Sabresmagazine2017 web

SABRES 2017

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2017 28/08/2017 2:44 PM

thanks to our

Spon sors

U20s is the last age group that our players are able to play in the Representative program, and for lots of our players the last time they will play rep basketball at all.

Due to other commitments such as school, uni, work or travel this age group sees us bid good bye to many of our players, some who have been with us for up to 10 years.

It is at this time we would lke to thank them for all the effort, energy, enthusiasm and enjoyment they have brought the club over the past years and we wish them all the best for their future endeavours whether it be with our Youth League, SEABL or domestic programs.

Thanks again for all your involvement and we look forward to seeing you back at games to chat about your achievements.

(Please note: Not all players in U20s are playing their last season, some are bottom age and will be back in 2018 to crash the boards for one more year!)

U20B1

It’s a huge task for boys/men at this age to commit to a long season of representative basketball. The players this season were no different to every other season and gave it everything they had. Tryouts were tough and the season was long. With commitments being challenged by the distractons of life the players gave their all at every game and fought for every moment of court time they could get.

We had our fare share of successes and frustraton during the season but the boys to their credit fought out every game with some of them playing games without subs aginst much deeper benches.

The Youth League progression for many of our players was great and many of our sqaud juggled playing multiple games per week to help support the club in any way that they could.

Thansk to all the guys for their enthusiasm and support duing the year and I wish them all the very best in their basketball futures!

U20G1

Tryouts for U20s commenced late in 2016 and with credit to the Sabres Junior Representative Program, there were enough girls at the tryouts to field two teams for the 2017 VJBL seasonmany of them having played for Sabres since bottom age U 12s!

With some pre season training under their belt, along with a summer fitness program, the first real test for the U20-1 girls was competing in the Eltham/Dandenong Tournament under coach Scott Harvey. The wins did come and although some were not so pretty, the girls made it to the Grand Final against Blackburn and came away as the tournament U20 Women’s A grade champions.

Photographers Credit.

A resally big thank you from me (Murray Payne) for all the images that were sent in by the Team Managers. We are not always able to include all the images provided due to space allocations and also in relation to file size or quality in some instances.

I would really like to give credit to Cherie Dear for the provision of so many wonderful photographs of the teams her children play in! Gotta be impressed with a parent who follows three children around and gets time to take pics of other teams as well. Thanks Cherie!

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The grading phase of the VJBL competition gave the team the opportunity to fine tune any glitches in their game before the proper season started and they easily qualified for the Victorian Championship division. As the VC season commenced and subsequently progressed, the U20-1 Girls team faced many challenges including SEABL/YL clashes, Year 12 commitments and formals, holidays and of course the dreaded injuries. Because of this, the

girls found themselves playing with only 6 or 7 players on occasions but always with a smile and loads of positivity.

The rest of the team is made up of bottom age players who will hopefully return next season to continue their Sabres journey.

There have been some very convincing wins, some frustrating draws and some agonisingly close losses but at the time of writing the girls are placed second on the ladder and look set to play finals.

Three of the bottom age girls also putting back to the program with Alex, Ashley & Jasmine coaching on Saturdays at the Junior Clinics helping to produce some up and coming Sabre Rep Players.

A big thank you needs to go to Scott for coaching the girls this year and for providing them an opportunity to take part in some strength and conditioning sessions. Also to Jo Wood for the combined YL/U20 training - hopefully some of the YL Championship good luck can rub off on this team too! Thanks needs to also go to the wonderful families of these girls who have helped out so much this season especially with scoring duties and without ever complaining. It is so very much appreciated.

Alex is also an Assistant Coach of the 14 – 3 Sabre Girls.

The team consisted of: Jasmine Duncan, Kayla Elliott, Bianca and Amber Lawrence, Alex Pavlou, Ashley Smirniotis, Alice Humble, Jamie Lee Munn and Chloe Koppens.

A big thank you to Ian and Jacquie Leckie for taking on their “2nd” Sabres team for the Season.

Finally to the girls themselves…Ella, Liv, Ellen, Morgan, Chloe, Zoe, Georgia, Caitlin, Mia and Sophie. Your support of one another, camaraderie and the fun you all have together is commendable and such a vital part of a teams success. You are all perfect examples of why it is so important to keep women in sport. Good luck in all you pursue.

Tammy Hicks ( Team Manager )

U20G2

What fun was had by all this season for these dedicated Sabres girls! Just 9 players suited up for the 20.2 Girls in VJL 1 in the 2017 season, but some new friendships were born, and old friendships were strengthened!

The girls currently are still in the hunt for finals, sporting an 8-7 win/loss plus 2 byes record at the time of writing this report. The addition of Alice Humble and Jamie-Lee Munn was an obvious bonus to the team, both younger girls but valuable contributors throughout.

This season marks the end of Junior Sabres careers of Amber and Bianca Lawrence, two players already “putting back” into the Sabres by coaching our 12.4 girls’ team for the past two years. We wish them all the best in their future endeavours off the Friday night circuit and hope they continue to share their knowledge with our Junior Sabres teams for many more years to come.

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Contents

SABRES 2017

SEABL Men

2

U16 Boys Team Photographs

34

Imports

4

Team Reports

36

SEABL Women

6

Sabres on Court

37

Youth League Men

8

U16 Girl Team Photographs

38

Youth League Women

10

Team Reports

40

Head of Basketball

12

U18 Boys Team Photographs

42

U12 Boys Team Photographs

14

U18 Girls Team Photographs

44

Team Reports

16

Sabres on Court

45

Sabres on Court

18

Coaches

46

U12 Girls Team Photographs

20

Team Reports

48

Team Reports

22

Free Throws

50

U14 Boys Team Photographs

24

Sabres on Court

52

Sabres on Court

28

Sabres on Court Sabres Huddle

54

U14 Girls Team Photographs

30

Other Side of Sabres

56

Team Reports

32

Sabres Tournaments

58

Sabres on Court

33

U20 Team Photographs

60

CEO’s Report 2017 again showcased the strengths of the Sabres Program both in terms of basketball skills development and administrative strength of its Coaches, Players and Volunteers. It has been another busy and productive year for our Association and I offer my thanks and congratulations to all those who have participated, worked in, administered and supported the teams over this period.

As always, congratulations must go to all the members, players, coaches, supporters and most importantly all the volunteers and

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parents who ensure that the Sabres can be competitive as well as ensure a high level of competition and professionalism are maintained.

2017 has been a great year featuring some benchmark achievements. This is a credit to many individuals and stakeholders. On behalf of the Sabres staff I express my admiration for the commitment of the Sabres and its extended family.

Mark Chivers

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mens mens’

SEABL Season 2017 has been a successful one for our Sabres mens SEABL program. Southern Basketball Association had set a goal of achieving a playoff berth for this past season, and this Sabres team did that for the first time since 2014.

Team cohesion was getting better and positive results started to follow. At that time Sabres have played “sound” basketball on both sides of the floor and it showed in our win/lose ratio.

We felt that we were the most improved team at that time.

Yet again, we had to integrate new imports and domestic players into our team and club culture, which is a challenge within itself. After extensive search for new players, we decided to recruit Ethan O’Day and Justin Gordon as our two imports, and Iggy Hadziomerovic and Daniel Florence as domestic players that could help us to achieve our goal. The rest of the group was made up of our domestic players Nathan Croswell, Alex and Lachlan Lemons, Finn Kenny, Alister MacDonald, Stefan Uzelac, Jamie Batish as well as other juniors from Youth league and U-20 team.

After the midseason break, unfortunately, we could not carry the same continuity due to players being injured and/or absences from practices and games, but we still managed to play good basketball and had some great wins against direct opponents for playoff placement.

At the start of the season our win and loss ratio was an indication that changes had to be made if we were to reach our goal, playoffs.

Unfortunately, not always goes by script and this was one of those situation where we had to release one import and bring another one in to have immediate impact on the team’s performance.

We lacked size of an interior player and we needed another “big” stretch four, that would compliment Ethan’s game. We brought in Jerry Evans who was very appreciative to get another chance after a long absence from the court due to his ACL injury.

For the 2017 season, MVP award went to Ethan O’Day who has been the most consistent performer and it has been a pleasure to coach him. Most Improved player award this year went to Alister MacDonald who has been most consistent contributor off the bench and made a big difference in many games. To both award recipients… congratulations and well done!!!

There is a special thanks that needs to go to assistant Milan Stojic and manager Anthony Barca for their support and contribution toward achieving a goal and to all of you Sabres nation, thank you for coming in bigger numbers than last year and for your unconditional support.

In 2017, Sabres men team has made a small step in the right direction and let’s make sure that we all stay TOGETHER going forward in 2018!!!!

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SEABL MEN 2017

SEABL MEN 2017

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IMPORTS JERRY EVANS

Jerry came to us mid season to fill a void in our sqaud that he did with absolute assertion.

A dynamic scorer and hard working defender.

Jerry worked hard to prove his worth after his knee injury and he did this by creating a work ethic that was second to none and he created a cohesion between team mates that saw the mens win ratio increase with his inclusion.

Jasmine’s first game as a Sabre was a 35 point effort in a double overtime win on the road in Hobart where she hit the game winner. That game was on a Friday night, after Jasmine had flown from North Carolina and arrived in Melbourne on Thursday morning. Displaying true grit, Jasmine was a professional and a competitive barometer for the Sabres, averaging 19.9 points per game and 6.8 rebounds. She often had to plug in and defend the better opposition players as well as shouldering much of the scoring load in the absence of Brittany Smart. Jasmine was named Sabres MVP for her outstanding 2017 season.

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BRITTANY SMART

Brit only played 6 games for the season and her absence was keenly felt.

When on court, Britt was a pro, averaging 22.8 points per game to go with 6 rebounds and 5 assists.

She dropped 39 points on Frankston back on the 4th of June. Whilst injured, Brittany was still an active and vocal participant with the group, giving advice, coaching and leading the group.

Ethan has proven his worth time and time again this season and was rewarded for all his hard work by picking up the MVP of the SEABL Mens team for 2017.

