REPRESENTATIVE BASKETBALL
The Whitehorse Mustangs are a domestic club, focusing on grass roots basketball. From young children learning skills for the first time through to young adults in the under 21 competitions, we provide the building blocks on which a lifetime of basketball can be built. For the players wanting to develop their own skills to higher levels, the Whitehorse Mustangs are a great place to start. All our coaches are trained to Basketball Victoria Club Coach level (equivalent to Level 1 NCAS) and we are regularly providing additional development opportunities to our coaches. This, in turn, ensures our players receive the best possible guidance.
Beyond domestic basketball the next step for those that want more is representative basketball. Representative basketball is highly competitive, with all teams selected on merit. There are more players trying out for representative basketball teams than there are places, so not all players will make a team. For those that do make it, playing representative basketball adds an extra game each week (Friday night) and up to four hours of additional training with the team you are selected in.
The Whitehorse Mustangs promote development pathways through to local associations who compete in the Victorian Junior Basketball League (VJBL). As a domestic player in the EDJBA our members have the freedom to choose a representative association that suits them. We have close relationships with both the Blackburn Vikings and the Camberwell Dragons and highly recommend their programs. We promote activities from these associations like try-out sessions and clinics within our membership base. They are both emerging community minded associations whose culture is aligned with that of the Mustangs.
https://www.blackburnvikings.com/
The VJBL season runs from October to September. The youngest age group for representative basketball is under 12s. Next season (2022/23) players born 2012 or later would be eligible to play in under 12s, but anyone with a child born 2013 or even earlier should consider it for next season. The competitive nature of representative basketball means the earlier your child starts the better their chances of making a team.
Representative associations are running programs in term 2 and 3 that will help prepare your child for representative basketball. Look out for promotion of these programs that we will distribute within the club to those that are eligible to participate. If you want further information, please contact the club and we can provide answers to your questions.
The final note is that Representative Basketball is designed to work in conjunction with Domestic Basketball. So playing representative basketball on a Friday night still allows you to play with your mates at the Mustangs on a Saturday. Which is just as well because you just cannot beat that Mustangs sense of community, teamwork, leadership and mentorship that players and parents have the opportunity to develop. And that goes beyond playing to coaching, team managing, refereeing, venue supervising, club management and other volunteering opportunities within the club.
Note: Whitehorse Mustangs do not promote Nunawading Spectres as a representative club. They mandate playing in the GEBC on Saturdays, which makes playing with the Mustangs in the EDJBA on Saturday difficult.
