By Tara Murray
Sunbury’s Jade Dunne is still coming down from the excitement of being part of the winning Vic Metro team at the Under-16 national basketball championships.
Dunne, 14, who has previously been part of a Victorian school team, said it was a different feeling this time around.
“It was really exciting,” she said. “I’m still speechless and it feels surreal. This one felt like an entirely different experience, it felt so more real.”
Dunne, a top-age player this year, spent five months working up to the championships, first with trials and then practicing with the team.
“We had about two to three months of trials and they [selectors] watched us play as well.
“It’s been a pretty big year.
“Making it as the older age is a lot easier. I’m playing in the first team at Diamond Valley, so I thought why not try out.”
The Vic Metro side was the standout of the championships going through undefeated.
In the final they defeated their arch rival Vic Country 65-57.
Dunne, playing as a guard, scored three points in the final, averaging 5.56 points and 2.11 rebounds for the tournament.
She scored double figures in two of the pool games, and showed off her defensive skills with 19 steals for the tournament.
Dunne said it was an unbelievable feeling to come away with gold.
She said going into the grand final, they always had a feeling they would win.
“We were told it would be completely different to what we are used to,” she said.
“A bit rougher and more physical and we went in with the mentality it was going to be tough. We worked really hard for it, that was the cherry on top.”
Dunne said she played her role during the tournament and did what was asked of her.
It was a brilliant weekend for the Victorian teams, with Vic Metro winning both the women’s and men’s titles over the Vic Country sides.
Dunne started playing basketball at Sunbury at six years of age and moved to Diamond Valley Eagles three years ago.
She said she was happy to see where her basketball career took her.
“Now I’ve got the finals with the Eagles VC [Victorian Junior Basketball League VC division] I’ll focus on them.”
Tara Murray
