Gallery | Holiday buckets at the three-on-three tournament

Frame and Bartlett started the business after recognising that high-level coaching in Shepparton for young players wasn’t meeting the demand.

Since the start of this year, they’ve been holding group and individual training sessions for their “Buckets fam”.

The previous three-on-three tournament was held in early July at the Shepparton Sports Stadium, with more than 60 kids participating.

The competition was back and bigger, with almost 20 teams across the under-12 through to under-18 age range.

The different age groups competed for a mix of cash and Rebel Sport gift cards valued at more than $500 each.

Frame said the Bucket Centre wasn’t interested in making money from the event.

It was all about encouraging the kids to get out and play ball with their friends during the school holidays.

“These kids are so daring, they love it,” Frame said.

“What we know is basketball is booming right now in our town and in our state.

“We just want to give them as much opportunity as possible.”

While some hefty cash was up for grabs, Frame and Bartlett set the tone for an educational and supportive environment while keeping it competitive.

“We get to give them feedback, which is so great, and they listen and take it on,” Frame said.

“They’re here because it’s a tournament, they want to get better, and it’s probably the competitive nature as individuals between the kids, so we think it ticks all the boxes.”

Frame said they hoped to keep the three-on-three competitions a regular occurrence in Shepparton.

In the future, they might be looking at weekend games instead of during the holidays to get even more kids involved.

He gave a special shout-out to a group of more than 10 Tatura players who had once again made the trip into Shepparton for the tournament.

Frame thanked everyone involved and expressed his pride in how the Bucket Centre kept growing and evolving.

“We really want to keep sharing and building this,” he said.

“If there’s a chance for anyone to jump on board, absolutely do; come see us, come to our training, get involved with us.

“We really want to build this into a bigger family and see where it goes.”

To find out how to become a member of the Buckets fam or about future events, head to the Bucket Centre’s Instagram page @the.bucketcentre.