Dubbo Basketball Association juniors play at elite holiday competitions

A number of exciting juniors from Dubbo Basketball Association have been mixing it with some of the very best players in the country in recent weeks.

After Clancy Toshack, Sam Bynon-Hargreaves and Cohen Weir played at a NSW shootout competition earlier in the month, five other players were in action last week.

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Under 16s stars Kiara McKeown and Millie Sutcliffe played at the Australian Country Junior Basketball Cup (ACJBC) along with under 14s duo Indi Amos and Mia Richardson while Tully Pickering was at the Southern Cross Challenge in Melbourne.

McKeown and Sutcliffe have long been two of the brightest prospects to come out of Dubbo and are firmly in the mix for state selection, while Pickering's recognition as one of the top under 15s players in NSW Country also makes her a chance.

"I think they are," Dubbo Basketball Association's Claire Bynon said when asked if they're state team contenders.

"Tully will be pushing as well so we've got a chance of having three in. We've never had three kids with a really good chance of getting in the state team.

"But it shows if you're willing to go to these trials and willing to put in the hard work, anything is possible and it doesn't matter where you come from.

"I always like to think the country kids have a bit over the metro because they know how tough it is."

Bynon said the representation Dubbo has had at the elite events this year has been "huge".

Amos and Richardson played together for the under 14s Kookaburras at the ACJBC - an event which draws in players, coaches and referees from across Australia and New Zealand - and learnt a huge amount while playing at such a high level.

McKeown and Sutcliffe were also Kookaburras teammates in the 16s. They had the perfect chance to impress in the lead-up to state selection as NSW coach Kristy Bultitude also coached the Kookaburras.

The pair scored well at Albury as the Kookaburras finished fifth overall in their division.

"I'm super proud of these two girls," Bynon said.

"I've been a part of them since the under 12s. Kiara came across from netball and we slowly converted her and she absolutely loves it. And Mill, she's just a competitor and could probably play numerous sports."

At Melbourne, Pickering was part of the Southern Cross Challenge, which is a difficult competition to be a part of as players don't have the opportunity to train together before hitting the court.

Pickering, being one of the tallest players in the team, had the task of being dominant inside at both ends of the floor and the competition was an invaluable learning experience.

"For any kid to make it to that level is huge but for our country kids it's a reward for all the hard work they've been putting in," Bynon said of having so many Dubbo juniors at these events.

"It's a reward. These kids go to all the trials and do the extra training and they deserve to be there. And once they were there they all performed so well."

McKeown, Sutcliffe and Pickering will now be back training with their Dubbo under 16s team ahead of the new representative season.

The under 16s team will travel to the Central Coast in the coming weeks to play at the Coastal Classic in the hope of earning a place in the elite Junior Premier League competition for the top eight sides in the state.

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