PORTLAND will transform into a basketball mecca this weekend with the annual staging of the Portland Junior

South West Classic.

Sixty-five teams, mostly from south-west Victoria, will contest the tournament with sides coming from Warrnambool, Hamilton, Casterton, Terang, Port Fairy and Koroit, as well as 12 teams representing Portland.

“It will be busy,” Portland Basketball Association board member, Marty Starrick said.

“We have 400 players registered for the weekend, with games running non-stop through seven courts.”

The two courts at the Portland Basketball Stadium will be the centre of the action, while courts at the Portland Secondary College, Bayview College, Bundarra Primary School, as well as at the two Heywood schools, will be used.

“We are running from 8am Saturday through to 9pm, nearly the same on Sunday, and then we also have some games here at the stadium on Friday night.”

“COVID has pretty much delayed the representative season. Normally we would have played at least Warrnambool and a few other tournaments by now.

“Some teams competed at Shepparton or Hamilton prior to Christmas, and we had 10 teams at Bendigo at the weekend so that was great, fantastic to gets the kids competing.

“The kids are all a bit rusty, but it is great to be back.”

With much of the 2021 domestic season wiped out because of COVID restrictions the teams are a little behind where they would normally be in their development.”

For now though the excitement is building for a weekend where teams will play three or four games each, plus the prospect of finals.

No tournament will be possible without coaches, team managers, scorers and referees.

“Jake Stevenson is our referee co-ordinator.

“He is a local referee and a referee coach, he is organising all that for us.

“I think there are 38 refs coming from all across this side of Victoria, our local refs as well, and the visiting ones we are able to provide accommodation through one of our sponsors.”