Sabresmagazine2016 web

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CONTENTS Mens SEABL

4

Senior Men Imports

6

Womens SEABL

8

Senior Women Imports

10

Youth League Men

12

Youth League Women

14

Thirsty Work

16

Basketball Operations Report

17

U12 Boys Team Photographs

18

U12s on Court

20

U12 Girls Team Photographs

22

U12 Reports

24

U14 Boys Team Photographs

28

U14 Boys Reports

30

U14s on Court

32

U14 Girls Team Photographs

34

U14 Girls Reports

36

U16 Boys Team Photographs

38

U16 Girls Team Photographs

40

U16 Boys Reports

42

U16 Girls Reports

44

U18 Boys/Girls Team Photographs

46

U18s on Courts

48

Sabres Coaches

50

U18/20 Boys & Girls Team Photographs

52

U18/20s Boys & Girls Reports

54

Free throws

56

U20 Boys & Girls on Court

58

Sabres Huddle

60

The Other Side

62

Sometimes I wonder about basketballers

64

President’s Intro!

The 2015-16 has brought many memorable moments to our club and has seen the further development of players, coaches and teams alike.

From the increased participation of our junior graduates showing their prowess in our senior SEABL teams to the initiation of new juniors into our under age teams the club stands in good stead to be a vehicle for both elite pathway participants as well as players looking to be involved in one of the best junior programs in the state.

The magazine is a reflection of the players, coaches and supporters who give some much of their time, energy and passion to support the club. Without the synergy that exists in these participants the club would not be able to exist.

Enjoy the reports, smile at the images and commit the experience to your memories as you set your sights on 2017!

Go Sabres Parveen Batish President

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MENS

SEABL

In my first year as Sabres SEABL Men’s Head Coach, I was given a new direction where our club should be heading.

Our main focus was to integrate as many Sabre players as possible into our senior program and to pave the road to our club’s future success. The goal was, in the first year, to have 6 Sabres players on the team roster and to be in the top four in our conference.

The first part was overwhelmingly successful with 10 of our Sabres developed players representing their Club throughout the season and some have achieved many personal bests in different categories. For example, we have seen Lachlan Lemons, Jamie Cigognini, and Finn Kenny playing and scoring their first points in their career at SEABL level. As for our second goal, we missed fourth spot and finals by one single game and as Head Coach I take full responsibility.

At the beginning of this season, our club welcomed two new imports to our roster, Ari Stewart and Aquill Baynard. They were brought in to play at positions 4 and 5, the positions that our club needed to fill at that time. At that point, we did not know the availability of Australian players Tohi and Jordan and how their addition would affect our team roster throughout the season.

At half way through 2016 season we found ourselves in a not so great position on ladder with record of 4 wins and 8 losses, somewhat unexpectedly. It was time to make some changes and we decided to balance our team roster by welcoming two of our Sabres juniors that had played Division 1 basketball in the USA, Jamie Batish and Matt Hancock, and releasing one of our imports Ari Stewart.

We then brought in a new import, Corin Henry, who fitted in immediately with the orange and blue team and contributed to the second part of the season which finished with a record of 7 wins and 5 losses from that point on.

Nathan Croswell, Alister MacDonald, Stefan Uzelac and Alex Lemons were the only players who had played together for Sabres whilst the rest of the team were new to the playing

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group. As Coach, I welcomed the challenge to try to get a very young and inexperienced team to play together on a significant level of competition.

I was very fortunate to have great support and understanding from the Sabres office in Mark Chivers and Bill Runchey who both have extensive experience at SEABL level.

At every training session I had support from my staff, in the best manager Tony Barca and Assistant Coaches Simon Giovanonni and Parveen Batish who with their commitment and dedication were a great asset to the team. Not to forget Rob DeNardis, our Physio, who made sure that our athletes were ready to perform at their best throughout the year.

For this 2016 season, the Sabres Most Improved Player award could go to multiple players, but the players themselves have decided that this year’s award goes to Alex Lemons who is a more than worthy recipient, well done Alex!

Our Most Valuable Player award went to Nathan Crosswell, who continues from year to year to impress with his youthfulness regardless of being the second ‘’youngest’’ player in the league this season. We all hope that you will keep playing and captain this team again next year.

A special thanks goes to all of our volunteers who gave their free time, every home game at the Nunn Media

Centre, to make sure that every person who attended felt welcome.

And to you Sabres Nation, we had some great moments and we had some less than great moments but the future looks very bright and together we will get there. Thank you for your unconditional support and see you in 2017!!!

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S T R O P IM

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AQUILL BANYARD 22/08/2016 4:00 PM

CORIN HENRY Sabres_Magazine2016.indd 7

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WOMENS

SEABL

After recording only 3 wins in a rebuilding year in 2015, the 2016 season was a season to consolidate on the experience gained and attempt to increase our win tally. Unfortunately you need a little bit of luck at this level and two weeks from the start of the season one of our key players, Michelle Joy pulled the pin due to work commitments. This left us with a massive hole that we were unable to fill. The roster for 2016 welcomed back point guards Deanna Jolliffe and Monique Lyth, youth league guards Isabelle Shea and Kate Hore, under 18 junior Centre Ella Batish, co- captains Alana Gadsby and Eilidh Simpson and Melbourne boomers point guard Brittany Smart.

Several new faces joined the team this year, development players Amelia Smith, Kim Rennie and Mel Prior, American import Amy Patton, forward Sherry Glennie and ex-Cranbourne Renae Mokrzycki. All our new players have fitted in seamlessly, representing the club’s key values with pride. With new players comes their families and friends, who have embraced our club with great passion, enthusiasm and positivity.

It’s fair to say the results didn’t go the way we would have liked this season. My personal goal as a coach was to win 8 games, a goal which we failed to achieve.

Although we didn’t win the desired number of matches the team fought incredibly hard, were competitive and in winnable positions in the majority of their games. In what appeared to be a cruel joke amongst the basketball gods, we lost 7 games by 6 points less, often finding new ways of losing. Amongst the wins was Albury twice, Brisbane and Centre of Excellence. We had some great individual performances, some which showed up on the stat sheet and others that didn’t.

I am incredibly/ proud of the girls and I thank them for their work ethic, professionalism and time and effort they put into connecting with the junior program by attending games and trainings.

The culture they have created within the team and around the club is first class and will put us in good stead for the future.

A massive thankyou to our team manager Kelly Cigognini, who went well beyond her duties to make sure the entire team including coaching staff were looked after. Kelly was not only a team manager, but a mother, a cook, a nurse, a counsellor and a friend. She by far had the hardest job in the team and I hope she knows how much she means to all of us. Thankyou

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to my two assistant coaches, Sandra and Ryan.

I appreciate your passion for the game and I enjoyed being able to share the experience with you both. And finally thank you to all the supporters, junior players, parents and friends

who attended our games and cheered on the team. It was the most support I’ve seen in the crowd in the last 15 years. I don’t take for granted one moment coaching at this great club and I am incredibly proud of the direction the

senior women’s program is heading and look forward to an exciting 2017 season.

Go Sabres! #bleedorange #sabregirls Paul Graham Head Coach

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S T R O P IM

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AMY PATTON 22/08/2016 4:00 PM

BRITTANY SMART Sabres_Magazine2016.indd 11

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YOUTH LEAGUE M

The Youth League Men’s team were looking to build on their quarterfinal exit from the 2015 season. An overtime loss to #1 ranked Dandenong in the last second would be used as motivation for the season ahead as it was still fresh in the player’s minds.

The majority of the squad returned with only Alex Lemons and Luke Hughes moving on after transitioning to SEABL full time. Cameron Taylor (Frankston), Mahdi Lofti and Mitchell Kerr-Read (Dandenong) all joined us from other clubs while old Sabre juniors Mitch Barber, Zak Pantelis and a healthy Matt Tolj were all welcomed back into the fold.

Alex Andrews was also added to the squad after coming off a great year in the Under 18 program.