Relentless at both ends of the court and the epitomy of how hard you have to work to succeed in basketball, no matter how tall you are!

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womens’

SEABL In 2017, the SEABL Women’s competition was highly competitive. With teams boasting current and fringe Australian Opals, high quality imports and quality Australians the need for the Sabres SEABL Women to be as competitive as possible was paramount.

The team welcomed Carly Chatfield from Frankston and Shannon Perrett returned after a twelve month lay-off due to a torn ACL. Deanna Jolliffe was a reliable reserve point and cocaptain. Brittany Smart returned, and the team welcomed ex Kilsyth import Jasmine Gill.

Unfortunately the season was disrupted due to the late arrival of import Gill, and various injuries and absences to key players. The final record of 6-16 record was not an accurate reflection of the ability of the group and included an overtime loss to the BA Centre of Excellence and close losses to Ballarat, Geelong, Nunawading. The silver lining in the season was the development of younger Under 20/YL players Ella Batish, Katie Bugden, Cassie Hill, Morgan Riley, Courteney Munn and Chloe Hicks who were all exposed to the SEABL level. They were all also part of the successful Youth League season and it is hoped this success and the season’s experiences mean they are determined to be better in 2018 and beyond.

Ongoing injuries hampered import Brittany Smart’s ability to perform at her best. Britt only completed six games for the season and the

team sorely missed her leadership, scoring and experience. Fill in player Nicole Romeo was a true professional and gave us a boost after the mid-season break.

Recruit Jessica Bygate earned New Zealand selection for the FIBA Asia Cup in India and missed 5 games. Jess possessed an outstanding attitude and a positive outlook for the entire season. Her positivity rubbed off on the rest of the team, particularly early, when the group was tracking well. The team missed her size and ability to compete defensively and on the glass when she was absent.

Despite arriving late from her European season in Sweden, Jasmine Gill was a fierce competitor and a true professional averaging close to 19.9ppg and 7 rebounds. She displayed the sort of fierce desire to win that needs to spread throughout the senior and junior Sabres.

I want to thank all of the players for their efforts in the face of considerable difficulties.

Special thanks to my support staff for their tireless efforts: Assistant Coaches Julie Brookhouse and Sam Groves and Team Manager Kelly Cigognini who were always prepared to go above and beyond to service the needs of the team. We will be back better in 2018. Go Sabres!

Kind regards, Simon Giovannoni

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Katie Bugden

Morgan Riley

Mel Prior

Shannon Perrett

Jasmine Gill

Deanna Jolliffe

Nicole Romeo

Carly Chatfield

Brittany Smart

Ella Batish

Cassie Hill

Jess Bygate

Kate Hore

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youth league

MEN

Overall the Youth League Men’s team had a successful season reaching the quarterfinals.

Upon reflection even though the ultimate goal of winning the Grand Final was not achieved a lot of positives can be taken away from the 2017 season.

The majority of the squad returned with some additions coming up from the Under 18 program in Ben Charnley and Jaylen Cross. At the conclusion of the tough preseason with the SEABL team, we went into the round 1 confident.

With a large squad to choose from, 18 players would eventually put on the Sabres jersey throughout the season. Finn Kenny, Lachie Lemons, Cameron Taylor and Jamie Cigognini impressed in the preseason and were in the mix for SEABL selection. They would all get their chance to play for the senior side at different stages throughout the year.

The season started off well and after 8 games we had registered a record of 6-2 with impressive wins against Dandenong, Knox, and Blackburn who would all end up making the finals.

The middle part of the schedule was a lot tougher with away games against the 3 best teams. We would almost break even during this stretch and recorded a 4-5 record over the next nine games. This would bring our overall record to 10-7 and the finals were now a very good chance.

Finals became a reality when we beat grand finalist Kilsyth to lock in a finals berth.

Unfortunately, some inconsistent play in the last 5 games would allow us to lose some very winnable games and result in us finishing 3rd in our conference. We would miss out on a home final by one spot.

With the attentions of the squad moving to the finals, we were given the big task of playing away

to Nunawading who were the in-form side of the competition. Despite our best efforts that afternoon our shots did not want to drop and we went down fighting, losing to 71-84. Unfortunately, the result did not go our way but I was still very proud of how the players finished the season and stuck together till the end.

From a statistical standpoint, we have a few players that excelled in terms of the whole competition. Jamie Cigognini finished 2nd in the league for 3PT% shooting a very high 46.9% (2349). Mitch Barber was always hard to box out on the offensive glass, finishing 5th in the league with 62 offensive rebounds. Alex Andrews continued to shine defensively finishing 3rd in the league with 43 total steals whilst Matt Burke finished the season averaging 3.82 assists per game which was 4th in the league.

Mitch Barber ended his Youth League career with winning the “Players Award” in a tie with Alex Andrews. Both players received the award after being selected by their teammates who felt their hard work, unselfishness and leadership on and off the court were to be rewarded. Jamie Cigognini was a well-deserved winner of the MVP after a great season in which he led the team in multiple statistical categories. He also has been shortlisted for the Big V awards which will be voted on in the near future.

A very big thank you must go to Assistant Coach Simon Anderson and Team Manager Ella Cigognini for all their efforts this season. Simon’s detailed scouting reports and counsel whilst on the bench was vital to the team’s success. Ella was fantastic in making sure the team was organised and everything ran smoothly. The Players and I really appreciate all their hard work.

David Mitchell

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YL MEN 2017

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youth league

WOMEN

Well what a year the Youth League Women have had. We started the season with big dreams and finished as champions. A large number of last year’s finalists were back (Izzy Shea, Kim Rennie, Mo Lyth, Katie Bugden, Kiara Wedderburn, Meg Ragaus Ragauskas, Mel Prior, Sam Groves and Courteney Munn) while Ella Batish and Cassie Hill returned to the fold and youngsters Sophie Van Vliet, Chloe Hicks and Morgan Riley made the step up to senior basketball. With a number of girls getting the opportunity to train with the SEABL squad over the summer, they were all ready to go when the season started. A close loss to Dandenong in Round 1 showed that when we played our game we could match it with one of the best teams in the competition but we needed to play hard for 40 minutes. The girls would drop only 4 more games for the year as they developed trust in one another and played some absolutely awesome team basketball. Girls moved in and out due to SEABL commitments but it didn’t seem to matter as whoever suited up just kept getting the job done. The depth of our squad meant that on any given day anyone could be our top scorer and while we struggled in some games last year to get 4 or 5 assists, this year we were regularly up above 20, a great sign of the ball movement, trust and unity within the group. We managed to finish top of our pool and played Bendigo in the first final. The girls were fired up when Big V tipped against us but Bendigo were never a chance as we went on to record a comfortable 30-point win. Next up was last year’s champions Melbourne Tigers, a team who had narrowly defeated us earlier in the season. It was a close match but when we edged our way to a 15-point lead mid-way through the fourth quarter it seemed we had done enough. Melbourne had other ideas and a 3pt shooting barrage including one to tie the game with 14 secs left sent the game into overtime. The girls dug deep and against the momentum, came out with a 5-point win and a spot in the grand final.

Our opponents in the grand final – Ringwood, had also defeated us earlier in the season and were responsible for our finals exit 12 months earlier. A 3 game series

had us playing the first match at The Rings and the girls were focused. While we did a great job sticking to our defensive scouts our outside offensive game was amiss and for the first time all season we failed to register a 3-point basket. Never mind, Ella, Cassie and Mel dominated on the inside while Izzy did an amazing job to restrict one of their key players and Kim, well, Kim was everywhere. Everyone contributed and with 10 players hitting the score sheet we came away with a 14-point win and a chance to wrap up the championship at home the following week. Game 2 was a much more nervous affair as Ringwood took it right to us. Despite dominating the stats, we were down 1 at half time and knew if we could put the ball in the hole we would be hard to beat. While it was our inside game in the first game, it was our outside game in the second half that would allow us to pull away as Morgan, Courteney and Katie found their range. Ella was still a strong presence inside and Kim’s 15 rebounds were pretty handy too. 11 players hitting the scoreboard was a reflection of a great contribution from everyone as another 14-point win had us all celebrating the championship. I am so proud of this group of young ladies and the amazing team they have become. Without doubt we had the most depth in the competition but without the girls accepting their roles and being prepared to share court time they would not have been the team they were.

Congratulations girls - you have been truly amazing! A massive thanks to Scott and Jacqui for everything you have contributed to the team this season.

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YL WOMEN 2017

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Head of Basketball

REPORT

I joined this wonderful club as Head of Basketball in February but would like to start by thanking all staff, coaches, players, committees, board members, referees and all volunteers for assisting the Sabre Club teams in delivering a competitive and enjoyable year.

We have had a good year with very competitive results with both our senior and junior teams.

Our Sabres coaches and staff have also delivered a variety of programs and done tremendous work within the community and schools through our programs to provide a developmental and positive service to the Sabre community and members of domestic clubs.

A Big thanks to all for working and supporting and striving to achieve our Mission • Develop Sabre Coaches and players to their Potential to be successful: • To set an example for young people in the Sabres club to aspire to.

• To establish a legacy of success and continue a tradition for the Sabres • To serve the Sabre community Some Excellent Results The Sabre senior women and men’s program improved and moved forward.

The SEABL women’s team suffered from many injuries but increased their win loss ratio from last year and were highly competitive while blooding many young players in all their games.

The men’s team equaled their win loss ratio of last year but this time managed to make the SEABL finals with points a differential advantage over Kilsyth. The SEABL men’s team went down to Geelong in the quarter final.

Our Youth League Women were the 2017 Champions which was a great achievement for the players, coaches and club.

The Youth League Men were knocked out in the semifinal after a very successful season

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7 out of 10 of our junior teams made VC and all our other junior teams have been very competitive in their grades this season.

We are hopeful we can take out some more titles during the up and coming final series.

The Sabres have also been represented well with many of our players being identified by Basketball Victoria as future stars.

We have had many of our players selected for NITP and NPP for elite development.

