Basketball Victoria has chosen Eagle Stadium in Werribee to host its National Intensive Training Program.
To complement the local hosting rights, Werribee Basketball will have eight representative players and three coaches as part of the program.
The NITP is designed to provide elite development opportunities and training to identify young talent in the metropolitan region, assisting in their short and long-term prospects.
The top young male and female prospects from the under-16 and 18 age groups will converge on the Ballan Road stadium to work under Basketball Victoria’s high performance curriculum.
“To have Werribee as an NITP venue in 2017-18 is excellent for basketball in the western suburbs of Melbourne,” NITP program head coach Reece Potter said.
“An elite, high-performance program here at Eagle stadium provides players and coaches from the greater Wyndham region with a clear pathway to higher programs levels.
“Having eight Werribee Devils athletes in the program only demonstrates the depth of our talent.
“Additionally, it also demonstrates our link with Basketball Victoria’s high-performance program and highlights that we have elite coaches and players in our program here at Werribee.”
Werribee Basketball president Paul Jones said it was not the first time that Werribee has hosted the NITP program, but it will be the first in the newly-built stadium.
He is thrilled to see so many young Devils players and coaches involved in the program.
“It’s an outstanding result and demonstrates the number of talented athletes and coaches within the Werribee Basketball Association,” he said.
“It’s a big ticket for our pathways programs for both our boys and girls programs as I can’t ever recall Werribee having this many representatives.”
The Werribee players selected for the NITP program are Hayden Lawlor, Daelon Eteru, Naomi Tointon, Eliza Moodie, Darrien Herbert, Kane Hynes, Makur Jongkuch and Lauren Jones, while coaching the program will be Potter, Dion Jewell and Mason Rogers, the latter two are assistants.