OLIVIA Noter and Kai Daniels are hoping to soar to new heights at the Australian Under-18 Junior Basketball Championships.
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The Bendigo Braves young guns will represent Victoria Country at the championships, to be staged in Geelong from April 21-28.
A third junior Brave Caleb Connick has been named as an emergency for the boys’ team.
Noter will be making her second trip to the nationals after representing Victoria Country at under-16 level last year, while Daniels will be debuting after being an emergency the past two years.
Fresh from a win with the Braves’ under-18 boys team at last weekend’s Bendigo Junior Classic, Daniels credited his selection to continued hard-work and persistence.
“I am just grateful to finally win selection in my last year (of eligibility) and be able to go out there and show everyone what I’ve got,” the 17-year-old said.
“I work on my basketball pretty much every day. I can thank my brother (Dyson) for having someone to go one-on-one against every day.
“I’m very grateful for this opportunity.”
Daniels was confident a versatile and power-laden Victoria Country could push for a medal in Geelong.
“We always strive for that gold medal, that’s what Victoria is all about - doing whatever we can to accomplish a win,” he said.
“A championship is the ultimate goal for everyone in the Victoria Country system.”
Noter is hoping to go one better than last year’s silver medal effort with the under-16 team.
“Silver was probably not what we really wanted, but it’s still an achievement,” she said.
“Definitely gold is what we want this year.”
The 15-year-old was one of the stars of the Braves’ under-18 girls’ title win at the weekend’s Classic.
Connick, who like Noter has made the switch to Bendigo from Mildura, said he was thrilled just to make the under-18 squad as a bottom-age player.
The 15-year offered some simple words of encouragement for his Braves-Victoria Country colleagues.
“Best of luck. (Have) no regrets on the floor.”
Meanwhile, Wheelchair Braves and Victorian star Jontee Brown has been picked in the Victorian team to contest the Kevin Coombs Cup, to be staged alongside the under-18 championships.
His selection caps a big few days for Brown, who last week crowned Bendigo’s junior citizen of the year.
To read about Brown’s citizen of the year honour, click here
