Talented Yarrawonga Mulwala Basketball Association’s (YMBA) Jess Freeman, Mikyah Frauenfelder and Lochie Harvey were awarded the Most Valuable Player Award in their age groups at the recent 2018/2019 Inaugural North East Bushrangers Basketball presentations, held at the Wangaratta Gateway Hotel on Sunday.
Hold tight - we’re checking permissions before loading more content
The award presentation was held to celebrate and wrap up the NE Bushrangers VJBL season for the six junior NE Bushrangers teams who represented the Bushrangers for the first time on a junior level in the elite VJBL Melbourne competition. And Yarrawonga was well represented in four of these teams from U14 through to U18s.
Maeve Connell, Heidi Wallden, Anna Zanin, Mikyah Frauenfelder, Jess Freeman, Lochie Harvey, Chloe Wheaton, Brodie Chapman, Tom Gorman, Fletcher Wallden and BJ Martin were all selected and represented the Bushrangers this season and Brett Harvey was appointed the U16 Boys coach.
These ten local Yarrawonga basketballers, along with coach Brett Harvey, all committed to train and play for the Bushrangers over the past 11 months. This involved training 1-2 times per week in Benalla and playing on a Friday night against Melbourne-based clubs at a venue that could be located anywhere from Benalla to the northern suburbs of Melbourne.
The teams had players selected from a number of north-east basketball associations (Wodonga, Wangaratta, Mansfield, Myrtleford, Yarrawonga, Echuca, Shepparton and Seymour) to enable a regional pathway for the more elite players and coaches.
The NE Bushrangers basketball program has been operating on a senior level in men’s and women’s for the past five years. This was the first year that the club has entered junior teams in the best junior basketball competition in the State (VJBL).
This pathway is a first in the north east and will provide great opportunities for YMBA players in the future to be able to play at a higher level with players of similar advanced abilities and against other more experienced teams.
YMBA President Amanda Wheaton congratulated all selected players and families on the season.
“The experience of playing at this level is beneficial to the players and to our local association as well, with players bringing their knowledge and experience back to our local club,” Mrs Wheaton said.
Tryouts for the next VJBL season for the NE Bushrangers teams start next week and any interested YMBA rep player may register to attend via the link supplied on the YMBA Facebook page.
