IT'S a tough program to crack into, but three Bathurst basketball juniors have been selected in an elite development program.
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Bathurst Goldminers talents Max Stiff, Cruz Monaghan and Jada Shackleton have all been named in the Basketball NSW Talented Athlete Program for 2024.
Their selection came after almost 900 athletes from across NSW trialled for the program.
Stiff and Monaghan have both been selected in the under 14s country boys squad, while Shackleton is in the under 14s country girls squad.
Bathurst Goldminers chairman Jason Woodyatt said its a massive achievement to have three players in the program.
"The development and the enthusiasm of the kids is just great. Basketball here in town is just growing every year. It's really good to see," he said.
"The coaches they're going to learn under are some of the best in the state, if not the country.
"This program is a good thing for the kids to follow, to then later be selected for high performance programs. It exposes them to more experience and help develop their game.
"Hopefully one day they can make it big in the NBL or even the NBA."
Woodyatt said there's no reason why the three Bathurst juniors - or any in the Talented Athlete Program - can't make it in the NBL or the WNBL.
"The kids that have been selected are some of the best talents we've got in the state," he said.
"If they put in the hard work, there's no reason they can't go all the way."
Basketball booming in Bathurst
Woodyatt said basketball in Bathurst is experiencing unprecedented amount of growth.
He said numbers are so strong that some players have been put on a waiting list.
"We just don't have the courts," he said.
"It's a little bit unfair to expect primary kids to play at 8.30pm on school night.
"Once we get this stadium back to a decent standard, expansion is definitely on the cards."
Woodyatt has been the chairman of the Goldminers since February and in that time has been vocal about the need for a significant upgrade to the stadium, including the installation of a new roof.
But he paid credit to the work of the previous chairman and board that has done plenty of ground work.
"The previous chairman and the board have done all the good work and implemented the right training programs," he said.