At the conclusion of a long and tough preseason with the SEABL team the boys went into the season confident. Having a squad of 20 players to choose from, 19 were used at some stage throughout the season with injuries denying the other.

Finn Kenny, Lachie Lemons, Tom O’Brien and Jamie Cigognini had all impressed in preseason training and were in the mix for SEABL selection throughout the course of the year and all played at some stage.

The opening game saw us lose to Bulleen in a high scoring affair, 101-87. After making some adjustments the team went on to win 7 of the next 8 games and were looking quite ominous. Our record would be 7-2 with terrific wins against Dandenong and Diamond Valley who eventually made the playoffs.

After beginning like ‘a house on fire’ the team’s fortunes quickly changed.

A ridiculously long injury list to both the SEABL and Youth League programs ultimately caused chemistry and consistency issues which caused a mid-season form slump. Only able to

win 2 from the next 11 games our good start to the season was eradicated. After 20 games and only 2 left to play we found ourselves 9-11 and all of a sudden battling for a finals birth.

With a finals spot on the line the players really stepped up and found their early season form. We won the last two games beating both eventual grand finalists in Ringwood and Melbourne. Finishing 4th in the Watson conference with an 11-11 record, we were rewarded with a quarterfinal rematch against #1 ranked Dandenong. Running a déjà vu vibe from last season, the Sabres played out of their skins and forced Dandenong to double OT. Unfortunately as well as we played it wasn’t our day and we weren’t able to get over the line. Despite our best efforts we went down 91-98. Even though the boys were disappointed with the season ending as it did I am extremely proud of their efforts and the way they went about their business.

From a statistical standpoint we have a few players that excelled in terms of the whole competition. Matt Burke finished

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MEN 2nd in the league in both categories of most points and most steals (369 points and 36 steals). Tom O’Brien rounded off his Youth League career nicely and finished 2nd in average assists (4.3 per game). For the season Matt Crees shot 83.6% from the Free Throw Line and Mitch Barber 49.5% from the Field which landed them in the top 10 for their respective categories.

A very big thank you goes out to Assistant Coach Simon Anderson and Team Manager Leanne Crees for all their hard work this season. Simon’s high basketball IQ and detailed scouting of opposition were crucial for us reaching the finals this season.

Leanne had the hardest job of all organising a squad of young men, who can lose concentration from time to time but to Leanne’s credit things ran like clockwork.

The players and I appreciate all their efforts this season.

In terms of next season the team looks to be in a good position with only Tom O’Brien moving on from the squad due to age restrictions. Also a big congratulation goes to Nick Gabsch who has accepted a scholarship to Cuesta College in America

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YOUTH LEAGUE WOMEN

The VYCW started preseason in November with a mixture of new and returning players. Some girls found the going a little tough early with their bodies seemingly unfamiliar (or out of practise) for the required sessions. Let’s just say the girls were happy when the practise games finally rolled around. While the results were inconsistent, there were some great periods of play and everyone was feeling positive heading into our first real game of the season against Diamond Valley. It was a one sided affair, and unfortunately not on our side, with Diamond Valley shooting at an amazing 70% from 3PT territory in the first half to absolutely blow us out of the water.

When we played Diamond Valley later in the season their coach reported that the first half was the best basketball they had played all year! We picked ourselves up the next week and so began our rollercoaster season of alternating wins and losses. While unable to put back to back wins together, we sat on the cusp of being finals bound. 3 straight losses from rounds 12 – 14 had us out of finals contention but we then won 4/6 to sneak into 4th place and earn a playoff against a Ringwood team that had gone 20-2 for the season.

We were confident heading into this game as we had only lost to Ringwood by 3 points earlier in the season, but unfortunately their superior shooting on the night and ability to get to the rim proved to be too much for us and despite putting up a tremendous fight we were unable to get over the line. As a coach I was super proud of the way the girls developed as players on the court, and became mates off it. With numerous girls being given training and playing opportunities at SEABL level, it was hard for the team to find cohesion, but there was never a question mark over their desire and effort to improve. The pizza and taco nights were fun while the creative birthday cakes provided opportunities for the girls to showcase their amazing culinary skills, well, some of them anyway.

On the court we showed that we could match it with the best teams, just not for a whole game – yet! Special mention to Izzy Shea and Kate Hore who were elected as co-captains, and who did an outstanding job of galvanising the troups. A massive thanks to the crew – Zoe, Scott, Ryan and Jacqui for all that you did for me and the girls throughout the season, you are very much appreciated.

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thirsty

16

work

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BASKETBALL OPERATION

MANAGER’S REPORT

The 2015-16 season is almost concluded, with tryouts for next year looming in the not too distant future!

Once again this year 7 out of our top 8 teams made VC after the grading rounds, our under 16.1 girls team being the lone exception. That team was unlucky, missing narrowly in their last grading game by just four points.

Two of our boys teams made VC Championship after the initial rounds and both are looking to make finals at the time of this report being written.

On an Individual achievement basis, Ella Batish won an Australian Championship with the Under 18 Metro Girls team, and Kobe Williamson and Samuel Talipiu both represented Vic Metro where they also won the Australian Championship for under 16 Boys.

Our under 16 boys made the Classic in June, finishing a creditable 9th out of 16 participating teams.

Sabres on the Road in 2016 consisted of under 16 girls traveling to Hobart, Tasmania with a group of dedicated coaches and parents. A good time was had by all and new friendships were formed. Our trip to Canberra in July was cancelled due to lack of sufficient interest in the under 14 age group. This program will once again be reviewed and a decision will be made as to what form it will take in the future.

Our SEABL Men’s and Women’s teams have both had relatively disappointing seasons, although both teams are developing a nucleus of players on which to build future success.

Both of our Victorian Youth League teams made finals, a great achievement for both our Rookie Coaches at that level, Jo Wood and David Mitchell.

Thank you to the SBA Committee of Management for their support of the Sabres program this year. Thanks also to our 44 coaches who have contributed so generously, and all of our other volunteers who make the Sabres a Club to be proud of.

Bill Runchey Basketball Operations Manager

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U12 | BOYS 1

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U12 | BOYS 3

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U12 B&G

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U12 | GIRLS 1

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U12 | GIRLS 3

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TEAM REPORTS U12B1 All the boys were excited to be selected in the U12.1’s this season, under the tutelage of Angus Cotton and well assisted by Sue Humble. The team consisted of Aiden, Alessio, Alex, Ben, Calsher, Declan, Harvey, Josh, Nick & Oscar. Of the 10 boys, 6 were new to rep ball. We had 9 top age boys and 1 bottom ager in Oscar.

Individually there was a lot of talent on the team so we were all looking forward to a great season ahead.

The boys were lucky to have Gus as coach and his dedication to training [including elite] and the games is greatly appreciated. He treated our boys fairly at all times, regardless of the result. The early season practice matches and tournaments gave the team the opportunity to gel.

Getting through the long journey of grading, we started in VC and lost our last two games by a combined total of 3 to end up in VC Reserve.

The teams depth was tested in the last half of the year with two key players missing, one with injury and the other moving interstate.

The boys were always having a crack and they should be very proud of their efforts. They played with great spirit in every game and coming towards the end of the season were looking to finish positively towards the top of the ladder. Thanks to the parents who always completed their duties with minimal fuss.

A huge thanks to Gus and Sue – our boys couldn’t have been in better hands and lastly thanks to all the boys. We as parents love nothing more seeing our kids having fun with their mates.”

U12B2 The 12.2 boys, arguably the best team when it came to fun and entertainment this season, was made up of 5 returning Sabres players together with 2 new top age players and 3 new bottom age players.

Wal (Mark Williamson) focused on establishing good fundamentals throughout the season, although he never hesitated getting out the board and drawing up spectacular side line plays in an attempt to get the buzzer beater.

Wal endeavoured to provide equal time throughout the season which he managed to achieve…………. granted several games we didn’t have a bench due to foul trouble.

