Congratulations U16 Falcons Boys for qualifying and your results at the National Junior Classic!

 

After managing to secure their place in Victorian Championship as one of the final teams to qualify, and on a draw none the less, the Waverley Falcons U16.1 boys set themselves the almost unimaginable task of qualify for the 34th running of the National Junior Classic. The National Junior Classic is an invitational tournament that arguably pits the top 16 basketball teams in Australia in their age group against each other in an action packed tournament, which eventually ranks these teams from 1 through to 16.

 

With dogged determination, and a strong commitment to their basketball this season, the boys have worked tirelessly to achieve this goal. Scoring 5 wins out of their first 9 games during the VJBLs Victorian Championship season.  With many of the wins by less than a basket, the team managed to realize their goal and qualify for the Classic, scraping in as the 16th team selected.

 

This was to be the team's first appearance at the Classic, pooled with: Norwood Flames, one of South Australia's power house clubs, Diamond Valley, currently equal 2nd in VC Watson, and the ACT State U16 men’s team. Unfazed by the magnitude of the challenge ahead, the Waverley Falcons showed they were truly ready to make their mark.

 

In some closely fought battles, the Falcons managed to grind out 2 wins in their first 3 pool games against Norwood & the ACT, resulting in a 2nd placed finish in their pool. This rewarded them with qualification into what are the Top 9 teams in the country, a great achievement in itself. Not satisfied with this alone, the Falcons set their sits a little higher and continued their march to finish as high as 6th place overall.

 

The Falcons U16 boys showed how far they've come, by reducing their losing margins significantly or by beating teams that had previously smashed them. One of the many highlights was beating Melbourne Tigers U16 boys by 7, who had previously beaten them 54points only 6 months earlier. In more good news the Falcons continued their improvement and carried much of their good form into the second half of the VJBL VC season, by upsetting Dandenong, the team that finished 2nd at the Classic 64-69.

 

Achievements like this come at a price - the dirty words of commitment, discipline, hard work and effort has been the price paid by players and parents alike. Coach, Anthony Dimis, would like to thank his team for their willingness to pay this price week after week.

"It has been this attitude and persistence that has lead to the team's vast improvement in basketball skill, and aptitude" he said.

...and while the team is happy with its achievements thus far, they still aren't satisfied... but instead, are looking ahead, seeking more challenges to test themselves. There are 8 games to go before finals, and the team will be working to win as many of these 8 as possible, in the aim of again earning the right to test themselves against the States best to see how much more they can improve.

 

Congratulations to U16.1 Boys Waverley Falcons: Carter Dickinson, Lachlan Horne, Mitchell Horne, Jordan Jones, Chris Kirton, James Perrin, Max Pertzel, Patrick Stanton & Bradley Wilddoer. Coaches Anthony Dimis & Richard Gee. Specal mention to Peter Embury & team Manager Peter Horne.