Welcoming more than 100 teams across 12 different competitions, the Benalla Basketball Association utilised courts in Benalla, Wangaratta and Myrtleford as the region’s top young talents were put to the test over two days of rigorous competition.
For the association, this tournament served as the ultimate test of its operations and organisation skills, as it had to successfully manage a plethora of matches over multiple venues.
According to BBA president Wally Armstrong, the weekend went perfectly to plan, with all matches successfully completed and fun had by all the teams that competed.
“The weekend went as smoothly as a tournament like this can go,” Armstrong said.
“We had around 100 teams come up and participate which was great, we started at about 8am on the Saturday and went through to after 6pm on the Sunday, so it was a very hectic couple of days.
“So outside a couple of internet connection disruptions and scoreboard malfunctions, in general we didn’t get a lot of complaints, which is unusual for a tournament like this.
“Every game had two referees which was a great achievement, and overall everything just ran smoothly which was fantastic.”
When it came to the on-court action, it was not the best weekend for the Benalla Breakers, with none of its teams coming away with championship glory.
However, being able to play on the home court and take part in a tournament such as this was something Armstrong said the kids thoroughly enjoyed.
“From the point of our teams, we didn’t have the greatest of tournaments,” he said.
“We won the odd game but didn’t take out any finals, which was a little bit disappointing.
“But the kids had smiles on their faces the entire time which is the most important thing, and to their credit they really helped out in terms of getting behind the barbecue and volunteering where we needed it.”
Along with the fantastic basketball played, a major highlight of the tournament was the boost it gave to Benalla’s visitor economy.
With many businesses feeling the full brunt of both COVID-19 and the recent floods, Armstrong said it was great to see motels full and restaurants buzzing as a result of the tournament.
“The economic impact on the town something like this has is really great to see,” he said.
“Motels are booked out, food places around the town were going bananas and there was plenty of activity which was awesome.
“It’s not only just the basketball association that reaps the benefits of something like this, it is the whole town.”
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