Big week for the girls

By Jarrod Potter and Peter Sweeney
IT has been a big, big week for the Dandenong Basketball Association.
Firstly, Aimee Clydesdale and Carley Mijovic were named in the under-19 Australian side.
But wait … there’ s more.
Liz Cambage and Rachel Jarry, former representatives with the Dandenong Junior Rangers, were then selected at numbers two and 18 in America’s Women’s National Basketball Association draft, held in Bristol Connecticut, USA.
Cambage, the MVP in the 2011 WNBL, was taken by the Tulsa Shock, the club who visited Dandenong on 19 February to watch her play.
Listed at 203cm, Cambage will make an immediate impact in the WNBA.
Jarry, who had an outstanding WNBL season, was selected in the second round, by the Atlanta Dream. Atlanta contested the WNBA finals last year against Australia’s Lauren Jackson and Abby Bishop, of the Jayco Rangers.
“Dandenong Basketball is proud of the role the Junior Rangers program had in the early development of Elizabeth and Rachel,” DBA marketing manager Paul Flynn said.
While life for the moment is not as glamorous for Clydesdale and Mijovic, the pair are set for bright futures.
They will travel to China as part of a 12-person squad to contest a warm-up tournament for the 2011 World Championship in China.
Australia will meet teams from the USA, Czech Republic and the host country during its 16-day tour.
Mijovic is presently on scholarship with the Australian Institute of Sport while Clydesdale was a regular member of the Rangers’ Women’s National Basketball League team this year.
The team has a pre-departure camp in Melbourne on 27 and 28 April, before leaving a day later.
“A highly competitive camp was held in Dandenong last week. Aimee and Carley did really well,” Flynn said.