Broken Hill basketballer Jahayla Knott has been selected to the SA Country Basketball Under 16 Girls Emerging Athlete Development Program (EADP). As well, Summer Milne will head away as an Under 14 Girls EADP Development Player.
As part of the program, athletes will participate in several centralised training sessions before being separated into teams to compete at the 2024 Australian Junior Country Basketball Cup (AJCBC) in Albury Wodonga in January.
“It’s exciting for me to play in this. It’s a good achievement. I feel proud that I can do this for Broken Hill”, Jahayla – who plays as a point guard – told the Barrier Truth.
Her experience includes travel with the Broncos and Barrier teams, but she recognises this program as a significant step up. Jahayla believes her dedication to basketball has culminated in earning this opportunity.
“I’m excited to get to see other opportunities for basketball, and I hope that I can improve my game more. I feel like I’m a team player, that I can pass the ball around properly and let other people have a crack at doing what they want to do too,” she said.
“I do look up to both of my mums and how they used to play and tell me how well they used to play. They always tell me how to improve myself… even though they can be annoying sometimes!”
A fundraising effort for the trip will be set up soon to help cover some of the trip’s costs, with details to come later.
PICTURE: JASON IRVINE
