Off the top of my head, the biggest Associations would include:

Kilsyth
Knox
Dandenong
Eltham
Frankston

Other large Associations with sustained success at the top level include:

Melbourne
Bulleen
Nunawading
Diamond Valley

Others worth considering that are starting to see success at the highest level or those who have had success at the highest level previously include:

Hawthorn
Werribee
Sandringham

I've probably missed a few on this list but really I think I have covered off the largest and most successful.

LC, you've covered off the largest basically...

I have always been impressed with what Blackburn, a tiny association, have been able to achieve, particularly in boys basketball. Likewise McKinnon have done well in the past.

I do not think Frankston deliver considering their base. Knox at senior level have remarkably few of "their" players playing for them. Melbourne and Bulleen have reputations as great poaching clubs (perhaps that does make them Sturt or Forestville!).

In no particular order but the "power" clubs of Vic over the last 20 years are:

Sandringham
Kilsyth
Knox
Dandenong
Eltham
Frankston
Nunawading
Waverley

All of these clubs have strong Juniors & Seniors with large talent pools to call on...Can't go wrong if you pick any of these clubs depending on were in Melbourne your living.

**Note i know certain age groups or stronger than others etc but as a general rule they always are in VC**

Waverley only come good in 16s and 18s really, their really young juniors generally struggle to make VC which is actually very surprising.

Bulleen deserve more recognition, they don't actually poach players it is more so the players follow success and of recent times that is certainly what they have been seeing.

Frnkston is being overrated here, a lot of teams but really not all that much quality.

Hahaha Bulleen don't poach players? Maybe not in the boys program!

Frankston are on the right track with new Executive Officer and Bill becoming Head of Basketball Operations. Will take at least 3 years to get that program back to where it should be.

Should note that Bulleen is by far the most successful club in Australia at the U14 National Championships. Punch well above their weight pretty consistently given that they are a relatively small association sandwiched between other relatively bigger associations (Diamond Valley, Eltham etc).

So do you mean Albury, which is in NSW, or Wodonga which is in Victoria?

Which, btw, are separate associations....

Anon, having to play in your local comp does not mean no poaching. That is a stupid statement.

You go and ask the player to come play rep for you.
You tell the player they have to join a local club in order to play rep.

Parent moves their kid from Chelsea, or Cranbourne, or Southern Peninsula, or wherever... and comes and plays for you.

I am not saying Frankston poach, I am saying playing local comp has nothing to do with whether you are poached or not....

Melbourne will most likely take out the 16's, 18's in Championship......surely they deserve a mention...

Agreed...and for anyone to say none of these clubs do not "poach" at all means that they have their head in the sand...

the worst clubs for poaching are:
Waverley
Nunawading
Bulleen
Melbourne
Dandenong
Eltham

Not across the board but there are coaches in each club who are just rogues.
At least the changes to the VJBL rules make it harder now.

after the easter tourney - all vic are the "best" - very average results for the SA units

To Astor, I think Bulleen girls are one of the most successful clubs at U14 nationals, I wouldn't say the boys are though.
Every club values success in a different way, so its pretty hard to determine who the strongest club is. Changes every season depending on player transfers, top age/bottom age, coaching staff etc.

078, I assume you mean girls. Nunawading boys are a mess.

Bulleen and Melb are the clubs that poach the most. You only have to look at Bulleen 18 girls 1. I might stand corrected but I'm pretty sure they have 1 girl from their u12 program in that team, all the others have moved to that team to try and play WNBL.

I have much more respect for clubs like warrandyte, blackburn, altona etc who battle the bigs clubs and develop their own talent.

Well, I guess all clubs can be guilty of poaching just a little bit from time to time, however players do some times leave one association for another for the right reasons...

Larger associations can attract the better players simply because the competition for spots on teams are more competitive and you don't want to be the big fish in a small pond all the time, good players want to prove themselves against the best!

There is a lot to be said for associations that develop their own, unfortunately Melbourne is in a position where they realy don't have a domestic competition to call their own so this may go against them in the circumstances.

So when we judge something like this we should look at domestic development, representative depth from under 12's up, regular VC competativeness, US college participants, BigV or SEABL equivalent and even National level production along with integrity of local junior development within a solid coaching structure.

In that case I believe that the top 10 best Victorian clubs going around (in no particular order)would have to be:

Knox
Diamond Valley
Dandenong
Bulleen
Kilsyth
Geelong
Frankston
Ballarat
Bendigo
Nunawading

Melbourne would rate a mention if it had a vibrant and recognised junior domestic program (sorry)...

Geelong recently merged under their SEABL Supercats program, therefore their inclusion in the top 10!