With some top-class NBL pedigree, SEABL rising stars and a coach by the name of Goorjian among its ranks, it’s no surprise Box Hill is one of the teams to beat at this week’s Australian Schools Basketball Championships in Bendigo.
Coached by Kevin Goorjian, the brother of former Australian Boomers coach Brian, Box Hill Senior Secondary College has all the ingredients to set the tournament alight.
Gallery: Australian School Basketball Championships
Being played at the Bendigo and Flora Hill stadiums, the championships feature more than 100 schools.
There are 10 boys’ teams vying for the division one title, but yesterday Box Hill sounded a warning to its rivals, with crushing victories.
After warming up with a comfortable 86-64 win against Concordia College from South Australia, Box Hill dominated Lake Ginninderra College from the ACT.
The Melbourne school out-hustled its Canberra opponent, creating many turnover opportunities and scoring on fast breaks.
Despite star centre Deng Deng being unavailable while he trials in the United States, the specialist basketball school still has an embarrassment of riches.
That includes Ben Simmons, the 200cm 15-year-old son of former Melbourne Tigers star Dave, who adds plenty of firepower off the bench.
The lanky youngster knocked down 10 points and grabbed 10 rebounds in his school’s first up win.
Throw in SEABL D-league rising stars Lucas Barker from the Dandenong Rangers, plus Knox’s Taylor Dyson and Dylan Hare, and it’s obvious Box Hill has a formidable outfit.
Goorjian, a NBL championship-winning assistant to his brother, has seen plenty of talent in his 12 years in the NBL and nine years at Box Hill.
He coached Australian basketball champions Sam MacKinnon and Chris Anstey as juniors, but believes Simmons is as good a young player as he’s seen.
“Athletically he’s as good as any of them,” Goorjian said.
Far from the finished product, Simmons’ potential is obvious, despite his lackadaisical approach to the game.
In yesterday’s win against Lake Ginninderra, Simmons was both exhilarating and frustrating as he mixed slam dunks with several missed free throws and field attempts.
“He needs to work on his shot and get stronger, but he’s playing in a tournament with 19 year-olds,” Goorjian said.
“I hope one day he’ll make an Olympic team, he’s got the full package.
“He’s going to be great, that’s for sure.”
The year 9 student will move to Canberra to join the Australian Institute of Sport in January and is the youngest player Goorjian has known to be invited to the academy.
His father, Dave, is the fourth-highest scorer in NBL franchise Melbourne Tigers’ history and played 240 games for the club.
But while Simmons junior will take some stopping this week, his team-mates will also provide plenty of attacking headaches for Box Hill’s opponents.
Goorjian identified tenacious point guard Lucas Barker and Dyson Taylor as Box Hill’s two key offensive weapons.
After strong performances in the D-League, Barker has been added to the Dandenong men’s SEABL championship squad and has represented Vic Metro’s under-18s.
He scored 14 points in game one yesterday, while Knox team-mates Dylan Hare and Taylor sunk 17 and 16 points respectively.
Taylor, also a Victorian under-age player, was one of the D-League’s top scorers last season, with an average of 17 points per match.
In the other pool B boys’ matches yesterday, Newington College from New South Wales, defeated Brisbane Boys College 56-50, but the Queenslanders bounced back in the afternoon, defeating Concordia 93-64.
In pool A, Sydney Boys College defeated its state counterparts from Marist College 88-52, while Western Australia’s Willeton Senior High won 88-40 against Tasmania’s Guildford Young College.
In the girls’ section, eight teams are competing for the national crown. John Paul College from Queensland defeated Willeton 79-62 in pool A, while South Australia’s Cabra Dominican beat Glen Waverley based Wesley College 83-78.
In pool B, Box Hill’s girls team crushed Tasmania’s Don College 73-32.
The NSW-based Pymble Ladies College won 61-49 against South Australia’s Sacred Heart College.
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