Spirit of the game...

[2 cents]

this may not be of interest anyone but just thought i would throw it out there..

was watching junior rep game in Gladstone yesterday and i saw a "coach" (and i use that term loosely) tell his team to play a full court press at the end of the game...

doesn't sound like a big deal but they were already up by 40 an the losing team only had 3 players left on the court after the rest of the team had been fouled out...

maybe im just old fashioned but personally i think that its pathetic an unnecessary and plain old bad sportsmanship.. is that what we want to be teaching our kids to kick a team while they are down???

i think in Mackay they have a "spirit" of the game rule which states that once a team is up by more then 30 the winning team is only allowed to play half court D and anything over is a violation and apparently repeats lead to a tech? is that true and do any other associations have rules etc that enforce good sportsmanship other then the obvious ones brought in a few years ago???

what do others out there in BD land think am i just getting old or is that coach a d!ck an teachin his kids the wrong lesson???

[CRACK]

"the mercy rule" is an unritten rule in sports, I feel if its a high competition its good to play till the last second of the game. I feel when its a team is up 20 they should stop pressing and pick it up at half court, I have also seen a "Club do this in under 12s and up by 60 points full court press.....

This is bad sportsmenship and is takes the enjoyment out of the game!

[Jeanelle Hurst]

My child was selected as a State South U 18 Girls Team member on the 9th February 2010 and deselected 38 days later on the 19th March because I couldn’t pay the representative fees within the payment schedule time frame.

The parents of the U18 Girls Squad were provided with the costs for representing the state (for the first time) on the 7th February , two days before the team was selected. The payment schedule required two $800.00 installments plus a further and yet to be decided amount to be paid in full by the 29th March.
Time line:
7th February State representation Fees and Payment Schedule given to State Team squad.
9th February State Team selected and team members notified.
15th February 2010: 1st Payment of $800.00 required.
15th March 2010: 2nd Payment of $800.00 required.
29th March 2010: 3rd Final and yet to be determined amount required.
10th April U18 Nationals
This payment schedule demanded that my child fundraise $279 per week over 7 weeks from the date of selection.

I first became aware of the financial viability pre-requisite for all state representatives when my girl was 12 years old.

At that time the parents of my child’s representative school team were required to sign a document stating words to the effect - that - if my child is selected for the state team I will have the financial resources to pay for all the competition costs.

The situation was made clear to the parents that if you didn't have the resources and or the document wasn’t signed your child would not be considered for selection to the state team.

I didn't have the resources to pay her way but signed the document in order to allow her to be viewed and assessed as financially viable.

I spoke recently with the parent of another child who told me that over the past five years she had been questioned regarding her families financial viability prior to the selection process for every major competitive event.

The family is of Polynesian descent and on one occasion the parent was questioned in front of another parent. Following the inquiry the other parent commented that she had never been asked this question. The parent who was the subject of the inquiry responded that perhaps it was because she drove a BMW.


The state team pathway is the only recognized and signposted single lane pathway for progression towards national representation and 'professional' basketball in Australia and yet this pathway imposes financial hurdles and brick walls at every opportunity for advancement.

Many people would argue that the user pays system maintains and justifies the club representative pathway system in Australia.

I’ve observed that the user pays system denies access and opportunities to financially and socially marginalized children and youth.

Many people would argue that the user pays system as funded by families throughout Australia allows thousands of children, youth and parents to chase and live the representative dream.

Yet only a handful of youth gain access to NITP, AIS programs and national representation.

The vast majority are left to play social basketball and tick the lifestyle benefits box.


We have a school representative system that has a parasitic relationship with club basketball enlisting the services of club and association trained representative players to showcase school basketball at the expense of families who are already drip feeding the Australian club system.

Aside from a handful of schools that may now be offering scholarships to emerging athletes school basketball offers little and nothing - but more financial and time management burden to sporting families.
Schools and clubs compete for the services of young athletes with little or no thought given to their young player’s physical, emotional, academic and financial needs beyond the next major tournament.

The club and school systems in Australia seem to be built on the premise that families have unlimited resources.

And yet families watched in wonder as national teams were brought to their knees by limited and finite resources.

Why aren’t the lessons learnt at the senior national level applied to junior basketball ?.

Following the death dive of the Brisbane Bullets people spoke about going back to the grass roots.
If the grass roots is junior basketball then why isn’t junior basketball rationalized and constructed on the principal of limited resources.

If it were then we would be forced to deconstruct the club representative system in Australia and force the hand of a national school based competition that would broaden, increase and strengthen the player and spectator base throughout Australia…reaching into and supporting regional areas in every state and giving every child a fair go.

Sporting and academic progress and achievement would be strapped at the ankle and aligned at the hip pocket to offer the best possible outcomes for children and youth.

The spectator base would develop and expand as the school and surrounding community identified with their basketball team(s) following their progress into representative and professional basketball.
Fundraising would become a community inspired event working to support the school team(s) while promoting the school and basketball within the wider community.

Basketball stadiums are mushrooming out of schools all over the state suggesting that the infrastructure is developing to sustain a national schools basketball program / schedule utilizing both school and club/association stadiums.
Scholarships at secondary and tertiary level would evolve in response to the need to provide opportunities within Australia and slow the flow of our athletes seeking opportunities overseas.

The representative club system in Australia is modeled in the shape of a pyramid designed to channel a handful of kids into the NITP, AIS programs and on to national representation.

Australia also needs a more egalitarian fan shaped model offering academic, sporting, career and lifestyle options for the majority of our kids.