Showing posts with label Basketball australia. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Basketball australia. Show all posts

24 April 2012

Title will be decided tonight!!!

Perth and New Zealand meet in the decider

After a one point 87-86 win in Perth, New Zealand and Perth will clash soon for the 2012 NBL Championship in New Zealand.

In a rarity of sorts....Perth controlled the boards against the rugged Breaker front line in Game 2.

Again due to time constraints....here are some stories from the NBL. 

Prediction wise, I think the crowd will get the Breakers home by 7.

Game Three preview here.

Redhage article here.


20 March 2010

NBL/WNBL Award winners revealed

courtesy of basletball.net.au, wnbl.com, and nbl.com


 HOMICIDE WINS NBL MVP AWARD

Townsville Crocodiles’ star point guard Corey ‘Homicide’ Williams has been named the winner of the Andrew Gaze Trophy as the National Basketball League’s Most Valuable Player for the 2009/2010 season at the NBL and WNBL Awards Dinner in Melbourne on tonight.

Williams received 92 votes to take the award from Adelaide 36ers forward Adam Ballinger, who polled 80. Melbourne Tigers’ forward Mark Worthington came in third place with 72 votes, followed by Wollongong Hawks’ guard Tywain McKee in fourth place with 70 points. Perth Wildcats forward Shawn Redhage, whose team won the 2010 NBL Championship, was fifth with 69 points.

Williams, who has now been a Croc for three years, averaged 18.6 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 4.1 assists over his 31 games this season, shooting the ball at 50.6% from the field.  For the second year running Williams led the Crocodiles to a Semi Final berth.

Williams becomes only the second Croc to win the award after club legend Robert Rose claimed the honour in 2001.

Voting for the MVP award is conducted following each regular season game by the coaching staffs of each team, with the player amassing the most votes at the end of the season being declared the winner. 

The NBL’s MVP award is named after Melbourne Tigers great Andrew Gaze, with the trophy being a specially commissioned sculpture of Gaze in action. 

The results of the other awards announced tonight are below.

ALL-NBL TEAMS
League MVP Corey Williams and last year’s MVP Kirk Penney head a star studded All-NBL First Team for the 2009/10 National Basketball League season.  The two MVP’s are joined by exciting point guard Tywain McKee from the Wollongong Hawks, tenacious power forward Mark Worthington from the Melbourne Tigers and Perth’s star player Shawn Redhage.

Corey Williams and Kirk Penney could not be separated, both polling 63 votes, followed by McKee with 57, Worthington (55) and Redhage (51).

This is the third time Worthington and Penney have been named in the All-NBL First Team. After missing out by one vote last year, Williams made amends by being named this year.  Shawn Redhage also moved up from the Second Team last season.

Adelaide’s main man, Adam Ballinger (49), missed out this year by the smallest of margins, only going down by two votes to Redhage. Ballinger was joined on the All-NBL Second Team by CJ Bruton from New Zealand (38), Anthony Petrie of the Gold Coast (29) and the back court for the Blaze in Ayinde Ubaka (26) and Adam Gibson (28).
Dynamic point guard from the Melbourne Tigers, Julius Hodge (25), was at the head of the ALL-NBL Third team despite missing the first half of the season. Hodge was joined by fellow American John Gilchrist from the Adelaide 36ers and grand finalist trio, Glen Saville (24), Cameron Tragardh (23) and Larry Davidson (20) from the Hawks.

The head coach, one assistant coach and one captain from each team vote on the award.  Voting takes into account regular season performances only and voters cannot include members of their own team on the ballot. Each All-NBL team submitted by the voters must feature three outside players and two inside players. 

All-NBL First Team
Corey Williams (Townsville)
Kirk Penney (New Zealand)
Tywain McKee (Wollongong)
Mark Worthington (Melbourne)
Shawn Redhage (Perth)

All-NBL Second Team
Adam Ballinger (Adelaide)
CJ Bruton (New Zealand)
Anthony Petrie (Gold Coast)
Adam Gibson (Gold Coast)
Ayinde Ubaka (Gold Coast)

All-NBL Third Team
Julius Hodge (Melbourne)
Glen Saville (Wollongong)
John Gilchrist (Adelaide)
Cameron Tragardh (Wollongong)
Larry Davidson (Wollongong)


Others to Receive Votes:
Luke Schenscher (Perth), Rolan Roberts (Townsville), Rick Rickert (New Zealand), James Harvey (Gold Coast), Damian Martin (Perth), Erron Maxey (Gold Coast), Kevin Lisch (Perth), Steven Weigh (Perth), Russell Hinder (Townsville), Julien Mills (Cairns), Dusty Rychart (Cairns), Phill Jones (Cairns), Daniel Johnson (Melbourne), Matt Burston (Adelaide), Peter Crawford(Townsville), Dillon Boucher (New Zealand), Thomas Abercrombie (New Zealand), Sam Mackinnon (Melbourne), Brad Williamson (Townsville), Chris Anstey (Melbourne), Mika Vukona (Gold Coast) and Rhys Martin (Wollongong).

COACH OF THE YEAR – GORDIE MCLEOD (WOLLONGONG)

After helping the undermanned Wollongong Hawks get to an NBL Grand Final in his first year with the club, Gordie McLeod has won the National Basketball League’s (NBL) Lindsay Gaze Trophy as Coach of the Year for the 2009/10 season.

McLeod won the award by earning 59 votes to finish ahead of Perth coach Rob Beveridge (29) and Townsville’s Trevor Gleeson (28).

