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Media Release 15 July 2015
Queensland cleans up at U16 Australian Junior Basketball Championships
Last weekend Queensland teams claimed two gold medals and a bronze at the Under 16 Australian Junior Championships held in Tasmania. Competing against teams from every state in Australia and a New Zealand team, it is a remarkable outcome. The two heart-stopping gold medal matches came down to the wire with Queensland North Men’s team defeating Victoria Metro, 74-70 and Queensland South Women’s team similarly defeating South Australia Metro, 59-58. The bronze medal game was just as fiercely contested with Queensland South Men’s team defeating NSW Country, 86-83.
Photo courtesy Kangaroo Photos/Basketball Australia The victories mark a number of milestones for Queensland basketball. It is the first time Queensland teams have won two gold medals at a national championships in any age group. It is the first time a Queensland boys team has won the Under 16 Australian Championships since 1975, and it is the first time a North Queensland team has taken out the title in this age group. The South Queensland girls have also secured the Under 16 girls’ championship title for Queensland for the first time since 1979. It’s also the first time Queensland has had three medal-winning teams in the same championship since 2004. “The success of the Queensland teams in this championship is testament to the programs Basketball Queensland conducts,” says Graham Burns, Basketball Queensland CEO. “We re-engineered our High Performance Programs in 2011 after extensive evaluation by The University of Queensland on how we could better implement a world class program. “While we have encountered a few teething problems along the way, we have now struck gold.”
The Queensland State Government also played a big part contributing towards this success. “We owe the Queensland State Government a lot for funding of the programs. We couldn’t have done it without them. “It is also down to the hard work and dedication of the Basketball Queensland High Performance staff, but we mustn’t forget the great work by the volunteer coaching staff, players and the parents of the state teams who have delivered the best result ever for Queensland teams at a national championship. It is a trend Basketball Queensland is determined to continue. More information or interviews: Jane Keighley Senior PR Consultant Outsource2Us P: 07 5554 6034 M: 0403504624 E: [email protected] OR: Lauren Kippin Communications Manager Basketball Queensland P: 07 3377 9119 M: 0416 234 763 E: [email protected]