The Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) have been hosting a Victorian Youth Basketball Tournament for the last 10 years.

The tournament was held at the Dandenong Basketball Stadium for two days, 20th – 21st May. 

The annual event brought in spectators from all over Melbourne and teams from far and wide. Avondale College, located in NSW, brought down their university students as multiple teams with one of the male teams competing in the finals on the 21st.

Teams were divided into categories of mixed, females and males A & B, there were also family teams competing on the day. 

People had the option to make up a team to register for the tournament or sign up an already established team. Most of the teams were made up of university students from around Victoria, while others consisted of youth aged between 18-39.

This years tournament was particularly special for one team, the Black Rhino’s Basketball Club, as it was their very first tournament as a club.

The Black Rhinos team consists of rehabilitated troubled teens, the goal of the team is to prevent crime through basketball. The newly established team only received their Jerseys on the Tuesday of that week, 16th May. Unfortunately the Black Rhino’s were knocked out of the competition early but still enjoyed the experience.

“They felt alright, they had fun. Some of them were a bit disappointed, but they had fun most of all,” said Jamy Alex the founder of the Black Rhinos Club.

The ADRA Tournament is not only an event for basketball, it is also a fundraiser for future ADRA humanitarian initiatives such as community building, support services, disaster relief and livelihood opportunities to name a few. 

Initially the purpose of the tournament was, “To create a social avenue for people to get together. It’s grown to be something more than that with the help of ADRA and being able to reach out to the community, bringing them together and giving back to the community,” said Will Tai Tin, Tournament Director.

On the Sunday the males final match become a whole stadium showcase with everyone passionately cheering on their team. The match was between the Galaxy Basketball Team & Avondale Basketball Team, with Galaxy coming out victorious.

Here are the highlights from the first half of the match:

So if you want get involved in the event and help a great cause along the way. Gather some of your friends together next year and register your team for the 2018 tournament.