ACT and WA often brought teams also.

Come have a watch this year - some great young talent will be on show. Many states use ACJBC as a selection trial for U/18 Nationals in April so, especially for that agre group, the players will be looking to put on a show

Only Vic country SA country and NSW counrty use ACJBC as tryouts, so only 3 states.

I agree its down now in talent with Southern Cross tournament taking off, particularly U14/U15 level. Its used as a holiday/party junket by SAC in recent years. The stronger states direct teams elsewhere but just wont advertise it.

What stronger states are there than Victoria and NSW anon^?

Agreed, other states don't think a week long holiday in Albury is worth it anymore. VC send their third team and NSW C select the odd sprinkling of decent kids. East Coast Challenge and Southern Cross are the pure basketball tournaments.
SA should do ok in Albury as there really isn't any opposition!

Put it this way, SA send twenty SAC kids in an age group. The 20th best SAC kid is not exactly an elite player.

Take the tournament for what it is but don't expect it to be anything like a Nationals.

Vic Country teams interesting in U18 Men age group. Can not wait to see them play each other. Very interesting team selections. No one team looks dominant, rather a strange spread of top/bottom age men and all levels from NPP to unknowns.

The Country cup was put together 30 years ago by "basketball people" with the emphasis on development of country kids that didn't get the same opportunities as their city based peers. Sadly this is no longer the case with those that were originally involved long gone, and it is now a cash cow for the organisers.

U/18 men VC have three even teams SAC and NSWC two, but looking at last year and how strong the NSWC team was ay Nationals, not to mention VC and VM also taking medals, I would say there are plenty of talented kids at this event.

Even SAC last 18 Nationals played for bronze, so between SAC, VC and NSC we had second place, third and fourth, that's an indicator of the talent pool.

Just a shame there isn't more variation in this event, but it will still be great to watch for sure.

SAC actually send 30 in under 14's! They had a trial and didn't even get enough in the under 14s with each team a couple short.
If anyone has a 12 year old daughter that doesn't happen to live in the city call SAC and your daughter can make up the numbers even if she has never played basketball.

Anyone across the ditch know how strong the Kiwi teams will be this January? How will their National team in April look?

Baller you are 100% right. The Country Cup is all about $$ now days. With basketball at the cross roads nationally it needs to be about competition at a far less cost. The SAC teams would be better served staying home and just playing each other over a weekend.

Well considering the majority of the other states send their best players to other tournaments to save everyone money sa country should just play themselves in a weekend carnival in Adelaide!
Who are the directors of this tournament anyway? By everyone's posts seems like this tournament has became all about earning certain people some extra cash and not focusing on the most important aspect, giving country athletes the best development tournament possible!

I think the previous poster has lost sight that the thread is about the standard of the cup and perhaps it's relevance and overall cost for the standard that you are getting. Unfortunately country cup is a only a mere shadow of what it once was, the standard has dropped off due to the SCC and ECC as value for both money and standard of competition. Albury is a great place for a holiday and parents love to visit the odd hotel, but if we are talking development, exposure and basketball experience against quality opposition, then NO! VC who once dominated grand finals don't take it seriously, NSW have their best players not stand for selection and NZ send anyone that has got $3,000! The South Australians are the only ones that still treat the cup as the holy grail.
Bottom line is that the Country cup is below Nunawading and on par with Norwoods Easter tournament. Maybe Eltham over the ling weekend would be a better fit for country teams?
Money is what its all about and the fat cats that run this event.

"NSW have their best players not stand". Please go and watch the cup in 2015, particularly the Under 18s and I think you will find that NSWC's best players are all there.

They play the same amount of games at the SCC and ECC for half the time and definitely under half the cost of the cup. So if Metro teams do it in Melbourne and Sydney why can't country kids do the same in Albury? If not why wouldn't you just send the kids to the two capital cities? Makes more sense!

Great disco and they have a huge team managers show also! Very social week had by all in Albury.

I agree with the above post! Albury is a great place to socialise! The managers disco and the coaches night along with various functions for the cup directors are a highlight! Always put on a DJ and everyone has a great time with an open bar! Oh sorry my mistake I forgot this was a basketball tournament focusing on junior players development!

The Country Cup is massive fun for the kids that go, they really look forward to it. It is also a key tournament for national selection. There has been a drop off of teams from some states, maybe due to cost and logistics, more than anything.

The number one, worst thing of all is the time they take to go through all the red tape and BS at the end of the event, making people sit in 40 degree heat for two hours while they talk up too many things people just don't give a damn about.

Let people go home, for goodness sake, can the organisers keep a lid on the time it takes to get through speeches and awards, we just want to get home and we may still have to drive for hours to do it?

No medals for second place, just first and a cup, so why take so long, seriously!

Don't forget the sponsors golf day!

Too bloody hot for golf, are you kidding?! Tried to play tennis with my kid there one year, over 40 at 10.00am, no way in hell can you play golf in that heat unless you have a beer every hole. :)

Which is what they do apparently! Nothing like a good old fashioned sponsors golf day!

Cold beer?

What is the price difference between the Albury and the other tournaments??
Seems like Albury is very expensive for the quality of competition that is on offer!