McLeod had his Hawks flying early in the season, winning five of their first six games. The Hawks ended the regular season with a 16-12 record. This meant that the team whom was predicted by many to finish last, finished second on the NBL ladder at the end of the regular season.

Under McLeod, the Hawks formed a chemistry which could be seen both on and off the court. They played team basketball throughout the season, averaging 16.3 assists per game, which got them to the NBL Grand Final. McLeod did it tough however, with Tywain McKee going down injured mid season. McLeod brought in former Sydney King Luke Martin to fill the role and lost nothing in doing so. Some of the younger Hawks in Rhys Martin and Tim Coenraad blossomed under the guidance of McLeod.

With McLeod at the helm, the Hawks became a defensive force this season limiting their opponents to 81 points per game on 44% shooting. The Hawks averaged 5.4 steals and 2.8 blocks per contest.

The Lindsay Gaze Trophy for NBL Coach of the Year award is named after the legendary Melbourne Tigers coach.  It takes into account regular season performances only, and is voted on by head coaches, assistant coaches (one per club) and team captains (one per club) on a 3-2-1 basis.  Balloters are unable to vote for members of their own club.

2010 NBL Coach of the Year – Voting
Geordie McLeod
59
Trevor Gleeson
28
Rob Beveridge
29
Joey Wright
22
Aaron Fearne
5

Coach of the Year Winners List – click here



BEST DEFENSIVE PLAYER – DILLON BOUCHER (NEW ZEALAND)
New Zealand Breakers veteran Dillon Boucher taken out the NBL’s Defensive Player of the Year Award for the 2009/10 competition.  Boucher finished with 42 votes to leave his rivals in his wake. Damian Martin from Perth (29), Adam Gibson from the Blaze (28) and Mika Vukona from the Blaze (21) were left to fight for second place.

Boucher was the shining light for the Breakers on defence this season, who allowed opponents to score 83.6 points per game.  During the regular season Boucher recorded 37 steals, 12 blocks and 74 defensive rebounds, but it was his ability to bulldog opponents for the length of the court that made him invaluable in Coach Andrej Lemanis’ system.

In his seven years of playing in the NBL he has been instrumental in helping his teams win games on the defensive end. He helped New Zealand make a late season push towards the end of the 2009/10 season by getting his teammates to pitch in on the defensive end of the floor.

This is Boucher’s first Defensive Player of the Year award and he becomes the first New Zealander to take it out.

The award is determined by a vote of all league head coaches and captains and one assistant coach per club, with voters excluded from voting for members of their own team.

2010 Best Defensive Player Voting

Dillon Boucher (NZ)                         42
Damian Martin (Perth)                  29
Adam Gibson (Gold Coast)          28
Mika Vukona (Gold Coast)           21
Tommy Greer (Melbourne)        8
Brad Robbins (Perth)                      6
Rolan Roberts (Townsville)          5
Glen Saville (Wollongong)            3
Thomas Abercrombie (NZ)          1
Aaron Grabau (Cairns)                   1



MOST IMPROVED PLAYER – ANTHONY PETRIE (GOLD COAST)
Gold Coast Blaze big man Anthony Petrie has been named Most Improved Player of the National Basketball League for the 2009/10 season, after a year where he established himself as one of the hardest workers in the game.

Petrie won the award after receiving 32 votes in a poll of all NBL Coaches, head assistants and captains. The award didn’t come easy as Daniel Johnson from Melbourne finished with 28, Larry Davidson from the Hawks (27) and Chris Goulding from the Blaze (23).

The 26 year old from Tenterfield, NSW definitely showed his worth this season. He averaged 11.3 points and 6.6 rebounds. Petrie shot the ball at 45% from the field, 40.5% beyond the arc and 74.1% from the stripe.

One of Petrie’s breakout games came in a loss against Townsville where he finished with 26 points and six rebounds.

Other previous winners of the award include CJ Bruton, Chris Anstey, Shane Heal and Mark Bradtke.  Petrie becomes the first Gold Coast Blaze player to win this award.

A vote of all league head coaches and captains and one assistant coach per club determine the Most Improved Player award, with voters excluded from voting for members of their own team. Ballots are cast on a 3-2-1 basis.

2010 NBL Most Improved Player Voting
Anthony Petrie (Gold Coast)                       32
Daniel Johnson (Melbourne)                      28
Larry Davidson (Wollongong)                      27
Chris Goulding (Gold Coast)                        23
Thomas Abercrombie (New Zealand)     13
Stephen Weigh (Perth)                                 10
Rhys Martin (Wollongong)                           8
Kerry Williams (Cairns)                                   1
Damian Martin (Perth)                                  1
Michael Cedar (Townsville)                         1


ROOKIE OF THE YEAR – JESSE WAGSTAFF (PERTH)
Perth Wildcat’s explosive power forward, Jesse Wagstaff, has been named by the National Basketball League as the 2010 NBL Rookie of the Year.

Wagstaff took out the award after polling 59 votes, comfortably beating Wollongong’s Tim Coenraad (47) and Chris Molitor of Adelaide (24). He received 19 out of the possible 21 first-place votes.

The former Metro State NCAA star averaged nine points and 3.5 rebounds per game coming off the bench for the Wildcats and his contributions helped Perth to win their fifth NBL Championship.

