Reflections from 2026 Eltham-Dandenong Tournament A-Grade Finals
Below are my quick reflections on the key trends I saw in the A Grade Grand Finals of the 2026 Eltham Dandenong Junior Basketball Tournament. I appreciate there’s nothing too fancy or ground-breaking in the observations below, but also think it’s important for our coaches to hear that so this is something I’ll publish to them over the coming days.
Defence
Aggressive AND disciplined
When guarding the ball, defenders applied significant pressure within the bounds of the rules (Knox 12 Boys good example).
Traps were used intermittently but were not staples of the majority of teams who won.
Off-ball, players maintained good ‘shell’ positioning, “jumping to the ball” on each pass, ensuring splitline was always covered, and were always ready and motivated to pick off intercepts. There was always help on the drive in the form of swiping at ball from the ‘gap’ which created many stops/turnovers, meaning only players who could protect/gather the ball firmly would reach the basket.
Offence
Footwork (‘playing off two feet’)
This will sound like a broken record, but it was evident that the best teams in the competition are highly competent at ‘playing off two feet in the key’. I’d estimate that 90%+ of drives to the basket in the boys grand finals ended in a stride stop (including those following a spin move). From there, players would use strong pivots from a low base if needed before making a purposeful shot or pass. This is a high priority for our athletes to develop, especially on the girls program where (state-wide) the use of stride stops is not used as much, and presents a substantial advantage for those who can develop this skill (e.g. U14 Tigers Girls).
Finishing ability
Very few grand finals were won or lost by shooting ability, particularly at the U12/14 level. Finishing ability however (within 6 feet of basket) was a key determinant of success, whether off a drive, pass or rebound. Developing our athletes’ ability to convert shots within 6 feet is critical to a team’s success.
Ball toughness
Winning teams were those that could soak up their opposition’s aggressive defence, be comfortable with contact, using pivots and rips to own their space and as a result their drives and passes were rarely stolen. Teams who won the rebound count also typically won their grand final.
Dribbling ability:
In my view the two most important dribbling skills that the best teams displayed were not flashy ones. Rather they were:
Using a cross-over dribble effectively in transition to maintain speed and protect ball
The ability to maintain a dribble throughout a drive into the keyway (a skill with multiple layers including strong handles [technique], physicality [athleticism], confidence [emotional], and decision-making [cognitive] on when to gather the ball).
Space and pace
Top teams did not rely on detailed Xs and Os to succeed – but had high attention to detail on spacing and roles. Where actions were used, it was a ball screen at the seam that was the most popular.
Summary
The key skills and concepts that the best teams showed were:
An ability to…
Drive deep into the keyway on either hand from a 1v1 situation, finishing on a stride stop.
Use extra pivots and their “0.5 seconds” to decide on pass or finish.
Display toughness from start to finish in order to not turn the ball over via travel, poor pass or poor shot.
Ability to dribble at pace through middle of court seeking kick-aheads, using cross-over dribble as needed to maintain pace.
Maintain adequate spacing. I don’t even think it needs to be ‘elite spacing’ honestly, the best teams almost never have 4 players on the ball side or teammates within 2 metres of the ball-handler.
Disruptive full-court match-up principles – allowing no catch, being touch distance, and trying to make dribbler pick up ball whilst also being disciplined.
A strong shell in their half-court defence – attention to the details like jumping to the ball, owning a space, carrying hands, boxing out.