NSW kids pay $980 - all inclusive. This week away has been a huge factor in why the NSW boys,in particular, have done so well at Nationals the past couple of years - that and some awesome coaches. They have a great bond and over the years have become great mates- they play for each other and you can clearly see that on the court. And just quietly, the parents have a great week away too.

Does anyone know who will be the guest coach at this years coaching clinic in Albury? When is this decided?
No doubt it will be someone that won't cost much so it doesn't eat into the directors overall profits!!
I know they got Andre ( boomers coach) this year but he did it for free as part of his boomers gig!

Brad Davidson is the guest coach.

Yes Bear, anon #541 will be there. My favourite week of the year after Nationals of course.

Do you have a kid playing there Bear?

Our boys are probably mates - if urs is a boy of course.

SA kids pay $1200 -$1400! It is fairly pricey compared to other states! They have the biggest entourage of managers and support staff at the cup, so perhaps thats were the additional costs go?

I was there last year and noticed sac seemed like it had more managers then players there! Obviously that's where the added cost is! Taking that many managers seems like a bit of an overkill!! Lots of the managers are young too and I've heard only go to Albury for the mangers night which has an open bar!!
As a parent Maybe that could be looked to get the costs down

$$$ Country Cash Cup! If it was all about development then it should be no where near the costs some states charge. State associations should not be increasing their bank accounts from this event.

To the anonymous above you are dead-set lying about ECC or are just plain clueless. 20 minute round robin games? Pfft. I think this year they were 8 minutes fully timed quarters, and every other year they were 10 minute fully timed quarters. I'm not sure why they went down to 8 this year, but you can defend your Country Cup without talking rubbish about other tournaments!

You are on the money!!TAS. Tasmanian basketball make a fortune out of nationals as well.So called people wanted change in Tasmania they are about to see it!!!
ALL ABOUT THE CASH.

My son doesnt have to go but loooves it as do his mates.

Correct. As a metro person we were quite envious of the development oppurtunity Country Cup used to provide, it was something we didn't have an equivalent of.
Now, between SCC (which country groups are also using) and ECC, I think we have it slightly better. Country Cup now seems more about the participation/social aspect with numbers swelling, which is fine, but ECC is pretty much about elite development/competition. The only backwards step IMO about ECC is going back to 32 minutes games, from 40. Nationals games are 40, so I have no idea who made that decision, or why, but to me it's a bad one.

Bear spot on again. Country basketball is on the way up, Metro have stagnated. Look at NSW teams in recent years, country teams are consistently finishing above their Metro counterparts at National tournaments.

Metro teams placings in the past 5 years at both 16's and 18's are extremely lopsided towards Metropolitan teams as you would expect! Basketball in general is at the crossroads and country teams apart from NSW C boys at 16's level have been on a slide just like everybody else. Results from this years nationals can't be judged against the last 30 years, with the finals fixtures changing it has taken away the old top 4 and opened it up to any team "jagging" a win! I was in Geelong for the 16's and the standard compared to previous years was terrible! This is the state basketball is in nation wide.

Sure, it might allow a team to "jag" a win but it has also helped remove any inequality or unfairness in the way the 2 pools are structured at National champs levels. If 4th in Pool A is genuinely a better side than 1st in Pool B then what's wrong with 4th knocking out 1st? The current system is far better. Also gives teams an extra game with no days off now.

Speaking of Country cup is Ro-Jo going? Is he still around?

I agree with the above post, now even Nationals are rewarding teams with bad records in the round games by giving them a chance to 'fluke' a quarter final win and get into the medal games.
They need to go back to the old system, top two in each pool go through to the medal games. Stop giving teams with mediocre win/loss records a chance to win a medal.
Winning any medal at a nationals used to be a massive achievement, now any team can fluke one win in a quarter final after having a negative win/loss record and win a medal! Having been at the U18 nationals this year I witnessed this first hand with the SA Country girls team!!

Bear, you might want to get your stats right if you want to use restults at nationals to back up your country rah rah position.

SA Country did not even make the top 8 in 18 men this year, not 4th as you claim!
4th was actually SA Metro.

Does this now mean that Country Cup is rubbish because they finshed outside the top 8? Of course not, just as it didn't mean it was the be-all just because they (hypothetically) finsihed 4th.

Ro who? lol

I don't think the country cup is what is once was but it isn't that bad either. anon#333 what the heck are you on about? Stupid comments make no sense at all.

Just on country basketball, Was at the St Clair tournament the other weekend and noticed that all the sa country teams that were playing had on their uniforms 2014 country cup written on the back of them when it was obviously meant to say 2015! Looks like another stuff up from the SAC office!!
Who's paying for that mistake?? I would hope as parent it is not us, but I would not be surprised given the bad situation with Sa Country at the moment!!

Ha ha, yeah noticed that! Obviously someone screwed up. Typical country.

Metro teams should be doing better if only because they have always got more to pick from. Country teams at Nationals are improving but City teams have an advantage.

Sure they have an advantage but I don't think it will count for much in some age groups. Watch U18s in Ballarat 2015z

A question for our brothers and sisters over the ditch, will the under 18 Nationals teams be selected from the Kea and Koru teams going to Albury in January?

Barry, little bit sensitive mate! Uniforms tip of the iceberg with SAC.

Structure??? Do tell?

It is only a few days away now, do we keep this thread going or start a fresh one?

Start a new one I think