As Head of Basketball l will be leading some of these programs back here to Sandringham and conducting sessions on behalf of Basketball Victoria utilizing quite a few of our coaches that will also assist them and enhance many of our players and coaches with their development.

We had 2 players play for Victoria this year in 2017- Kobe Williamson and Samuel Taulapiu.

Kobe Williamson and Samuel Taulapiu selected in the Australian U17 squad for future tournaments this is a fantastic achievement and recognition of their ability and dedication to succeed!

Despite these impressive results we are striving to improve our program for next year where we have already began aligning our teams with a Sabres style of play on both the offensive and defensive end of the court.

This will be developed further in our preparation for the 2018 season in try outs, training sessions, player and coaching clinics and implementation of these concepts this will bring an identifiable Sabres style and image and continue to improve players, coaches and teams for further representation and success of our State and Australian teams in 2018!

Thanks to all that have contributed to our Sabres program and looking forward to an exciting year for 2018!

Brendan Joyce

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U12 BOYS 1 4 Aiden McFarlane 40 Nathan Murphy 6 Blake Lamble 30 Harry Neilson 34 Adrian Cole 10 Luca Cavarra 52 Oscar Humble 14 Harrison Oliver 50 Jem Furze Assistant Coach: Sue Humble Coach: Angus Cotton

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32 Jamieson Collins 9 Joshua White 7 Dougal McCartney 44 Max Curtin 23 Hudson Read 54 Blake Nowlan 8 Archer Read 55 Sebastian Khan 45 Fletch Johnston 20 Will McGlone Assistant Coach: Nick Shepherd Coach: Duncan McFarlane

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U12 BOYS 3 5 Max Weir 22 Kobe Wanigaskera 33 Noah Bousdoukos 11 Cooper Wilcock 40 Oliver Moodie 30 Mitchell Davidson 24 Alex Hadley 13 Miles Vallance 51 Jack Razga 15 Thomas Kurta Coach: Norman Kurta

U12 BOYS 4 10 Ryan Comas 31 Jake Vorrath 8 Lachlan Fraser 25 Gus Dowling 42 Ethan Hunt 21 Jaime Denver 41 Ky Williams 4 Michael Tuim 53 Aaron King 43 Charlie Sayer Assistant Coach: Ray Tuim Coach: Richard Denvir

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team

REPORTS

U12B1

10 excited boys were selected for our U/12.1’s team under the watchful eye of our Coach Angus Cotton and Assistant Coach, Sue Humble.

6 Boys were chosen from 2016 Sabres, Aiden, Blake, Ian, Harry, Harrison and Oscar, with 4 fresh faces to Sabres Rep Basketball Adrian, Jem, Luca and Nathan.

We started off with a few practice games, some team shuffling and then we kicked into gear with the Southern Peninsula Tournament which was a great fun weekend for the boys and coaches.

It was a great indication to see what was ahead for the team.

Our 1st lot of Grading games weren’t the best and the loss of some games saw us having to take a couple of trips to Latrobe. With some sickness leading up to Xmas we had to take on the 2nd lot of Grading games with a hard attack and defence. And we did!

The January Eltham/Dandenong Tournament, our team was up against some great clubs and we finished with a 3-2 result. This saw the boys end up 3rd in their pool.

We were then on our way playing some great Friday night games and we had our eyes set on U/12 Boys VC Champ and hopefully the chance to make the National Junior Classic Tournament for 2017. The hard working U/12.1 boys not only made VC Champ they made it to the Classic!!!

This was by far the most joyous and exciting time for the boys led by our committed and patient coaches Angus and Sue. Just missing out on the Bronze medal game, the U/12.1 boys charged home with a win on the final day, resulting in 5th place overall in U/12 Boys basketball in Australia. This achievement is something they should be very proud of!

All of this can’t happen without the commitment and encouragement of our coaches Angus Cotton and Sue Humble. Their dedication every week at all our training sessions and games, we can’t Thank you both enough for giving up your time for our boys and preparing them for their basketball journey ahead.

willingness to help out made my job so much easier especially with all your help scoring.

Some of our games went down to the last second and you all did so well.

U12B3

Wishing you all the very best for 2018.

U12B4

Kristy Oliver- Team Manager

U12B2

What a fun year our boys have had for the 2016-2017 season. Our team consisted of 5 top age and 5 bottom age boys, many of whom only previously knew each other as enemies on the domestic A-grade scene! We’ve proudly watched them develop as individual players and, more importantly, as a team over the past year under the guidance of Duncan and Nick.

Their team effort was rewarded by receiving an invitation to compete in the Regional Challenge which they won, adding a medal to each of the boys’ (no doubt) quickly filling ‘pool rooms’ at home! At the time of writing, our boys are preparing for finals which is a fabulous achievement. I’d like to take this opportunity to thank the fabulous bunch of parents who made Friday nights a relaxed and memorable experience. So now, to the team: Dougal “Lay Up Legend” McCartney No. 7 Archer “Rebound King” Read No. 8 Josh “The Mailman” White No. 9 Will “Bring It” McGlone No. 20 Hudson “Gentle Giant” Read No. 23 Jamieson “Long range bomber” Collins No. 32 Max “Road Runner” Curtin No. 44 Fletch “Fearless Fighter” Johnston No. 45 Blake “Secret Shooter” Nowlan No. 54

Report not available at time of going to press.

2016 was a great year for tryouts for the U12 age group, with the additional challenge of having some fantastically talented players for selectors to choose from. The 12.4 team was perfectly designed with a range of players with specific skills and when brought together made for a strong team, giving some of the well-established teams something to be concerned about. The early bonding of the team paid dividends with the players learning one another’s strengths which saw them quickly take advantage of these against opponents.

Players, parents and the coach met early in the season to discuss the skills each player needed to work on over the season. I am pleased with each boy’s progress and tankful that I had the opportunity to coach this year. Each member of the team remained focused, trained hard and worked to develop their skills and improve their technique.

In my years of coaching what made this team different was that they were a team in the true sense of the word; They worked as a team, played as a team and grew as a team aligning well to Henry Ford’s quote “If everyone is moving forward together, success will take care of itself.” I want to thank the parents for the generous time they have dedicated this season and for the help they have provided to ensure the success of the team.

Richard Denvir

Sebastien “Unstoppable Force” Khan No. 55

Coach U12.4 Boys

To Duncan and Nick, we appreciate the commitment you made for our boys this year and know they will remember and utilise the skills you have taught them for many years to come.

U12G2

Report not available at time of going to press.

Go Sabres!

Thank you to the parents. Your support and

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U12G1

The 12.1 Girls this season was a mixture of returning players and some new. Caitlin Woods and Natalia Hordejuk were lucky enough to have played in the 12.1 last year as bottom age players and brought wonderful experience and understanding of the game at this level to the girls joining the 12.1.

Violet Gittus, Sophie Croft, Cassie Whittaker and Millie McFarlane came up from the 12.2 with a year or more of experience and lucky enough to have been already coached by our now experienced assistant coach Sally Gittus.

Addison Runciman, Ella McMahon, Grace Hong and Cleo Marsh were new to Sabres and added great depth and strength to the team.

On watching the girls during the grading season and Southern Peninsula Tournament, it was obvious there was a lot of individual talent amongst them. They were skilful, strong and determined. The key was getting them to play as a team.

Ian Wilmot the coach took on the challenge. He worked tirelessly with them and moved them around in positions so that each girl could try out different roles and develop their skills in lots of areas. The girls took on the challenge with drive and dedication that couldn’t be faulted. They attended all the training sessions and extra s kill clinics and worked hard to play their best and gave every ounce of themselves that they could.

The girls never gave up and played with the determination of the winners they were. Even in defeat, our girls showed why each and every one of them was chosen to play in the 12.1 team.

stop the opposition or using quick relay passes down the court was fantastic as they never gave up.

Ella, Addison and Millie not only team mates but friends at school for many years as well as Cleo played with an intensity and strength with each other that girls with years of friendship use to their advantage. Addison with her jump shots and Ella’s determination and competitiveness, both trying their hardest each game. Millie McFarlane bringing three seasons of Rep basketball experience to the game and managing to dodge and weave and move the ball around the court to the girl’s advantage. What a team of little champions. Sometimes you forget how young they are as they played with such maturity and skill.

The girls have shown true commitment to the game and each other. Under the watchful guidance and skill of their coaches Ian and Sally I am sure they learnt a lot about basketball and each other and will continue to use those skills learnt for many years to come. Thanks to all the parents who scored and drove their children to games far and near. We will hopefully look forward to many years to come with our girls in a great sport called basketball.

Ian spent a lot of time teaching basketball plays with creative names like POP and Puppy dog.

The girls offensive improved and our defence became strong and consistent. After the grading, we managed to only lose two games which were close and we maintained a strong position on the ladder equal first in points which took us safely into the finals. This season was not just about the VJBL games but about friendships and fun. The girls truly enjoyed each other’s friendships on and off the court. Even when the girls were not playing they communicated almost daily sharing experiences and photos and supporting each other in their outside endeavours. The girls in this team were amazing and I’m sure they will never forget the friendships they forged and developed.

Each of the girls in this team developed their own sense of game and knowledge. Natalia’s defence and her ability to intercept and rebound balls during play were invaluable. Sophie and Cleo used their bodies to drive into the key and managed to score baskets with strength and determination.

Grace and Cassie always managed to find that perfect position to receive and pass the ball, moving it skillfully around the key and to their team mates also shooting baskets successfully from the outside.

Caitlin’s rebounding and driving along with Violet both using their defence and their ability to move the ball down the court were second to none.

