As we reach the half way point of the VJBL Season, it's been a big week for our Junior Championship teams as qualification into national tournaments has been on the line.

Tournament places have been up for grabs for both the U14 Club Nationals later in the year and the VJBL National Junior Classic over the Queen's Birthday long weekend. In both cases, the top four placed teams (two per pool) in the Victorian Championship division automatically qualify into each tournament.

In great news for our U14 teams, both our U14-1 girls and U14-1 boys have qualified for the U14 Australian Club Championships to be played from 28 Sep to 3 Oct 2015. The girls will be heading off to Gosford, NSW for their tournament, while the boys will be travelling to Perth for their tournament being hosted by Basketball WA.

Congratulations to both our U14 girls and boys teams (players and coaches) on qualifying for nationals, Bulleen has a proud history of success at this tournament but even to qualify is a fabulous effort.

It also costs a lot of money to get our U14 teams to tournaments held interstate, so both teams will be hard at it fund raising over the next few months to help pay for their trip. The girls have already started with a fundraiser at Latitude on Saturday 20th June (details on the home page) and there will be plenty more events and BBQs to come. So if you see our U14 teams out and about, please help them out with their fund raising efforts.

And the second prestigious National tournament just around the corner is the National Junior Classic, hosted in Melbourne by our own VJBL.

The top four teams in each age group from VC also automatically qualify into the Classic and for 2015 it's a fabulous result for our junior Boomers as eight teams have qualified - the teams are the boys U12-1, U14-1 and U16-1, together with the girls U12-1, U14-1, U16-1, U18-1 and U18-2.

A special mention to the girls U18-2 who are into the Classic - always a fabulous result for a second team to qualify into this National tournament - well done to the girls and coaches.

And just to note the 2015 Classic is a bit of a change up from previous years - the following venues will host the Classic:

• U12/U14 boys and girls - Dandenong Basketball Stadium (Dandenong)
• U16 boys and girls - Sandringham Basketball Stadium (Cheltenham)
• U18 boys and girls - State Basketball Centre (Wantirna)

The National Junior Classic is held over the Queens Birthday long weekend from Sat 6th June - Mon 8th June 2015.

So keep some time free over the long weekend to get out and see some of the best junior basketballers in the country hit the court in our own backyard - and of course, be seen and be proud supporting our Bulleen Boomers junior championship teams. Good luck to all our teams for the National Junior Classic and GO BOOMERS !