WestFront Coastcover copy Bounceto go here front cover April / May 2013 copy to go here

Date to go here From The CEO

As we approach the middle of the year, Basketball is well and truly in full swing with the SBL and WABL once again providing lots of close and exciting In This Issue matches. In just over three weeks time, we have the Australian Boomers in town to play BWA Visits Mid-West two games against China. In an historic first, local basketballers will be able to 2 attend the second match in the series at the WA Basketball Centre on 9 June. I encourage all members of the basketball community to show your support for the Boomers Brett’s Blurb 3 and pack out the WABC on the Sunday afternoon. Tickets are on sale now through Ticketmaster. More information can be found on page 4 of this edition. Boomers to play at 4 Stadium scoring for WABL has now been rolled out and whilst there have been a few expected WABC hiccups with its introduction, there has been overwhelming support for moving forward into Key Signings For the digital age and lessening the load on our volunteers. Waves 5 Basketball WA’s AGM was held on 28 April. Congratulations to Libby Woods, Keith Dunlap and John Gardiner who were re-elected to the BWA Board for two year terms. Tertiary Students 6 BWA Chair, Libby Woods, Deputy Chair, Keith Dunlap and I have spent considerable time lately Continue Basketball Development on a working party investigating a potential co-management model for the operation of the WA Basketball Centre. We are encouraged by the discussions to date which we hope will ultimately WA U16 State Teams 11 result in a model that keeps basketball participants fees for use of the WABC to a reasonable Named level whilst seeing BWA take a more effective role in the day to day operations of the stadium. Association Cup 13 At the national level there is discussion of the NBL ‘de-merging’ with Basketball , at Program Commences least in the sense of managing their own competition. Whilst there may be implications for Basketball Australia, for Basketball WA and our constituents in the west, we do not anticipate any effect on the vibrant and growing participation base at the grass roots level. Basketball in WA continues to go from strength to strength thanks to the dedication and efforts of our Associations and Clubs and the thousands of volunteers who contribute vast amounts of their time. It is very appropriate this week to acknowledge the outstanding work of our volunteers given it is National Volunteers week. We recognise and appreciate everything you do that makes our sport the outstanding success that it is. Thank you.

Rick Smith BWA CEO

Garbin and Pinder Selected to tour China

Darcee Garbin and Keanu Pinder have been selected to tour China with the Australian Gems and Emus teams.

Garbin who is a member of the West Coast Waves has recently returned to the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) in prepara- tion for her team’s tour in May.

Pinder, who was a member of this year’s U20 WA State team, has been added to the Emus team following his good showings at the U20 Nationals held in Tasmania in February, as well as his good performances at the Australian Development Camp held last month at the AIS.

Basketball PO Box 185 FLOREAT WA 6014 6272 0741 [email protected] 2. BWA visits Mid-West The Mid-West region recently welcomed Basketball WA up to Geraldton as BWA High Performance Manager Brett Coxsedge travelled to the region to work with NITP squad members, the newly formed Geraldton “Young Guns” squad as well as ath- letes from the Mid-West Academy.

“There is a lot of talent in the region around Geraldton. The Young Guns squad is a great initiative to keep players training in the off-season” Coxsedge said.

Special thanks to Geraldton RDO Mark Heron, West Coast Waves player Melissa Marsh and the Geraldton coaches for assisting with the training sessions.

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Members of the newly formed “Young Guns” Development squad with coaching staff.

Future Development Program Report 2013

In February 2013 the Future Development Program kicked off with a stunning number of registrations into the program (Over 300 registrations). The program this year was split into three separate age groups; Under 13’s, Under 14’s and Under 15’s.

Over the past 2 months aspiring athletes have been attending regular weekend camps with 3 camps held per age group. The athletes have been put through their paces learning both individual skills and team concepts from Basketball WA High Perfor- mance Manager, Brett Coxsedge and a whole host of coaches from various Associations.