Watching their speed, skill and determination to

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U12 GIRLS 1 44 Grace Hong 34 Addison Runciman 32 Ella McMahon 52 Cleo Marsh 20 Cassie Whitaker 50 Sophie Crofts 10 Violet Gittus 12 Caitlin Woods 23 Millie McFarlane 14 Natalia Hordejuk Coach: Ian Willmott Assistant Coach: Sally Gittus

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41 Jasmine Perry 54 Amelia Blogg 8 Georgia Perovic 6 Evie Botterill 42 Rosalie Smith 24 Charlotte Ryan 55 Sierra Woolhouse 14 Eva Perovic 40 Isabelle Bedier 4 Sophie Roynic Coach: Wayne Foster-Johnson

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U12 GIRLS 3 53 Lolah O’Brien 22 Abigail Bolmat 44 Mikaely Meredith 34 Evie Hall 25 Zoe Mouncer 12 Phoebe Pratt 45 Siara O’Brien 14 Annabelle Harpley 15 Roos Feekman 35 Remy Johnston Coach: Andrew Shepherd Assistant Coach: Andrew Winters

U12 GIRLS 4 54 Alanah White 7 Olivia Simurina 31 Charlotte Mead 13 Ruby Brabner 11 Olivia Murphy 5 Kate Robinson 9 Stella Sakalas 21 Jorja Stahlhut 51 Amelia Murray 43 Olivia Robertson Coach: Amber Lawrence Assistant Coach: Bianca Lawrence

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team

REPORTS

U12G3

Andrew Shepherd is our quiet, unassuming coach and the 10 enthusiastic girls who made up the team included some seasoned Sabres top age girls: Evie, Annabelle and Zoe, along with Mikaely, Phoebe and Abi who were all new to the program. Then our 4 bottom age girls included Lolah and Siara who played last year, along with Roos and Remy who completed the team beautifully.

The girls came up against some very big opposition at the Southern Peninsula Tournament and wins were hard to come by. There were many hard fought games- the girls were never a team to quit when the going got tough!!!

It was the same at the Dandenong-Eltham Tournament where the girls played their hearts out every single game!!

The games from the tournaments certainly strengthened their resolve and the girls burst out of the blocks for their grading games and we soon found ourselves on a winning streak and playing off to qualify for Met 2- not a bad effort for the 3s!! After some hard fought games, the team did it! Met 2. We were all very proud!

The team had a few wins for the season and many hard fought close games that could have gone either way! It was just a pity in a couple of games things didn’t go our way. With two very close games against the Sabres 2s- going down by 6 points and only 3 points the second time.

The girls should all be very proud of how far they have come this season!!

U12G4

U14B1

The Eltham-Dandenong tournament, our first tournament, saw the girls improve in leaps and bounds. They enjoyed the team bonding time off the court which helped them gel together as a team. This comradeship took us all the way to the grand final and we came away runners up…………almost taking the premiership trophy from Eltham.

Injury was to plague the side for a lot of the year with Mason Cartwright not playing until the final four games. Jordan Barden, a strong competitor and ample replacement for Farris-White, broke his forearm playing football and was on the sidelines for several weeks.

Under the fabulous Amber and Bianca Lawrence the 12.4 girls team this season consists of 10 bottom age girls. With a team of players new to the program Amber & Bianca had their work cut out for them. Evidently the girls proved fast learners & the improvement in the team, even after a few weeks together was remarkable.

Returning from the Christmas break energized and still on a high from the tournament we managed a 6 game winning streak. The girls’ confidence grew as did their own style of play. Amber and Bianca continued to focus on developing good fundamental skills as well as introducing some small plays.

We played in the Nunawading Tournament over the Queen’s Birthday weekend. Although we didn’t make finals the girls learnt some valuable lessons. The opposition teams were top age, bigger and stronger however the girls adjusted their game to suit and never gave up.

Finals are looking promising as we sit in 2nd place with 3 regular season games left to play.

All of the girls have improved throughout the season both with their individual skills and teamwork skills. A big thanks to Andrew Shepherd for taking the girls on their Sabres journey for 2016/17 and thanks to all of the parents for their support of the girls.

Despite what occurs with finals the girls should be really proud of themselves. They have learnt so many new skills and increased their knowledge of the game. It’s been so nice watching them play and grow as a team. Credit to Amber & Bianca for promoting good team play and unselfishness. Ultimately this is what has determined the success of the team so far.

Lisa Mouncer

Good luck girls. Play hard & never give up !

Team Manager 12.3 girls

Heather Simurina – Team Manager

The season started like any other, with hope and excitement for the year ahead. It took a little bit of time for the side to settle with Kyah FarrisWhite finally deciding against a Sabres career as the season proper was about to begin. Having fought hard to get into VC, we were able to do enough in the last crossover games to stake our claim for a spot in the state’s premier division.

If one thing sums up the 14.1 boys it is resilience.

Winless in the first half of the season meant we were in VC Reserve for the second half. The boys stuck together, never gave in and produced some good basketball. We were constantly outsized and had to be at our best for every minute to give ourselves a chance in each game.

When this didn’t occur the result was often put beyond doubt in just a few minutes. The old adage of the big men not getting any smaller as the game goes on certainly rang true throughout the season.

Individually, all the boys had their moments.

We had two bottom age team members, Aiden McCarthy and Calsher Dear, who provided enthusiasm and often a good avenue of attack.

A special mention to Aiden who made the School Sport Victorian 12 years and under state team.

Coaches Nathan Crosswell and Grant Waddell did a great job of keeping spirits high, as did a harmonious parent group. Every season can’t be judged the same. Wins are terrific but personal development and character building sometimes have to override the ambition to sit atop the tree. We are sure the boys will take away valuable lessons from the year.

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U14 BOYS 1 41 Calsher Dear 32 Jordan Barden 22 Mason Cartwright 15 Earl Delahunty 44 Flynn Gaywood 14 Bailey Nunn 52 William Brown 20 Hugo Garrow 5 Aiden McCarthy 8 Thomas Nash Coach: Nathan Crosswell Assistant Coach: Grant Waddell

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53 Will McPhee 6 Luis Coughlin 25 Ben Carroll 30 Hayden Whitaker 20 Jack Weir 40 Liam Dix 4 William Simos-Primerano 11 Alessio Barba 7 Harvey Johnston 33 Alexander Hopkins Coach: Ian Leckie Assistant Coach: Jacqui Leckie

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U14 BOYS 3 31 Josh Clark 45 Declan Johns 24 Kane Wilson 43 Ben Maze 54 Lindsay Henson 13 Brodie Findlay 34 Oscar Vallance 22 Matthew Clarkson 42 Nicholas Cleary 8 Sam Ralph Coach: Matt Broadley Assistant: Coach Graeme Ralph

U14 BOYS 4 14 Lachlan Power 11 James Hilford 32 Josh Cotton 34 Jack Carter 5 Sam Keating 42 Jake Tuim 7 Alexander Stavropoulos 21 Flynn Magennis 24 Samuel Willmott Coach: Sandra Hilford Assistant Coach: Andrew Stavropoulos

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U14 BOYS 5

11 Harrison Barber 31 Luka Simurina 25 Riley Snell 51 Dylan Van Der Haar 9 Sam Feekman 23 Jack Scalzi 55 Jordan Kurta 20 Aidan Ray 15 Heath Williamson Coach: Tim Barber Assistant: Coach Mat Scalzi

U14B2

Report not available at time of going to press.

U14B3

It’s been quite a roller coaster season for the boys. A few injuries meant that we didn’t have our full line up of all ten boys playing for all of grading and it wasn’t until round 3 of the season until we had our full complement of players available.

After some strong performances in the Southern Peninsula the boys went into the summer break with a fair bit of confidence. On return a very good Dandenong Eltham tournament had the boys falling just short of making the finals.

The team then struggled to find their “mojo” through grading and eventually ended up in Regional 1 South East which seemed about right as to where we were at as a team.

Starting the season well and winning some early games combined with a few close loses saw the momentum shift again as the team started to get on a roll. Some tough loses in our next stretch would make it difficult to reach finals.

Coach Matt imparted a lot of wisdom to the boys during training and games with the boys learning about motion offense, horns and doubles. Graeme provided plenty of insight for the boys on the bench during the game.

Other highlights included a night out at the SEABL game, a pizza/pool party after training one night.

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Also, I have to mention the flashy variety of customised basketball shoes that the boys are rocking that became more bright and colourful as the season progressed. (Pic included) Some of the low points included Lindsay breaking his arm at training, playing in 2 degrees inside the stadium down at Rosebud late on a wintery night, and continually losing to the McKinnon teams much to the dismay of Coach Matt.

It’s been a pleasure being team manager this year as all the boys are polite, well behaved, show great sportsmanship and are a credit to their parents.

Thanks to Matt and Graeme for their passion and coaching expertise. I know the boys have learned a great deal and really appreciate your time and effort.

U14B4

The short and the long of it is that Sandra Hilford and Andrew Stavropoulos’s passion in aiming for success and development with the U14.4 Sabres boys for 2017 was outstanding. From the outset, it was clear, trainings were strategic in raising the fitness of the boys, targeted to defensive, offensive & transition skills, one on one and team concepts development to create a Sabres team who grew together through wins and at times very close loses this season.

We competed in the VJBL Regional east 2 division.

When asked to describe the personalities of the U14.4 boys fair, unselfish and hardworking basketballers who when asked to support one

another showed determination, energy and spirit on and off the bench. Respecting coaches, team mates, opposition players and refs alike.

Memories of the players this season included: Sam Keating no.5 our bull at a gate showing speed and determination around the basket; James Hilford no.11 powering up and down the court and showing good leadership; Lachlan Power no 14 Mr Powerade working hard at both ends of the court and to create the shot for his team; Flynn Magennis no.21 speed, tenacity and on ball defence as our key point guard; Jack Carter no.34 the quiet achiever working hard at both ends of the court and becoming the master of boxing out; Samuel Willmott no.24 reliability and energy when the team need him most; Jake Tuim no.42 our solid player on the boards at both ends of the court; Josh Cotton no.32 our Mr Reliability from outside and creator in offense; and Alexander Stavropoulos no.7 our hard worker and becoming a fierce offensive threat.

Friday nights, weekend tournaments and trainings would not happen without the support of our U14.4 parents, thanks for scoring, cheering and driving players and coaches all over Melbourne. The coaches and I have all enjoyed getting to know the parents, player siblings and extended family members this season. Finally, thanks to our dedicated coaches your time and energy shown to every player is to be commended. The depth of experience Sandra and Andrew bring to Sabres is priceless and the U14.4 boys will remember this season for years to come, thank you.

