Basketball boom time

Albany Basketball Association president Craig Tester says the recent local boom in the sport is phenomenal as a record number of teams have registered to play in the 2014-15 season starting later this month.

Last year, the ABA had 161 registered teams which was 15 up on the figure from the 2012-13 season, but the popular sport has grown again with 14 more teams, taking the total number of nominated sides over the senior and junior ranks to 175. Most of the growth this season has been in the women's and girls' divisions with a host of extra teams joining the women's A and B-grade competitions, along with the number of teams in the girls Year 10-11 division increasing.

Tester, who was re-elected for a fifth straight term as ABA president, said the growth in the sport over the past three years had been staggering.

"It's just good for the sport, it just keeps growing," he said.

"What we have found in the past is a lot of players get to under-18 and then quit, but now a lot are staying on and putting teams in B-grade and A-grade. Basketball is growing from strength to strength."

The men's A-grade competition will remain at six teams this season with Stirling Rangers dropping out and replaced by Wolves.

The women's A-grade division will be boosted by the addition of Flames and Great Southern Grammar, taking the total number of teams to nine.

"We have got more girls teams than boys," Tester said.

"We have bucketloads of women's A and B-grade teams and Year 10-11 girls as well so there are going to be some competitive teams going around."

Tester also credited the association's junior program as a reason behind the recent boom.

"We had our Raiders (development squad) try-outs," he said.

"We had on average 15 kids per age group, that's massive for us."

The ABA season will tip off on October 17 with the A-grade competitions, and Tester said they were still on the lookout for more referees.

What we have found in the past is a lot of players get to under-18 and then quit but now a lot are staying on and putting teams in B-grade and A-grade. Craig Tester