Isaac
Years ago
AIS to sit out next two SEABL seasons
AIS MEN'S BASKETBALL PROGRAM FOCUSED ON SUCCESS
Basketball Australia and the Australian Institute of Sport have announced some strategic changes to the focus of the AIS Men’s Basketball Program which will significantly strengthen the elite pathways for the sport in Australia and ensure the continuation of the program’s tradition of excellence and professionalism.
In accordance with the recommendations of Basketball Australia’s recent extensive High Performance Review Report, BA and the AIS have in recent months undertaken a thorough review of the direction of the AIS Men’s program.
A strategic planning meeting was recently held at the AIS to identify the changes necessary to adjust to the introduction of the Under 17 team competition by basketball’s international governing body FIBA, and FIBA’s move to two-year international cycles.
The outcome of that meeting is that the AIS Men’s Basketball Program will for the next two years embark upon a concentrated 'individual player development’ program. The competition priority for this program will shift to preparing the athletes for Australian National Teams’ commitments, away from participating in the domestic SEABL competition.
"This decision will give the AIS program the flexibility to concentrate on the individual development of athletes with additional periods of concentrated international tournaments, which more closely reflects the demands of the major championships we are preparing the players to compete in," said BA Chief Executive Officer Larry Sengstock.
“The SEABL competition has been an important source of quality competition for the AIS Men for almost 30 years, but the demands of the expanded international calendar have made it increasingly difficult for the AIS to continue to participate.
“In recent years, the AIS program has only been able to play in the SEABL competition for approximately half the regular season. It became clear through the course of the review process that the timing and level of commitments to the junior national program would have meant the players were available for less than 35% of the next SEABL season. As a result, the AIS men will not be participating in the SEABL in either the 2011 or 2012 seasons,” added Sengstock.
AIS Director Professor Peter Fricker said the new direction would ensure that men’s basketball would continue to help develop world class Australian athletes. “Our consultation with Basketball Australia has identified this strategy as fundamental to improving our competitiveness on the international stage. Together we want to nurture our talent and see our best athletes perform at their best for as long as possible,” added Professor Fricker.
As part of this strategic realignment of the AIS program with the Basketball Australia development pathway, a meeting of Australia’s National Coaches, the AIS Coaches and Basketball Australia’s High Performance Management has been scheduled for November 17th at the AIS to workshop the specific technical requirements and priorities of the Development Pathway.
The Australian Institute of Sport Basketball program is one of the eight founding sports at the AIS and offers residential scholarships to both men and women. The AIS program has developed a strong tradition of striving for excellence in basketball and in life and has produced many star players including Luc Longley, Andrew Bogut, Patrick Mills, Lauren Jackson and Penny Taylor.
