Eleni Ruffol, Emmi McKenzie and Daisy Kell will now head to Sydney for an elite training camp. Photo: Supplied.
Three young Griffith basketballers have been selected from more than 1000 aspiring athletes to join an elite development program aimed at identifying and nurturing the state’s best regional talent.
Basketball NSW recently held Talented Athlete Program (TAP) trials across 14 regional zones for NSW Country athletes.
From each age group, just 30 players were selected for the Under 13 and Under 14 squads.
Griffith Demons representative players Eleni Ruffolo earned selection in the Under 13 program, while Emmi McKenzie and Daisy Kell were picked in the Under 14 squad.
For Eleni, the selection came as a shock.
“When we received an email informing me that I was selected, I was so surprised because I’d only been playing basketball for one year,” the 12-year-old said.
“So many kids at the trial had been playing since they were very young.”
Eleni is already well known around Griffith as a talented all-round athlete. Earlier this year she won three gold medals at the Country Regional Swimming Championships and qualified for the NSW State Championships. Away from the pool, she also plays netball, touch football and AFL.
Eleni Ruffolo is also known as the dolphin and has picked up multiple swimming awards. Photo: Oliver Jacques.
The Griffith Demons describe the 12-year-old as the “ultimate all-rounder”, capable of playing anywhere on the court.
“She handles the ball, scores inside and out, rebounds, and defends whoever is in front of her,” her player profile states.
Emmi has now been selected in the TAP program for the second consecutive year after impressing with her performances for the Demons and collecting a string of local basketball awards.
Daisy developed her game in Leeton before joining the Griffith Demons last year, where she has continued to build on her promising talent.
The trio will travel to Penrith in August for a three-day high-performance camp, where they will train under some of NSW’s leading coaches alongside the state’s most promising country basketballers.
Eleni’s parents, Mauro and Vaggie Ruffolo, said they were extremely proud of her achievement.
“The great thing is that she’ll have the opportunity to make new friends and she might be spotted by talent scouts,” Vaggie said.
Mauro said it could be difficult for talented regional athletes to attract attention.
“There were so many kids from Wagga, Leeton, Newcastle and all the regional areas of the state except Sydney,” he said.
“For the Under 13 division, she was the only player selected from within a 400-kilometre radius.”
The Talented Athlete Program is Basketball NSW’s junior development pathway for promising country players. It provides athletes and their families with an introduction to high-performance basketball, including advanced coaching, elite training environments and the commitment required to progress towards state and national representative levels.