This season, we have moved BMBA teams into the competitions at the Dandenong Basketball Association. We have been impressed with what we have encountered so far. The refereeing standards are night and day in comparison to other competitions we have played in previously. Every game I have seen has had two accredited referees on every court which is no mean feat considering Dandenong’s 18 courts under one roof. 

The referee branch at Dandenong takes its responsibility towards the game seriously and provides an excellent service that can only help develop players. Finally, players are being called for fouls and violations too often missed in other competitions, which only emboldens the development and learning of junior players.

The standard of competitions is no less impressive with rep standard level of competition in both the Premier and A grade divisions and our boys are being strongly challenged by teams that have players with decent individual skills combined with solid team structures. This is challenging our boys which we desperately needed after spending multiple seasons in competitions defeating opposition teams that had none of these things. Even as we lose we are learning and improving which is winning in itself as our boys are challenged to improve every week.

As I said above, this competition level is the equivalent to and even better than most rep standard of competition, so this is one avenue for us to develop our representative teams along with tournaments.

The vast majority of matches are played at the Dandenong stadium, which is an impressive venue with a magnificent show court amongst 18 other courts. Despite being in Dandenong, it’s a pretty straight forward trip for most people with the stadium located just off the South Eastern freeway. Considering the standard of competition, officiating and venue the drive is worth it.

Currently, our Under 12 boys are searching for up to three players to join their ranks for this competition. We are playing in their higher grades at the moment and even in their mid-range competitions the standard is quite high. So we are looking for players preferably with some decent playing experience who are born in 2014 or 2015. We are more than happy to have a look at all players, as players who are not ready for this standard can always be placed in the domestic programs we are building through the Stonnington Sports Centre.

We are also looking to build and develop an Under 14 team for their winter competitions starting in term two of 2025. This competition is for players born in 2012 and 2013.

So if you have a son or know of another family’s son who is born in any of these years and who is looking for a rep standard competition to play in or may have just missed out on a rep team. This is a fantastic opportunity for them to experience a much higher standard of competition and be on a pathway to playing a much higher level of basketball through the BMBA.

To get started simply shoot me an email at bob_mann@bmba.net.au