Andrew Stavropoulos (Strop) our assistant coach, provided valuable advice to the boys throughout the season. He has quite a competitive side to him which I suspect is probably how he managed to score a lay-up during ‘Game of the Week.’ (did you ever thank Bill?)

Southern Peninsula Tournament was our first tournament which saw the boys bond as teammates and gel together as a team. The Dandenong – Eltham Tournament we were competitive, just falling short of finals.

All the hard work at training came together late in the season with a great team game against the 2nd placed team, which ended in a narrow loss – but a very happy coach.

In summary we had a fabulous season. Every player improved, the ‘talls’ learnt to post up, the guards got the ball down the court faster, some amazing blocks were witnessed, spectacular sideline plays came off, plenty of injuries but most importantly heaps of fun and team spirit.

U12B3 This was most of the boy’s first Sabres experience.

A team made up with 6 Top age Boys and 4 Bottom Age boys.

To start off with Sabres there was Tryouts, shuffling of teams, coach changes and then we were settled in and we were ready start. Tournament, Grading Phases, another Tournament, X over games and then 4 months later we finally start the Season.

U12B4 The U12.4 boys are a mixed bunch of first time Sabres players, from top age players, bottom age players to even a bottom-bottom age player. There are tall boys and short boys and everything in between. Some travel a short distance to training, others come from across town, and they attend many different schools. Their skills differ too with some better in defence, others are skilled at moving the ball with great speed down the court and then there are the high scorers. These differences, when put together make them a great team and they have one common interest, their love of basketball.

Their passion for basketball, bonding as a team, putting 100% into training and games has transpired into some great results both on Friday nights and at the tournaments.

They are a great group of boys, and with the help and mentoring of Sabres have a bright basketball future ahead of them. The parents, now over the shock of Sunday morning trainings and Fridays driving around Melbourne, have also enjoyed getting to know each other and share in the boys losses as well as delighting in the team’s successes. It’s been a fun first season!

The excitement of the boys Sabres Journey started with a finals appearance at the Eltham/Dandenong tournament over the Australia Day Long weekend.

We didn’t win but the boys were pumped for the season ahead.

The Grading phase saw the boys with a Win/Loss/ Win/Loss pattern to eventually make it to U/12 Regional 1 East Group. Week after week they have played with their heart and soul and it’s been a positive journey seeing them develop and progress.

It’s a long season especially when you are new to Sabres, and with sickness and injuries some weeks feel longer than others. The boys deserve to be commended on their efforts and for their respect towards each other and their coaches.

Thank you to our parents. Your support and willingness to help out made my job so much easier especially with Scoring, Fixture changes, training time changes, the list goes on, but we got there in the end.

Thank you to our Coach Tim Barber and assistant coach Mat Scalzi – we all appreciate everything you have done for the boys.

Lennie, Ryan, Flynn, Jordan, Harrison B, Jack, Aiden, Harrison O, Harry and Blake, we wish you all the best with your future in Basketball.

Kristy Oliver - Team Manager

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TEAM REPORTS U12G1

U12G2

U12G3

What an action packed season these girls have had! And what a great bunch of girls they are! The U12.1 girls for this season were made up from existing Sabres players from squads 2,3 and 4 of the 2015 season - Hannah, Eboni, Tegan, Zoe B, Zoe P, Christina, Caitlin and Jess along with super keen newbies, Ella and Natalia. Now, if these girls could play at the same level they can talk, they would have knocked the ball right out of the park, or court, so to speak. They have chatted, laughed, danced and eaten (all those lollies) their way through the season to date. The girls have formed a wonderful bond, have supported each other through the good and not so good, and at all times have displayed enthusiasm and determination. Most of all they have had fun. After all, isn’t this what a team is all about?

The 12.2 girls team has been a pleasure to coach. We have run with 10 players this season and have had an even mix of top and bottom aged players, many who are playing their first rep season.

As we head towards the end of our season we can be sure the one word our girls have learnt is “consistency”.

It is the word to describe what we needed as a young team in a strong competition and is the big thing to work on across the season as we welcomed 8 new Sabres girls to the club with 2 existing girls. All bar 2 players are bottom age for the 12.3 girls and they showed great resilience across the season to match up against many top age teams in our division. We started the grading period well and ended up in East 2 . Unfortunately after winning the first few games we hit a 10 game losing streak and headed towards towards the bottom of the ladder. Morale was a bit low but in the world of 10 year old girls there is still a lot of laughing and hi-jinx on the court which makes it all the easier to watch the games. In january we entered the Dandenong Eltham tournament and it turns out we are a “tournament” team! The girls played their best basketball for 5 straight games to make it to the semi finals in a 1 point match loss to Western port who currently sit 2nd on the ladder in our division. They were so surprised at our team they thought we were a different team to whom they normally play! The tournament was a great turning point for us and we have chipped away for the rest of the season to win some and lose some. We will still end up close to the bottom of the ladder but the learning curve for mostly new Sabres has been steep and those remaining in U12s will step up a level in skill and strength next season.

On a serious note, Coach Ian Leckie, his able Assistant Coach Jacqui Leckie and Parent Assistant Coach Peter O’Donnell, had their work cut out for them at the start of the season. They had a group of 10 girls of varying levels of experience, to whom they had to teach the various drills and plays - ‘split line, split line’, still rings in my ears - and weave them into a cohesive unit. The improvement in the skills of the girls over the course of the season has been nothing short of phenomenal!

From a shaky start in the practice matches last year, Ian and Jacqui worked tirelessly throwing in extra training sessions to see the girls work their way up to the incredible thrill of qualifying for VC, with their crossover match win against Sunbury at MSAC. The first half of the season in VC saw more losses than wins and the team moved into the VC Reserve competition for the final 9 matches. Like most 9 to 11 year olds, the girls performance can vary from match to match. When they are hungry for the ball, little seems to stand in their way - that fantastic tournament match win against Camberwell is testament to that. Whilst the results in VC Reserve have been mixed to date, at the time of writing this, the team’s finals hopes are still alive.

The girls have gelled together really well both on and off the court and have enjoyed their season, although it has not been full of winning success.

Much of our season has been about learning the fundamentals and basic skills of basketball, learning to play as a ‘team’ and having fun. Our key words this season have been ‘hard’, ‘together’, ‘smart’ and ‘fun’ and for the most part the girls have tried to do this. Our goal this season has been to do better in the second half of the season than we did in the first, and I have seen great improvement in the girls even though we havent registered too many wins. As is the case with all under 12’s, concentration is a major factor and when we were able to do that for most of the game, we played better.

Each of the girls have developed their skills and knowledge of basketball and I am proud to say, we have no ‘individuals’ in our team. We play together and share the ball around and the girls understand that it does not matter who scores the goals, but rather who has played great defence and made the assists to get us the points.

They are a fantastic group of girls and parents and I am so appreciative to have been given the opportunity to coach them. I wish them the best with their basketball in the future and hope that this season has encouraged a love of the game and has been the beginning of some great friendships. A big thank you to Nat Burke for being my assistant coach. We have forged a great friendship through basketball at this club over the last 20 years or so and it has been lovely sharing this experience with her.

Well done girls.

We have loved having Andrew Shepherd as our coach and welcomed Andy Winters as Assistant coach late in the season. They are both kind, patient, knowledgable and approachable and all the parents have thoroughly enjoyed sitting court side socialising while the girls were playing!

Imogen Miller

x Sally

The season hasn’t just been about the VJBL matches.

The girls were enthusiastic participants in three tournaments, with more than one set of family holiday plans being changed to accommodate this.

Tournaments provided the ultimate opportunity to bond, socialise over team meals, tattoo up, and oh yes, play basketball. The team tutu-ed up as Team of the Week to cheer, shout and dance their way through SEABL and Youth League matches in support of the Lady Sabres.

And they also enjoyed the privilege and thrill of having some of the Sabres Ladies attend their matches and training sessions.