In his NBL debut Wagstaff looked comfortable scoring 10 points and collecting four rebounds in his 15 minutes on the floor. In one of Perth’s crucial games towards the end of the regular season, Wagstaff had a season high 21 points on 7-of-9 shooting and five rebounds, helping Perth take out Melbourne 94-78.

Previous winners of the rookie honour have included Andrew Gaze, Sam Mackinnon, Andrew Vlahov, Shane Heal, Matt Nielsen, John Rillie, Brad Newley, Joe Ingles and Nathan Jawai.

The Rookie of the Year Award is determined by a 3-2-1 vote of all league head coaches and captains and one assistant coach per club, with voters excluded from voting for members of their own team.

2010 NBL Rookie of the Year Voting
Jesse Wagstaff (Perth)                                  59
Tim Coenraad (Wollongong)                        47
Chris Molitor (Adelaide)                                24
Tommy Ammar (Gold Coast)                      9



BEST SIXTH MAN – ERRON MAXEY (GOLD COAST)
The National Basketball League has announced that Gold Coast’s dynamic import Erron Maxey has won the Best Sixth Man for 2009/10.

Maxey took out the honours as the NBL’S best-off-the-bench polling 33 votes after being called into the team following the first two games of the season. The Sixth Man award this season was tight with Maxey’s teammate Mika Vukona polling 29 votes and last year’s winner Phill Jones of Cairns 25.
In his last season in the NBL, New Zealand’s Tony Ronaldon polled 14 votes and Crocodiles swingman Brad Williamson finished with 13.

In 28 regular season games for the Blaze, Maxey averaged 13.7 points and 6.4 rebounds off the pine. He made 48% of his shots from the field, 40.8% from three point territory and 75.9% from the foul line.  Maxey was an integral part of the Blaze’s regular season 16-12 record, helping the team from the Gold Coast get to the Semi-Finals.

Previous winners of the Best Sixth Man award include Jason Smith, Bruce Bolden, Stephen Black and Chris Anstey.  Maxey is the first member of the Blaze to take out the award.

The Best Sixth Man award is determined by a vote of all league head coaches and captains and one assistant coach per club, with voters excluded from voting for members of their own team.


2010 Sixth Man of the Year Voting
Erron Maxey (Gold Coast)                            33
Mika Vukona (Gold Coast)                           29
Phill Jones (Cairns)                                          25
Tony Ronaldson (NZ)                                      14
Brad Williamson (Townsville)                      13
Thomas Abercrombie (New Zealand)     7
Stephen Hoare (Townsville)                        6
Jesse Wagstaff (Perth)                                  5
Daryl Corletto (Melbourne)                         5
Rhys Martin (Wollongong)                           3
Nathan Herbert (Adelaide)                          3
Dave Gruber (Wollongong)                         1



NBL REFEREE OF THE YEAR – MICHAEL AYLEN

Michael Aylen has been named as the NBL’s Referee of the Year for season 2009/10. 

Aylen is one of the NBL’s most respected referees as evidenced by his selection as a member of the crew to oversee all three of this year’s NBL Grand Final series games. 

He has twice before won the NBL Referee of the Year honour, having taken also it out in 2004 and 2008.

The NBL Referee of the Year is the official who finished highest on the NBL Finals Panel based on voting by all NBL team coaches and NBL referee coaches, along with averaged scores from referee coach reports as submitted during the season.


NBL MEDIA AWARD WINNERS

The ‘Illawarra Mercury’ Tim Keeble has been named as the National Basketball League’s Basketball Writer of the Year after the NBL announced the winners for its 2010 Media Awards.

Keeble, a respected basketball journalist for the Wollongong-based paper, took the award from a strong list of contenders for the coveted honour, narrowly beating out Boti Nagy of Adelaide’s ‘The Advertiser’ to take the award.  This will be Keeble’s first NBL Basketball Writer of the Year title.

Micheal Cowley of ‘The Sydney Morning Herald’ took out the award for ‘Best Feature Article’ for his outstanding piece on the shortest player ever in NBL history, Zac Delaney of the Wollongong Hawks.

In the two photographic categories, Paul Kane of Getty Images took out the Best Photograph (Action) honour with a shot of Adelaide 36ers import Cortez Groves throwing a hotly-contested lay up against the Perth Wildcats, while Sylvia Liber’s unique portrait of Wollongong guard Mat Campbell on a board room table took out the Best Photograph (Non-Action).

Lennon Cooper and Ben Way’s (Fox Sport News Adelaide) entertaining story on Adelaide 36ers player John Gilchrist won Best Television Feature Story while Tim Hipsley’s piece for Network Ten on the Perth Wildcats’ unusual day out at a theme park won Best Television News Story.

The full list of award winners is below.

Print Media

Basketball Writer of the Year – Tim Keeble, Illawarra Mercury

Best Feature Article – Michael Cowley, Sydney Morning Herald

Photographic

Best Photograph (Action) – Paul Kane (Getty Images)

Best Photograph (Non Action) – Sylvia Liber (Illawarra Mercury)

Television

Best Television Feature Story – Lennon Cooper and Ben Way, Fox Sport News Adelaide

Best Television News Story – Tim Hipsley, Network Ten

Radio

Best Radio Presentation Package – Peter Walsh, ABC Radio Sport Adelaide

Best Radio News Package – Zane Bojak, 630 ABC North Queensland




2009/10 WNBL AWARD WINNERS ANNOUNCED



The Women’s National Basketball League is pleased to announce the winners of the 2009/10 WNBL Awards.

