Basketball
21 October, 2025
Munyard selected for Victorian state team
Levi Munyard continues his incredible sporting year, earning selection into the Victorian Navy team for the 2026 under 20 national basketball championships to take place in Ballarat in January.
Munyard’s selection comes on the back of captaining Country Victoria to a gold medal at the under 18 national championships in April, as well as starring for the Ballarat Miners in the 2025 Victorian Junior Basketball League season.
Now based in Ballarat, Munyard is currently playing his debut season for the Horsham Hornets in the Country Basketball League.
Amanda Munyard, Levi’s mother, said they were happily surprised by the state team selection, particularly considering Levi was one of the youngest selected.
“He has just finished his under 18 basketball, and the under 20s is his first step into the senior pathway,” Munyard said.
“As a bottom ager, you don’t go in with a lot of expectations about being picked, so we’re surprised but really excited about the selection.”
Munyard believes Levi’s selection is a reward for the hard work he has put in over the years, with the decision to send him to St Patrick’s College in Ballarat last year allowing him to continue to flourish.
“He puts in so much work behind the scenes that people don't see,” Munyard said.
“When the games are on, you get all the glory in that moment, but it's just the hours and hours of travel and tireless work he’s putting in off the court, and it's nice to see that coming to fruition.
“With him making Basketball Victoria squads and representing Ballarat, it got to the point where we had to take that next step and get him to boarding school.
“It’s allowed him to attend a lot of training camps in Melbourne with just an hour of travel, and we thought that was best for him, and it’s proved right, because he’s just thrived since being there.
“Getting to captain the Country Victoria team earlier in the year and winning was a remarkable achievement for that group.
“Under 20s will be a different experience, but one he will relish and rise to the occasion for.”
Horsham basketball coach Cam Bruce also emphasised Levi’s dedication, acknowledging how the 17-year-old has used setbacks to improve.
“Levi's got a really strong determination in his sport, and originally stationed for most of it in Horsham, he'd have to travel to Ballarat to be part of teams or to Melbourne regularly,” Bruce said.
“So to stick through that, initially not getting selected for a few teams, has probably developed his resilience and driven his work ethic even further.
“That's a credit to him and his family.
“We'd be shooting a couple times a week, and then often he'd be doing his own thing with his parents at the stadium.
Bruce expects the guard to make his presence known at the championships, acknowledging Munyard’s competitive nature as well as his basketball skill.
“Defensively, he likes to get up in people's faces and make it hard and challenging,” Bruce said.
“He's very capable offensively as well. He can hit shots, he can create for others, make good decisions, which, if you can do all those things, can take you a long way.”
On top of his basketball success, Levi has additionally juggled his football commitments, playing for the Horsham Saints senior football side, while also representing the Greater Western Victoria Rebels in the Coates Talent League.
While the talented youngster will continue to prepare for the national championships, Amanda said that Levi is currently enjoying playing for his home team in CBL, where he has impressed in his first three games for the side.
“We’re finished up with a lot of the formal Basketball Victoria commitments for the year,” Munyard said.
“He gets to play with the Hornets in the CBL, which is a lot of fun for him.
“He's gone through the whole junior program here watching the Hornets and always wanted to get an opportunity to go play for them.
“For him to be able to come back to Horsham and just be a part of the CBL group. He's just absolutely loving it.
Asked what it means to have Levi come back to play for the Hornets, Bruce admits that having junior basketballers get the opportunity to watch Levi can act as a motivator to progress their own basketball journey.
“Having kids just like Levi, go through that Victorian pathway is a huge inspiration for others,’ Bruce said.
“I know kids I coach look up to Levi, and they watch him from afar, whether on YouTube videos or streaming the national championships.
“Now he's back playing CBL, which will make it even better because the kids can see him live and in person when they play their home games soon enough.
“So kids definitely know what his story is, and they look up to him as well as Micah Livingstone and others who have done really good things within that Victorian pathway.
“Kids doing these things, it's only going to benefit others in and around town, as it shows them the pathway is possible.”
Horsham residents will get the chance to see Levi play on Sunday, November 2, when the Hornets play their home opener against Hamilton.
The under 20 national basketball championships will be held at Ballarat between January 27 to February 1, 2026.