The representative season can’t happen without the parents. The parents have to interpret the VJBL venue directions to drive the girls to courts all over Melbourne.

Who would have thought that Mill Park stadium was behind the shopping centre? They are also the scorers - and well done to those who have finally mastered the terrors of the scoreboard and clock. And lastly, the parents are always there to cheer the girls on and support them no matter what the outcome, and how stressful it was getting there. Thank you to you all.

Lastly, to both the girls and coaches, a big thank you for an enjoyable season. Thank you for being the best you can be.

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U12G4 There is something to be said for being in the “4’s”… you can start out a beginner, with little or no expectation placed upon you. Fly under the radar, and then soar with the pure enthusiasm and excitement generated from the girls themselves. Each week, building not only their skills, but their confidence as well.

Coaches Amber and Bianca, although familiar with the world of Sabres, were now committing to coaching a very enthusiastic bunch of girls. The Yin and Yang of the coaches technique, has allowed the girls to develop strength, resilience and new wonderful skills along the way.

The parents, have now learned what is involved in driving to the outer parts of Melbourne each week, and that they will never get their Friday nights back.

The girls themselves however, could not be any more excited at the prospect of getting another chance to do it all again.

But the fundamental highlights when you ask each of the girls what they have loved about their experience has been that of the friendships they have made along the way. The wins and the losses all seem to mesh in together…but the smiles generated when they catch up each week is what is lovely about this team of girls! I don’t think that even the families had expected that.

Jayne Harpley-Team Manager

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U14 | BOYS 1

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U14 | BOYS 3

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U14 | BOYS 5

TEAM REPORTS

U14B1

“Layups win games!” is one of Nathan Crosswell’s motto’s and with the echo of this in my mind I write these words after watching the Sabres 14.1 Boys draw their third match in the season. A couple of missed lay up’s may have made the difference…

Our season started with a strong line up and the presence of Coach Nathan and Assistant Coach Grant Dodwell gave all the parents reason to have high expectations of the boys and the first few games were encouraging, as we were playing with an under manned team but still winning more games than we lost. We acquitted ourselves well at both the Southern Pen and Eltham –Dandenong Tournaments and the signs were promising.

Once the regular season commenced and we had made VC our early results were good, with us winning a couple of games after being behind for most of the match. A draw with Kilsyth saw us 3rd on the ladder, but our form dropped off after that and we were losing games that we should have won. Half way through the season and our last game before the big break was against top of the ladder Bendigo, which we won!

This should have been a real confidence booster for the boys but inconsistency plagued the boys for a period of time. Nonetheless, they continued to battle and with 2 games to go we are still in the running for finals!

It has been rewarding to watch Nathan as a Coach and I think he has helped set the boys up for the U16’s next season with the way he has made the boys realise the importance of following instructions, knowing the plays and having faith in themselves.

Geoffrey Clark Team Manager

U14B2 Our philosophy at Sandringham is first and foremost the development of the players. In doing so, there are times when we don’t get the wins; however the most important thing is the growth and progress of each individual. So in that regard we have had more than a successful season regardless of the win/loss ratio - as all the boys in the team have shown terrific development throughout the course of the year. On top of this, the boys have forged great friendships

with one another and most importantly enjoyed the process of week-in-week-out competition whether it be with oppositions, teammates or themselves. In doing this I hope I have instilled in them a greater perspective of what it means to be a Sabres basketball player and made the pathway for advancement for the remainder of their careers much clearer and attainable. I look forward to seeing how my top age boys adjust to the physicality of the under 16 game next year and also how my bottom age boys fair against the top players in Victoria next season. More than anything, I hope and wish all the boys well as they continue to grow and learn.

A very big thank you to all the parents for supporting the boys and especially for their willingness to help out. Good luck for next season!

Tom O’Brien

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U14B3 U14B4 If you like roller coasters, then you will enjoy coaching U14 boys. It’s been a season of highs and lows in relation to results but overall there has been some real positives in game play that the boys have been able to apply. It is extremely satisfying seeing the elements of team defence coming into play.

As usual, coaching under age boys comes with it the challenges of managing injuries, illnesses and football but this season introduced a few new ones including scooter and boxing injuries.

As a coach, I initially believed we should have graded higher following pre-season matches, but the division we were placed into has highlighted an extremely even spread of teams. At the time writing this report we have 2 rounds remaining and whilst a 4-11-1 win loss is not flattering, 5 of the losses were under 3 points. This includes a couple of one point losses against top 4 teams where: a) a beautiful outside shot was waived due to an offensive foul under the ring (ouch!) and b) a 2 pointer was made in the last 3 seconds where one foot was on the 3 point line and the other behind it A coaching highlight for me personally was against Melbourne where we jumped into a 3-1-1 press following a time out only to see the opposition pass the ball in, look at the press and subsequently turn around and score for us. Only problem was that we needed that same play to occur at least 5-6 times in a row for us to be competitive!

I’d like to thank all the parents for the support, Leanne and Alison sharing Team Manager duties and special thanks to Graeme for his counsel throughout the season. But most of all I’d like to thank the boys whose efforts and respect towards myself personally after each training and game by thanking me and shaking my hand was really appreciated. I wish you all the best in subsequent seasons.

writing we have a chance to make finals. The boys had many highlights with tournaments, social gatherings and constant flow of hand shakes post training and games.

The boy’s season is best summed up by our true General, Team Manager Scott, as follows: Aidan “Smuggler” Ray-Can break any full court press to get the ball over the centreline. Great future in smuggling across borders. One of the generals in the team that controls the game.

Archie “Flash” Padley-He uses his lightning speed to get from one end of the court to the other bamboozling our opponents. Has broken the club record for wearing his Sabres outfit for 48 hours straight. Wore a neck brace to get rid of fleas. Missed his skills late in the season due to injury.

Blake “Sheriff” Schuetz-Rides into games on his horse with his gun on his hip. Wears fouls like a badge of honour and uses these to restore law and order in the paint. This fella owns this town. Good work ethic.

Earl “Bourne” Delahunty-A rogue basketball operative.

No one knows when Earl will strike but he is silent and the results are deadly to our opponents. .Voted most likely to ‘Suck seed’ by his team mates. Excellent improvement during the season.

James “Seagull” Hilford-Swoops in to clean up. Feeds on intercepts and scrimmages. Often seen standing on one leg and squawking for chips. Works tirelessly for the team.

Lachlan “Master Chef” Power-His weekly recipe uses skilful ingredients,and good training methods to create a basketball pie that we can’t get enough of. Needs to resist the urge to shoot like big Al. Steady improver during the season.

Lindsay “Pokemon” Henson-Wins all of the Pokemon battles on court. Has captured all of the opponents’ Pidgeottos and Bulbasaurs. They haven’t got a chance.

Great work under the ring.

Marcus “Higgs Boson” Silove-Creates quantum excitation during games by dribbling through keyhole gaps. The resulting impact to the space time continuum causes our score to increase. Brings good energy to the team.

Ray Tuim (Coach)

William “Blue Steel” Simos-Primerano-Got a great future in teaching dance moves because this boy has got the moves. Uses these moves to glide to the basket and can stop time in mid drive for the photo opportunity. A very good season.

U14B5

Zac “Aunty Jack” Fuleky-He’s on the dangerous player register because he’ll rip your ‘bluddy’ arms off’ getting those rebounds or scrimmages. Developed tempo during the season bringing the ball down the court and controlling the game.

14-5B season started with 10 boys (8 bottom age and 2 top age) brought together from different basketball playing experiences. The boys immediately bonded together to become a tight united basketball team working hard all season to develop their skills. The boy’s work ethic on court resulted in some very good basketball; we had wins and losses depending on the age and strength of the opposition and at the time of

Sandra “The General” Hilford-Clocked up her millionth hour in a basketball stadium this season. The only person who needs a pass to get out of the stadium.

Excellent coaching and development of the players this season.