Basketball WA Development Manager, Josh Farnworth said, “It’s great for the kids of these age groups to receive this kind of teaching in order to expose them to the next level of basketball early on. With the number of registrations this year there is clearly a hunger out there for development opportunities and the Future Development Program tries to meet this growing de- mand. By welcoming and including the Association coaches in the program it will hopefully allow these coaches to take infor- mation back into their Associations and help develop WA’s next generation of basketballers.”

Selections from the Under 14 and Under 15 age groups will be made and these athletes will be invited to register for the Tal- ented Athlete Player (TAP) program. Selections will be announced at the conclusion of the Future Development Program.

The Future Development Program for both the Under 13’s and Under 14’s has concluded for 2013 and the Under 15’s program concludes on Sunday, 14th April 2013. Registrations for the 2014 program will not open until late 2013. For more information on this program please visit the Basketball WA website under the Development tab. 3.

Brett’s Blurb- When should you say “No”?

As a coach, you will often find that you may be required to “volunteer” to help out a lot. Likewise, players are often required to train/play for several teams and or attend various training sessions. Eventually what happens is that a player has to choose between one event over another.

Learning to say “NO” doesn't mean we have to become difficult or uncooperative. After all, collaboration and teamwork are essential in today's sporting world. This is about self-protection. It acknowledges that we can't do everything nor keep every- body happy. Saying No is about recognizing our limits and being selective in our activities.

When is it okay to say “NO”?  When you're exhausted or stressed out  When you're overloaded and have no time  When you have higher, more pressing priorities 4.

Boomers v China

International basketball comes to in June as the Australian Boomers under new head coach Andrej Lemanis take on Asian powerhouse Team China in the launch of the 2013 Sino-Australia Challenge.

After a brilliant Olympic campaign in London last year, the Boomers ready themselves for their first series on home soil in the build-up to the 2014 FIBA World Cup. They face a Chinese team out to exact revenge for their loss to the Boomers during the 2012 London Olympic Games.

The Sino Australia Challenge takes place on Friday, June 7 at Perth Arena at 6.30pm and on Sunday, June 9 at the WA Basket- ball Centre at 2.00pm.

Basketball WA is proud to partner with Basketball Australia in presenting the Sino-Australia Challenge and is excited to announce that our members can take advantage of an exclusive pre-sales window through Ticketmaster to secure your seats to Game 2 of the Sino-Australia Challenge to be hosted at the WA Basketball Centre on Sunday, June 9. To secure your seats today:

Insert this link - http://www.ticketmaster.com.au/event/13004A9E75540C90? artistid=1132499&majorcatid=10004&minorcatid=7

General public ticket sales for both events go on sale at 9.00am Monday, May 6.

Don't miss this opportunity as the Boomers look to unearth the next generation of stars and continue their dominance over China. Secure your seats today to see the stars and be a part of the 2013 Sino-Australia Challenge.

Alcohol.Think Again West Coast Waves attend TRYathlon

The Alcohol.Think Again West Coast Waves put aside a Sunday sleep-in to get to the City of Perth bright an early for the Perth TRYathlon, but it was the 1700 kids who were taking the plunge in the Swan River, riding down Riverside Drive and running around Langley Park. Melissa Marsh, Zoe Harper, Lisa Wallbutton and Antonia Edmondson were named Ambassadors for the major event and spent the last Sunday morning in April handing out medals, posing for photos and congratulating the multitudes of seven to 15-year- olds who completed the challenges. The Alcohol.Think Again West Coast Waves players stood alongside fellow Ambassadors from the West Coast Fever, Australian Gymnast Lauren Mitchell, as well as champion triathletes. You can keep up to date with all the Alcohol.Think Again West Coast Waves news on appearances, new signings and pre season activities at westcoastwavesbasketball.com.au or on our Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages. 5.

Key Signings Start For Waves

Preparation for the 2013/14 WNBL season has started with a major coup for the Alcohol.Think Again West Coast Waves with five players signing on for another year.

The Alcohol.Think Again West Coast Waves have retained record-breaking Melissa Marsh, point guard Shani Amos, centre Zoe Harper, New Zealand Tall Ferns forward Lisa Wallbutton and Natalie Burton continues for her second year in the WNBL.

