Ballarat will play host to the Australian under-18 basketball championships in 2022.
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The event will run alongside the Kevin Coombs Cup for wheelchair athletes, which will also be held at the Ballarat Sports Event Centre from April 10 to 17.
Ballarat was due to host the championships in April of this year, however the event was postponed and eventually cancelled due to COVID-19 restrictions.
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The week-long showcase will feature the best up-and-coming talent the country has to offer, as players vie for the Australian title.
Basketball Ballarat chief executive Peter Eddy said attracting the event was a sporting and economic coup for Ballarat.
"The Ballarat community and visitors to the city will be lucky to witness the best junior basketballers in Australia - many of whom will be vying for future NBL and WNBL team selection and, from that, Australian representation right through to the Olympic and Paralympic levels," he said.
The event has long been a platform for junior players to pave their way to the collegiate and professional ranks.
NBA stars Patty Mills, Matthew Dellavedova and Ben Simmons have all competed in the under-18 championships. Likewise for Australian female players Liz Cambage and Jenna O'Hea.
Ballarat's Sam Short also competed at the event in 2015 and is now a member of Melbourne United in the NBL.
Meanwhile the Kevin Coombs Cup offers an opportunity to see the best young talent in wheelchair basketball and provides a glimpse of the next group of Australian Rollers and Gliders.
Basketball Australia executive general manager, Paul Maley said it was only fitting that Ballarat be awarded the event.
"Like everyone, we remain disappointed that the current pandemic meant that this year's Australian under-18 championships and Kevin Coombs Cup scheduled to be contested in Ballarat had to be cancelled," he said.
"We know how much it meant."
