A boom in participation numbers has forced Orange Eagles to enter additional representative teams in the Basketball NSW Western Junior League.
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Orange District Basketball Association selected their squads for the 2024 season last week with two teams entered in each boy's age group from under 12s to 18s.
President Jeremy Frew said the trials created some good problems for selectors.
"This year, we had fantastic participation numbers for our Eagles trials," he said.
"From under 12s to under 18s, we had one of our largest trial groups all pushing hard for selections.
"It's been very competitive across several age divisions and because of how competitive the trials were, we have added teams.
"The Eagles now have two teams in all our boys age divisions, which shows the strength of Orange basketball."
The Eagles performed strongly in 2023 with the under 14s boys taking out the title and the under 18s girls falling just short in the grand final.
Frew said there was a buzz in the basketball community ahead of the representative season which begins in February.
"There's a real feeling of energy and excitement this season," he said.
"We have a group of very experienced and passionate coaches this year across all age groups. The best thing about this season is seeing the passion and enthusiasm in the stadium when all our age groups are there.
"It's nice seeing our under 12s and under 18s training together and cheering each other on.
"This year our talent is spread evenly across boys and girls from each age division. Our 16s boys have a lot of players from last year's U14s Western Junior League champions, so they'll be strong.
"Our u18s girls' team will look to go one further after a narrow grand final loss last year. We expect to be competitive across all divisions."
While hopes are high for Orange to bring home silverware, giving more players a chance to progress through state squads and pathways is a priority for the association.
"Across 12s, 14s, and 16s, we have a lot of players selected in the Basketball NSW representative pathway," Frew said.
"This season will be another chance for those players to continue that journey, and we are looking to create an environment where even more Eagles players make it into state development programs."
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