CHAMPIONS League three-on-three basketball came to town last weekend with junior and open division events tipping off at Bendigo Stadium.<\/p>\n
General manager of CLB Matt Hollard said the half-court tournaments are being held across Australia in hopes of growing the game.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe engage with local councils to bring what is a new sport to the local region,\u201d he said. \u201cThe idea is to build up the sport here and play it a lot more regularly than just one event.\u201d<\/p>\n
Last Sunday\u2019s basketball showcase included under 13, under 15s and the open social division.<\/p>\n
Some teams were forced to pull out on the day due to COVID-19 related issues, but spectator Brett Parkes said it\u2019s good to be back watching the teams after two interrupted years of local sport.<\/p>\n
\u201cI reckon it\u2019s great for the kids that are into sport to connect with other kids,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s good to see from a health and fitness point of view as well.\u201d<\/p>\n
However, there\u2019s no doubt the biggest winners from the return to sport are junior athletes.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor our son he\u2019s really pleased to be back playing basketball after such a long time without playing sport outside of the backyard,\u201d Mr Parkes said<\/p>\n
Making the trip from Echuca, Susan Sutton said her son and his teammates were excited to be back on court again.<\/p>\n
She said the children on the team would be willing to drive for hours to play basketball.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s very good and the kids love being back and playing sport,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe boys would travel for hours for basketball, no matter where it is just as long as they\u2019re playing it\u2019s good to be here. The stadium is great.\u201d<\/p>\n
As the game continues to grow, more and more people are looking to three-on-three style of basketball as a fun alternative to its full court cousin.<\/p>\n
Mr Hollard said three-on-three provides players a space to explore their creativity in the game and develop their skills.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe find it brings out a lot of skills and talents you wouldn\u2019t normally see on a five-on-five court because they\u2019re allowed to play their natural game,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
CHAMPIONS League three-on-three basketball came to town last weekend with junior and open division events tipping off at Bendigo Stadium. General manager of CLB Matt Hollard said the half-court tournaments are being held across Australia in hopes of growing the game. \u201cWe engage with local councils to bring what is a new sport to the […]<\/p>\n