The Eltham Wildcats announce Youth League rosters for the 2024 Big V season.
The Eltham Wildcats have two U23 Youth League teams that compete in the elite senior Big V basketball league during the winter. The Youth League teams serve as a pathway for Wildcat junior players to transition into senior basketball utilising the U23 Youth competitions as a steppingstone to NBL1 and other elite senior levels.
“The Lyon’s Body Works Eltham Youth Women are striving for another exciting and rewarding season in 2024,” according to Head Coach Scott Delzoppo.
“The Women are looking to build on a very successful 2023. After going 22-1 in 2023 playing in Division 1, promotion to Victorian Youth Championship (VYC) is achievable via the preseason Qualification Series.”
The team returns Club stars Kiara Mountford and Jamieson Weddle who are long term Wildcat players that have embraced their younger teammates, to build and keep the great team culture going forward.
Last season All Star 5 player, Lilly Amor will hopefully get to play some games in YLW on top of her position in the Eltham NBL1 Women’s team. The roster is bolstered by a number of talented Eltham juniors this year who are also playing U18’s, led by Addison Knight, Vic Metro team member in 2023 & 2024. We also welcome some newcomers to the club, Hayley Sparks, Taylah Babic and Eleanor Trout who are all expected to play important roles this season.
The team is athletic, big and hungry for success in 2024. The expanded squad will involve more Eltham juniors, providing the pathway to YLW and the NBL1 team. Take the time to come and see our YLW play, and we encourage all juniors to work hard and aim to join the team in the future.
You can catch the Youth Women in action this Sunday (11th February) at Montmorency Secondary College as they take on the Ballarat Miners at 10:00am in the Big V Qualification Series to earn themselves promotion into the VYC division which is the best Youth Division in the state.
Lyon’s Body Works Eltham Youth Womens Roster
Lilly Amor
Taylah Babic
Ruth Burrows
Reese Cameron
Mia Delzoppo
Stephanie Fell
Charli Filliponi-Haines
Addison Knight
Kiara Mountford
Hayley Sparks
Eleanor Trout
Jamieson Weddle
Claudia Hii
Neala Hameister
Camryn Cleary
Phoenix Pedgeon
Harriet Drummond
Justine Walker
Head Coach: Scott Delzoppo
Assistant Coach: Elyce Barbin
Team Manager: Linda Mountford
The Youth Men remain in the VYC division where they will once again compete for that elusive championship. Coach Rod Degenhardt returns as Head Coach and already has his group hungry to take that next step.
“The Youth League Men’s team will look to take further steps forward in 2024. With the disappointment of a first round exit from the 2023 finals still burning, the predominantly returning group has been working hard for many months to find the improvements needed to go deeper in 2024,” said Degenhardt.
“We pride ourselves on playing the Eltham way with hard-nosed defence and team first offense and will deliver an exciting brand of basketball that our junior teams can look up to. This is a tight group that is built around the strong Eltham basketball pathways containing players from our under 18 & 20 Junior Championship program all the way through to Youth League veteran Zak Cunningham who is in his final year at the Youth League (U23) level.
“We look forward to representing Eltham at the elite u23 level and we welcome our Wildcat juniors and families to come and join the excitement at our upcoming games.”
The Youth Mens season will tip off on the 16th March. Stay tuned for more details and how to grab your season membership.
Youth Men Roster
Zak Cunningham
James Toohey
Harry Stones
Mitch Blackburn
Zac Anderson
Zahn Agosta
David Mutavdzija
Josh Campbell
Riley Castles
Connor Maclean
Brad Moorey
Sam Alexander
Callum O’Neill
Brodie Schaefer-Vesely
Jake Sapiano
Kofi Aden
Head Coach: Rod Degenhardt
Assistant Coach: Andrew Dixon
Development Coach/Team Manager: Jhye Burton
