Why do we still have 'clubs' allowed to nominate for state championships just because they are of a certain ethnicity? Could you imagine the uproar if it were the other way around and we had clubs which didn't allow that race to be selected, it would be all over the news. Yet no let's all be inclusive and keep them happy then oh wow yay congratulations you had a few teams win grand finals. It changes nothing in the medium to long term and takes away finals spots for actual clubs affiliated with Basketball WA who deserve to be there

Out of interest, which club/clubs were denied a place so that Binar could compete?

there is so much untapped aboriginal talent and youth.

I would say one of the highlights of the state champs so far has been the Binar teams competing.

Will be interesting to see how many Bunbury players playing in D2/D3 play for slammers on championship weekend?

Low light would be done defences

Clubs don't pay affiliation to BWA. Players do. If they have all paid their $30 for the season they are affiliated and deserve to be there as much as kids from the traditional associations.

The BINAR girls teams were of excellent standard, they had some great athletes, and were extremely well coached,which is more than can be said of some of the teams fielded by much larger WABL clubs.

Clubs like Binar have emerged out of a necessity to fill a void in opportunities for talented athletes who were not receiving the specialist performance coaching and opportunities they deserve at the various BWA WABL clubs.
Perhaps if some of the larger WABL clubs were more "all inclusive" in the culture of their clubs they would reap the rewards of having indigenous players in their teams, some of which are clearly more athletically gifted than the players the large clubs are selecting.

This is highly evident as the performance of the BINAR girls squads during week 2 was fantastic.
Two championship teams and a runners up team, nothing short of an epic state champs campaign.

I felt privileged to have watched a number of the BINAR girls team games across the weekend, they all played with flair, poise ,smarts, heart and soul in a distinctive style that is their own brand.

Hopefully they will be granted their own WABL club licence somewhere in the near future as the performance so far across both weekends clearly shows they are an emerging force in WA basketball.

Once again it is sad to see the old dinosaurs of WA basketball groaning their way to extinction.
Clubs like BINAR are the future of Basketball in this country.
If you can't see that then you are part of the problem.

Well done to all involved with Binar.
LEGENDARY.

I was involved with a big association team that lost to a Binar team. Nothing but respect for their players and coaches. Would be great to have many of these athletes in WABL. Not as a separate association, but included in current association teams.

I've stayed off here due to idiots like the first replier to this post but I couldn't hold my tongue on this one. Firstly, to the later post which used the age old stereotype they're aboriginal they can't afford it... F*CK off with that nonsense. I and many of my close family and friends involved with Binar aren't poor or on the dole or in need of handouts. Yes there are some involved with the program who struggle but that sh!t would be the case in almost all clubs, even more so in the current economic environment - so please stop just applying that logic to us indigenous people, it pisses us off greatly.

To the original hero posting under Anonymous - I genuinely feel sorry for you. Not because you're a redneck who feels the need to vent their racism openly on a public forum. No that just narrows down the club that you prob are from - But the fact you don't see the value of what is being done by one man in particular in Adam Desmond and some amazing volunteers is both disheartening and to me also highlights why we need teams like Binar at state champs. None of these kids played wabl in 2020, yet three of their teams last weekend along won state championships. Now take into account most of the Binar teams had two training sessions max, if not only one session as was the case with the U11 girls who won their division. Now how many did your daughter's team have, and then how many of her teammates played together for wabl this year. Now think about how much of an advantage your daughter's team had with that background and they still lost to a team of just raw, talented kids who play with heart. I'd be asking my club what it's doing to get better following the loss not taking the easy cop out option of let's just blame the indigenous kids for getting so called unfair treatment to be allowed to play. Shame on you and all those who agree with your post in any way

I am one of a very small percentage of Aboriginal coaches active within our wabl system, and I'm damn proud of that fact and wish we had a lot more. It's the opportunity through Binar that we have to develop not just more Aboriginal ballers but coaches, scorers and referees too. Instead of being negative about this incredible opportunity to have more indigenous kids playing our great sport at an elite level, instead let's celebrate the courage it took for Brent Dawkins and other BWA staff to not only accept the Binar nominations, but work with them to make sure they could field strong teams in multiple divisions. Let's celebrate the likes of Andrew Vlahov being an active board member and role model for the Binar program; Let's celebrate the amazing role models like Greg Hire, Maddie Allen and Mikayla Dyer who each give up countless hours to help Adam out in not just basketball related activities, but also off court initiatives like life skills training, homework classes, mental health awareness or Christmas food drops where Adam plus a heap of the older kids in the program arrange food hampers for families regardless of race in the Midland / Swan Valley area who may be struggling at this time of year.

Binar is more than just a bunch of Aboriginal kids playing at state champs. It is an opportunity for us as a basketball community to make a significant step in these kids and their families lives off and on court through the Avenue of the greatest sport in the world. If that offends you or screws with your moral compass because your child's team can't beat them, maybe you need to look at what you really stand for rather than placing the blame and emphasis on a program I hope only gets bigger and bigger from this amazing exposure they will get over the next few weeks.

Well said, R@nD0m

Couldn't agree more with R@nDom
highly accurate summary of Binars amazing performance, imagine what Binar would be capable of with their own WABL club as a permanent fixture of the WA basketball landscape.

The raw indigenous basketball talent in WA is and always has been on par with the best in the world.
All that has been lacking are the opportunities and pathways.

Binar is a step in the right direction to one day make Australian basketball a powerhouse on the world stage.

@Anonymous 3892
The wabl system currently is better than most and it'll show in years to come in AJC teams.

You should do stand up comedy that's f*"king hilarious.

Binar have some really good players and are doing great things. Fark off Karen ya racist dog.

I am a coach from a big club and state champs is my favourite part of our calendar. The tournament itself doesn't really mean much because the results can be random due to the short game format & some country teams nominating themselves in lower divisions than they should, but it is a great time to actually feel like a club because the kids and coaches get to all support each other when they aren’t playing. The other highlight of state champs for me is when there isn’t a game in involving my club, I go to find a Binar game because they are always fun to watch. It is pretty obvious that they would be an awesome addition as a WABL club because there is no shortage of talent. With a bit of coaching you can see it wouldn’t take long for them to be a successful club. If having a club that is limited in ethnicity is the way to get talent like this into our system, it has to be good for all of us.

It's great to see what Bihar are doing for the indigenous kids and also the game also. Big kudos to Adam and all of three coaches, players and organisers for doing all of this.
Yes the sport needs Binar to have a WABL program and I would also love to see an SBL team so these kids have a pathway into the SBL.
We don’t have enough indigenous kids playing SBL and we know they are all talented enough as juniors to develop to that level.
Hopefully as a sport we can move in that direction in the near future and I am sure all of the great work Binar is doing will help the cause.