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U14 B&G

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U14 | GIRLS 1

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U14 | GIRLS 3

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TEAM REPORTS U14G1

Our season was like a rollercoaster ride of highs and lows, a team chock full of talent that still quite hadn’t worked out the difference between fun junior basketball and high standard competition. This required a gentle reminder every so often, that qualifying and competing in VC meant a level of intensity was required at all times, and not only when they felt like turning it on.

Once the team was settled and battling away in grading, it took some time to find our rhythm, so the start of the season was hard work. Southern Pen Tournament helped the girls gel a little more, but it wasn’t until after the holiday break when the girls found their groove.

On the verge of missing out on VC altogether, coaches Arran and Sean weaved their magic and got the girls on a winning streak to qualify for VC. This winning streak was carried forward into the VC comp as well. This is the part of the season where the girls really shined, Lauren and Eleni’s strong rebounding, Charlotte and Kiana’s hard running and tough defence, Jemma’s defensive stopping of oppositions best player, Kayla’s continual improvement was huge, and her offensive input was very important for the team, Charlie’s long range bombs came in very handy at important times, Summers fearless attack on the ball, and her consistency through the season was huge for the team, Maya’s mid range jumper that hits the bottom of the net was pretty to watch, and Lily’s court movement with the ball is special to watch, one to keep an eye on!

Through this initial period, it looked like we were a chance to stay in VC with 3 great and tough wins, but then we hit another tough patch where unfortunately the team had to endure not being at full strength with players being away. This took its toll, and after a few hard fought losses, the girls lost some confidence, and needed to dig deep to find their way to start playing to their potential again. Despite the lows, the team is still competed against some strong competition to keep the season alive.

Along the way, amazing experiences were shared and new friendships were formed. The Girls had some great times on road trips, with both Ballarat and Bendigo in our pool. This included an overnight stay in Bendigo, where Petra found us a house that slept 17!

The usual road trip diet of pizza and lollies was had, luckily all the food was made in Australia, so Petra let the girls eat. The road trip to Ballarat was something special as well, watching the temperature gauge drop from 8 degrees in Melbourne, to 1 degree in Ballarat.

The snow fell and felt like wonderland.

Arran’s teaching of the great game of basketball was first class, his drills are done correctly or not at all.

The girls have learnt so much this past year, that they are now in the position to take the next step if they wish too. Huge congrats Arran, your hard work and dedication to our girls has been greatly appreciated by us all . Sean should be equally commended for his passion and unwaivering dedication to the team and to our girls’ development. Yufang, armed with an iPad and some arguably really cool apps, tried to keep everyone on track, and tried to use stats to give our team an edge. There’s no doubt, it hasn’t been smooth sailing, but it’s the journey that results in growth.

Thanks to all the families for their continual support.

Another fun and enjoyable year has come to an end, and we hope the girls are all better for the experience.

Go Sabres!!!

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U14G2

The girls are a mixed team of top and bottom age with two girls new to Representative basketball. The team has been keen to learn and have been competitive in all games. We have had some terrific wins when the focus and intensity has been concentrated, resulting in standout wins against teams ranked higher and the top team in our division twice. I have enjoyed coaching the girls and have had great support from the parents, thank you. Also a thank you to co-Coach Benedict Appleby. Benedict has great passion for the game, is enthusiastic and wonderful with the girls.

Katie Ryan, our Team Manager, has done a super job with keeping us all on track. And Arran Batish the U14 VC Girls Coach a big thank you for allowing us to train with you, it has been a pleasure and great for our team. Best of luck to all the girls in the future.

Ian C. Willmott

U14G3

The season started as per usual with tryouts after tryouts and nervous girls waiting to be selected for an awesome ride with the Sandringham Sabres. After a little while of being super nervous Alannah Jackson, Kobie White, Scarlett Meadows, Sass Fagan, Ally Antiondias, Bridget, Bartosy, Sienna Romancz, Ella Mann, Molly Menihane-Pegg and Vanessa Marcon received the news that they were lucky enough to join Steve Fagan to make up what is known as the Sandringham Sabres Girls U14-3’s for the 2015-16 season.

Unfortunately we lost Ella Mann due to injury and that definitely had a massive effect on our team. We then somehow managed to recruit Kalani Williamson but that was short lived as she had already made a massive commitment to Cheer Leading. We thank both of them for their contributions to our team in the early part of the season.

Don’t get me wrong but I can tell you for sure everyone was pumped when the grading games started. We graded extremely well qualifying for Metro 4. The last game of grading was extremely nerve wracking and nobody was expecting it. In the last quarter with only 2.7 seconds to go the scores were even and Steve called a time out and gave us instruction on how to run a play. We were all about to jump out of our skin being so nervous but we got the job done and Ally finished her layup beautifully drawing a foul on her way. The buzzer had gone and we had won by 2 points, we were all so excited knowing that we had given the game 110% (as Steve would tell you). We were all ready for what the season in front of us had to offer.

Steve Fagan is the pivotal ingredient in making our team what it is today. He is a very intelligent man and has been coaching basketball for years. Throughout his years of coaching he only coached boys, so thinking about it now he has done a fabulous effort in coaching girls that like to talk more than he does.

In taking on this massive commitment to be a Sabres coach Steve has to sacrifice a lot. He has two other children, one playing Sabres and we recognise the fact that Steve doesn’t get to see Hopper play as much as he probably would like. Through giving up his Friday nights Steve does like to remind us that we need to put 110% into every game because on some Friday nights Steve’s beloved Hawks are kicking goals on the footy field.

A little bit from Steve - Our season had several memorable moments, with the main highlight, making the Victorian Junior League 4 in the top 60 teams in the state, jumping 27 ranking places from our starting rank of 87. The journey to qualify was one full of twists and turns, with many close games. Our undersized team, full of determination continued to fight, scrap & scrape, often coming from behind to sneak a win or hold on in the dying seconds. The double overtime win against Keilor 3, on a buzzer beater play drawn up after a time out with 2 seconds to go stands out. The teams we have played against this season are often the first or second teams, with top age players making up most of the roster, so when we reversed a 43 point loss to the leaders McKinnon with a 2 point win the next time we played them it shows how far the team has improved. A narrow loss to Sandringham Sabres 2 by 1 point, shows our team is competitive. I have continued to emphasise throughout the season that reducing our turnovers and making our free throws will keep us in the game and more often than not contribute to winning the game.

We have had a fun, memorable, exciting, happy, giggly and entertaining season and this team will miss our Friday nights together for sure.

Alannah Jackson

U14G4

Short on height and short on experience probably best summed up the 14.4 girls this season. With half of the ten girls new to the Sabres program this year, Super Coach Donna Kernick had her work cut out for her turning her “mosquito fleet” into a competitive basketball unit. With 9 of the 10 girls being bottom age players, we often found ourselves playing against some physically imposing opposition players, so Donna’s focus was on skill development to try and run rings around the bigger oppositions.

The team rules were set early in the season, and to avoid any possible name clashes, Donna handed out some instant nicknames, so Taylah became “Klinky” and Tahlia became “Nipper”. They joined, Hannah, Ava, Soph, Nicole, Mia, Chloe, Milla and Lil to form the team.

Right from the outset the girls (and their parents) bonded and quickly made new friends. We participated in both the Southern Penninsula and Australia Day tournaments and had some good tough matches in both. The grading season produced some really good signs, and we found ourselves in a grade higher than we probably anticipated, which made for a tough season ahead.

With the season drawing to a close, we will finish in the bottom half of the ladder and miss finals, but the development through the second half of the season has pleased the girls, the parents and most importantly, the coach.

Huge credit has to go to Donna, for developing the girls, keeping their interest all season, and spurring them all on to want to try and do it all again next year.

