Lakers reach three decades in 2024

ONE of the region’s longest serving basketball clubs is celebrating a major milestone, achieving three decades of playing the sport.

The Leopold Lakers has described its 30th year of basketball in the region as a chance to rejuvenate the club.

Newly appointed Lakers president Jayson Newman said he is excited for what the future holds.

“To celebrate our 30th anniversary, the Lakers are taking this milestone as an opportunity to rebrand and reinvigorate our club.

“Our objective is to empower our players and provide pathways for them to be able to achieve their basketball dream, regardless of how big those dreams may be.

“Our club mission is to encourage, develop, and welcome anyone who is interested in playing basketball.

“Our youngest players in our Aussie Hoops program start at six years old, and our aim is to develop in them a life-long passion for basketball.”

The Lakers court teams in both Bellarine Peninsula Basketball Association’s (32 teams) and Geelong United Basketball’s (one team) domestic-level competitions.

Mr Newman said the club put almost 300 children on the court each week, representing more than 240 families, which was a challenge in its own right.

“As an under 12s coach for the last couple of seasons, I’ve always told the team that I had two rules for them: have fun, and not worry about the scoreboard.

“The idea was if we were having fun we played our best basketball, and then the scoreboard took care of itself.

“This ‘philosophy’ didn’t always translate to wins but that was never the point.

“It was instilling in the players a love for the game, and at that age and experience, was the best foundation to provide them.

“We don’t think for a second we weren’t 100 per cent competitive. It’s these ideals we want our club to be known for.”

Any interested players can head to leopoldlakersbc.com or email [email protected]