Carmel Sabandar

Hawthorn Basketball Association (HBA)

The Hawthorn Basketball Association (HBA) is a member association of the Victorian Basketball Association, which operates under the auspices of Basketball Australia. The HBA is approximately the twelfth largest with respect to numbers of registered players among the Victorian associations. There are about 300 teams in the Saturday competitions, comprising some 2,400 registered players. The HBA runs the Junior Boys and Girls competitions as well as various senior competitions in graded levels of Victorian Championships and Victorian Metropolitan Leagues. The HBA is a relatively young association, entering 16 teams across Boys and Girls Under 12, 14, 16 and 18 in 1999. Hawthorn Magic is the representative arm of the Hawthorn Basketball Association (HBA) and competes in the VJBL AND Big V leagues. At the junior levels for 1999, Hawthorn Magic reached the highest grade (Championship) for the Under 12 and 14 Boys teams and the second highest grades for the Under 12 and 16 Girls teams. The best players from the Saturday competitions play in these elite level and high level competitions on Friday nights.