Andrew Whitney

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U12 B&G

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U16 | GIRLS 1

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TEAM REPORTS

U16B1

U16B2

The road to VC started well, before dropping a game in grading that sent the team on a post-Christmas path to win back its right to join the lofty ranks of VC. Nothing was a guarantee even though the list was an impressive group of players on paper. The cattle in the heard consisted of solid group that were playing the year before in 16 VC as bottom agers, 3 Sabres veterans, an import and 2 rookies.

With another year of try-outs finished the teams were decided and what a fine selection of young men were in the 16.2 boys, with four top age and five bottom age players.

The team played well in both the Southern Peninsula and Eltham Dandenong tournaments, although they didn’t make finals it was fantastic team bonding.

Including dinners out with the whole team.

After some very hard fought grading games the team secured a spot in Metro 4. We started the season of with 4 wins in the first 5 rounds and were sitting on top of the ladder. Unfortunately we came up against some stronger teams and lost a few games in a row.

At the time of writing the boys beat the top team last week and have a chance of making finals.

We have had some fun social team bonding sessions including paint balling which was a huge success and the team is looking forward to ending the season tree surfing.

A very big thank you to all of the parents for travelling to the games and supporting the boys and for always being willing to help out.

Thank you to our coach Matt Nunn, the boys and the parents appreciate everything you have done for them.

Lastly to Brody, Callum, Finn, Hopper, Jack, Lachie, Liam, Mitchell and Tibah, you boys have shown everyone what it is like to play as a team, you have made your coach and your families very proud.

Good luck for next season.

Vicki Barlow TM

Needless to say, history now shows the boys made the grading with some smashing victories and the team then looked like a solid contender. Coach and team were all smiles, pumped and revved up to show the world the true form and skill on offer. The form to start with was a little up and down sadly however the team scraped though to make the Nationals and also to make the cut into the top half of VC. The Nationals was a ‘so close yet so far’ affair with too many games lost by single digits. The round after was a scary proposition coming up against the National champs in Keilor who had belted all before them. It was a lost to us but a very close game. This might have been the spark that fuelled the fire and the boys now knew they had the talent and game to beat anyone. Sure enough, it was a no stop wrecking machine that then took all before them and went on to mow down all the big names, Nunawading, Bulleen and Melbourne. Finally ending up second on the ladder and taking their rightful place, all be it below a team we touched up in round 7.

The players all had their strengths and character that together formed a united group. A list but by no means the full list, the player were certainly known for their individual physical attributes and skills. With Corey the streak shooter and an engine that would go all day, James with his super springs and ability to weave though defenders to get to the rack, Tyrone’s super solid down low work and a fro the Jackson 5 would be envious of, Tomo’s running floaters and his trash talking to the angriest opponents and clearly a heart the size of small city, Luke the” Rookie” and his ability to never miss layups being the quiet assassin.

Not forgetting the rookie 2.0 in Blake who has grown 12 inches in a year and ran the boards and managed to surprise block the tallest of centres, Jono brought a solid medium range jump and signature toe poke fake, Kobe was known for his size and shot blocking that could reach double figures in a game and a fro only second to Ty, and finally Fuzzy with his slick handles and a cross over that required other teams to carry plaster casts.

They are a team that strike fear in the eyes of any opposition, and it was held together by the glue that is the Coach, Patch. Patch a master of demanding team first and everyone on the side line is familiar with his call of “Run an offence!”

Scott Williamson TM

U16B3 After a slow start to practice games grading, the boys began to play as a team, chalking up the wins.

High grading for the Southern Peninsula tournament and the Dandenong-Eltham tournament was a tough pathway towards improvement, which, thankfully helped prepare for a strong finish in grading, landing us in Metro Grade. An awesome effort for a #3 team.

Metro certainly proved to be a huge challenge for the boys, and a lesson in resilience. We graded with mostly first and second teams and third teams from super power clubs, Bulleen and Dandenong.

Our win-loss record for the season did not show proportionality to our competiveness among these peers. All but a couple of games had the boys proving their ability to outplay, out score and lead the games for extended periods. Short lapses proved to be our Achilles heel.

The Nunawading tournament provided a great change in pace, and opportunity to try new options and have a bit of fun. We finished unbeaten for the weekend (although some experimental stuff we tried out put us under the pump at times) getting over Casey and Norwood in the finals. Pressure free throw shooting to close out games proved to be our strength.

As the season closes out, we can be satisfied with our efforts, knowing that we have not taken the easy road, but instead, embraced the greater challenge to maximize our development opportunities and prepare us for the years ahead. In challenge and adversity there is great learning. Parents and coaches are very proud of the ability not only to match it with the best in our grade, but also to produce superior basketball play and some outstanding teamwork.

U16B4 What a year, what a great bunch of boys Paul (Assistant coach of the Decade) and I had the pleasure of coaching this season . Enthusiastic from the start and eager to learn we had most boys at training for the whole year. Even through injury they turned up to support their teammates.

We started the season with 4 new boys who hadn’t played Representative basketball before. All who were great additions to the Sabres squad,unfortunately one of the boys dropped out due to health issues which was a real shame for him and the team.

We played 3 tournaments throughout the year, reaching the Semi Finals of the Southern Peninsula tournament. Dandenong/Eltham was a great learning curve playing higher rated teams, no finals but a great team building tournament never-the-less. The Nunawading tournament was a great success playing in the Final with the boys going down by 2 points.

The regular season has seen great improvement although we wont make finals I believe we were always the strongest team just haven’t had all players firing at the same time.

When those nights that all players fired we were unbeatable, this is shown by the fact we were the only team to beat the top side twice easily.

Some memorable moments: Who can forget Joel rattling home a 3 pointer for the win (the crowd went wild!)

Lucas dribbling coast to coast (I could see the fear in the defenders eyes as he approached the paint) I actually think Will can touch the top of the backboard (he has springs everywhere) Gary I think your range is 1 metre inside the arc (so what does he do Shoots a 3 pointer next shot, what’s that you say coach) Charlie Miller what can I say THE HIGHS AND LOWS OF SPORT, Tournament semi final double overtime versus Adelaide hits a 3 point Buzzer beater off a fast break at 10:15 pm to silence the Adelaide crowd and send Sabres into a frenzy, Come the Final misses a completely open Layup 59 seconds on clock to level game. We luv ya Charlie!

Lachy Youngs defence on tall opposition great defence Lach all over the ball.(David and Goliath) Leo’s opponents often wondering where he has gone off his dribble (fastest handles in the west) Inspector Gadget Alex,just when you think your safe his long arms steal the ball, If you ever want a Driving lesson see Max,always gets through traffic in built up areas.

Thank you so much to Roxy and Glen Kruger for all your help this season!

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U B

U16 B&G

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TEAM REPORTS U16G1

Season 2015/16 began well for our Under 16.1 team. We were blessed with having being given the formidable coaching duo in Paul and Alana and a team of young, if not small young women, willing to learn and work hard.

Our grading period wasn’t great, with the team having too many close losses of only a few points which just kept them out of VC. Considering this, we felt confident going into Metro 1, and hoped to finish high on the ladder. Unfortunately, this wasn’t to be. Over the course of the season, we have posted 7 losses of 10 points or under to date, and it took us until round 10 to get our first win. We currently have 4 wins and hope to get one or two more to finish out the season well.

The season was far from unsuccessful though. Our girls have learned more about basketball this season than in any other and have shown the coaches how willing and serious they are about their game – sometimes a bit too serious! They have bonded as a tight knit group of friends and have had many social occasions together. Our parents have been wonderfully supportive and deserve our thanks for their commitment over the long season.

On behalf of our whole team, I would like to sincerely thank Paul and Alana, for their care and dedication to the team, whilst having huge SEABL commitments of their own. It has been a pleasure to help with this team and I wish all the girls the best for season 2016/17.

U16G2 After the usual long and fun process of tryouts, the under 16.2 girls team was created. The girls were an even mix of top and bottom age with only one of the girls being new to the program. Our list contained Amelia (Milly) Brown, Nicola Caine, Holly Davies, Chloe Carter, Hayley McCormick, Lola Allen, Hailey Duncan, Alia Van der Straaten, Lucy (Lulu) Simpson, Isabelle Sinclair and super coach Isabelle Shea.