These awards will be presented at tonight’s 2010 NBL/WNBL Awards Dinner at Crown Casino, Melbourne.

Most Valuable Player – Kristi Harrower (Bendigo Spirit)
Robyn Maher Defensive Player of the Year – Rachael Flanagan (Townsville Fire)
Betty Watson Rookie of the Year – Tayla Roberts (AIS)
Coach of the Year – Tom Maher (Bulleen Boomers)
Referee of the Year – Chris Reid



Most Valuable Player – Kristi Harrower (Bendigo Spirit)

After being named in the All-Star Five six times (including 2009/10) Harrower has broken through for her first MVP award.

Harrower was the best all-round player in the league this season. The 163cm guard was amongst the top ten players in six statistical categories and led Bendigo to their second finals appearance.

Harrower led the league in assists, averaging five assists per game, and was the second highest scorer in the league, averaging 23.8 points per game.

She was ranked third in 3-point percentage (40%), fourth in foul shot percentage (83.4%), seventh in defensive rebounds (5 per game), and 10th in field goal percentage (48%).

Harrower set the highest bench mark in the league this season and a personal career high with 40 points in a single game on February 7, which was later matched by only one player, but was never surpassed.

The Jayco Opals guard was twice named Player of the Week and was awarded the Player of the Month title for October.

Harrower is the first Bendigo Spirit player to win the award.

The MVP award is determined by votes cast by head coaches and statisticians after each regular season game, where voting for one’s own players is permitted.

Most Valuable Player:

1982 - Karen Ogden (St Kilda Saints)
1983* - Karen Ogden (St Kilda Saints) and Robyn Maher (Nunawading Spectres)
1984 - Julie Nykiel (Noarlunga Tigers)
1985 - Kathy Foster (North Adelaide Rockets)
1986 - Kathy Foster (Hobart Islanders)
1987 - Robyn Maher (Nunawading Spectres)
1988 - Julie Nykiel (Noarlunga Tigers)
1989 - Kathy Foster (Hobart Islanders)
1990 - Debbie Slimmon (Bulleen Melbourne Boomers)
1991 - Joanne Metcalfe (Melbourne Tigers)
1992 - Debbie Slimmon (Bulleen Melbourne Boomers)
1993 - Alison Cook (Melbourne Tigers)
1994 - Shelley Gorman (Sydney Flames)
1995 - Sandy Brondello (Brisbane Blazers)
1996 - Rachael Sporn (Adelaide Lightning)
1997 - Rachael Sporn (Adelaide Lightning)
1998 - Michelle Griffiths (Sydney Flames)
1998/99 - Lauren Jackson (AIS)
1999/00* - Lauren Jackson (Canberra Capitals) and Trisha Fallon (Sydney Flames)
2000/01 - Penny Taylor (Dandenong Rangers)
2001/02 - Penny Taylor (Dandenong Rangers)
2002/03 - Lauren Jackson (Canberra Capitals)
2003/04 - Lauren Jackson (Canberra Capitals)
2004/05 - Katrina Hibbert (Bulleen Melbourne Boomers)
2005/06 - Katrina Hibbert (Bulleen Melbourne Boomers)
2006/07 – Hollie Grima (Bulleen Melbourne Boomers)
2007/08 – Natalie Porter (Sydney Uni Flames)
2008/09 – Rohanee Cox (Townsville Fire)
2009/10 – Kristi Harrower (Bendigo Spirit)

* Joint Winners


Coach of the Year – Tom Maher (Bulleen Boomers)


Tom Maher has been voted WNBL Coach of the Year for the third time in his career.

Maher was voted Coach of the Month for three out of the four months this season as he led Bulleen to a 21-1 win-loss record for the regular season.

The former Opals coach led the Bulleen Boomers on their best-ever start to a season with an 8-0 winning streak, and steered the club to their first WNBL minor premiership.

Maher’s Bulleen finished the regular season ranked as the best offensive team in the competition, averaging 90 points per game, eight points more than the next best team. Bulleen was the second best team defensively, restricting teams to just 67 points per game.

Maher’s charges also topped the league in defensive rebounds, total rebounds, assists and field goal percentage.

The Coach of the Year award is determined by a poll of the head coaches, assistant coaches and team captains from all WNBL clubs at the conclusion of the regular season, they are not allowed to vote for members of their own team.

WNBL Coach of the Year:

1987 - Tom Maher (Nunawading Spectres)
1988 - Robbie Cadee (Bankstown Bruins)
1989 - Mark Molitor (North Adelaide Rockets)
1990 - Jenny Cheesman (AIS)
1991 - Jerry Lee (Canberra Capitals)
1992 - Tom Maher (Perth Breakers)
1993 - Jan Stirling (Adelaide Lightning)
1994 - Ray Tomlinson (Melbourne Tigers)
1995 - Guy Molloy (Perth Breakers)
1996 - Lori Chizik (Bulleen Melbourne Boomers)
1997 - Bill Tomlinson (Sydney Flames)
1998 - Phil Brown (AIS)
1998/99 - Phil Brown (AIS)
1999/00 - Mark Wright (Dandenong Rangers)
2000/01 - Mark Wright (Dandenong Rangers)
2001/02 - Karen Dalton (Sydney Panthers)
2002/03 - David Herbert (Townsville Fire)
2003/04 - Gary Fox (Dandenong Rangers)
2004/05 - Cheryl Chambers (Bulleen Melbourne Boomers)
2005/06 - Gary Fox (Dandenong Rangers)
2006/07 - Carrie Graf (Canberra Capitals)
2007/08 - Carrie Graf (Canberra Capitals)
2008/09 - Cheryl Chambers (Bulleen Boomers)
2009/10 - Tom Maher (Bulleen Boomers)



Robyn Maher Defensive Player of the Year – Rachael Flanagan (Townsville Fire)

Townsville point guard Rachael Flanagan was the leader of the Fire this season.

