![FULL FLIGHT: Allison Tranquilli shows the form which has made her one of Australian basketball's all-time greats. Pictrure: AAP Imagfs FULL FLIGHT: Allison Tranquilli shows the form which has made her one of Australian basketball's all-time greats. Pictrure: AAP Imagfs](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/mTvP5NhWJFQFv7uTytgxtB/acbcf116-1fbf-4c6b-82aa-ea12a6fe116d.jpg/r0_0_1240_1969_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
Ballarat's Allison Tranquilli is to be given one of the biggest honours in Australian basketball.
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Tranquilli (nee Cook) will be inducted into the Australian Basketball Hall of Fame in May.
She will join fellow Olympians Robyn Maher (nee Gull) and Ray Borner as Ballarat exports with the honour.
Tranquilli has been announced as one of eight to be inducted, alongside Lorraine Landon (contributor), referees Bill Mildenhall and Ray Hunt (officials) and Troy Sachs, Allison Tranquilli, Lanard Copeland, Bradley Dalton and Lauren Jackson (players).
The decorated Tranquilli is a two-time Olympic medallist.
She collected bronze with the Opals in 1996 and then after missing selection for Sydney in 2000 was a silver medallist in 2004.
A product of the Basketball Ballarat junior program, Tranquilli joined the Opals as a 17-year-old for 1994 world championships and went on to compete in the 1998 and 2002 world championships.
All up the guard represented Australia 242 times.
Domestically, Tranquilli played with the Melbourne Tigers, Dandenong Rangers and Bulleen Boomers in more than 200 WNBL appearances.
She has the distinction of being the only player to have won the WNBL rookie of the year twice (1992 and 1993).
In addition, she was the competition's most valuable player award winner in 1993 when just 21 years of age.
Tranquilli, who is also in the Basketball Victyoria Hall of Fame, went on to be the WNBL's leading scorer in 1998 and was named in the all-star team times.
Tranquilli has nominated fighting her way back into the Opals line-up for the 2004 Olympic Games as one of her greatest achievement.
She went to Europe for four years to develop her game after the disappointment of 2000.
MEANWHILE, the 51st Ballarat senior basketball tournament this weekend has attracted 70 teams in 10 divisions from across the state.
The Hotondo Ballarat Miners and the McDonalds Ballarat Youth League Miners and Rush will have their first serious pre-season hit-outs in the three-day event, which begins on Saturday.
The Miners will be tested against Keysborough, which has historically been a fierce competitor in the premier men's division.
Ballarat's Big V youth league teams will get plenty of competition against open age teams in A grade.
Basketball Ballarat events manager Mark Valentine said for many of the teams the tournament was all about enjoying the company of friends on court and for a catch up after the games.
"Many teams now have close to 20 years of experience with this tournament."
Valentine said team numbers were up on last year.
Games start at the Minerdome and existing BSEC courts on Saturday at 9.30am.
Grand Finals will be at the Minerdome on Monday from 12.30pm. Draws and results can be found at www.ballaratbasketball.com.