Alcohol.Think Again West Coast Waves head coach, Kennedy Kereama, lead the team to an improved 2012/13 season com- pared to the previous year by doubling the wins and narrowing the losing margin. The coach said these signings will help grow that success into the next season.

“We’re rapt with who we’ve managed to retain. I think retention of core players in any program is extremely important, especially after the culture changes we went through last year,” Kereama said.

Marsh joins the Alcohol.Think Again West Coast Waves for her 12th year and her 13th in the League, last season she broke the club record for most games played for the team exceeding Tully Bevilaqua’s previous record of 204 games.

“She is probably one of the more resilient players in the WNBL and certainly for this club, a real stalwart; she just keeps coming back and giving to the club,” Kereama said of Marsh.

The coach added he is determined to make this a successful year for the 27-year-old.

“Her experience on and off the court and her ability to have some big games, on occasions, is great, but we really want her to have a consistent year and I think it’s important for her, and for us, to have that continuity with her.”

Amos comes in for her fourth year with the team, the 22-year-old has impressed in her short career, but Kereama expects to see a lot more from the point guard.

“To secure a young up-and-coming point guard in Shani Amos is extremely important. Obviously she’s still very young in her basketball years and certainly at a higher level. Shani shows the potential to be a really serviceable guard in the WNBL.” Kereama said. But the returning forwards stand out as the big signings for the club.

“Our front court, in terms of signing back Natalie Burton and Zoe [Harper] and Lisa [Wallbutton] is extremely important and we are really happy with those signings in particular,” he said.

Burton had a fantastic debut season in the WNBL for 2012/13 with the 194cm centre taking on the starting role in the absence of injured big, Harper. Kereama said with the 24-year-old’s natural ability and last year’s experience under her belt; Burton will be an exciting player to watch in the upcoming season.

“She really stepped up to the plate [last season], she was very efficient on the floor, shooting at almost 55 per cent for the season and getting a lot of rebounds. Her athleticism is what makes her a tough competitor, but at the same time she needs to get physically stronger and we’ve got the right support networks in place here with our strength and conditioning program”

Although Harper missed most of last season due to an ongoing knee injury, the centre is expected to be fit and healthy for a strong 2013/14 WNBL season, while New Zealander, Wallbutton, is ready to continue her on court dominance.

“She’s [Wallbutton] a quality player and she’s definitely a key signing for us; her experience internationally is unmatched and she’s a great person and with this program the character is more important than the actual skill of the player,” Kereama said.

With four of those five players from WA, Kereama said it is impressive to see the home grown talent create a name in the WNBL, especially with many clubs looking to the WNBA to find players for their squads.

“Australia boasts some of the best talent in the world and they’re certainly in the WNBL and now we have a lot of WNBA players looking to come across and make their mark on this League as well,” he said.

“The WNBL continuously goes from strength to strength; I think we are lucky to have some of our own WA products emerge in the League with professional players that play all year round and have played all around the world. I think it’s great.” 6.

Basketball healthy down south!

Basketball is “alive and well” in the Great Southern area according to BWA High Performance Manager Brett Coxsedge who recently visited Albany and Denmark. A Future Development Program (FDP) camp was conducted in Albany with over 60 ath- letes in attendance. This was then followed up with another camp and coaching clinic the next day.

Whilst in the region, Coxsedge also spent time working with the Basketball Program at Denmark High School.

Special thanks to Haydn Kirkwood and Ken Davies for their assistance in organising the sessions, and to the coaches who as- sisted on the days.

Athletes and coaches in Albany who attended the FDP camp.

Denmark High School students learn under the direction of BWA High Performance Manager Brett Coxsedge

Tertiary Students Continue Basketball Development

For the third consecutive year, Murdoch University students once again completed Level 1 basketball coach training as part of their Exercise and Science/Education degrees. Second and third year students undertook the training over consecutive days last month and successfully completed all modules.

As part of Basketball WA’s agreement with Murdoch University, students complete placements at various nearby Associa- tions and volunteer to coach domestic junior teams in local competitions. This year, domestic club teams from both Lakeside and Perth Redbacks Associations benefited from the scheme. The newly trained and accredited student coaches will work with junior teams to further help develop not only their coaching skills, but their interpersonal attributes as well.