Flanagan provided a very tough match-up for opposition guards throughout the season as she led Townsville to the finals.

She tallied a career best 33 steals in the regular season to average 1.7 steals per game and 3.3 rebounds.

Flanagan was also one of the best players on the court offensively as she averaged a career high 13.1 points and added 3.9 assists per game.

Her best game in the regular season was in Round 4 when she grabbed four rebounds, three steals, dished eight assists and scored 18 points in a win over Logan Thunder.

The Robyn Maher Defensive Player of the Year award is determined by votes cast by head coaches and statisticians after each regular season game, where voting for one’s own players is permitted.

The award is named after two-time Defensive Player of the Year and two-time WNBL MVP Robyn Maher.

Defensive Player of the year:

1990 – Karen Dalton (Sydney Bruins)
1991 – Kim Foley (Hobart Islanders)
1992 – Robyn Maher (Perth Breakers)
1993 – Karen Dalton (Sydney Flames)
1994 – Robyn Maher (Sydney Flames)
1995 – Tully Bevilaqua (Perth Breakers)
1996 – Tully Bevilaqua (Perth Breakers)
1997 – Tully Bevilaqua (Perth Breakers)
1998 – Emily McInerny (Melbourne Tigers)
1998/99 – Emily McInerny (Melbourne Tigers)

Robyn Maher Defensive Player of the Year:

1999/00 – Tully Bevilaqua (Perth Breakers)
2000/01 – Emily McInerny (Dandenong Rangers)
2001/02 – Emily McInerny (Dandenong Rangers)
2002/03 – Natalie Porter (Townsville Fire)
2003/04 – Emily McInerny (Dandenong Rangers)
2004/05 – Emily McInerny (Dandenong Rangers)
2005/06 – Emily McInerny (Dandenong Rangers)
2006/07 – Emily McInerny (Dandenong Rangers)
2007/08 – Emily McInerny (Dandenong Rangers)
2008/09 – Alicia Poto (Sydney Uni Flames)
2009/10 – Rachael Flanagan (Townsville Fire)




Betty Watson Rookie of the Year – Tayla Roberts (AIS)


Roberts averaged 9.8 points and six rebounds per game in her debut season.

She led the AIS in rebounding and was the team’s second highest scorer.

Roberts recorded two double-doubles in the season with 15 points and 11 rebounds against Perth on November 12, and 16 points and 10 rebounds against Logan on February 6.

Her best all-round game was in the final round of the competition when she led the AIS to their first and only win of the season with 16 points, six rebounds, two blocks, two assists and a steal.

She set career highs of 18 points against Bendigo in January and 11 rebounds against Perth in November.

The Betty Watson Rookie of the Year Award is determined by a poll of the head coach, assistant coach and team captain from all WNBL clubs, where voters are not allowed to vote for members of their own team.

To receive the award a player must be under the age of 21 and be in either their first or second year in the league (to be eligible in their second year they must have played no more than half the regular season games during their first year).

In 1995 the award became known as the Betty Watson Rookie of the Year Award in recognition of Watson’s years of dedication to the Australian women’s national team and for her part in helping found the WNBL.

Youth Player of the Year:

1988 - Lucille Hamilton (AIS)
1989 - Renae Fegent (AIS)
1990 – Trish Fallon (AIS)
1991 - Michelle Brogan (Adelaide City Tigers)
1992 - Allison Cook (Melbourne Tigers)
1993 - Allison Cook (Melbourne Tigers)
1994 - Maryanne Difrancesco (Melbourne Tigers)

Betty Watson Rookie of the Year:

1995 - Chika Emeagi (AIS)
1996 - Jessica Bibby (Dandenong Rangers)
1997 - Lauren Jackson (AIS)
1998 - Andrea Cartledge (Melbourne Tigers)
1998/99 - Caitlin Ryan (Dandenong Rangers)
1999/00 - Shelley Hammonds (AIS)
2000/01 - Laura Summerton (AIS)
2001/02 - Alison Downie (Dandenong) and Kamala Lamshed (Adelaide)*
2002/03 - Kelly Wilson (AIS)
2003/04 - Kathleen MacLeod (AIS)
2004/05 - Renae Camino (AIS)
2005/06 - Abby Bishop (AIS)
2006/07 – Cayla Francis (AIS)
2007/08 – Nicole Hunt (AIS)
2008/09 – Sarah Graham (Logan Thunder)
2009/10 – Tayla Roberts (AIS)

* Joint winners



Referee of the Year – Chris Reid


Reid is awarded the inaugural WNBL Referee of the Year award after officiating nine WNBL games this season and was selected to officiate the Elimination Final, Preliminary Final and Grand Final.

He first refereed the WNBL in the 2001/02 season and has officiated 67 games in the league.

The WNBL Referee of the Year was the official judged to be the best referee throughout the season, based on their performances as judged by referee coaches.

