Bendigo gets glimpse into future!
At the recent Hoopsfest, there were three names on the Spirit roster that most people may not have recognised. They were however, all very well known to the Bendigo Basketball community.
The timing of the tournament meant that the Spirit were not in a position to send their entire roster of full-time players and, as a result, 3 Bendigo locals in Mia Harvey, Poppy Blanch and Lavinia Cox made their Bendigo Spirit debuts over in Perth. It was Poppy’s first experience with the Spirit program whereas both Lavinia and Mia spent some time training with the program in 2023/24.
Spirit head coach Kennedy Kereama was thrilled to be able to provide this opportunity to young women from the Bendigo area.
“I’ve been following both Lavinia and Mia for a while now, whereas Poppy attended our open trials and stood out as a really hard worker that can shoot the ball. It’s pretty amazing that in a regional town like Bendigo, a kid can start the basketball journey at a young aged with Biddy Ball, progress through the club system, and then represent their home town at a national level.”
Lavinia spoke about her excitement to represent the Spirit for the first time.
“I have been following the Spirit since I started playing basketball and it has always been my dream growing up to be a part of this team. Having a professional team in my home town has been a constant motivation throughout my journey to relentlessly achieve that dream.”
“Growing up, it was always a goal to represent Bendigo, as I was always looking up to the girls in a Spirit uniform. I even had a Kelsey Griffin poster on my door alongside Michael Jordan and Stephen Curry as people I wanted to be like when I was older. I would also wear my hair to match Kelly Wilson’s bun when I was playing Under 14 VJBL”
It was particularly important for Lavinia to be able to share the experience with her close friends.
“It made the experience 100 times better. Being able to support and encourage each other in the best moment of our career so far was something I will never forget.”
Mia Harvey, recently having had her 16th birthday, echoes the thoughts of her friend Lavinia.
“Growing up in Bendigo I have always been around the Spirit. I loved going to games and sitting in the crowd with all my friends. We would all wear Spirit gear. There is a photo of me and a mannequin where the singlet was down to me knees (supplied).”
“Having a professional team in my home town is incredible, there aren’t really any words to describe how amazing it is. From growing up watching and learning I aspired to be them when I got older. Now here I am training with Spirit, learning from such experienced and amazing players.”
On Hoopsfest, Mia believes the opportunity for Bendigo locals to be put on a national stage is invaluable.
“Perth was so much fun. We got to experience game day and being a part of the team which was super special. We were so excited we face timed our mums to show them us in our singlets. I want to thank the girls for making us feel so welcome and a part of it all.”
The Bendigo girls, all guards, have the perfect role model in Kelly Wilson to look up to and learn from throughout the season. Kelly often plays NBL1 with the Bendigo Braves and as a result has done some individual training with Mia.
Of working with her role model in Kelly, Mia says:
“Kelly in particular is someone who I look up to as a basketballer. She is extremely professional in everything she does and is such an awesome role model for me to learn from both on and off the court. Watching all the things she does at training, she works extremely hard which is why she is an unbelievable player. It’s a privilege to be able to experience this level of basketball at my age and I am extremely grateful to Kennedy for giving me this opportunity.”
The Spirit open there season on November 2 against the Adelaide Lightning at Red Energy Arena.
Memberships are available at https://wnbl.basketball/bendigo/memberships/