " you're kid wasn't good enough" or "they were better players than your kid"
I don't have a kid that tried out!!!
My whole point on this issue is How did it happen.
It seems to me there was clearly untoward activity
Between someone within the team who had
The power to pick them, a promise they would be
Picked and a school who needed talented athletes
For their program.
This is the the core of the problem, you have a tainted
Selection process where the tryouts were transparent
As a parent you do not send your kids interstate
For the sake of hope and "it may turn out ok"
Not a good mix but if you were transparent instead
Of hiding behind all your lame excuses it would
Sit better with most impartial observers.
Be open and honest and your comments won't seem
So desperate.
Your early posts are correct and karma is a bitch.
Now that it is open season expect Vic metro juniors
To be raided not dissimilar to the old vfl where strong clubs dominated due to wealth
And opportunities they could provide
You are by your actions creating an unfair AJC
And the weaker and smaller states will lose out in the long run
You will have a two horse race every year
What happened to the bigger picture, this is not
Professional sport.
Very short sighted by coaches who always
Preach big picture thinking

Last post Anon: good question should AIS kids play for ACT. Same thing as Tas kids living in Melbourne. For me, basketball Australia rules should be looked at. Kids should be able to play for their home state, ie state of origin if they choose to. Just my opinion. Doesn't mean there isn't an argument going the other way. State selection has always been tough and good kids often miss out. At the end of the day we appoint state coaches to select the team. In this case the coach in question is an independent coach (ie not coaching in the age group or selected a number of players from his home club). I believe he has selected the team he thinks is best and has not promised players selections. I watched a substantial amount of the U18 ECC games and it was always going to be extremely hard to select the side. Great talent and many kids played well and gave themselves every chance but you can only take 10. Every year there is complaints of bias and favouritism and this year, the three Tassie girls are an easy target but had they not been there, it would have been someone else. Let's leave these kids to do their best, they are only 16 year olds.

"walked into state side at the expense
Of Vic players who have played every Friday
Night for 5 seasons in the vjbl."


Big deal. When they played in the VJBL for those 5 seasons, they didn't do it exclusively to make the Vic team. They didn't just do it so they could represent Vic U18 at Nats. You make it sound as though they had no fun playing Friday nights and that it was a sacrifice to make the Vic team. Please.

I did an internship at a law firm, working 60hr weeks for a year. Unlike playing friday night basketball, this wasn't very fun.

At the end of the internship, I found out they had hired an English woman who had her Masters in Law and had extensive experience.

I was gutted, but took it on the chin and found another job (which I got because I had done the internship and they liked my work ethic).

I think its a good lesson for the kids..Life is hard. Just because you do something, doesn't mean you become entitled to that thing.

Sometimes I think things are all too rosy and golden for kids; which just makes the shock of the real world that much bigger.

Ahhh.... Tiger watcher - but they HAVE been commuting and may possibly be living in shared accom without Parents!

I think the outrage has stemmed from the observations of many outside the 'official' selection processes (incl. VJBL grading games)that ALL 3 are possibly NOT 'better' than some in the large pool of seasoned Victorian juniors in anyone's eyes but the selection committee (parents are excluded in this..they all think their kids should make it - human nature).
Past junior teams stacked with kids from one club also causes debate each year.
Also heard that 4 in the team are all primarily point guards! So its not just the Tassie factor that has many baffled.

Oh ok sorry they are born bred Victorians
Who have played at least 3 at most 4 grading
Games in vjbl.
Way to keep kids in the game and enhance
Feelings of loyalty to a code that bemoans
Boys jumping to footy
Will box score say Vic/tas or tas/Vic.
Embarrassing for Vic metro that the grass roots
Kids according to the coach and his associates
Just aren't good enough so are you saying nitp
Not as good as Tassie system.
But they moved here away from that system.
Oxymoron or just plain ironic

It is not the kids we have issue with.
that everyone except the coach and his associates defend it this way looks
Worse for them and their argument.
Parents embrace BV philosophy of loyalty to code
Educate the kids accordingly and then bam
3 imports onto state side. This from an association
That bans clubs having more than two.
You can twist it anyway you like if stinks and
The action is not dissimilar to the non loyal churn
That has just happened at dandenong with DP and others but
You can't see they have done the same thing to BV
Parents, clubs and kids.
Would the parents have got up
At 5.30 most mornings for things like nitp if they knew
There wasn't mutual loyalty, I doubt it
So I guess habit and environment breed behaviour

Oh..and for the record, I don't live in Vic or Tas. Just an interested (surprised?) onlooker.

Not sure anyone is "on the kids back's"??
Pretty sure they're a great bunch of young ladies that all get on very well doing what they love..more a question of the 'system' in this case.

Agree with triton 35, big call by the coaches, no other coach has done this to Vic girls so let's hope for his sake they play well. 3 families just happened to move at the same time...mmmmm

Results will tell. Goodluck to them

The three girls have been playing VJBL through the first phase of grading so it's not like they've just turned up to play state.

There are no secret deals. Their families decided to move and they were good enough to make the team according to the coaches.

There's 2 choices for the players that missed selection. Be bitter about it and blame others or work their butts off even harder to put themselves in front next time.

Being a financial member of a participating club seems to be the only requirement in most junior regulations other than the physical and skill levels expected. Most list 'at discretion of governing body'. Which in most cases you would expect a qualifying amount of junior league games in that state to be played...but can also mean whatever they damn well want! Very grey area that may need some attention?
Didn't ever think we'd see the day. Don't know about Parents being unhappy..would imagine some devastated girls about now!!

This seems odd as I would have thought going
By past results that Tassie would be lucky to have
One kid in a Vic team let alone 3.
Are Tassie good at this level?

So how do they qualify?

Interesting!!!!!

Photos from the 36ers vs Townsville Crocodiles game on friday 19th September
url:
http://yvonnemilbank.com/gallery.cfm?d=Sport/36ers NBL