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U14 GIRLS 1 42 Alannah Jackson 8 Lily Mao 14 Ally Baker 13 Tegan Mouncer 24 Katie Ritchie 12 Maya Dear 25 Ella Razga 52 Hannah Wickstrom 22 Jemima O’Toole 15 Christina Roberts Coach: Arran Batish Assistant Coach: Yufang Mao

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50 Hannah Van Eede 30 Ashley Robinson 23 Remi Harris 21 Eboni Doulgeridies 44 Milla Kerr 4 Sophie Whitney 51 Zoe Pulling 33 Madison Simmons 45 Molly Sievers 31 Kate Godden Abs Coach: Shannon Malone Assistant Coach: Deanna Joliffe

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U14 GIRLS 3 9 Jessica O’Donnell 21 Liliane Bloom 11 Giselle Buckley 41 Sophie O’Hara 6 Mia Wallbrink 7 Zoe Baulch 52 Chloe Arbuckle 10 Mia Jones 22 Alyssa Welsh 43 Eloise Leonard Coach: Peter O’Donnell Assistant Coach: Alexandra Pavlouy

U14 GIRLS 4 54 Keely Coyne 5 Francesca (Frannie) Godby 20 Taylah Klinkhamer 35 Mikaela Welst 51 Alexandra McGlade-Smith 14 Erin Fairlie 55 Mia Callow 25 Lucia Marin Coach: Donna Kernick Team Manager: Trent Smith

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team

REPORTS

U14B5

It has been a successful season for our U14.5 boys, comprising 9 ‘bottom age’ players in our 10 man team. At the time of writing we are in the midst of trying to qualify for a finals campaign.

Given our starting position we did well to qualify for a good standard Regional competition after an impressive run of 6 straight wins in the new year phase of grading. This was key to providing the best development opportunity both as a team and as individual players.

We focussed on the process of playing well and framed our season around 3 key themes: 1. Playing Hard 2. Playing Together 3. Playing Smart Playing Hard: We set the benchmark for ourselves at 100% as we’re all in control of our effort. Playing hard is a habit of great players and you can’t be one without it. Inevitably during a long year there are some ups and downs and we had a few off nights. However when we played hard consistently we were very difficult to play against, which was our objective. Defence became our signature as evidenced by one of the best ‘points against’ totals in our league.

The boys did a great job of being organised and working together, whilst mixing it up between our various man to man and pressing defences.

‘Dog, plugger and deep’ roles were used in our full court man defence and the boys are getting better at them every week. Running hard in transition, competing for rebounds, help defence, diving for loose balls were all highly valued contributions.

Playing Together: The camaraderie and team play of our group has been very pleasing throughout. The boys support each other in the right spirit and are now showing maturity with an ability to hold themselves to account for playing within our team structure and rules. It’s rewarding to watch them execute a team defence well, or move in unison using the ‘dribble drive’ motion concepts

we have introduced as a club this season. This is a group of boys that are happy to make the extra pass on offence, be ready at the split line to help on defence or support their team mate.

Little team rules like the bench standing and acknowledging the effort of all substitutes each time they come off showed their mindset.

Playing Smart: This comes down to knowing our structures thoroughly and being able to implement them in context of the game situation. This has become a real feature of our play. We did a lot of work at training on late game situations which paid dividends by winning a number of close matches.

Defending a narrow lead in the closing stages requires a different approach than if you’re trying to catch up with time running out. As the season went on, the boys have become more and more confident in pressure situations as a result of executing well and knowing how to close out a game.

Overall I’m delighted with the development of the boys both individually and as a team of young men. We’ve had some fun along the way including two tournaments in Melbourne, with a few of the boys also joining me with a composite team at the Adelaide Easter Classic. I hope you’ve enjoyed the season as much as I have and look forward to watching with interest the future progress of our players.

Go Sabres!

Tim Barber Coach

U14G1

Six top age and four bottom age girls formed the U14.1 girls team for 2017.

The season started with the Southern Peninsula tournament where the girls won 3 of their 4 games and started to get a good appreciation of each other’s skills and strengths. After the first grading round and a rest over the break, the Eltham-Dandenong tournament enabled the girls to shake off the summer cobwebs, play some great games and get to the semi-finals.

The team qualified for VC in Round Two of grading and looked really good for the season ahead. But then the injuries started… early in the VC season we were almost wiped out - broken arm, broken finger, back, ankles … you name it, it seemed like someone in the team had it!

The Nunawading tournament brought multiple meals at the Groove Train and an exhausting 8 games played in 48 hours. The girls made it to the grand final after a very hard fought semi against Kilsyth where two free throws made on the buzzer gave us a two point win.

The second half of the season playing VC Reserve has been much kinder, with a full bench and some good wins on the board.

Thank you Arran and Yufang for your coaching and support throughout the season. The girls grew and developed under your guidance and encouragement and have had a great season playing the game they love and most importantly having a lot of fun doing it.

Thanks also to the wonderful group of parents who week in/week out support the team, drive to far off places around Melbourne and beyond, and of course take their turn on the dreaded score bench!

Anne-Maree Nunan Team Manager

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U16 BOYS 1 52 Liam Hall 45 Marcus Windhager 41 Nate Dear 34 Walter Delahunty 14 Lucas Tsokos 40 Blake Williams 12 James Doyle 42 Luke Cleary 54 Jack Pavlidis 50 Brody Nunn Coach: Parveen Batish Assistant Coach: Steve Brown

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40 Charlie Miller 4 Max McInnes 35 Jordan Michell 8 Tyrese Cross 20 Max Heath 10 Finlay McKinnon 23 Mitch Owens 24 Saxon Bromley 13 Kaylan Kitto 30 Archie Loughnan Abs Coach: Dwayne Cross Abs Assistant Coach: Michael McInnes

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U16 BOYS 3 25 Campbell Blogg 5 Sammy Cartwright 40 Lachlan Young 11 Rory Williamson 9 Jasper Peppard 7 Joseph Lubarsky 14 Aleksa Ankic 42 Joel Salmon 6 Jack Damyon 33 James Clark Coach: Paul Young Assistant Coach: Mark Williamson

U16 BOYS 4 21 Archie Padley 55 Marcus Silove 35 Will Biddick 44 Finn Kelly 15 Alan Gennissen 22 Aiden D’Cruz 7 Dylan Reeve 53 Oliver Ruddock 13 Marley Stroh 31 Hamish Adams Coach: Tim McCormick Assistant Coach: Anton Silove

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team

REPORTS

U14G2

2017 was an interesting journey for the U14.2 girls. I take pride looking at the unit we have now in comparison to where we were in November.

With a combination of top and bottom aged girls, and a number of new girls donning the orange, it was always going to be a bit of a juggling act at first.

The Australia Day tournament, as usual, turned into a really great bonding experience between players and parents. We won 5 from 5 regular games and lost the semi final by 3 points.

After solidifying a spot in metro we started off with a bang, travelling to Traralgon and coming home 28 point victors. After the first 5 rounds we were 4 and 1. Just as we were beginning to gel as a cohesive unit, injuries and travel struck and we drew 3 of the next 5 and started to get a bit shaky with the basketball.

Somewhere in the middle we decided to take on the Adelaide Easter Classic which proved fruitful to those who could make it. Unfortunately we went all that way to lose to Pakenham in the grand final, after going undefeated, but my girls (and our most helpful “ring in” Ella) shared a pretty cool experience together playing interstate.

As the season went on we faced the usual dilemmas of injuries and illness. We also had most of the team (including the coach) go overseas at one point or another.

At the business end of the season…well, we were lucky that our solid start helped us make the finals. We will face off in an elimination final this coming Friday. Im hoping by the time this goes to print, our 3 draws and other eventful Friday nights will hold us in good stead. Either way though, it has been an intriguing trek and as always, enjoyable.

As a new coach at Sandringham I would personally like to thank all those who welcomed me with open arms. It is exciting to be part of the Sabres outfit.

I would also like to thank the parents of these girls. Committing to rep basketball is a huge task. Thank you for all the driving and sitting and dealing with the minds of an u14 girl. Myself, and your daughters (eventually) thank you.

Of course, we owe the smooth sailing of our season to our “first-class” team manager, Kelly

Harris. Thanks for being “On It” all the time, and dealing with absolutely everything, so myself and Dee Jay could concentrate on the Xs and Os. To Dee Jay for being my assistant coach, and head coach when needed. You have been a life saver to me this year and I am so thankful!

Finally to you kids, for being the unique little souls that you are. Though you may say the most random comments and frustrate me and the spectators at times…when you wanted to, you played the game beautifully and you were a great bunch of girls. The latter, of course, being more important.

I have enjoyed watching you grow as a team. I hope you continue to “strive for greatness” and know that it can only come via dedication and hard work. Don’t cut the corners, and always touch the lines!

Ps. Unicorns are real.

Shannon Malone - Head Coach

U14G3

Right from the start of the season, the girls of the Under 14.3 team have hit the court with courage and dedication. With 12 wins in 17 games at this late stage in the season, the girls have consistently displayed self-confidence and a positive attitude towards the team.

Lack of height for our girls seems to be a constant topic of conversation among the parents at the games, but lack of determination never seems to be an issue. Winning or losing, the girls play hard right up to the final siren.

Coach Peter O’Donnell and assistant coach Alex Pavlou have instilled a strong sense of teamwork, hard play and maintaining the pressure regardless of the score. Combined with their focus on skills and knowing how to read the play, the girls have managed to maintain a respectable position on the ladder as the season draws to a close.

A comfortable balance of desire to play basketball and social occasions have allowed the team to enjoy five tournaments over the season. Most of the girls were able to participate in the Southern Peninsular (November 2016), Eltham Dandenong (January 2017), Adelaide Easter Classic (April 2017), Nunawading (June 2017) and Morwell (July 2017) tournaments. The girls and their families were able to enjoy the challenge offered by the tournaments as well as the social gatherings, especially overnighting in Adelaide and the Latrobe Valley. The highlight was being able to reach the grand final at the last tournament of the season in Morwell, despite victory eluding the team.

