Junior basketball in Australia is played all year in two seasons, with domestic competitions on weeknights and Saturdays at local stadiums and representative teams travelling to tournaments in other towns. Many associations and clubs finish the year with a presentation night: team photos on the wall, trophies for most valuable and most improved, and a video of the season if somebody can find the time to make one.
Stadium photos are difficult. The lighting is uneven, players move quickly, and a parent on the bench side gets the same view of the same two players every week. Here is how to gather enough good photos of every player.
A season of basketball
First game of the season
Set up the season and share the link with the team's families.
First tournament for rep teams
Tournaments mean team uniforms, motel stays and many games in a weekend. Ask families to capture the team between games as well as the games themselves.
Halfway through
Check the coverage list. Players who spend more time on the bench, and big kids under the ring who are blocked from view, are usually short. Copy the reminder naming them.
Grand final or the last game
Remind families to bring their phones for the final. The team photo with the trophy or medals is a must.
Ten days before presentation night
Close uploads and review the video.
Making the video
Create the season with singlet numbers
Paste first names and singlet numbers. Basketball numbers are big and on both sides of the singlet, which helps match photos.
Mark consent
Flag any player without photo consent before sharing the link; those photos are hidden and never used.
Share the link
Paste the ready-made message into the team chat. Parents choose their player and add photos from their phone.
Balance the bench
Every few weeks, copy the reminder for players under the target and post it.
Review and export
Games and tournaments become chapters, blurry and dark shots are scored down, and each player reaches the minimum. Rename the grand final chapter and export.
Getting good photos in a stadium
Turn the flash off: it rarely reaches the court and it distracts players. Sit at the baseline end if the stadium allows it, so you face the players as they attack the ring rather than seeing them side-on. Phones struggle with fast movement in dim light, so aim for moments of stillness: free throws, inbounds plays, the huddle during a time-out, the line-up for the national anthem at rep tournaments. Those are the photos that look sharp on a big screen. Free throws are especially good because every player gets them.
Stadium moments that are easy to capture
Some of the best basketball photos happen off the court. The pre-game warm-up line, with players running lay-ups in matching shooting shirts, is bright and predictable. The bench during a close final quarter, every face turned to the court, captures the team's emotion. At representative tournaments, the walk into the stadium in team tracksuits and the team photo in front of the tournament banner are must-haves. And when a player hits their first basket of the season, the bench erupting is the shot to look for; ask a parent on the bench side to keep the camera ready for it.
How long should a basketball presentation video be?
Basketball teams are small, 8 to 10 players, so three minutes is enough for every player to appear four times plus team photos. A whole association night with many teams should give each team two and a half to three minutes.
How many photos do I need?Photos to collect for your team size and video length.The Rink style suits indoor sport: high contrast and quick cuts on the beat. Pick an energetic track, and mark players aging out of juniors as leavers for a tribute at the end.
Presentation night checklist
Before the night
- Load the video onto the laptop and a USB backup.
- Test the stadium's screen and sound system.
- Play the video just before the team's awards.
- Ask the coach to introduce it with one line.
- Share the private link afterwards.
Privacy and safeguarding
Faces are never scanned or recognised. Children are matched to photos by the tags their families add and the numbers on their jumper. Only first names are stored, location data is removed on the phone before upload, the season’s link is private and never appears in search engines, and anything inappropriate for a youth sports setting is hidden automatically. Any parent can report a photo, and the organiser has the final say on every photo in the video.
Basketball questions
Our domestic season is only ten weeks. Is that enough?
Yes. Short seasons simply have fewer chapters. Ask for photos every week so there are enough of every player.
Can rep and domestic teams share a video?
They are different teams, so separate seasons and videos work best.
Can we include photos from the team's pizza night?
Yes, if it happens before the deadline. It becomes its own chapter.
Do prices include GST?
Yes, every price includes GST and is paid once per season.