Basketball WA Education and Training Officer Vlad Alava praised the benefits of the program for all involved.

“This is a terrific arrangement we have with Murdoch University. Their students get an avenue to learn and attain qualifica- tions as well as support in their future careers as teachers. Added to that, our members benefit through their volunteer in- volvement as coaches in local club teams. As we all know, coaches are already in short supply across the State, let alone coaches who have completed some type of formal training.”

“We look forward to continuing to work with Murdoch University in delivering this arrangement for many more years to come.” 7.

Talented Pair Added To Waves List

The signings are rolling in for the Alcohol.Think Again West Coast Waves, with the club adding another two returning players to their 2013/14 squad. Australian Gems star, Darcee Garbin, and New Zealand guard, Antonia Edmondson, have signed on for another year after stellar debut seasons for the Alcohol.Think Again West Coast Waves in the WNBL 2012/13 season. Edmondson, recently started to call Perth home with the New Zealander staying in WA during the WNBL off season to play in the State Basketball League with the Willetton Tigers. The Tall Ferns player said it was the city surroundings and the potential of the team which has kept her in the State. “I really enjoyed the city in particular, the climate and beaches,” Edmondson said. “I wanted to stay with the Waves as I knew that having most of the group coming back means that we should grow from where we were last year.” Edmondson found her niche with the Perth club in 2012/13 after previous seasons with Adelaide, Bendigo and Dandenong, the 25-year-old hit her highest personal averages in points (9.4), rebounds (3.5) and assists (2.4) last season compared to years prior. While Garbin also made big improvements to her game from her debut season with the AIS in 2011/12 going from 3.8 points and 1.2 rebounds per game to averaging 6.6 points and 3.3 rebounds per game with the Alcohol.Think Again West Coast Waves last season. Garbin is currently clocking up her experience with the Gems (the under 19 women’s national team); the 18-year-old is competing in the four nation tour of China and will be facing Brazil tonight in the first game of the tour and in the lead up to the Under 19’s World Championships in July. The internationally experienced pair is now part of a growing list of returning players for the Perth club with Melissa Marsh, Zoe Harper, Shani Amos, Lisa Wallbutton and Natalie Burton already signed on with the team. Edmondson said it is highly important to keep the core group together to continue the momentum of the team going into 2013/14. “Having a similar group will mean that come preseason we will already have the team chemistry from last year that carries over. We will also not need to re-learn all of our systems meaning we will be able to dedicate more time to our areas of weakness last season,” Edmondson said. She added the weaknesses of the team are fixable and she is remaining confident for the season ahead. “I feel that consistency was our biggest issue last year. We tended to stick with teams and then would be let down by one bad quarter, this year if we can put together four good quarters more often, more wins will come.”

Drill of the month

Closeout, Slide and Backtrack

Players close out to free throw line, then defensive slide to side line, then back track to baseline.

Drill is repeated, however this time to the half way line. 8. 9. 10. 11.

Under 16 National Championships Congratulations to all successful athletes selected to compete in the 2013 Under 16 National Championships to be held in Ade- laide, South Australia from 6 – 13 July 2013. Basketball WA is confident you will all perform to the best of your ability and do us proud as you represent Western Australia. The Teams are as follows:

Under 16 Metro Men

First Name Surname Association Jayden Beveridge Wanneroo

Timothy Brown Wanneroo Lachlan Evans Willetton Andrew Ferguson Lakeside

Michael Garbellini Willetton

Callum Kimberley Perry Lakes Jhonny Lutula Wanneroo Mitchell McKenna Wanneroo

Matthew Selby Willetton Corey Shervill Willetton

Head Coach: Glenn Clarke Willetton Assistant Coach: Peter Cook Willetton Team Manager: Michelle Fletcher Perth

Under 16 Metro Women

First Name Surname Association Amy Atwell Willetton

Chelsea Belcher Wanneroo

Perry Lakes Cameron Flynn

Rhianna Klisura Rockingham

Caris Langley Rockingham

Perry Lakes Mia Satie

Ruby Schleicher Willetton

Jessica Spedding Wanneroo

Carly Stokes Willetton Perry Lakes Katarina Welborn

Head Coach: Simon Parker Willetton Assistant Coach: Donna Cuperus Stirling Assistant Coach: Shane Perret Perry Lakes Team Manager: Rosemary Nixon Willetton 12.

