Three development camps to be held for wheelchair basketball in December.

Development camps set to encourage the future of wheelchair basketball in Australia will take place in December.

The Frank Ponta Cup, Women Pathways Development Camp and Development Programs, aim to help produce the next generation of athletes, coaches, referees, and classifiers.

Frank Ponta Cup (FPC), December 1-4.

The Frank Ponta Cup provides an intense four-day camp environment for learning and development, and two days of competition.

27 male athletes who wish to progress in the national pathway will participate in the program.

The FPC was introduced by Basketball Australia in 2010, in recognition of wheelchair basketball athlete, Francis Ettore Ponta (8 November 1935 – 1 June 2011).

Ponta, a member of Australia’s first wheelchair basketball team, was heavily credited for growing the sport of wheelchair basketball in Western Australia.

Head Coach of the U23 Spinners, Bradley Ness will provide an elite training environment and help athletes identify what it takes to represent the Green and Gold on an international stage.

“I am really excited to be coming into the AIS to be involved with the Basketball Australia’s Pathways and Frank Ponta camp.

Frank Ponta was a legend in the para-sport world for many decades and was responsible for opening the pathways to the Paralympics for so many athletes.

So, any time I get to continue his legacy is an honour,” said Ness.

“We have so many exciting young athletes coming into camp which will no doubt create a great vibe to learn and play with.

I am really looking forward to seeing so many athletes in one place ready to take up the challenge of improving as basketballers on and off the court – Roll On.”

 Athletes: 

Women Pathways Development Camp (WPC), December 4-8.  The first-ever Women Pathways Development Camp (WPC) will provide national opportunities for the Head coaches of the Gliders and U25 Devils team to continue to develop talent in the performance pathway from the respective programs. As a two-year initiative, the program will accelerate the development of elite female wheelchair basketball athletes. 20 athletes will have access to optimized coaching, training, mentorship, and support services during this camp. Head Coach of the Australian Gliders, Craig Campbell looks forward to developing the future of the Gliders national team. “Following the increase in number of women playing our game across Australia, the standalone Women Pathways Camp is another great opportunity for athletes to be inspired to play wheelchair basketball – however, wherever and whenever they choose without being judged,” said Campbell. “For some athletes, this will be an opportunity to continue to develop and for others this may be their first push towards being a Glider at Brisbane 2032.” Athletes:  Victoria Simpson       NSW Breanna Fisk              NSW Maryanne Latu          NSW Jess Cronje                  NSW Emerald Wilmshurst QLD Maddie Kelton            QLD Geneva Colin               QLD Karly Liddle                 QLD Evangelina Crowther QLD Annabelle Dennis        SA Ellie McInerney           SA Georgina Gott              TAS Isabel Martin                VIC Lauren Hardbottle      WA Sarah Throns                WA Taishar Ovens              WA Claire Jansen               WA Sara Houston               WA   Development Programs, December 1-4 and 4-8.  Coaches  The Coach Development Programs will provide essential information in four days of learning to support the growth and development of wheelchair basketball coaches across Australia. This would include a basketball coaching certificate course, with workshop/on court activities and some team coaching experiences. It will be run in conjunction with the Frank Ponta Cup and Women Pathways Development Camp. “This year's Pathways Camps have expanded to not only provide development opportunities for athletes across the nation but also to include education and development for coaches, referees and classifiers,” said Janna Mizens – Coach Development Manager from Basketball Australia. “Thirty coaches, representing each state, will partake in an in-depth curriculum with classroom and on court practical sessions to equip themselves to inspire and empower the next generation of young wheelchair basketball athletes. Coaches:

Referees & Classifiers  Referee Lead, Matthew Wells and Classification Lead, Don Perriman will be running education, training, and workshops alongside the Frank Ponta Cup & Women Pathways Camp. The 7 referees will also referee the 3x3 and 5on5 games at both the camps, and classification opportunities will be available to all athletes across both camps. Referees:

Classifiers: