The Under 14s Logan Thunder basketball team was ecstatic to qualify for the national championship after an eventful regional competition.
The 11-player team suffered a surprising defeat in the semi-finals of the state-wide competition, placing fourth overall.
“We were under the impression that only the top three were going to nationals, but Basketball Australia gave Queensland an extra spot,” team coach Ben Roberts said.
“The expression on the boys’ face when they learned that went from pretty downtrodden to a ridiculous amount of excitement in a second.
“It was pretty exciting and great to be a part of, and the boys worked really hard.”
The team have trained twice a week, every week for six months to build their skills.
Mr Roberts said training was about more than technical ability.
“We’ve done a lot of things in terms of team building – I’m big on trying to teach them life lessons,” he said.
“We’ve done a lot of mental health training as well as stretching and things like that to make sure they’re really well prepared for this competition.”
Both the boys and girls Logan Thunder basketball teams are set to hit the national courts later this year at the Club Championships in Melbourne.
But first the teams are calling on the community’s help to get there.
After making a significant financial commitment to head up to Cairns for the state competition, both teams are on a mission to raise the funds to make it national.
Through barbeques, bake sales and raffles, the boy’s team has raised more than $10,000 to cover the expenses of the trip – jerseys, team building, food and ice – but their goal is $25,000.
To offer your support to the team email admin@loganbasketball.com or u14loganthundernationals@gmail.com.
