Country Jamboree back in action

By Bransen Gibson

Sep 20, 2022

On the court: Echuca-Moama's Milla Ryan in action at Basketball Victoria’s Country Jamboree in Echuca. Photo: Basketball Victoria

One of regional basketball’s biggest events has returned to Echuca at long last, with Basketball Victoria’s under-12 Country Jamboree in town.

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Hundreds of people made the trip to Echuca for the event, which was held for the first time since 2019 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The four-day event tipped off on Saturday, before wrapping up on Tuesday afternoon.

There were 240 country kids from across the state in action — 120 girls and 120 boys. Players were split into teams at the event, giving them an opportunity to play alongside different teammates and with different coaches than usual.

The Echuca-Moama Basketball Association (EMBA) had six players in action at the Jamboree, with Sadie Jones, Milla Ryan, Charlie Flanigan, Xavier Phillips, Kai Rankins and Arli Walker all hitting the court.

Happy times: Jamboree team managers Emily Flanigan (far left) and Jaz Ryan (far right), with EMBA players (from left) Milla Ryan, Sadie Jones, Kai Rankins, Arli Walker, Xavier Phillips, Charlie Flanigan and Jaz Ryan. Photo: Supplied

Rochester’s Corey Hoog and Mason Mundie were also selected to play at the Jamboree.

The 240 players were chosen from a pool of more than 900 to take part in the high-performance event, after taking part in annual skills days held across the state.

“The Jamboree is one of our favourite events as we get to see the newest age group of Country Victorian players enter the Victorian High Performance pathway,” Basketball Victoria’s Craig Hockley said.

“Players and coaches have a great time at the Jamboree, learning plenty of new skills and making lifelong friends throughout Victoria.

“It is an incredible opportunity that our most talented junior players have earned through their elite work at the country under-12 skills days.”