Under 16 Country Men

First Name Surname Association

Jaylen Beattie Albany

Joel Bellinger-Brown Albany

Thomas Boyle Australind Pinjarra Travis Durnin Taj Fleming Mandurah

Jordan Genovese Albany

Toby Harper Australind

Shaun King Australind

Fletcher Klasztorny Mandurah

Jonty Richardson Albany

Head Coach: Carl Catalano Bunbury Assistant Coach: Robert Blyth Bunbury Team Manager: Paddy Catalano Bunbury

Under 16 Country Women

First Name Surname Association

Cassady Anderson Bunbury Mandurah Morgan Ballantyne Jessilee East Manjimup

Tayla East Manjimup

Meg Ferraz Bunbury

Keely Fitzpatrick Albany

Mackenzie Hoycard Kalgoorlie Boulder

Kasey Miegel Mandurah Bunbury Tiahna Sears Raya Thompson Eaton

Reserves:

Ebony Bilcich Bunbury

Head Coach: Neil Stallard Busselton Assistant Coach: Peter Rohrlach Bunbury Development Coach: Juliann Chalk Bunbury Team Manager: Leanne Juricev Australind 13.

Association Cup Program Commences– Term 1 2013

The Association Cup program has commenced for 2013 with over 30 schools registering across the five Term 1 Cups; Perry Lakes, Willetton, Wanneroo, Stirling and Rockingham. As always, schools who register for an Association Cup receive a “Smarter Than Smoking” in- school clinic to help them prepare for the carnival days and learn the skills they will need to compete. This year schools have been lucky enough to receive teachings from the West Coast Waves head coach, Kennedy Kereama who brings a wealth of coaching experience and a fun and energetic approach that the young basketballers appreciate. Joining Kennedy in conducting the in-school clinics this year were Perth Wildcats Development player and Cockburn Cougar’s very own Gavin Field, West Coast Waves player Lauren Jeffers and long term SBL import, from the Perry Lakes Hawks men’s team, Michael Lay. Feedback from the schools has been positive and thanks go to the Development Officers for engaging the children in basketball preparing them for the carnivals, the first of which was the Perry Lakes Cup.

For more on this program, please visit www.schoolsportwa.com.au Association Cup Results The Perry Lakes Cup was held on Thursday, April 4th and after 6 girls teams competed on the day it was the East Butler Primary School girls who finished on top defeating Rosalie Primary School 2. In the boys, 8 teams competed and in the end it was an intra-school final with Rosalie Primary School 1 crowned champions after defeating Rosalie Primary School2.

The following week the Willetton Cup was held on Tuesday, 9th April which included a mixed competition. In the mixed compe- tition 4 teams competed with Rossmoyne PS beating Riverton PS in the Grand Final. In the girls, Banksia Park PS defeated River- ton PS and in the Boys Rossmoyne PS defeated Mt. Pleasant PS. All three champions were well deserving in what were strong performances by those respective schools.

On Wednesday, 10th April the Wanneroo Cup was held at Joondalup Basketball Stadium. It was Joondalup Primary School who performed strongest on the day with their girls and boys teams both being crowned champions with the girls downing St. An- thony’s PS and the boys defeating Sorrento PS in the Grand Finals.

At the time of writing this article the Stirling Cup and Rockingham Cup had not been run. More to come. 14.

Basketball WA prides itself on delivering top quality services to the people of WA. A Feedback Form is now available on the BWA website for people to provide suggestions and feedback on BWA services. All feedback forms are confidential and are sent directly to the Chief Operating Officer for review and action. The Feedback Form can be found on the BWA website under Online Registrations. Basketball Western Australia PO Box 185 FLOREAT WA 6014 6272 0741 [email protected]

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