06 August 2009

Round the States, Aussie report

Firstly, here is the Finals Draw for the Men in the SEABL competition with game reviews courtesy of SEABL League Manager Mark Quinn

SEABL MEN MID WEEK PREVIEWS
SEMI FINALS
“Australia’s Premier Winter Basketball League”

SOUTH MEN SEMI FINAL

FRANKSTON vs HOBART

Saturday 8th August – 7:30pm @ Frankston Basketball Stadium

Frankston will enter this game, knowing exactly what happened at this time last year. Frankston went into the Conference Grand Final last year at unbackable odds after a sensational season but came up against the Hobart Chargers who played a brilliant game and defeated the Blues and win the Championship. Frankston have been determined all season long to host the Grand Final again this year and finally grasp that championship that they let slip last year. Frankston has held the number one position on the ladder all season and started the year with a 16 game winning streak.
Gruber, Harms and Kampman are the key members of the team, but clubs should never underestimate the talent of locally developed stars Mitch Chapman, Grant Dennis and Todd Mitchell. All players play a vital role for their club and although their worth never shows on the stats sheet they are key members to the success of the Blues.
The Chargers will be hoping that Mark Banovic has overcome his injury woes and is fit to play the Finals Series. Last year he was the game breaker throughout their Finals campaign and his output will have to be nullified for the Blues to win the game

2009 Head to Head
4/4/2009 Frankston def Hobart 97-89
17/7/2009 Frankston def Hobart 100-92

SOUTH MEN SEMI FINAL

GEELONG vs SANDRINGHAM

Saturday 8th August – 7:30pm @ The Geelong Arena

Vince Crivelli has guided his club to their first SEABL Finals appearance in their rookie season, which is a sensational effort. Vince is confident of securing a victory this week over the Supercats, despite losing in round eight. The Sabres have added Melbourne Tigers NBL guard Nathan Crosswell and Simon Conn to the line-up since their match early in the year, and the additions have made the Sandringham squad more balanced.
Daniel Dillon has been a standout all year and was rewarded with an invitation to train with the Boomers prior to their departure to South America. His duel with Supercats Nathan Herbert is sure to entertain the near capacity crowd. Both young players have exceptional skills and are vital players to their respective teams success.

2009 Head to Head
3/5/2009 Geelong def Sandringham 92-87

EAST MEN SEMI FINAL

BRISBANE vs KNOX

Saturday 8th August – 7:00pm @ Carina Basketball Stadium

Knox was the first team to defeat the Spartans this year, and will be confident of producing another quality performance this week to secure the win and host their second consecutive conference grand final. Brisbane has been the league leader all year with a star studded team that averaged 116 points per game. Spartans are loaded with offensive firepower with guards Demos, Goulding and Williamson all capable of a 30+ pt game.
However the unsung hero of the team is Ash Cannan, who is always there to grab an offensive rebound when needed, and can score points at will if left open. Knox Raiders Cam Rigby produced a stellar defensive job on Cannan in the Raiders wk 12 victory and coach Graham Longstaff will be keen for a repeat performance this week. Knox also have a team loaded with offensive firepower, with 2008 MVP CJ Massingale leading the conference in scoring with 25.0pts.

2009 Head to Head
16/5/2009 Brisbane def Knox 121-112
30/5/2009 Brisbane Lost to Knox 103-107 O/T

EAST MEN SEMI FINAL

KILSYTH vs BENDIGO

Saturday 8th August – 7:30pm @ Kilsyth Sports Centre

Bendigo have had a disastrous end to the season, but scraped into the finals as a result of the AIS team being unable to participate in the finals. Bendigo finished the season fifth with an 11-16 record, but lost their last three games of the regular season. The departure of import Matt Trannon was a huge loss for the team, as they have been defeated on the boards consistently. They will struggle in this statistic again this week against the fourth best rebounding team in the competition. Joe Werner, Tim Lang and DJ Taylor are all quality rebounders and will give Braves coach Wayne Larkins many headaches throughout the game.
Kilsyth import Joe Werner has had an MVP season and is one player the Braves will need to stop. His combination in the paint with mid season recruit Tim Lang has improved remarkably throughout the later stages of the season and the twin towers will trouble the Braves.

2009 Head to Head
14/3/2009 Kilsyth def Bendigo 101-81
10/5/2009 Kilsyth def Bendigo 110-95

Finals Schedule
Week 1 Semi Finals
Week 2 Preliminary Final
Week 3 Conference Grand Final
Week 4 SEABL Championship

In the SEABL Women's Division:

BENDIGO vs NUNAWADING

Saturday 8th August – 7:00pm @ Bendigo Stadium

Due to numerous injuries, Australian Opal commitments and unavailability’s the Nunawading Spectres have had a full squad for one game this season. That game was on 28th June and the Nunawading Spectres defeated Bendigo 84-64 with Opals Macleod and O’Hea doing major damage in the game. Both players have an injury cloud over them, but will be keen to participate in the game this weekend.
Bendigo has relied heavily on guard Kelly Wilson all season but has delivered averaging 22.7pts for the year. Wilson scored 22pts & 26pts in both games against the Spectres. Nunawading has Kristen Veal, one of the leagues best defenders in the lineup and will most likely be given the task of containing Wilson.

