Shepparton Gators Tom Gorman and Isabel Whitelaw have been included in the recently announced under-16 Vic Country boys and girls teams for the Australian Junior Championships in Darwin from July 6-13, earning their respective spots after impressing at a Basketball Victoria Under-16 State Combine Camp and throughout the representative season.
For Whitelaw, 13, her inclusion as a bottom-aged player in the side is an added bonus to the stellar achievement.
‘‘She certainly wasn’t expecting it as a bottom-age player,’’ Whitelaw’s father Paul said.
‘‘She was hoping to get on the emergency list before the trial for that training experience, so to get a spot on the actual team is great.
‘‘To say she was rapt is a bit of an understatement, she’s pretty proud of her efforts.
‘‘She’d obviously like to thank all of the coaches in Shepparton at the domestic and representative level, the association as a whole and Leigh Bathman as well — she’s done a lot of one-on-one training with him.’’
Whitelaw’s ability to play multiple roles on the court helped her stand out at the combine.
‘‘They had two games against Vic Metro teams and obviously she performed well enough in those,’’ Paul said.
‘‘She defended a variety of opposition players and that versatility was probably what helped her earn a spot.’’
Under-16 girls Vic Country coach Mat Holmes backed up that sentiment.
‘‘Having a great mix of players with a number of athletes who can play multiple positions, will allow great versatility and will give us some creative line ups,’’ Holmes said.
‘‘I believe we will have the ability to score through a number of different avenues and also be able to maintain a defensive intensity that is needed at an AJC, which is very important.’’
Gorman had a taste of the Vic Country set-up last season as a bottom-aged emergency, but snared a spot in the main squad this time around.
‘‘The roster features a lot of quickness and length which we hope will cause a lot of problems for opposition offences,’’ under-16 boys coach Joel Anderson said.
‘‘All the players and coaches were really pumped after selections and they’re really hungry to build their own identity and take on the best the other states have to offer.’’
The under-16 duo joins Jordan Michel — who will play in the under-18 Australian Junior Championships in Townsville next month — in Vic Country gear this year.
Boston Dowling and Hannah Onley were also invited to the under-16 State Combine as bottom-aged players and will look to use the experience gained from the event to secure Vic Country spots next year.