By JARROD POTTER
THE next generation of champion Casey basketballers have earned their ticket into the prestigious Victorian Championship (VC).
With an emphatic grading record, the Casey Cavaliers Under-14-1 girls – coached by Brad Szalek – earned the right to play in the Victorian Junior Basketball League’s (VJBL) highest ranked division in 2016 last week.
What was once a rarity out in Cranbourne has steadily becoming more common as the Casey Basketball Association has risen right up the representative ranks.
After three wins, a draw and a loss heading into the initial grading conclusion, Casey’s Under-14 girls needed a sizeable win over Frankston to enter VC directly.
The Cavaliers rallied to blow apart the Blues, taking the win 48-31 and clinching the VC spot on winning points difference.
“They’ve done really well,” Szalek said. “Just tried to keep them on track and see what they wanted to achieve – these were their goals and they felt like they could make it and had the right pieces to the puzzle to get there.
“We were unfortunate to lose one the games and knew we needed a good win margin and played probably the best game they ever played.”
Szalek thinks the girls have a great balance throughout the roster – with players picked to fill the right roles and learn them properly.
“We’re actually fairly even – through selections we were trying to get role specific players,” Szalek said. “Players who could back others up with depth and fill their roles – that was a big one for us.
“That is to give them the idea of what role they play and learn that position back to front.”
The side also finished second in their pool in the recently held Dandenong-Eltham Basketball Tournament, held over the Australia Day weekend, adding another bow to the side’s successes heading into the VC campaign.
What the side can do is left in their hands, as Szalek believes his Casey charges constantly find ways to surpass his expectations.
“It was a fantastic job and while we’re not expecting too much from now, they continue to surprise,” Szalek said. “We won’t be surprised anymore as they are going about basketball the way they should be.”
CASEY CAVALIERS UNDER-14 VC SQUAD
Andrea Arnephy, Charlotte Dabb, Emily Cvetkova, Jemma Lucas, Jolie Brown, Lauren Hull, Niamh Therese, Olivia Dodos, Skye Wallace, Talyssa Route. Coaches Brad Szalek and Bec Magdich.
