Partnership boosts league options

Albany’s push to rejoin the State Basketball League has been boosted by an alignment with metropolitan team Willetton, which will help oversee the development of the region’s talented players.

The new partnership between the Albany Basketball Association and the Willetton Basketball Association will assist the city in developing a junior pathway strong enough to help relaunch the Raiders into the SBL.

ABA junior vice president and Raiders under-18 development squad coach Haydn Kirkwood said proof of an enhanced junior development program was an essential component of the Raiders application to rejoin the SBL.

“To try and get the SBL back up and running, what we need is our junior development programs to be at a level where the kids can go straight into an SBL program,” he said.

“Willetton have one of the best junior development programs in the State and there is a lot to gain from them.”

Kirkwood said basketball had struggled to retain talented players with pathways for other sports such as football seen as more enticing.

He said each association would have the opportunity to play in local tournaments and events, and Willetton would conduct player development camps and coach education sessions in Albany.

“We have our local talent tugged by three other sports and we don’t have anything to offer them at present,” Kirkwood said.

A number of factors have halted the Raiders quest to rejoin the State competition, including securing a major sponsor, venue costs and junior development programs.

Kirkwood said the partnership with Willetton would hopefully show the SBL they could tick the box of creating a well-established junior development pathway, leaving only the search for a major financial backer and a venue.

WBA chairman Phil Nixon said the association’s long history of developing WA players would help assist Albany’s bid to rejoin the competition, which is not expected until at least 2015.