Patty Mills and Indigenous Basketball Australia announce details of the highly anticipated 2022 National Indigenous Basketball Tournament
AUSTRALIA, Friday 1st April 2022 – Today, Patty Mills and Indigenous Basketball Australia (IBA) are proud to announce details of the first ever National Indigenous Basketball Tournament (NIBT). Anticipation has been building for the pinnacle event of IBA’s National Indigenous Youth Basketball Program Australia (NIYBPA) following the regretful cancellation of the ‘21 NIBT program due to COVID-19. It is the culmination of a unique program that seeks to provide the opportunity to Aboriginal youths and Torres Strait Islander youths to go from the local to national stage and with the potential to go to the global stage. Continuing the program’s powerful tagline ‘Own Your Story’, the NIBT is scheduled to take place on the land of the Kombumerri nation of Queensland’s Gold Coast, home to Yugambeh peoples, at the Runaway Bay Stadium between the 15th and 17th April and will comprise of on-court competition and Inspiration & Motivation sessions.
Additionally, as part of the collaboration between the IBA and the NBA that was announced in 2021, representatives from the NBA’s international basketball operations department will lead a Jr. NBA basketball development camp on 14th April prior to the NIBT, providing holistic basketball training for up to 48 girls and boys selected throughout the Indigenous Community Basketball League(ICBL). The Jr. NBA, the league’s global youth basketball program for boys and girls, teaches the fundamental skills as well as the core values of the game – teamwork, respect, determination and community – at the grassroots level in an effort to help grow and improve the youth basketball experience for players, coaches and parents.
Founded by NBA Champion, four-time Olympian and proud Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australian Patty Mills, the IBA program is a National first in Australian sport. The NIBT is the action- packed event following on from the 5-week long ICBL competition that has been running in 8 locations throughout Australia in February and March. This month, representative teams formed of players, Team Coaches, Managers & a host of Game Officials and volunteers will come together on the East Coast to sport their region’s colours and represent Victoria, Western Australia, Northern Territory, South Australia, Torres Strait, New South Wales, Queensland North and Queensland South regions.
“I have always been, and always will be, driven by my ability to help create pathways for Aboriginal people and Torres Strait Islander people. IBA is simply the manifestation of that. It brings together the passion I have for my people and my culture and turns it into real opportunity for young athletes all over the country who really want to ‘own their story’.” says Patty Mills.
He adds, “The NIBT is essentially the pinnacle event of our national program. It is a chance for our top athletes to not only showcase their talent on the national stage but to demonstrate what goal setting and aiming high really looks like. I am so proud of our top young athletes; they have really committed themselves and grasped this opportunity with both hands. That’s why we’re working closely with our partners at the NBA, to reward them with a chance to compete at a global level. Seeing this program come to its peak is my dream come true, but for our young athletes, the adventure is just beginning....”
The City of Gold Coast will welcome more than 160 players and 84 support staff for the 4-day event that will bring together the most talented and enthusiastic young basketball players from around the country. While the event itself will take place at the Runaway Bay Indoor Stadium, the Gold Coast Performance Centre will also host the players for the duration of the tournament.
Day one opens on Thursday 14th April with the Jr. NBA Training camp which will promote standards of safe play while also delivering valuable training techniques and off-court life skills education.
The official NIBT tournament will then tip off the following day on Friday 15th April with a culture- rich Opening Ceremony including a Welcome to Country by a local Kombumerri Elder with special Elders of the Yugambeh community in attendance, a Smoking Ceremony and cultural performances from two local dance groups. Participants will also enjoy a series of Inspiration and Motivation (I & M) sessions focused on the program's four core themes of People, Identity & Culture, Education and Health. The Stadium will host I & M activations that include cultural workshops from Muggera Cultural Enterprise and education and health promotions from valued supporters. Evening sessions fostering storytelling from role models await the athletes once games have come to a close for the day.
“IBA encourages our athletes to “Own their story” says Jax Compton, Cultural Manager IBA and Team Mills Foundation. “Each one of their stories are unique and important, so our I & M sessions must complement who they are, not only as athletes, but as young Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander peoples, authentically and holistically. Our I & M sessions for NIBT will showcase the Yugambeh cultures of the Gold Coast area, and the important organisations that can and will support our young people long after the NIBT ends”.
As further demonstration of the IBA and the NBA’s commitment to pathway development, one boy and one girl from the NIBT will have the opportunity to be selected for future Jr. NBA youth basketball competitions.
The Tournament will come to a close on Sunday 17th April, but not before a fun-filled Closing Ceremony that afternoon where all players, team members and volunteers will be celebrated in turn.
To learn more about the NIBT and how to get involved, please visit the IBA website: indigenousbasketballaustralia.com or follow IBA on Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn using #OwnYourStory