On the 16^th and 17^th of October, 2010, Island and District basketballers, Emma Sprunt and Justin Babare put their talent on show at the Golden Nuggets State Selection Camp in Bendigo.  They both competed against 31 other players from Country Victoria in their age group.

“The level of talent on show at the U14 State Camp was extremely high and both our players were able to perform at a high level all weekend”, said Amanda Rowbotham, Emma’s coach who went to watch and support the two players with their parents.

Emma competed against a high percentage of small guards which made the selection process even harder.  Her skill and technique in training drills was acknowledged by many of the state coaches over the two days.  She finished in the top 4 in a 3-point shooting competition against all top and bottom age girls (64 players) on Saturday night and certainly showed herself to be a real contender. 

On Sunday she unfortunately dislocated her thumb in a game.  She was able to continue, although extremely sore and made the most of the experience.  Emma was very unlucky not to be selected in the top 20 to play at the State Carnival in Albury, but certainly left a good impression and is sure to be remembered by coaches at next years selection camp.

Head state coach Bill Jeffs commented after the camp to Emma’s coach Amanda, “She did a great job this year, she is a credit to you as a coach”, this certainly sums up just how hard Emma has worked and the improvement she has made in her game since beginning the program earlier this year.

Justin, once again had a hard battle against many other guards making it quite difficult to get the attention of selection coaches.  He trained hard and completed the drills with a high level of skill and confidence, proving himself to be a real chance at selection.

“Justin definitely had a tough task ahead of him, he looked great out amongst the other boys, there was not much skill difference between all of the guards’, Amanda commented.

Justin showed the coaches his enjoyment for the game and athletic ability, enjoying the experience of playing with other great players.  Justin was also very unfortunate to not be selected for the State Carnival, he will also continue towards next years selections with this great experience to remember.

“Both Emma and Justin proved to be able to compete with all of the players at the camp and should be proud of their achievement in making the top 32 players in the state.  It has been such a great experience for them,” added Amanda.

Emma and Justin will continue their basketball journey this year with both players making it to the state titles for their schools.