Good athletes want to train with the best. Thats the only way you get better. Being the best player on crappy team only gets you so far....
These "elitist" schools have those kids train up to 2 to 3 times a day. Its not by fluke that they are the best....

then 80% of them turn out to be like JULIUS OR HOMICIDE .

State schools run special interest programs for some sports. e.g., Blackwood for netball, Brighton and Heathfield for volleyball, Ascot Park for gymnastics. I'm sure that happens in other States and Territories as well. Kids apply and can try out to get into those special interest programs, which means those schools end up with lots of kids who end up in State and National teams for those sports. In a sense this is a case of private schools doing a similar thing.

The only time I'm aware of a school having some form of limitation placed on its participation in a national schools' event is a high school in Canberra, which happens to be the school where AIS volleyball scholarship holders go, because it's close to the Institute. Until a couple of years ago, they had a limit on how many AIS kids could play in their team at the Australian Schools Volleyball Cup. The others had to play for their "home" school. In the last couple of years, they've been allowed to play anyone in their Open team, which has seen them playing more AIS kids and making the finals in that group. However, I believe they are ineligible for points towards the overall chamion school. Not sure about that.

As long as the private schools also place an emphasis on academic performance, then I doubt there's much to be worried about. It sound very much like the special interest schools' model that I referred to above, which I think has been accepted pretty well in the public systems.

PS - the notion of sporting scholarships etc is no different in principle to academic scholarships, which many private schools also offer. I suspect it is no different in practice as well.

There are many things I don't like about private school education funding and operating models, but this is not one of them.

Original poster - what school, what state?

Anon: Or they end up like Luc Longly, Andrew Bogut or Patty Mills. In the best league in the world.

No matter how much you love or hate Homicide or Julius, they are still Pro's.

Well a particular public high school who has won the last two years scholarships players with your tax dollars...a selective high school that lowers it academic entrance standards to bump up its sporting performance....other private schools that scholarship are at least funded by private dollars, no the tax man!

okay seriously though. It doesnt allow fair competition. How is that even fair?!

Did Luc Longley, patty mills or andrew bogut go to these private schools who eliminate competition?

It's not much different to when Pasadena had its team stacked with state players in different age groups, and guys like Newley, Ingles, etc... Only Pasadena couldn't maintain it's interest from players...

Weird debate, sorting of going everywhere but I'll chip in with a concern.

Some time ago I heard of a Private School in Melbourne's east offering scholarships to kids, but one of the conditions was that the kid had to leave their current basketball association, and move to one of the "big" associations, which the school had developed a relationship with in order to play rep.

This is actually facilitated poaching, and if I was the governing body I would step in on this.

I think if you can recruit top young ballers to your school then good luck to you.

Australia High School system is not like the US, when I played ball at HS I did change schools to go to a better school which happened to have a better basketball team. Even with a decent team we still didn't win the states that year.

We got beaten in the quarters or semi's by a team that had paid for a ex 36er to coach, did we whinge and carry on, no we simply were not good enough and we had fun along the way.

Best Aussie High School team ever:

1996 St Patricks Marist College, Dundas NSW

Ben Arkell (6 NBL seasons)
Russell Hinder (still playing NBL)
Kieran Sweet (3 ABA Seasons)
Michael Ghobrial (AFL Player)
Lee James (4 ABA seasons)
Mark Regan (1 ABA Season)
Several other scrubs

This team went undefeated throughout 1996, even through the National Schools tournament that they entered unseeded. No other Aussie High School team has come close to these results so far.

At the risk of being kicked out of the boys club - I'd point out that probably the most successful schools basketball program is the John Paul College (Brisbane) girls program which has been undefeated at school level for the past two years (claiming both National Championships). 2009 they were Runners Up at Nationals. Finished this year off with a tour of the US, the high point of which was a 15-point loss to the #1 ranked HS team in the US, St Marys of Pheonix (their only loss of the tour).

Yes, they scholarship players (but not nearly as many as everybody seems to think), but considering this year's title was won WITHOUT the services of their 2 AIS scholarship holders, not a bad effort.

The 2010 team contained 7 girls who had medalled at Nationals that year, the majority of whom had been at the school since Year 8.

Only time will tell whether they stack up to the post-school achievements of the Dundas team, but given they have several girls who have already played WNBL or SEABL, the chances are good.

The 1997 Unley High School team was pretty damn good!! ;-)

Being involved with a private school during the mid 1990's as basketbal coach. Both the boys and girls teams performed well in the National schools championships.
Considering all players were locally raised.
The questions raied:
1. Do they make the kids better? Yes!! any sporting activity is good for child development.
2. Do they get there and not improve as much as they could with in the BA pathway? Many coaches that I met during the tournament like myself are or were involved with other basketball coaching activities such as state representative level. Who where there to promote basketball development.
3. Is it fair that private schools are offering incentives to attract elite players? I could take either side of the debate. At the end of the day a school has to offer something that entices prestige. And offering a sports program that can achieve this for the development of the sport. It couldnt be all bad.
If a school does not have the resources beit financial or other resources which could help develope their students basketball. There are many domestic basketball clubs who will have well qualified coaches and competition which would assist the players with their skills.
I am sorry to say that the issue raised here are reactive and not proactive.