Cougars Youth Men Chasing VYC Promotion
The McKinnon Cougars Youth Men will take the floor this Sunday, 8 February, with promotion on the line as part of the Big V Youth Qualification Series.
McKinnon will face Wyndham at 12:00pm at Narrandjeri Stadium (281 Darebin Road, Thornbury). A win in the opening matchup would see the Cougars return to the court later in the day for a second game at 5:00pm against an opponent to be confirmed, with Victorian Youth Championship promotion implications on the line. If McKinnon are unable to secure a win in Game 1, there will be no second game and the team will compete in Youth League One.
Head Coach Daniel Gianchino said the group has embraced the challenge ahead, highlighting both the preparation and the composition of the squad.
“We have prepared as best we can for this tournament and now trust that the result will take care of itself. With one of the youngest Youth Men groups of recent times, made up largely of McKinnon juniors, I couldn’t be more excited for the year ahead with a fantastic group of young men, and incredible coaching staff supporting us all.”
While a place in the Victorian Youth Championship is the immediate goal, Gianchino said the opportunity represents a significant moment within the club’s broader development pathway.
“Earning a promotion to Victorian Youth Championship would be incredible. We understand as youth coaches our role is to develop young athletes to propel them to their next step in their basketball careers, and to assist that process, the competition we play against plays a huge factor. The added weight of being the only Big V team at our club not in the championship division is something we would also like to relieve.”
Gianchino also pointed to the strong connection between McKinnon’s junior and senior programs, hoping to see that club-wide engagement on display throughout the day.
“Maybe the best part about our club is the community engagement we get between our Junior and Senior Cougar programs. Our juniors do a fantastic job of showing up each week to support their senior counterparts, often McKinnon juniors themselves, and our senior athletes consistently put their hand up each year to coach within our junior program. I would love nothing more than to have this on display come Sunday with strong support from our club.”
The Big V Youth Qualification Series has become a key feature of the Victorian basketball calendar, with teams earning their place through performance and results rather than invitation. The series continues to grow each year, offering genuine movement between divisions and meaningful opportunities for developing athletes.
“The pathway we have created here at McKinnon is a special one that we are very proud of. Being able to promote McKinnon juniors each year into our senior pathway and invest in their development is a privilege to be a part of, and likewise, promoting youth athletes from the Development Stream into the Elite Stream, either at home with us or abroad.”
With promotion on the line and a defining opportunity ahead, Sunday shapes as an important day for the Cougars’ Youth Men program, with the club encouraging players, families and supporters to be part of the occasion at Narrandjeri Stadium.