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YOUNG local basketball star Ella Mercieca has had a spectacular 2023-24 season.

At the start of 2023, 14-year-old Ella finished off the Eagles representative tournament season with a dominant performance at the state championships in Bendigo.

She was the leading scorer for the tournament, with many 30 plus point games and a 40 point plus game.

Ella was also playing for the North East (NE) Bushrangers U14 girls at the time, in the Victorian Junior Basketball League competition, playing in Melbourne every Friday night.

In the Basketball Victoria Elite Pathway, Ella attended the Future Development Program in Mansfield and was then invited to the State Development Program (SDP) one year early, at the Shepparton Hub as an extra due to her identified talent.

Ella went on to get a permanent position in SDP, as an U15 athlete, when those positions became available.

Continuing in 2023, she competed at the Country Metro Challenge in Bendigo, and was subsequently invited to the U15 Southern Cross Challenge, early in 2024.

Ella excelled at this tournament in Melbourne, for the second year in a row, and was always near the top of her teams scoring, defence and rebounding.

At the all state and combined tryouts, Ella’s talents were noticed by Victorian state selectors.

She was selected as an emergency for the Victoria Country State U16 team, a big achievement for an U15 athlete.

Ella has a full basketball schedule including weekly sessions of SDP in Shepparton, NE Bushrangers training in Benalla and playing with them in Melbourne on Fridays nights, individual lessons, and SDP shooting in Mansfield with local coach, Jason Campbell.

Jason said he first started coaching Ella four years ago when she was in the U12s.

“I’ve individually coached her on and off for two and a half years now,” he said.

“Her development has been massive.

“She’s been really determined, self-driven and when she goes home and practises drills it shows.

“Ella’s ambition is to one day get into the Australian Women’s National basketball Opals team and before that the Sapphires and the Gems which is the U17 and U19 women’s teams.

“She is well on her way to achieving this at the moment.”

Recently Ella accepted an offer to enter the Northern Territory’s National U16 team and this upcoming school holidays she will be playing at the national championships in Bendigo.

She is a shooting star on-and-off the court which makes her a worthy nominee for the 2024 Sportsperson of the Year Award.