Whether the girls already knew each other or

not, they forged a friendship as well as a team as they trained and played together throughout the season. Mia (Wally), Zoe, Jess, Mia (Jonesy), Giselle, Lili, Alyssa, Sophie, Eloise and Chloe have worked hard together and played well with each other to achieve the team’s current position towards the top of the ladder.

Credit must also go to Peter and Alex who have maintained a culture of disciplined training, playing for the team rather than the individual, and mutual respect.

John Arbuckle Team Manager

U14G4

Its been a wonderful experience to see how much the Girls 14.4 have improved this season however I should start our report from the beginning of the season Firstly, selection of our team. Although most of the team hadn’t played together beforehand it didn’t take long for the girls to get to know each other well and form some great friendships. It’s fair to say our wonderful coach Donna Kernick has her work cut out trying to get the girls to focus on training rather than socialising from time to time. They are a great group of girls which exhibit plenty of competitive spirit but also have a lot of fun playing.

Unfortunately in our first practice game we experienced a bit of a shock. It was clear from the start that the opposition was a very impressive team. Although we lost the game it provided great insights into our team – despite the score, the girls kept on fighting and showed great promise throughout. Most tellingly, they all finished the game with a smile on their faces and chatting away with each other about the experience.

We participated in two tournaments during the season, the Southern Peninsula and Australia Day weekend tournaments. We didn’t make the finals in either, however we had a great time, and had a few wins against some good competition.

It was also a wonderful opportunity for the parents to get to know each other.

We had mixed results in the grading phase, eventually being placed in the Regional East 3 division. For the stats minded, we are currently sitting at 8 and 6 for the season and are in fifth spot on the ladder. We remain confident, there are four games to play and only a few points dividing the top six teams. The girls are as determined as ever and we have recently come off a convincing win against the second top team. Throughout it all there have been plenty of stand-out performances and everyone in the team deserves a mention for particular games.

The contribution by all our players is really well balanced with its anyone’s guess who will be the top scorer in each game.

Reflecting on the season, we have had some highs and lows however overall its been really positive and there is no doubt that the girls’ skills and confidence have improved tremendously.

On behalf of the team and parents I would like to thank Donna for her great coaching and support (and enduring patience).

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U16 GIRLS 1 7 Jemma Whitson 23 Charlotte Ryan 34 Alia Van der Straaten 44 Emily Kerr 4 Jezlyn Scott 6 Niamh Stainforth 24 Lola Allen 9 Kiana Lynch 32 Madi McFarlane Coach: Paul Graham Assistant Coach: Sean Lynch

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42 Chloe Keating 34 Mikaela Clarke 41 Charlie Baulch 52 Alyssa Tuim 5 Lauren Hughes 8 Hailey Duncan 15 Bonnie Appleby 6 Kayla Welsh 50 Abbey Snell 22 Lucy Simpson Coach: Izzy Abrahamov Assistant Coach: Meg Ragauskas

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U16 GIRLS 3 35 Tiana Runciman 14 Lillian Maher 45 Emily Ryan 42 Imogen Hardwick 21 Chloe Davutovic 12 Keelin Nicholson 22 Maya De Boers 50 Tara Goldsmith 30 Mary Maher Coach: Ryan Heggart

U16 GIRLS 4 13 Dakota Sammut 8 Molly Menihane-Pegg 31 Sienna Romancz 15 Brigitte Bartosy 44 Charlotte Nesvadba 25 Sienna Lee 11 Elly Antoniadis 10 Marion Scully Coach: Mike Goldsmith

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team

REPORTS U16G2 U16G1

In reflecting on the season, the girls can be proud of the tenacity they have shown. Unfortunately we’ve fallen a couple of games short of finals, just not being able to string enough wins together.

A different group of girls were brought together, with a lot not having played much basketball before together.

As with many teams we contended with the numerous other demands on the player’s timeschool camps, concerts and functions, as well as the usual injuries and illnesses. Sometimes having only 6 players available.

One word would describe the 2016/2017 season for U16.1 Sabre girls, CHALLENGING.

Coach Paul Graham used all the tricks in the basket to help gel these girls together at the start, so plenty of fun was had, learning about each other, and what each player was capable of.

But getting young teenage girls to step out of their shell on the court, take a chance and shine, can be harder than it sounds, they love to head back to the comfort zone!

Amazingly once the girls got going in the Summer months, they played some great grading games, and ended up losing a couple of very close games to just miss out on qualifying for VC. In hindsight this mightn’t have been a bad thing, as the girls had so much to learn this year, and as a group they struggled to execute in games at crucial times, which has been very costly.

When the team are on song, and playing well, they can and have matched it with any team in the comp, even defeating some of the teams that will play finals, but inconsistency and learning how to start games, and execute a finish have been hard to teach, with some heart breaking losses involved. A few where the coaches themselves have been lost for words when trying to address the girls after the game.

The team were very lucky to have Paul as a coach, he’s hugely supportive of girls basketball, and is always teaching for the future, making sure any of the girls wanting to play higher level rep ball, will have the tools to move forward with. At the start Paul had a very dour tough defensive team that struggled to score mid 20 point games offensively, and now the team scores regularly about mid 30 points a game, just learning a more attacking offense with more options is now the challenge.

Thanks to Anna for taking care of the girls, and all the parents, much appreciated by everyone in the team.

And thanks to all the parents for their support for the season, girls are a lucky bunch.

Cheers Anna Lynch

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Initially in the season the girls had some challenges trying to gel with each other consistently through the grading rounds.

Eventually they were graded in VJL4 after winning a couple of close grading games.

Unfortunately right from the start of the season our inconsistencies of team lineup and individuals performances meant we were behind the pack from early on losing several of our early games.

After our first 3 weeks we were yet to claim a win, however then something clicked with the girls winning the next 2 games. After this was 2 more losses and then another win, before losing our last game before the break which meant we were sitting at 3wins and 6 losses at the mid season.

The back half of the season has unfortunately been a story similar to the first half of the season with many inconsistent performances. This was mostly due to the consistent absences of players due to other commitments.

It was great to welcome our Assistant coach Meg during the season to the fold to help Izzy. This enabled Izzy to concentrate on the game plans and subs required to keep us in the games.

One of the highlights of the season was their tournament experience. It helped ensure there was better cohesion amongst the team, as well as a significant development in several strong friendships. Although missing finals, the girls loved the experience and it certainly helped the girls develop both with team basketball and personally with each other.

Congratulations to the girls on a wonderful season. Although finishing short of making finals, the last month has shown the development of a team as a whole. It was extremely satisfying to see how much the players grew as individuals and as a team over the season, and how much they enjoyed training and playing with and for each other. We thank them all for their dedication, enthusiasm, laughter and spirit. We also thank Izzy and Meg for their dedication to the improvement of the girls throughout the season. Good luck for your future basketball ambitions girls and hold on to those great friendships you’ve developed!

Vin Snell

U16G3

They say you are only as good as your last game….

Our girls knocked off the top team to end the season on a high. They all played as we knew they could, as a team, looking for one another, taking the right shot, and playing a tough one on one defence. They were great!

That being said, our season as a whole has certainly had its ups and downs.

We travelled to Adelaide for the Easter Tournament this year. The weather was great and the girls enjoyed playing some competitive basketball. There was a great mix of teams this year from Sabres and it gave us a chance to socialise with all of them.

We would like to thank Ryan for his time this season and for making the journey over to Adelaide to coach as well.

Good Luck to all the girls next year Lisa Nicholson Team Manager

U164G What a great season these girls have had.

Much of the season was about strengthening friendships and creating new ones, and of course playing basketball. Our team was represented by the following players: Elly Antoniadis, Brigitte Bartosy, Sienna Lee, Molly Menihane-Pegg, Charlotte Nesvadba, Sienna Romancz, Dakota Sammut & Marion Scully The season started with two new arrivals to the team; Marion Scully and Dakota Sammut. Both girls were welcomed into the Sabres team with open arms. Marion was new to Representative basketball and Dakota came across from Dandenong Rangers.

As our team only had 8 players the girls all had the incredible opportunity of getting lots of court-time. This proved to be successful as everyone seemed to improve immensely. Our coach, Mike Goldsmith was given the “task” of getting these girls to work together, improve their skills, win some games and enjoy their basketball. He managed to do this quite successfully. At the time of writing this report, our girls are in 3rd place and looking at a run at finals. Well done Mike! Awesome effort.

Our girls are a tenacious lot, Elly leading the charge with her strong and competitive nature.

Always reliable in driving to the basket and

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ready to take on any challenge presented to her.

Sienna Romancz is one of our toughest players.

She can take on any taller players and is not afraid to get hurt. Dakota is a fast and skilful point guard and uses both her hands equally well. Her numerous 3-pointers were impressive on court. Marion is strong in defence and reads the game with great ease. She has an aggressive dribble drive action managing to sneak through many players and proved to be a reliable goal scorer. Molly’s shot accuracy has been consistent throughout the season. She always remains calm under pressure and has shown that her many years of playing basketball has bought balance and experience to the team. Brigitte is a vocal player on court and remains our key strength when it comes to rebounding. Her height and positioning are integral to turning the ball over. Charlotte’s spirited attack on the ball has consistently shown that she is a dependable member of the team alongside of her excellent shots on goal. Last but not least, Sienna Lee’s accuracy in goal scoring has been the solid foundation of our success throughout the season not to mention her enthusiastic nature on court!

Throughout the season there were many highs and lows. The game against Westernport proved to be quite a challenge as Justin Beiber was in town. We were left with only 5 girls for the game. At one point in the game, Mike called to the referee for a substitution change only to realise that there was no-one on the bench.

Our opposing team had a full complement of players, 10 in total, and were fresh at every interchange. This did not deter our girls and in fact only sought to inspire them further. Final score Sabres 25 Westernport 17. Great win girls! The Nunawading Tournament showed the commitment and solidarity in the team. The girls played lots of basketball over the long weekend.

