The jump to SEABL was not only exciting for the Diamond Valley Basketball Community as a whole, but also for those players who have been involved with the club for so long. One of these players, is Lukas Kafritsas. SEABL was a goal for Lukas, but he was unsure of the pathway that would take him there. Having been a great contributor in Diamond Valley’s Youth League team the past few seasons, ‘Kaf’, as he is affectionately known by teammates, was rewarded with games in the Eagles’ senior side in 2017. Lukas had bigger dreams though, “SEABL was always a goal for me to play in the future. I was very fortunate that Diamond Valley joined SEABL,” said Kafritsas. The dream became a reality when Lukas was offered a spot on DV’s SEABL roster for 2018. No guarantee of minutes, just to be able to go in and work on his game against older, more experienced players.

The love of the game started early for Lukas as he watched his older brother Elias play and was soon able to join the Apollo Rockets in their U08 side. Honing is skills in the DVBA’s junior domestic program, Lukas was then selected to play for the Diamond Valley Eagles as an U12 player in 2007. This was the start of a successful junior career, which saw Lukas compete (and finish 6^th) at the U14 Australian Junior Club Championships in 2010, in Canberra. “I was lucky enough to play with guys who are still some of my best mates – Grant Turner, Josh Gilmore and Mark Girolami, who all ended up playing Youth League together later on, which I think is pretty special,” Kafritsas said.

“That team also included Abi Akintola, who currently is playing Division 1 basketball in the NCAA and was coached by Rob Coulter (current SEABL Women assistant), who taught me so much about the game growing up.”

Lukas continued to work on his game and was invited to join the National Intensive Training Program, where he was able to train under some of the best coaches in Victoria and practice with and against the highest caliber of athlete for his age group. Not only succeeding as an individual, he was part of Diamond Valley team’s that were Runners-Up in Victorian Championship in U16s and eventually State Champions in U20s. Lukas added, “there is no better feeling than winning a championship; to be able to do that with guys I played U12s with, I will always remember that. We had a great team that played together, and Paul Girolami was the perfect coach to lead us to the win!”

Lukas currently plays on both our SEABL and Youth League teams when able to, playing all 12 games for the SEABL team, where his energy and defensive focus is infectious to his team mates. He uses his recently gained experience when playing for the Victorian Youth Championship Men, currently averaging the most assists in the team. “It’s been difficult at times, playing from 2-3 games every weekend, but I love playing basketball and it’s an honor putting on the red and white uniform every game, so I’ve loved every second of it,” said Kafritsas.

Lukas is a true testament to the pathway that Diamond Valley now provides and is reaping the benefits with the club moving to SEABL. Time will only tell how far Lukas can go, but with his work ethic and maturity beyond his years, there is no doubt he will be representing the Eagles for years to come.