Basketball NSW coaches, athletes, classifiers & referees joined their counterparts from across the country at the Australian Institute of Sport last December for an intense 8-days of wheelchair basketball development.
The different programs were filled with various key learnings from influential members of the Basketball Australia Wheelchair Basketball High Performance network in which there was a focus on education, skill development and networking across all facets of the sport.
The Frank Ponta Cup, Women Pathways Development Camp and Coach Development are all targeted to pinpoint a specific role within the sport and provide intense opportunities for not only players to learn but also provide coaches, referees and classifiers the tools to succeed within the game.
Frank Ponta Cup (FPC)
The Frank Ponta Cup provides an intense four-day camp environment for learning and development, and two days of competition. 27 male athletes who wish to progress in the national pathway will participate in the program.
Women Pathways Development Camp (WPC)
The Women Pathways Development Camp (WPC) provides national opportunities for the Head coaches of the Gliders and U25 Devils team to continue to develop talent in the performance pathway from the respective programs.
Coaches Development Program
The Coach Development Program provides essential information in four days of learning to support the growth and development of wheelchair basketball coaches across Australia.
Basketball Australia Coach Development Manager & Basketball NSW Wheelchair Basketball High Performance Manager, Janna Mizens said she was elated to see the increased support and participation numbers at the December Camp.
“It was amazing to design and implement the newly developed coach accreditation course for wheelchair basketball,” said Mizens.
“When I was appointed as Assistant Coach for the women’s national team in 2019, I was the only female high performance coach and at that time there were minimal coach development opportunities. Fast forward a few years, it was an honour to have supported 30 coaches from across the nation of which nearly half of the coaches were female.”
Basketball NSW would also like to thank Helen Rosenberg – Officiating Programs Coordinator, Adam Marjoram – Regional Development Officer Western, Adam McIntyre – Technical Officials Development Officer and Darren Allie – Indigenous, Cultural & Linguistically Diverse Programs Manager for their support in this initiative.
UPCOMING CAMPS AND EVENTS
1.) U25 Devils Camp & Sunny Coast Tournament – 11th to 15th January 2023
2.) Gliders Osaka Cup Tour – February 2023
3.) Kevin Coombs Cup (Jr Nationals) – April 2023
4.) World Championships Dubai – June 2023
5.) Women’s U25 World Championships Thailand – October 2023
Basketball NSW will announce at a later date the 2023 GTK Wheelchair Waratah League powered by Spalding fixture and team lists. For athletes 16 years and under, CLICK HERE to find out more information for junior Club Challenges for 2023.
To find out more on wheelchair basketball education or how you can get involved as a coach or athlete contact Janna Mizens [email protected].
To read more about the camps and our NSW attendees, CLICK HERE.
