The Ballerz of Bowen Taking On Melbourne

The boys of Bowen Ballerz have been busy prepping themselves for the trip of a lifetime.

Taking the time to perfect their skills, tighten their friendships and hone their sportsmanship, the boys of the Under 12s Bowen State School Basketball Team will be heading to Melbourne in January 2024, to be a part of the Eltham Dandenong Junior Basketball Tournament.

The inception of the team started earlier this year, with Leigh Dunn, Bowen State School teacher and now basketball coach realising that students wanted to play basketball, but the school didn’t have a team.

“We just wanted to give them the opportunity to trial and do something special from the start,” Leigh explained.

“I have a friend in Melbourne who suggested we go to Melbourne and play in the Eltham Dandenong Junior Basketball Tournament. It’s one of the biggest tournaments in Australia and it’s a great opportunity for the kids.”

For most of the boys on the team, basketball is their summer sport, playing rugby league in the cooler months.

For Declan Gaffney, a bit of a natural born player, he is “very excited” to participate in the tournament.

“I started playing and just got better and better,” he said.

Levi Nicol is “10 out of 10 excited” for the tournament, but he’s more excited to go surfing in Melbourne.

Bayley Bates just wanted to get involved and is looking forward to playing against other youth teams from across Australia.

“We will travel as a team to Melbourne. This will be the first time some of the boys have been on a plane so it’s very exciting,” Leigh explained.

The boys will also have two days outside of the tournament to experience Melbourne, visit key sites and watch an NBL game. Leigh has established a modest Go Fund Me page, to aid in the financial cost of this trip.

Scan the QR Code to donate to the boys’ trip.