The Rutherford College U17 Red boys’ basketball team started this season as a ‘left overs’ from the already formed U17 Blue team, with only six players – they are now a full team of 10.

Team is an appropriate word here, these boys have gone from strength to strength, working hard both on and off the court. “They quickly gelled together and have become more and more cohesive as a team each week. Although there are clearly more skilled and more experienced players than others, everyone understands their strengths, weaknesses and role within the team” Dan Fake team coach.

They are a great team to watch and have managed to defend an unbeaten title so far. They have come up against some really tough and rough competition, but they always seem to work their opponents out and come out on top, maintaining a consistent and strong strategy to the end.

I have had some nail biting moments on the bench watching to the very last minute where it could have gone either way. “Tactically we are a fast paced, transition focused team who quickly make other teams pay for missed opportunities and capitalise early on ball handling mistakes. We play a motion based offence with no set plays but rather a read and react style which appears to be working well against more formal, structured defence. The boys have also managed physically against some opponents who have been bigger and more aggressive than them. This could be accredited to them doing well to attend extra conditioning sessions in the gym giving up their lunch times to do so” Dan Fake.

If you get time to come down to the courts and watch them play you won’t be disappointed! I have really enjoyed watching them play and grow as a team, basketball is an awesome sport to get involved with, “The energy in the team is good to be around and continues to grow each week. A sense of pride is beginning to shine through as they add each win to their record” Dan Fake.

This year’s basketball teams are a strong force to be reckoned with, having some fantastic games so far.