To be honest we lost count of how many games were played and how much pizza was eaten.

Our lows were few and far between. The one that stood out was our game against Frankston, who were top of the ladder and unbeaten at that time. The girls fought hard, played extremely and were even in the lead during the game however in the end it did not go our way. Nonethe-less we were all very proud of them all.

Lastly I must mention the totally awesome, amazing, kind, supportive group of parents we have. Week after week they “run” the girls around to all the games, score routinely, pay their fees on time and they do all of this with a smile on their faces. They have certainly made my job very enjoyable. A very big THANK YOU to you all.

Julie Bartosy, Team Manager.

U16B1

Well the boys certainly decided to take the winding road this season!

A great bunch of boys who started the bonding process early during the Eltham Dandenong tournament and subsequent social events including a trampolining session and burgers at Fat Bob’s.

The team consisted of 8 top age and 2 bottom age players, with a total of 4 having played VC the previous season.

The boys fought hard during the grading rounds and quickly attained a firm position in the top 20 VC teams. However, securing a place in the top 10 teams proved to be more challenging with the boys narrowly scraping though to secure 10th position, ousting Eltham on a ‘head to head’ count. This was a relief for both parents and coaches as not only did it mean achieving VC, it meant we did not have to travel to play against any of the regional teams, all of whom ended up in VC Reserve.

Unfortunately half way through the grading matches we lost one of our ‘talls’, Walter due to a wrist injury and the always enthusiastic James to a back injury. Disappointingly for both James and the team, he was not able to play again for the rest of the season but in true Sabre’s style continued to support the team and assist the coaches every week. Walter was more fortunate being able to return after a long break to join the team again in round 7.

The team was unstoppable for the first three rounds of the season winning their first VC match against Casey with a whopping 73 to 47 win!

The boys had finally started to show some great displays of team work and all looked positive.

Thrown in to the mix, a couple of sessions with Brendan Joyce also inspired the boys to work hard as a team. The boys quickly climbed the ladder to 6th position and spirits were high.

However the boys then faced some of the stronger teams in the draw, including Melbourne and Keilor neither of whom had lost a match, drawing with each other. The wind was quickly taken out of the boys’ sails with three losses in a row taking its toll on their position which dropped to 8th on the ladder.

With two matches to go the boys certainly have the ability to make the finals; it all comes down to how hungry they are to win!

A big thank you to our passionate coach Parveen who has always believed in our boys and was so willing to give up his time with video nights and extra training sessions. Also thank you to Steve for assisting the boys every week, even with his arm in a sling after major shoulder surgery.

Also thank you to the parents who have supported the boys every week and travelled near and far over the whole season.

U16B2

Coach : Dwayne Cross Asst Coach : Mike McInnes Team Manager : Fiona Loughnan The season started on a very positive note and the boys were heading into territory that no other U16.2’s had achieved. The boys were exceptional during grading phase and we were heading for a spot in Metro 1. Unfortunately after the christmas break, the boys level of performance dropped in a couple of games, and we were placed in Metro 2. During the season we were hit with injuries and illnesses to a few boys, which further hampered our performance on the court. However it was a season that had a lot of positives and the boys had a great deal of fun.

U16B3

At the time of writing these word the boys are sitting in 6th place on the ladder with a 50/50 win loss ratio and within striking distance of finals! Needing to win just about every game from here on in to get there, its crunch time…

The boys certainly have the ability to get there as, when they play as a team and follow the Coaches directions, they have the capability to beat any team in the competition. Getting them to play at a consistently high level has been the challenge this year and it’s still a work in progress.

We started the season with a draw, a loss, a win, and then 3 losses in succession, after what we thought was a defining Eltham-Dandenong tournament where the boys seemed to come together as team on a consistent basis. They were finding it difficult to maintain momentum, going down to some teams we should have defeated.

Turnovers were a real Achilles heel for us as well as a tendency to start slow and the need to have to try and make up lost ground. Notwithstanding some frustrating losses, the boys displayed real grit and determination – not to mention sparkling game play – in some notable second halves.

As we continued to improve we were able to exact revenge on a couple of teams; we defeated one team we had lost to earlier in the season, achieving a 38 point turnaround and beating them by 32 points!

We still have our work cut out for us if we are to achieve finals, but regardless of where we end up, it has been a season that has challenged the boys both as individuals and as a team, and it has undoubtedly helped to mature them both as basketballers and as young men.

Geoffrey Clark TM

Well done to Luke, Blake, Brody, Jack, Walter, Lucas, James, Liam, Nate and Marcus for showing some great displays of team work and proving that they really can match it with the best teams in the grade! Good luck for next season.

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U18 BOYS 1 6 Alex Windhager 31 Calvin Payne 44 Joshua Hicks 15 Jeremy Scott 24 Harrison Bridge 55 Samuel Taulapiu 43 Tyrone Simos-Primerano 8 Elliot Bolaffi 20 Kobe Davies Abs 9 Kobe Williamson Abs Coach: Evan Vallance Assistant Coach: James Pantelis

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25 Tomo Owens 44 Finn Tully 8 Max Van der Straaten 32 Ethan Kincses 21 Kingsley Box 11 Jonathon Hansford 9 Callum MacNamara 4 Nicholas Standish 10 Matteo Barba Coach: Nigel Carpay

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U18 BOYS 3 23 Dan Brown 7 Mitchell Barlow 31 Matt Kolivas 53 Ben Allan 24 Can Senyurt 6 Ben Sheridan 14 Sam Garra 21 Kosta Tsaousis 55 Leo Spyrou 40 Beau Glennon Coach: Aron Assey Assistant Coach: Akshay Bhatia

U16B4

We started the season without a coach – our prospects were dim,

Try our best, work on our game and listen to Tim,

And out of nowhere we had a young, enthusiastic U20 basketballer named Tim.

But the other team had a giant 14 year old and we couldn’t match him.

The boys were excited, pumped and ready to impress,

We had may close games during the season proper but didn’t know how to win,

But Tim had his work cut out and their offence was a mess.

And the amount of times we led, then lost was nothing but a sin.

We competed well in the Southern Pen tournament but didn’t achieve a finals berth,

But the boys tried each week and trained really hard,

Even though our best game came after a team dinner at The Groove Train – best parmas on this Earth!

Then came a stand-out game that was led by one little guard.

We won some, we lost some – all with close scores,

But we didn’t take much notice and took them on with little fuss.

And qualified for Regional East 5 to continue our cause.

It was even and tense and we played our best game,

The new year started with many of the boys rested and tanned

And in the last minute the cream of our basketball came.

And a few with hair so long that it required a hairband.

Out of nowhere, a steal by Archie had the bench on their feet,

No short back and sides for this group of lads,

And the Hawthorn team were about to suffer their first defeat.

Much to the dismay of many of the Dads.

It was all smiles and cheers and we won the game by three,

The Eltham/Dandenong tournament was a great way to start the year,

This was the highlight of the season – our boys so happy – it was great to see.

We made it to the first final and our intentions were clear.

So thanks to Tim, Anton and all the great parents of the Boys U16.4,

Hawthorn were the top team – undefeated when they came to play us,

You made travelling all over each Friday night anything but a bore.

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U18 GIRLS 1 51 Siena Gittus 9 Georgia Cooper 10 Demi Martin 35 Chloe Carter 32 Noblesse Kame-Tshibayi 40 Jemima Padley 31 Abby Riggs 50 Ella Cigognini 20 Kyra Dalman Coach: Isabelle Shea

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42 Alex Dawson 51 Amiriya Dorian 33 Nicola Caine 21 Zoe Duggan 40 Hayley McCormick 32 Jade Silove 34 Leila Ordonez 22 Alana Peake Abs 9 Naomi Bagle-Zevin Coach: Leigh O’Reilly

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COACHES

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team

REPORTS

U18G1

Team: Kyra Dalman, Jemima Padley, Noblesse Kame-Tshibayi, Georgia Cooper, Jess Donovan, Chloe Carter, Abby Riggs, Siena Gittus, Demi Martin and Ella Cigognini The 18.1 girls have had a rollercoaster of a season. A tough journey through grading saw the team drop to Metro 2, where the girls started to get some wins on the board.

A coaching change mid season saw Isabelle Shea take over and get some immediate results.

Even while keeping up with her Youth League commitments, Issy was able to pull the team together and the girls have learned much from her these past few months.

Currently, the team is sitting seventh on the ladder with only a slim chance of making finals. I think overall a season of undiscovered potential but those who carry on next season will work hard and see further results.

We are very grateful to Issy for stepping in to coach the team at short notice and for passing on your knowledge to the girls. Many thanks must also go to the parents for their continued efforts in scoring and supporting the team.

Thanks also to SEABL Coach Simon Giovannoni, who has taken an interest in the girls in an effort to establish a pathway to senior basketball at Sabres.

Coach: Isabelle Shea Kelly Cigognini - Team Manager

U18G2

The girls had a rough start at the beginning of the year, competing against mostly VC teams.

Once grading was completed the girls settled in and on the opening game to the season had the win they had been waiting for. Skills started to improve and strategies were starting to be used.

We saw more wins than losses and confidence was evident which led to some great nail biting wins. Unfortunately we lost Alana at the start of the year to a knee injury only getting her back in June, Zoe, also with a massive knee injury which would see her miss the rest of the season & Leila had on going injuries throughout the season as well. After the July break we have struggled with form playing some games with only 5 players, losing 2 games and drawing one game. Finals are still alive and well and we’ll push through and working. The girls have been a treat to coach and have hopefully all learnt a great deal to move forward with.

