Kate Withers
This weekend’s annual Morwell Basketball Tournament will carry extra special significance for the entire Gippsland basketball community.
The 2018 running of the tournament will be held in memory of beloved doyen Joe Brouns who died suddenly in May this year.
Joe dedicated his life to basketball across the state and spent much of it playing, serving, coaching and mentoring at the Morwell Basketball Association.
He also coached and mentored elite athletes through the Gippsland Basketball Academy, Latrobe Energy and Basketball Victoria Country representative teams.
Morwell Basketball Association president and lifelong friend of more than 40 years Chris Row said this year’s tournament would be “fairly special”.
“Joe was basically the backbone of Morwell and was involved for over 40 years as a champion player, coach and administrator and he was pretty much a friend of everybody,” Mr Row said.
“Joe was bigger than just the Morwell Basketball Association but Morwell was his home club and he just loved the association.”
As a nod to the indelible mark Joe left on the community, members of the basketball community have started a “movement” to go along with the tournament this weekend.
“Some people have come up with a catchphrase with the hash tag ‘be like Joe’, and these people wanted to sell and give back to the Morwell Association, which is all Joe ever really cared about,” Mr Row said.
The tournament, which traditionally attracts around 100 teams from across the state, has grown this year in the wake of Joe’s passing.
“We’ve probably had about 20 more teams than we normally had enter,” Mr Row said.
“All Latrobe Valley and Gippsland teams have put most divisions in and Morwell have put in extra divisions we don’t normally have in under 16s boys and under 12 girls.
“I think a lot of people and especially kids wanted to play this year because it does carry extra significance. There’s a lot of people from Maffra, Lakes Entrance … from everywhere.”
Row said the loss of Joe was “still very raw” but hoped this weekend’s tournament would be a fitting celebration of his life and love for basketball and the community.
There will be a memorial game held on Saturday night between two Morwell men’s sides with one featuring Joe’s son Frazar.
“We hope to see as many people there as possible to join us in remembering and celebrating the great man,” Mr Row said.
“It was this weekend that Joe looked forward to most every year.”
The Morwell Basketball Tournament will be held on Saturday from 8am at Morwell Leisure Centre, Moe/Newborough Leisure Centre and Churchill Leisure Centre.
The feature tribute game will be held at Morwell at 8.30pm on court one.
For more information, visit morwelltournament.sportingpulse.net.
