BRIAN KERLE BASKETBALL
GOOD NEWS STORIES

Eddie Idris: From Bellbird Park to BK Academy What started as an opportunity to reset and refocus has grown into an inspiring basketball journey for Bellbird Park’s own Eddie Idris. Eddie joined the Brian Kerle Basketball BK Assist Program at Bellbird Park State High School, a program designed to support young people through sport, structure, and mentorship. For Eddie, it became more than just a program—it became the starting point of a new path. Through commitment, disciplin

Owls U12's Win QLD Club Championships The BK Owls under 12 boys and girls teams have been crowned the best club teams in the state after winning the Queensland Junior Club Championships at the blistering hot Cornubia Park Sports Centre in Logan. The girls, lead by 2024 Coach of the Year Cass Parker and Spirit of the Owl Award Winner Pat Cran got of a to a rocky start, losing their first two games. But belief never wavered in our girls, as they bounced back on day 2 of the the

NAIDOC 3 x 3: Culture Meets Basketball Brian Kerle Basketball’s NAIDOC 3x3 Tournament ran successfully for its third year. This event is put on completely free of charge so that all young basketball players can compete and have fun. The event promotes community and youth engagement whilst celebrating Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Culture. This year’s event was the biggest in BK NAIDOC 3x3 history, with 100 teams registering, bringing together 500 young people and over

BK in Charleville & Cunnamulla The Brian Kerle Basketball Academy team went regional this week with a trip out to Charleville and Cunnamulla. The trip is part of the BK Regional Outreach Project to provide services to rural and country towns and ensure that all young people get equal opportunity and access to quality coaching and mentoring. The goal of the trip was to impact lives and inspire the youth in Charleville and Cunnamulla. The team worked with over 200 young people

Darcy Ryder - The boy From Isa Darcy Ryder made the decision to move from his home town of Mount Isa to the big smoke in Brisbane. In doing so, he decided to follow his dreams of becoming a basketball player. Darcy arrived at the Brian Kerle Basketball Academy as a raw, hardworking, rugby league playing, 6 foot guard with very little experience in basketball. He had never played at a representative level before joining the Academy, but he had one thing that would seperate him

The Boy From Emerald Harry Armstrong took a big chance moving from regional Emerald to the big city of Brisbane at the age of 17. Harry joined the BK Basketball Academy, where he could get an education studying a diploma of sport and began volunteering his time as a coach at holiday basketball clinics. We decided to start our volunteer coach trainings to up-skill coaches and teach them strong leadership and communication skills so that they can have a lasting impact on the yo

Rishad Sabatino-Cook, affectionately known as Shardy, has been an avid participant in our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander programs. From the programs he joined our basketball Academy and has recently earned his Diploma of Sport. His experience, expertise and qualification from his Diploma of Sport has allowed him to coach and mentor at our regional outreach programs and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Programs. It was a full circle moment when Shardy coached at a

Siale Lolohea is a proud Indigenous Woman who has been part of the BK Family since she started basketball. She has represented Queensland in the Australian Indigenous Basketball Tournament and plays at a representative level for the Logan Thunder. Siale competed in the 2023 NAIDOC 3x3 Tournament, where she won the championship and the tournament MVP. Since the NAIDOC 3x3 Tournament, she has joined our junior basketball club the BK Owls. BK Basketball sponsored Siale so that s

The artwork for our official NAIDOC 3x3 merchandise was created by Christine Watson Christine is proud Wakka Wakka Woman from Cherbourg and a Brian Kerle Basketball Academy Athlete. The artwork is titled “For Our Elders”, in line with the theme of NAIDOC Week 2023. The design went on our marketing, t-shirts, singlets, and polos. Since NAIDOC 3x3, Christine has graduated from BK Academy with a Diploma of Sport. She now competes in the Queensland State Youth League, which is hi