The season began with a good win in our first grading game. Issy was hoping for the girls to make Metro and the wins needed to keep coming to make this possible. Southern Peninsula Tournament was the girls next test. Before the tournament even began Issy made the call that this was going to be a fun, bonding weekend and hopefully we would come away with a win or 2. We were fortunate to have all our games at Rosebud and we made the most of the Rye Pier Park with lunch both days being fun and the girls proved very entertaining. With the help of stand in coach Jamie Cigognini the girls had some good and some less than good games, but the objective of the weekend was achieved.

The girls had started to bond and even though we lost the next 2 grading games leading into the

Christmas break the signs were good. Australia Day Tournament, and these girls came to play, each and every game. With the return of Lola after her extended injury break, it was good to see all 10 out on the court and doing what we know they can all do.

The girls weekend started with a game on Thursday night winning that and then 3 more wins on Saturday before dropping the last game of the night. This put the girls into the semi-final on the Sunday. After a hard fought game, the girls lost by 1 point but came away ready to finish grading strong.

Zoe D fighting spirit against Frankston in pre-grading.

The final phase of grading showed how far the girls had come with them winning 4 out of the 5 games to put them in Metro 4.

Jez your impressive sun tan and attack to the basket.

Our season so far in Metro 4 has been up and down.

We have had a lot of late games with some involving travel. The girls so far have won 8 and lost 8 and currently sitting 6th on the ladder. Finals are still a chance.

We have only had the odd injury here or there and attendance at training and games from these girls has been exceptional. Each and every player has fulfilled her role within the team and worked hard throughout the season to develop their basketball skills. A Big Thank You to Issy for her time, patience and effort in coaching our girls. As frustrating as some weeks have been you have always set an exceptional example for our girls. Thank you to all our parents for driving the girls around, cheering and scoring each week. You have all made my life very easy. Lastly it has been a pleasure to watch and work with every one of these lovely ladies.

Melinda McCormick Team Manager

U16G3 This year Jacquie Leckie, made her debut as a Sabres Representative head coach with Ian Leckie assisting.

The message was clear, the season goals were realistic, attainable and shared with all members of the team. The U16.3’s would prepare for the season, work together, enjoy the game of basketball and individually develop skills which would secure a position for players to be ready to take on the challenges of 2017.

We competed in the VJBL Regional east 1 division.

The season resulted in wins, losses and draws. The team was significantly impacted due to injuries, during grading, and the middle and back end of the season.

However, week in, week out the U16.3’s turned up to play, cheer and inspire one another. Teaching lessons beyond winning became the focus, as our dreams of making finals drifted away.

As a team the girls have many memories of the season including: Achieving runners up in the EDJB tournament and receiving a massive trophy!

Lizzy’s unstoppable shooting performance in the final of the EDJB tournament and being named player of the match

Mary having to wear a white ribbon in her hair to differentiate her from sister Lil. Chloe taking a massive charge and flying across the court at Sandringham.

Travelling to Tasmania for the Sabres on the Road Tour and Maya finding the best ice cream parlour.

Tuesday night training with the U18.3 girls.

Alyssa your uncanny ability to draw a foul as you charge up the court.

Zoe W basketball finesse and the incredible feat of representing Victoria in the National Aerobics Championships late in the season.

Amirya dominating inside the key waiting for the perfect pass to score.

Lil’s outside shooting against Bulleen, impressive!

Great memories, thanks also to the parents for scoring and cheering and driving players and coaches all over Melbourne. Finally, to our dedicated, caring and incredible coaches, who on a Friday night coached not one but three Sabres teams this season they are to be congratulated.

Jude Tuim Team Manager

U16G4 The U16.4 girls bonded very quickly once the teams were finalised for the 2015/16 season. Headed by Coach Scott Harvey the girls were keen to learn and enjoy their basketball.

Our 2 top age girls, Jade & Naomi have led the way this season with their scoring power. Emily has improved each game in both scoring & defensive rejections. Niamh’s driving ability in the key has made her one of our most consistant scorers. Immy’s fake & drive as well as her rebounding have seen her improve this season. Charlotte’s outside shot has proved to be valuable. Abbey’s ball handling and drive through the key have been an asset this season.

Tara’s burst of speed down the court and her ability to get through traffic have greatly helped offensively.

Keelin’s defence and footwork have greatly improved this season as well as her outside shot. Mikala’s strength both in offence & defence is a credit to her, this being her first season of rep basketball.

Scott went overseas for 10 weeks and although he was hugely missed, we were grateful to Mike Goldsmith for stepping in. We welcomed Scott back with 10 games to go and are currently sitting 3rd on the ladder and are looking good for the finals.

We had 7 out of our 10 girls go to Tasmania this year with Sabres on the road. The trip was a great experience and the girls enjoyed themselves both on and off the court.

Both Girls & Parents have really enjoyed this season.

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U16 B&G

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U18 | BOYS 1

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U18 | BOYS 3

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U18 B&G

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SABRES

COACHES

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U18 | GIRLS 2

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U20 | GIRLS 1

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TEAM REPORTS U18B1

The U18:1 Boys started the first phase of grading ranked 5th thanks to majority of the boys in this team who were in the U16:1s two seasons earlier. This also contributed to the team dynamic, which was evident that they played for each other.

The team entered the Southern Peninsula Tournament, going through undefeated, eventually winning the grand final against Ringwood 64 -47. We also entered the Eltham Dandenong Tournament without two players and lost to the eventual winners in the quarter finals. The second grading phase was completed with the boys making VC. The VC season started with the boys winning four straight games and looking like a potential VC finalist.

Unfortunately due to injuries, a lack of practice court availability and a game moved to a Sunday to suit the opposition, the team missed the National Junior Classic and VC by one point, finding themselves in VC reserve. With one game to play in the regular season the boys are on top of the ladder and ready to fight in the finals.

A big thank you to our fantastic head coach, Evan Vallance ably assisted by James Pantellis for the long weekends they gave up and the support of our boys all season!

GO SABRES! Garry Hicks

U18B2 U18B3 Our 18.3 team consisted of a fine combination of top & bottom age boys with the right mix of height, speed, strength and agility. Many of the players had played together at some stage in the past however coach Akshay Bhatia, a.k.a. Shak, was a welcome new addition to the Sabres club and of course, to our team. The boys enjoyed his friendly, young approach to training and to competition and as a result, the boys performed well throughout the season despite a number of injuries.

The boys participated in three tournaments and won two of them: Southern Peninsula and Nunawading.

We had our share of losses during the season, sometimes losing against easier opposition. There have also been several extremely close games, just to keep the parents on the edge of their seats.

As our team ended up in the same pool as the 18.2 team, it proved to be feisty competition each time the boys competed against one another. At the time of writing this, both teams are within the top three on the ladder with only one round remaining, therefore there is potential for further spirited interclub competition.

We all know that representative sport takes up much time and energy and to the boys credit, they have all shown great commitment throughout the season. They were always ready to give it their best shot. This dedication combined with Shak’s positive coaching and the support of the parents has led to a successful season for all.

Special thanks to the players, to coach Shak and to the other coaches who helped out in Shak’s absence.

Thank you to the parents to who equally shared scoring duties and were always willing to help out.

Thanks for a great season guys!

Jenny McInnes, Team Manager

U20B1 This season has been my first coaching for the club, and to say it was an interesting experience would be an understatement. I think inconsistency would be a great word to sum up the year. There were some weeks where I would be sending around messages during the day, just to get the numbers for the game.

Injuries, SEABL commitments and parties being a few of the words I dreaded to hear on a Friday afternoon. Then there were weeks where I had to worry about not getting everyone a decent amount of minutes. The boys displayed some inconsistancy in the way that they played. Some weeks I got a team of Tony Allen’s on defence, other weeks they played defence like James Harden. Unfortunately as I quickly worked out there was no middle ground for this team.