2009 Head to Head
28/6/2009 Bendigo Lost to Nunawading 64-84
18/7/2009 Bendigo def Nunawading 78-60

DANDENONG vs ALBURY/WODONGA

Sunday 9th August – 12:00pm @ Knox Converse Stadium

Dandenong enter the game full of confidence behind a six game winning streak. Since the return of Probst, Moody and Penaluna back into the line-up the Rangers have been a true force in the league. Penaluna and Moody missed numerous games during the season due to commitments to the Australian (Penaluna) and Great Britain (Moody) national programs.
Penaluna has not played in either of the two games the teams have played this season, and will play a major impact in the games final outcome. Her battle in the paint against New Zealand Tall Fern Lisa Wallbutton will be a tough duel, and most likely to impact on the games final outcome. Australian Opals coach Carrie Graf will be interested to see the impact in this duel as both are likely to match up in the FIBA Oceania Qualification Series in coming weeks.

2009 Head to Head
2/5/2009 Dandenong def Albury Wodonga 67-65
4/7/2009 Dandenong def Albury Wodonga 67-65 Week

Latest from Boomers tour of South America courtesy of basketball.net.au:

Boomers down Uruguay
Wed, 05 Aug 2009 3:44 PM
Boomers

A second half surge has lifted Australia’s men’s basketball team to a euphoric seven-point victory over Uruguay at the Super 4 tournament in Rosario, Argentina, 101-94.

Uruguay came into the game on a high after defeating Brazil 90-80 yesterday and raced out to a ten point lead after one quarter and led by six at half time.

But after the break the South Americans could not handle the determination of a young Australian side desperate for its first win on tour, as the Boomers turned the match with a blistering 29-14 third quarter.

The inexperienced Aussies showed great determination in the final stanza to withstand a Uruguayan scoring barrage despite Joe Ingles, Peter Crawford and David Barlow all fouling out of the game and kept piling on points to triumph in the high scoring, free-flowing game.

Ingles top scored for Australia with 24 points, Nathan Jawai added 21 points and 4 rebounds while starting point guard Adam Gibson had his best game on tour with 17 points and 5 assists. Uruguay’s Martin Osimani led all scorers with 29 points.

Boomers head coach Brett Brown was pleased that his young team responded when Uruguay turned up the intensity.
“We’ve been starting games poorly and we did it again but we played with a great physicality from the second quarter onward and from there we built our case and closed the game out,” Brown said.

“We had nine turnovers in the first half with their press bothering us but we stopped doing that in the second half and took much better care of the ball.

“We showed good resilience and a disposition to play with some physicality without taking a backward step.

“Uruguay is a very physical team but we followed suit and played well under those conditions. We didn’t roll over and because of that you leave the game happy.”

Brown also made special mention of rookie Boomer Aron Baynes, who registered 9 points on 4-of-6 shooting as well as 5 rebounds and 1 blocked shot. Baynes holds Australian and New Zealand passports.

“Aron is a great addition to Australian basketball,” Brown said.

“We were on the verge of possibly losing him to New Zealand and he is a fantastic team mate and plays with such a high level of competitiveness.

“He’s 6 foot 10, he’s a big man, he’s athletic and I think he has a big future with the Boomers going forward.”

19 year old point guard Matthew Dellavedova did not suit up for the Boomers due to a stomach ailment, while his Australian Emus team mate Jason Cadee got on court for the first time on tour after recovering from an infected heel.
The Boomers depart Argentina tomorrow bound for Rio de Janeiro in Brazil where they will contest matches against Brazil and either Argentina or Uruguay on Saturday and Sunday morning, AEST.

All tour matches are part of Australia’s preparation for the 2009 FIBA Oceania Championship against New Zealand at 6pm on Sunday 23 August at Sydney Olympic Park Sports Center; a 2010 FIBA World Championship qualifying event.


Quarter by quarter:
1. URU 27 AUS 17
H. URU 50 AUS 44 (23-27)
3. AUS 73 URU 64 (29-14)
F. AUS 101 URU 94 (28-30)

AUSTRALIA 101 (Joe Ingles 24, Nathan Jawai 21, Adam Gibson 17) bt
URUGUAY 94 (Martin Osimani 29, Esteban Batista 25, Gustavo Berrera 15)
at Old Boys Stadium
Rosario, Argentina

Tomorrows post will give details of other finals series from around the country.

05 August 2009

Rollers Grab Gold, Gems finish in Top Five, Boomers cant' catch a break

Wrapping up the events of the last week or so, the Rollers, Australia's Wheelchair Men's basketball team trounced Canada 74-48 to claim the top prize in the Rollers World challenge that finished competition at Sydney Olympic Park over the weekend. Rollers forward Justin Eveson and guard Michael Hartnett were named to All-star Five for the tournament. Eveson was also named the winner of the 2008 Sandy Blythe Medal which honours the wheelchair player of the year.

The Gems, Australia's Under 19 Women's team shook off a disappointing loss to Canada to claim fifth place in the Under 19 World Championships for Women with a resounding 78-38 victory over Russia. The win came in spite of early foul trouble for Gems star Elizabeth Cambage. The rest of the squad led by Rachel Jarry and Tess Magden picked up the slack in the teams win.

Finally, from the latest Basketball Australia press releases, here are stories of the Boomers fortunes in their latest games in south America.

courtesy of: http://www.basketball.net.au

Courageous effort as young Boomers push Argentina

04.08.09

Despite good games from Barlow, Ingles and Nevill......

Australia’s men’s basketball team hung tough with Athens gold medallists Argentina in Rosario today but could not stop the highly favoured South Americans winning their second game against the Boomers in a week.

Down by just five points at half time, Australia was rolled in the fourth quarter after Nathan Jawai, Adam Gibson and Aron Baynes were fouled out of the game and Argentina surged to victory by seventeen points, 98-81.

