Thanks Basketball – The King’s (Queen’s Birthday) Birthday Classic

Written by Chase Basketball’s Managing Director Nigel Purchase

My first memory of the Queen’s Birthday (now King’s Birthday) Tournament was as a player.  Held at the old Albert Park Stadium, the pioneers of the sport some 40 to 50 years ago introduced the National Club Junior Championships which has evolved into The Classic event of today.  Ultimately, it was a chance for clubs from all over the country to come together to measure themselves against each other and what a fantastic showcase of junior basketball it was (and a lot of fun too!).

I was involved in a pretty good team back then and some success followed on the court!  However, my fondest memories of the championships were of how great it was seeing kids just like myself from all over the country, pretty much doing with their teams what I was doing for my club the Melbourne Tigers.  

My involvement in this tournament has evolved from being a player, to a father of a player, to now a spectator who is very interested in the progress of junior athletes, particularly those that we coach at Chase Basketball.  Along with this, I pay great attention to the general and impressive development of all junior athletes playing our great game.

In 2023 I attended games at the State Basketball Centre and at the Dandenong Basketball Stadium to watch Chase Basketball athletes compete for their clubs at The Junior Classic.  All Chasers worked hard and had their own levels of success throughout the weekend.  Some of our Chase players were also playing in the “sister” tournament held by the Nunawading Association in neighbouring suburbs.  How lucky are our current-day basketballers who have access to the highest quality facilities and equipment that our sport can provide.  The games that I was lucky enough to attend over the long weekend were played in first-class gyms supported by knowledgeable and professional administrators.  How far we’ve come!

Well done to the tournament organisers, well done to the players and coaches from all over the country, and especially well done to the Chase Basketballers who represented themselves, their families and their clubs with great distinction over the weekend.

Go Chase!

Nigel Purchase