By Justin Schwarze
Pakenham Warriors star guard and Youth League Captain Chelsea Schreuder has been selected to represent Victoria Navy at the upcoming Under 20s National Championships.
Schreuder has progressed all the way through the Pakenham basketball club, going from playing domestic basketball with her school club, then moving into juniors at the Warriors in the Victorian Junior Basketball League (VJBL) in under 14s.
From there, she continued to play VJBL but quickly impressed the senior teams at the club.
She became involved with the Youth League women’s team, and once again stood out.
Schreuder soon carved out a role on the Youth team, playing a big role on teams that reached the finals in three straight years, including the semi-finals in 2022 and the grand final in 2024.
Her rise as a player and club member wasn’t finished, as she became co-captain of the team that made the grand final, while also receiving some opportunity with the State Championship Women’s team.
“It’s been really good having that opportunity to progress through the ranks at Pakenham,” Schreuder said.
Coming off a stellar season in 2024 averaging eight points, nearly nine rebounds and over five assists per game, she decided to try out for the state team.
After the trial period, she ended up being selected for the squad, and hopes to bring the national title home for Victoria in January.
“It’s a huge honour to be able to represent the state,” Schreuder said.
“It’s something I’ve had as a goal for a long time now and to be able to actually do it is a dream come true.
“It’s some reward for the effort I’ve been putting in and everything’s kind of led to this, so it means a lot.”
According to Schreuder, her defence is what separates her from the rest.
Being co-captain for the Warriors has helped Schreuder develop her leadership skills and her on-court presence, something she hopes she can bring to the state team.
“Every coach and every player I’ve played with will say I’m loud, and sometimes maybe too loud,” she said jokingly.
“But being vocal both on and off the court helps my success to this point as well.
“I’d love to just be that energy-bringer, no matter what’s going on within the games or training.
“Keeping the energy up I feel was a huge part of the trial process for me.
“Just making sure everybody’s involved and that we’re all one team.”
Building on her past experiences is also a big reason as to why Schreuder is the player she is.
After unfortunately losing in the grand final to McKinnon last season, she aims to learn from the experience to better herself on the court.
Her motivators include always being competitive with her older brother, who had an influence on her getting into the sport, and striving herself to be better.
“That high pressure atmosphere I think has attributed to me being able to handle those sorts of situations,” she said.
“I’ve always been very competitive, as many people would say.
“Just succeeding within myself and perfecting as much as I can within my own game.”
For now, Schreuder will look to bring her energy to state trainings, with the championships around the corner, being held in Ballarat from 27 January to 2 February 2025.
After that, the Big V season won’t be far away and Schreuder and the Warriors look to redeem themselves from last season’s heartbreak and raise the championship banner.