Our Season started off in the Dandenong tournament, and little did I know this would be the high point of our season. The boys played exceptionally well throughout the entire tournament, but were narrowly defeated by Warrandyte in overtime in the semi-finals. Fortunately for us we got our revenge by beating them to qualify for VC. From this point on the season seemed to take a bit of a downward spiral, as the boys found it tough to get some wins. Currently we have 5 wins, with one of them coming by forfeit.

With 3 more games to go, hopefully the boys can end the season off on a high.

On a positive note every member of the Under 20’s team has played a game in Youth League. As well as this Nic Gabsch has earned himself a place in an American College team. Many thanks should go to Dave Mitchell who has been running the sessions for the youth league and Under 20’s squad, and Karen Stewart who has done an amazing job as team manager. Overall the year has been a very enjoyable experience to coach a wonderful group of guys!

Matt Burke

U18G1 Season 2015/16 for the U18-1 girls commenced with the selection of a team with all the attributes for success - players with height, speed, strength, experience, basketball IQ, grit and comraderie, along with fabulous coaches and supportive families. Chloe, Danii, Ella and Morgan were joined this season by Zoe, Sophie, Johanna, Enya, Ashley and Alice. We welcomed our new coach Zoe Duggan to her first season in the Sabres program, bringing with her experience in coaching at APS. VC, Youth League and International level. Zoe was joined by ex-SEABL champion and Sabres junior assistant coach, Sue Humble.

At the commencement of the season, the team set goals and worked hard towards achieving them, the first of these being qualifying for VC. The Southern Peninsula Tournament saw the girls play some terrific basketball, eventually being runners up to powerhouse club, Bulleen, in a hard fought Grand Final. The tournament gave the girls the opportunity to bond and gain confidence in their game, which only a few weeks later enabled them to defeat Kilsyth with only six players, to secure a spot in VC and enjoy a pressure free summer break!

A summer fitness program was given to the girls by coach Zoe and the Eltham-Dandenong Tournament (made finals) and subsequent practise games, allowed the girls to regain their match fitness and consolidate their team plays. The next objective for the team was to make top 5 in VC and subsequently the Classic Tournament. Their VC pool was a tough one and unfortunately due to a couple of agonisingly close losses, the girls finished 6th, were placed into the VC Reserve competition and just missed out on competing at the Classic.

The VC Reserve competition commenced in early June and over the Queen’s Birthday long weekend the girls competed in the Nunawading Tournament, again just missing out on a Grand Final berth after an overtime semi final game. The girls have had some very convincing wins and also some that were not so convincing, but wins nonetheless and at the time of writing they are sitting equal top of the VC Reserve ladder with a 7/1 win/loss record with one game to go before finals.

This season has been one which has been interrupted by a very busy year for the girls. There have been State Basketball commitments, VCE studies, formals, travels, injuries and illnesses, all contributing to some very challenging, yet very rewarding times and it is hoped that with ongoing resilience and commitment from this great bunch of girls, along with a little bit of luck, that the ultimate reward of a grand final spot and subsequent win can be achieved.

I would like to conclude by saying a huge thank you to our fantastic coach, Zoe and assistant coach, Sue. You have both been amazing with your coaching knowledge, meticulously organised training sessions and super understanding attitudes, despite some very

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challenging times and I am sure all the girls would be in total agreeance with this.

To all the families of these beautiful girls – thanks for all the support with organising, driving, videoing, scoring, feeding, making payments etc. It is very much appreciated and has made my job an easy one!

Finally, to the U18-1 girls – thanks for being such a fun, energetic, easy going and happy bunch. For some of you it is your final year of junior representative basketball and it is hoped that you will all reflect and appreciate your basketball journey. It has been so much more than simply training and playing games.

Involvement in rep basketball has given you all lessons in life that will take you further than the court. Learning to deal with disappointments, rejoicing in victories, showing humility, setting and striving for goals, developing organisational skills, maintaining motivation and being supportive and encouraging, are all skills that will see you through life. Most of all, this sport has given you the opportunity to create special memories and lifelong friendships that will hopefully continue into the senior years and beyond.

Best of luck in all your future endeavours girls. It has been an absolute pleasure!

Tammy Hicks(Team Manager)

U18G2 A great bunch of athletes made up the U18.2 team, for most this being their ultimate year of junior basketball, the culmination of many years of commitment.

However this team never had the opportunity to realise their full potential. The grading rounds started well and showed a lot of promise, with a solid performance resulting in them qualifying for VJL2. A couple of setbacks early in the season, such as losing our main point guard with a season ending knee injury at the Dandenong tournament, meant that the team was left with just eight players for the season. Coupled with the pressures and commitments of Year 11/12, school camps and family trips, the team was often left short of numbers for both training and games making it difficult to create a cohesive unit. However, there were plenty of highlights such as almost winning Game 4 of the Dandenong tournament with just 2 Sabres players left on the court for the last few minutes, beating the second placed team by 1 point in the regular season, but mostly for the comradery and friendship. We wish all the team best of luck for the future, and hope they have taken away a love of the game. Thanks to Ryan for coaching and for a great group of parents that made my job easy.

Dean Elliott, Team Manager

U18G3

2015/16 has been an eventful season for us U18 3

girls. Unfortunately we have been plagued with injuries from ankles to knees to ribs (it was a whole body approach) .We have had our ups and downs but at the end of the day we never fail to come together. We have all progressed and improved not only individually but as a team, through the amount of time we have spent together. We were blessed to have such great, supportive and enthusiastic coaches, who have been extremely passionate and willing to help us improve our skills and mindset towards the game.

how quickly they bonded to become a team to pull together a very strong win. Since that day they have played for one another and continued to win more and more games.

I have thoroughly enjoyed my season of coaching this group of energized and highly skilled girls and I hope to see them all continuing to reach their potential and goals of playing in the Sabres Youth League Team.

DJ

There were many individual highlights.However some of our team highlights and achievements this season so far, were competing and winning the Dandenong Eltham tournament, traveling to Adelaide to compete in the Adelaide Easter Classic and being selected to compete in the VJBL Regional Challenge.

We now look forward to the rest of the season and hope that we make the finals and finish with a win.

Last but certainly not least we would like to thank all of our parents for giving up their time for being our taxi drivers and cheer squad.

Jess Blanchette & Alex Pavlou

U20G1 This season has been nothing short of fun and enjoyable but also extremely rewarding. As I write this we are currently sitting 3rd on the ladder in VC and I believe that these girls have the talent and potential to go all the way.

As this is under 20’s, we have had many changes in the team list throughout the season due to most of the girls currently completing their VCE. Every member has missed a game or two due to school formals, fake tans (You all know the preparation girls go through for these events), sickness etc. We lost Caitlin Farmer early in the season due to illness and been out for most of the season but has come back ready and raring after her operation to make it in time for finals. We have been fortunate enough to have some help from some of the younger Youth League members who have happily filled in on multiple occasions. I would like to send a big shout out to Ali Brown, Katie Bugden and Rachael Fairhurst for helping us out.

My very first game coaching these girls was against Nunawading 1, where we got absolutely smashed by 20+ points and I thought to myself this could be a long season! Fortunately that game was us ‘dusting off the cobwebs’ as we managed to pick ourselves up and have a few wins during the Australia Day Tournament. We proceeded to play Nunawading once again during our grading phase in which we lost again, this time by a smaller margin. I was particularly impressed with how much improvement I had seen in these girls in such a short period of time and with inspiring words from Ali Brown “third time lucky” we managed to pull out a 10 point win against Nunawading in round 2 of the regular season. This proves just how talented these girls truly are and

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FREE

THROWS

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U20

G&B

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SABRES

HUDDLE

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GO SABRES! Sabres_Magazine2016.indd 61

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SABRES

OTHER SIDE

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Sometimes I wonder about

BASKETBALLERS

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