U18B1

Our 18 Boys season started well through the grading phase with a 2-1 record, with the loss being to eventual National Classic Champions Bulleen by a large margin, which gave the boys a good insight into what level of competition awaited them in VC after we beat Pakenham in the crossover game. The team consisted of two returning players from last year’s team in Josh Hicks and Harrison Bridge, as well as other top age boys in Alex Windhager, Kobe Davies and Elliott Bolaffi. The real test was going to be whether we could combine that experience with the youthful talent of 5 bottom age players, 3 from last year’s 16.1 team in Sam Taulapiu, Kobe Williamson and Tyrone Simos, and two new comers to the club in Jeremy Scott and Calvin Payne. Unfortunately, inconsistency both within games and from week to week plagued our team throughout the first phase of VC and we finished with a 3-6 record. The improvement was there as evidenced by close losses to both Bulleen and Hawthorn who had handled us easily earlier in the season, but the team was just quite not able to bridge the gap against the top tier of teams in VC. With a couple of games to go in VC Reserve we have a great chance to finish in the top 4 going into finals which will put us into a strong position to compete for the title and finish the season on a positive note.

Although the team did not reach the goals we had set out to achieve, the gradual improvement of the players both collectively and individually across the year has been the most pleasing aspect, and with 5 boys returning next year, they will have set themselves up to have an even better season taking with them the experience of this year and the standard of play that is needed to compete in a very tough VC competition. Special mention needs to be made to Sam Taulipiu , who made the Vic Metro U/18 boys team which won the Gold Medal, and Kobe Williamson who made the Australian Crocs Under 16 Selection Camp. A big thank you needs to go to Garry Hicks who has helped manage the team for the past 2 seasons and will be sorely missed and James Pantelis, my assistant Coach.

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U18B2

After the team selection, Coach Nigel Carpay embarked on the process of turning a group of 3 top age and 6 bottom age boys, most who hadn’t played together, into a slick basketball machine. It took a bit of time for the boys to learn Coach Nigel’s Read and React style of play, and not surprisingly the results during grading were a bit up and down. Fortunately, the penny dropped in time for the start of the season, and at the time of writing the team is sitting 2 games clear on top of the ladder in Met 4.

The boys also played in the Southern Peninsula, Eltham/Dandenong and Nunawading tournaments this season, which have helped hone their skills and teamwork, as well as giving them a chance to get to know each other better. A highlight was the Nunawading tournament, where they went undefeated in the 5 preliminary games against mostly interstate teams, only to be knocked out by a big Sydney team in the crossover semi-final. Although they were a bit disappointed with the final results, it was a great effort all round.

What has been most satisfying though has been the improvement of all of the boys this season, from the slick passes from Tomo and Jono, Kinger’s sharp shooting, the 3 pointers from Matteo and Finn, the nice floaters from Ethan, the shot selection of Nick, the spectacular rebounding by Max and the post work of Big Cal. But most importantly it could not have been possible if they didn’t buy into Coach Nigel’s system. In the words of the `76ers Brett Brown, Trust the Process.

A big thanks to Coach Nigel for leading this team, and to the parents who have always supported the boys and the team.

Karina Irving, team manager

U18B3

What an interesting season it was, while writing this currently our boys are facing a ‘do or die’ final game to complete in the finals. The season started with a group of young boys, however it has been impressive seeing these boys mature into young men.

It was my first season as a Coach at the representative level, so I was (as much as the boys) eager to get started.

Our roller coaster season started in the Australia Day Tournament, only managing to win one game and losing a quality player in the team to a season-ending injury. We had managed to fight hard and claw our way back during the remaining grading games however lost some really close games.

Grading had finished and our team finished in Regional 2, which was close to expectations.

A few of the teams we had played before either in grading or in the tournament finished up in the same pool, which was great to see how the boys would respond to a familiar opponent.

Our first regular season game was a success, beating Ringwood 4 by two points, which gave the boys some confidence, however our team was bitten with the injury bug, which made it tough for the games played midway through the season. The collective group goal made by the boys at the start of the season was to play finals and take it all the way; with that positive attitude and the team starting to gel together toward the latter end of the season, the team had put on some impressive performances, where the results were up and down with some really close games.

A highlight for me this season was the second time we played Ringwood 4, where the team had managed to score 75 points, with a combination of 12 3 pointers (would’ve been 15 if some of them had set their feet first haha) and putting on a defensive clinic.

I want to take this opportunity to thank the boys for their commitment this season. Also I would like to take the opportunity to thank Vicki Barlow for her amazing job as Team Manager, who has made my first season an absolute breeze.

Aron Assey

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free

THROWS

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sabres

HUDDLE Sittin on the bench.... what to do...?

I’ve been privvy to watching alot of players and coaches during a Sabres Huddle. I’ve watched a lot of players sit on the bench waiting for their time to shine. I view them though a tiny port hole which is my lens, often much closer to them than they actually realise.

It’s interesting to watch the body language of the players, coaches and parents alike as subs are made, directions are given and scores are tallied.

Everyone reacts differently. Some are intent, some are distracted, some are passionate while some are casual. It’s not easy to sit down on the bench during an exhausting game and listen intently to instructions.

It’s a practiced skill Focus can be difficult as passion overcomes information and noise and distraction seem to pull you away from the task at hand.

Listen to the coach, believe in their skill and engage in their belief.

Support from the bench, action on the court and the belief in the team plan are essential for a successful club.

Sabres has made great inroads to the successful path of community belief in our program and it shows by the intent and passion of its players.

Well done to all.

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s e r b

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N E M

S T

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0 2 U

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I T A U D

N O

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thanks to our

Spon sors

U20s is the last age group that our players are able to play in the Representative program, and for lots of our players the last time they will play rep basketball at all.

Due to other commitments such as school, uni, work or travel this age group sees us bid good bye to many of our players, some who have been with us for up to 10 years.

It is at this time we would lke to thank them for all the effort, energy, enthusiasm and enjoyment they have brought the club over the past years and we wish them all the best for their future endeavours whether it be with our Youth League, SEABL or domestic programs.

Thanks again for all your involvement and we look forward to seeing you back at games to chat about your achievements.

(Please note: Not all players in U20s are playing their last season, some are bottom age and will be back in 2018 to crash the boards for one more year!)

U20B1

It’s a huge task for boys/men at this age to commit to a long season of representative basketball. The players this season were no different to every other season and gave it everything they had. Tryouts were tough and the season was long. With commitments being challenged by the distractons of life the players gave their all at every game and fought for every moment of court time they could get.

We had our fare share of successes and frustraton during the season but the boys to their credit fought out every game with some of them playing games without subs aginst much deeper benches.

The Youth League progression for many of our players was great and many of our sqaud juggled playing multiple games per week to help support the club in any way that they could.

Thansk to all the guys for their enthusiasm and support duing the year and I wish them all the very best in their basketball futures!

U20G1

Tryouts for U20s commenced late in 2016 and with credit to the Sabres Junior Representative Program, there were enough girls at the tryouts to field two teams for the 2017 VJBL seasonmany of them having played for Sabres since bottom age U 12s!

With some pre season training under their belt, along with a summer fitness program, the first real test for the U20-1 girls was competing in the Eltham/Dandenong Tournament under coach Scott Harvey. The wins did come and although some were not so pretty, the girls made it to the Grand Final against Blackburn and came away as the tournament U20 Women’s A grade champions.

Photographers Credit.

A resally big thank you from me (Murray Payne) for all the images that were sent in by the Team Managers. We are not always able to include all the images provided due to space allocations and also in relation to file size or quality in some instances.

I would really like to give credit to Cherie Dear for the provision of so many wonderful photographs of the teams her children play in! Gotta be impressed with a parent who follows three children around and gets time to take pics of other teams as well. Thanks Cherie!

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The grading phase of the VJBL competition gave the team the opportunity to fine tune any glitches in their game before the proper season started and they easily qualified for the Victorian Championship division. As the VC season commenced and subsequently progressed, the U20-1 Girls team faced many challenges including SEABL/YL clashes, Year 12 commitments and formals, holidays and of course the dreaded injuries. Because of this, the

girls found themselves playing with only 6 or 7 players on occasions but always with a smile and loads of positivity.

The rest of the team is made up of bottom age players who will hopefully return next season to continue their Sabres journey.

There have been some very convincing wins, some frustrating draws and some agonisingly close losses but at the time of writing the girls are placed second on the ladder and look set to play finals.

Three of the bottom age girls also putting back to the program with Alex, Ashley & Jasmine coaching on Saturdays at the Junior Clinics helping to produce some up and coming Sabre Rep Players.

A big thank you needs to go to Scott for coaching the girls this year and for providing them an opportunity to take part in some strength and conditioning sessions. Also to Jo Wood for the combined YL/U20 training - hopefully some of the YL Championship good luck can rub off on this team too! Thanks needs to also go to the wonderful families of these girls who have helped out so much this season especially with scoring duties and without ever complaining. It is so very much appreciated.

Alex is also an Assistant Coach of the 14 – 3 Sabre Girls.

The team consisted of: Jasmine Duncan, Kayla Elliott, Bianca and Amber Lawrence, Alex Pavlou, Ashley Smirniotis, Alice Humble, Jamie Lee Munn and Chloe Koppens.

A big thank you to Ian and Jacquie Leckie for taking on their “2nd” Sabres team for the Season.

Finally to the girls themselves…Ella, Liv, Ellen, Morgan, Chloe, Zoe, Georgia, Caitlin, Mia and Sophie. Your support of one another, camaraderie and the fun you all have together is commendable and such a vital part of a teams success. You are all perfect examples of why it is so important to keep women in sport. Good luck in all you pursue.

Tammy Hicks ( Team Manager )

U20G2

What fun was had by all this season for these dedicated Sabres girls! Just 9 players suited up for the 20.2 Girls in VJL 1 in the 2017 season, but some new friendships were born, and old friendships were strengthened!

The girls currently are still in the hunt for finals, sporting an 8-7 win/loss plus 2 byes record at the time of writing this report. The addition of Alice Humble and Jamie-Lee Munn was an obvious bonus to the team, both younger girls but valuable contributors throughout.

This season marks the end of Junior Sabres careers of Amber and Bianca Lawrence, two players already “putting back” into the Sabres by coaching our 12.4 girls’ team for the past two years. We wish them all the best in their future endeavours off the Friday night circuit and hope they continue to share their knowledge with our Junior Sabres teams for many more years to come.

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