MORE than a dozen of the Riverland’s brightest young basketball talents have been selected to represent SA Country at an upcoming tournament in Adelaide.
Seventeen Riverland players, spread across seven grades, were invited to take part in the Adelaide Invitational Challenge (AIC) when it tips off this weekend, competing against teams from metro SA, Northern Territory, Tasmania and Queensland.
Coaches Danny Millard, Ashlee Wutke and Lisa-Jane Drefke will also attend the event with SA Country teams.
Mr Millard said the strong contingent of Riverland players was a good sign for basketball in the region.
“The program becomes a bit more self-sufficient the more players get involved in district competitions in Adelaide and high-performance training with SA Country,” he said.
“It shows the other kids that there’s a pathway and where they can go if they want to excel and reach a high level.
“It’s pretty exciting that these guys have put the work in and stuck with it to reach the level they have.”
The tournament will provide players with their first chance to play representative basketball in almost a year, after most nationwide competitions were cancelled in 2020.
“Last year the Australian Junior Championships were cancelled for the under 16s and 18s, and the under 14 club championships as well which some of the players would have gone to,” Mr Millard said.
“It’s really good they have something they can participate in and that they get a chance to face good competition with the SA Metro kids playing.”
Mr Millard said competitions like the AIC were “really important” in helping players to develop and measure themselves against the best players from around Australia.
“Players need the opportunity to play with great players and coaches to see that next level of skill, size and athleticism that you see in these nationwide competitions,” he said.
“It gives local players the chance to see what level they have to reach to be successful, whatever that looks like for them.”
The AIC replaces the annual Australian Country Junior Basketball Cup, which was cancelled this year due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
The under 16 and under 18 competitions will be held from January 9 to 12, while the under 14 and under 15 competitions will run from January 14 to 17.

Riverlanders selected for AIC: