Ballarat Basketball event manager Mark Valentine has praised the work of everyone involved in the 48th Ballarat Basketball Tournament which took place over the Queen's Birthday long weekend.
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"We've had about 600 games of basketball played over the past three days and it's all run very smoothly which is always fantastic," he said.
Valentine said the only thing limiting the tournament was a lack of facilities which he is confident won't be an issue come next year's event due to the completion of the Ballarat Sports and Events Centre in Wendouree.
"We were almost at capacity with the courts that were available this year which means I couldn't get out and promote the tournament the way I would have liked to.
"We had some interest in holding an under 20s age group but we simply couldn't fit it with the facilities we have now.
"We want to be out there pressing hard to continue improving, because there are other tournaments going on over the Queen's Birthday... We want to be the premiere competition."
With the sheer amount of junior basketball being played, Valentine said the event goes a long way in promoting one of the region's ever-growing sports.
"I think it does a heck of a lot to promote the sport. Even though there are only a few local clubs playing over the weekend, we get a lot of interest from the community and a lot of people coming down to support their families and friends."
One person who echoed these sentiments was under 16A Miners coach Chris Thornton whose team swept the weekend of competition.
Thornton's Miners team had to battle to take out their grand final contest against the Northern Saints which they ultimately won in overtime by two points.
"The tournament is good because you get to play against teams on a similar level that we obviously don't get to face normally," Thornton said.
"It's great because you get teams of all ages playing next to each other... it shows those younger players what they can aspire to play like."
The under 16A Miners were one of three teams to take home a premiership across the tournament alongside the under 12A Rush and the under 12B Rush.
Valentine said it's always good to see local teams competing at the pointy end of the tournament.
"The coaches and players have worked hard with these groups to deal with the pressure and get positive results so it's great to see them be rewarded."
One person who enjoyed the weekend of competition was Ballarat Miners NBL1 coach Brendan Joyce who said it was great to see so many people getting involved with the sport.
"It's been great for our junior teams to get quality games in against teams from the city and various states," he said.
Joyce, who competed in the tournament in his youth, said it's great to see the history of the competition live on.
"It's been a long time since I played in it but it's a fantastic tournament with a lot of history... it's great for basketball and fantastic for the community in regard to the economic benefits."
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