Matthew Dellavedova and Cody Ellis have been named the Captain and Vice Captain of Australia's Under-19 Men's team, the Emus, for the upcoming World Championship.

Dellavedova and Ellis will lead the Emus at the Under-19 Four Nations tournament in Melbourne this weekend before heading across the ditch for the 2009 FIBA Under-19 World Championship for Men in Auckland from July 2-12.

190cm guard Dellavedova is in the third year of a scholarship at the Australian Institute of Sport and has been a part of the Emus program since 2008 when he won Bronze medals at the Albert Schweitzer Tournament in Germany, and the Williams Jones Cup in Taiwan.

204cm forward Ellis is in his second year at the Institute.

Cody Ellis stepped out of his famous father’s shadow years ago, mainly because of his growth spurt as a teen, writes Ross Lewis for the West Australian.

Now, he has the chance to emerge from a stage that enabled Australian basketball’s two most prominent stars, Andrew Bogut and Pat Mills, to gain world attention.

Ellis, the son of Perth Wildcats great Mike Ellis, has been selected in the national under-19 team, the Emus, for next month’s world championships in New Zealand.

The 18-year-old forward is the only Sandgroper in the squad to battle Canada, Spain and Syria in Group C in the series which is viewed behind just the Olympics and senior world championships in importance to international basketball.

And the event has special significance to Australia. In the 2003 championships held in Greece, the Emus team coached by new Perth Wildcats mentor Rob Beveridge and led by Bogut claimed the title — a victory still regarded as one of this country’s greatest achievements in the sport.

Four years later, Mills caught the eyes of talent scouts with his flashy play as the Emus won eight of their nine encounters, only to lose in a quarterfinal to Brazil on a last-second basket.

After the 2007 series in Serbia, basketball’s governing body, FIBA, decided to hold the under-19 championships every two years, giving 202cm Ellis the opportunity to showcase his talents.

However, Ellis has already developed a strong reputation after attending the Australian Institute of Sport and earlier this season signing with top US basketball college, St Louis University.

The Emus will be hosting the Under-19 Four Nations Tournament at the Melbourne Sports and Aquatics Centre from June 26-28, 2009.  Under 19 national teams from European superpowers Spain, Greece and France will join the Emus in their last chance to prepare for the FIBA U19 World Championships in New Zealand in July.  All four teams boast a strong reputation at the U19 level, each earning a podium finish in the previous three U19 World Championships.  Tickets are available right now through Basketball Victoria, and fans should grab them quick or risk missing out.  Call 03 9927 6666, or email ashley.stewart@basketballvictoria.com.au for your tickets today.

Article from Basketball.net.au
Photos by KANGAROO Photo