U20 & Ivor Burge National Championships

HISTORY

About the U20’s

The U20 Men’s Championship was first held in 1974 when Victoria Metro won the title, the Women’s Championship was introduced in 1981 with South Australia taking out the first Championship.

Teams representing each state compete for the title of national champion each year.

At the National U20 Championships the Bob Staunton Medal is awarded to the most outstanding male and female player. In 1991 the award was named to honour the memory of Bob Staunton and his contribution to Australian basketball as both a player and an administrator.

Many basketballers have represented their state at the U20 National or Ivor Burge Championships and gone on to represent Australia on the international stage including Boomer Patrick Mills and Brad Newley and Opals Lauren Jackson and Erin Phillips.

Jack Terrill Trophy Honours

The winner of the U20 Men’s National Championships will have the opportunity to hold aloft the Jack Terrill Trophy.

Named after the man who is considered one of the founding fathers of Country Basketball Victoria, Terrill began his rise within the sport after starting the Geelong TMCA in 1952.  In 1967, he, along with Ken Watson asked 12 associations to come together to form Country Basketball.

He became President and served between 1967 and 1973.  In this time, he also coached the first country Victorian team that played in an Australian Championship in 1971.  He remains one of only eight Presidents to ever serve in the role with Country Victoria Basketball.

In addition to the Under-20’s Trophy, the Terrill name is enshrined upon the medal that is presented each year by Country Victoria to an outstanding contributor, be it athlete, coach, referee or administrator.  Geelong Basketball also has an award named after him.  Jack Terrill is a Life member of Country Victoria Basketball.

Arthur McRobbie Trophy

The winner of the U20 Women’s National Championships will be awarded the Arthur McRobbie Trophy at the tournament’s close, a name synonymous with overcoming adversity.

After spending four years as a prisoner of war in Germany during World War II, Arthur McRobbie returned to Western Australia and became a foundation member of Basketball WA in 1946. He served as secretary for two years, before becoming Vice President for four years and then President for a further four years.

He was also a State selector in Western Australia as well as a coach, team manager, official rules interpreter, referee coach, referee and an administrator with all these roles leading to him being elected the first Life Member of Basketball WA.

McRobbie was the manager of the Men’s Olympic Basketball team in Mexico in 1975 and played an integral role in the development of the Perry Lakes Basketball Stadium, where the main grandstand was named in his honour.

He was awarded the Order of Australia Medal in 1982 for his service to sport and was inducted into the Basketball Australia Hall of Fame in 2007.

The Bob Staunton Medal

Bob Staunton is a name recognised throughout this country for his tremendous contribution to junior basketball in Australia in all areas of the sport including coaching and administration.

The Bob Staunton Medal is awarded to the most outstanding male and female player at the annual Australian Under 20 Championships.

Staunton represented NSW as a player and participated in the first basketball game to be televised in Australia. From 1975-1980 he was the Manager of the Australian Senior Men’s Team and he also served for many years as the Secretary General of the Australian Basketball Federation (ABF).

During his time at the ABF Staunton helped to establish the Australian Junior Championships, the National Youth Teams and the Australian Institute of Sport basketball program and he was inducted into the Basketball Australia Hall of Fame in 2006.

In efforts to have Bob’s outstanding work in the development of basketball remembered, Basketball Australia has presented FIBA with the perpetual Bob Staunton Trophy which is awarded to the winners of the World Junior Men’s Championship.

A great number of notable Australian Basketballers have been recognised with the Bob Staunton medal at the Australian U20 Championships.

About the Ivor Burge Championships

The Australian Men’s and Women’s National Championships for people with an intellectual disability is named after Ivor Burge to commemorate his contribution to Basketball in Australia.

Ivor Burge is considered one of the founding fathers of basketball in this country.  Although he went to college in Springfield, Massachusetts, after graduating he came back to Australia to promote the game further.

Burge produced the first standardised rulebook for the sport in October 1928, and founded the Victorian Basketball Association in 1931. He continued to help promote basketball in Victoria through his position with the YMCA until 1940.

In 1941 he became the inaugural Director of Physical Education at the University of Queensland. In 1946 Burge was involved in the writing of the Constitution of Basketball Australia and founded the Queensland Amateur Basketball Association. He was appointed the Association’s first President, a position he held until 1954.

In 1992 he was awarded life membership of the Australian Basketball Federation and in 2004 was an inaugural inductee into the Basketball Australia Hall of Fame.

The Kim Larkin Medal

The Kim Larkin Fair Play Award is awarded to a team that displays outstanding sportsmanship in the Ivor Burge Championship. The behaviour of a team’s athletes, staff and supporters are all considered when awarding this honour. In 2013, Basketball Australia named the award after Australian Pearls legend, Kim Larkin.

Kim was a member of the Australian Pearls 1993 through to 2009, competing in five World Championships, two Global Games, one World Cup, one Asia and South Pacific Championship and a European Championship. During that time, she won a gold medal, five silver medals and three bronze medals. Larkin was the captain for most of this period with the Pearls. She has also represented Basketball Victoria Metro in the Ivor Burge Championship since it commenced and during this time has won twelve gold medals.

In 2012, Larkin was awarded a Medal of The Order of Australia (OAM) for her service to sport, and to people with a disability, through roles with the Australian Pearls.