Olympian David Barlow was the game high scorer and Australia’s best with 23 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists while his Beijing team mate Joe Ingles chimed in with 18.

Seven foot two centre Luke Nevill registered a personal best in international play with 15 points on 7-of-8 shooting to go along with 4 rebounds in just his third game for Australia.

Local legend Leonardo Gutierrez top scored for Argentina with 22 points.

Boomers head coach Brett Brown was positive about his team’s performance despite the result and emphasised the gradual improvement of his young Boomers side.

“It was our best performance of the trip but we just couldn’t get over the top,” Brown said.

“It’s part and parcel of having a young group; we made silly mistakes and turned the ball over and we put Argentina on the free throw line too many times.

“We weren’t disciplined and we showed a lack of patience with many things we did and the foul trouble that we got in was a result of that.

“We want to keep getting better and feel good about the direction we’re heading in so we can candidly look at each other in the eye and know that we’re moving forward.

“Ultimately our report card is against New Zealand on August 23rd and I feel like we made positive steps tonight.”

Australia’s next game, the final match of the Super Four round robin tournament, will be against Uruguay tomorrow morning, where the Boomers will look to curtail the long range shotting success of their South American opponents.

Argentina shot 13-of-25 three-pointers compared to Australia’s 4-of-13 and registered a hot 31-of-35 free throws compared to the Boomers’ 26-of-33.

“The South Americans play very physical basketball and the Uruguayans are especially physical.

“We have some injury concerns; Oscar Forman played limited minutes tonight due to a sprained ankle, Stephen Weigh didn’t play at all, Nathan Jawai is also carrying an ankle sprain and we rested Matthew Dellavedova due to a stomach ailment.

“But we’re looking forward to the game.”


Quarter by quarter:
1. ARG 28 AUS 23
H. ARG 47 AUS 42 (19-19)
3. ARG 72 AUS 64 (25-22)
F. ARG 98 AUS 81 (26-17)


ARGENTINA 98 (L Gutierrez 22, Paolo Quinteros 15, Luis Scola 15) bt
AUSTRALIA 81 (David Barlow 23, Joe Ingles 18, Luke Nevill 15)
in Rosario, Argentina

* Please note that no box score was provided from Argentina...




Brazil bumps Boomers in tight one

02.08.09

Would you call it a foul? The referees didn't...

Australia’s men’s basketball team lost a close game to Brazil in Argentina on Sunday with the South Americans winners by three points.

Olympian David Barlow had a three point shot to tie the game go wide under intense physical defensive pressure and Australia went down, 74-71.

Barlow top scored for Australia with 13 points while power forward Nathan Jawai continued his international emergence with 12 points and 8 rebounds in support.

Cairns product Aron Baynes scored 10 points in his second game for Australia while starting point guard Adam Gibson was productive at both ends of the floor and finished with 10 points.

Brazil’s 206cm centre Bruno Fiorotto led all scorers with 22 points.

"It was a frustrating game to lose as we were up for the majority of the game,” Boomers head coach Brett Brown told Basketball Australia.

“Our guys came out with a far greater focus after a fantastic learning experience against a multiple medal winning team in Argentina and we put ourselves in a position to be ahead in the fourth period and to win our first game on the road.

“But late in the game a combination of bad turnovers and a lack of execution at the defensive end enabled Brazil to find some cheap baskets.

"It's frustrating that we didn't win after the time spent working hard in Sydney and making adjustments after our first game against Argentina.

Brown made mention of his starting point guard and two of his rookie Boomers before looking ahead to Australia’s next game on Tuesday.

“Adam Gibson continued to play well and lead the team. Aron Baynes was consistently solid inside and we got some good contribution from Luke Nevill."

"Tomorrow we will get into recovery as we've got another two games back to back, which will be four games in five days, so it is an important time to analyse the video tapes and focus on getting the bodies right for what’s ahead."

Australia had its most promising start on tour to the delight of a small Aussie contingent in the crowd as Jawai caused problems in the paint and Gibson got the scoreboard ticking for the Boomers.

Brazil’s Jonathan Tavernari continued to light it up in the second quarter as his team’s compact zone defence tested the Boomers but Australia went into the main break ahead by two points, 36-34.

The Boomers picked up the defensive intensity in the opening minutes of the second half and took a five point lead behind tough baskets from Barlow and Jawai. Matt Burston was effective in short bursts off the bench and in 11 minutes he racked up six points and four rebounds.

With Baynes chiming in Australia pushed out to a nine point lead in the fourth quarter before lapses in defence let Brazil get back into the game.

With 44 seconds on the clock and the game all tied Joe Ingles had the ball stripped from him and he immediately fouled the Brazilian player to prevent a fast break, but it was called an unsportsmanlike foul, giving Brazil two foul shots and possession of the ball.

Australia had one final chance when four seconds remained to send the game into overtime but Barlow’s shot was unsuccessful.


Quarter by quarter:
1: BRA 15 AUS 14
H: AUS 36 BRA 34 (21-20)
3: AUS 59 BRA 52 (23-18)
F: BRA 74 AUS 71 (22-12)

BRAZIL 74 (B Fiorotto 22, J Tavernari 17
, D Zimmer 9) bt
AUSTRALIA 71 (D Barlow 13, Nathan Jawai 12, Aron Baynes 10, Adam Gibson 10)
in Rosario, Argentina