BASKETBALL AUSTRALIA ANNUAL REPORT 2008 Basketball Australia Annual Report 2008 WWW.BASKETBALL.NET.AU I BASKETBALL AUSTRALIA ANNUAL REPORT 2008 BASKETBALL AUSTRALIA ANNUAL REPORT 2008 Contents Chairman’s Message 2 Chief Executive’s Message 3 Rollers 4 Opals 6 Gliders 8 Boomers 10 NBL 12 WNBL 14 Junior Teams 16 ID Teams 18 Australian Club Championships 20 National Junior Championships 22 One Momentous Day 24 Developing Players 26 Developing Coaches 28 Developing Officials 30 Developing Indigenous Athletes 32 Aussie Hoops 34 Australian Institute of Sport 36 Media & Communications 38 Marketing 40 The Basketball Network 42 Financial Management 43 International Scorecard 44 Photo: Getty Images Maher and Gaze Medallists 48 Published by Basketball Australia PO Box 7141, Alexandria NSW 2015 Level 3, 256 Coward St Mascot NSW 2020 Tel: 61 2 9469 7200 Fax: 61 2 9469 7201 Website: www.basketball.net.au Email: [email protected] Design & Print Production: Southern Design & Print Group Tel: (02) 9587 7722 • www.southerndesign.com.au Compiled and edited by Bill Baxter, Basketball Australia Media & PR Manager. Copyright © in this publication is held by the Australian Basketball Federation trading as Basketball Australia. All rights reserved. Without limiting the rights under copyright above, no part of this publication shall be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise) without the prior permission of the publisher. WWW.BASKETBALL.NET.AU 1 BASKETBALL AUSTRALIA ANNUAL REPORT 2008 BASKETBALL AUSTRALIA ANNUAL REPORT 2008 Chief Chairman’s Executive’s Message Message I congratulate the Basketball Australia team on a very successful 2008. Basketball Australia began to tackle the big issues of the sport in Thank you for taking the time to peruse the 2008 Basketball Australia 2007 when it commissioned a number of strategic reviews to ensure Annual Report. 2008 was an extremely busy year for Basketball Australia the sport’s successful future by reconsidering the governance and with the organisation registering significant achievements on and off the management of the National Basketball League and Basketball Australia. court in what was a pivotal year for Basketball. This became reality in November 2008 when the What we are undertaking is no ‘quick fix’, and I would also like to take this opportunity recognise The 8th of November 2008 marked a momentous At the 2008 Olympic and Paralympic Games in financial, commercial and operational requirements. existing BA and NBL entities unanimously voted significant changes will take place within the the enormous amount of work done by both and historic occasion for basketball with the NBL Beijing our athletes earned a swag of medals, The WNBL enjoyed another great season in to dissolve themselves to make way for a single, organisation. These changes will all be made for the the paid workforce within our sport and the clubs and state and territory associations passing including a Gold Medal for our men’s wheelchair 2007/08, welcoming two new teams to the unified national governing body. It was the most betterment of the sport’s governance and, ultimately, huge volunteer network that, with passion and a unanimous vote for basketball’s reform and the team, the Rollers, a Silver Medal for our senior competition and culminating in a thrilling Grand Final significant shift the sport has made in its long history the sport itself. Basketball has a bright future in commitment, provides access to the sport through a unification of basketball at all levels under the women’s team, the Opals, and a Bronze Medal for on 8 March when the Adelaide Lightning defeated in Australia. Australia, and with renewed focus, commitment range of basketball activities and competitions. Your governance of basketball Australia. Bringing this our women’s wheelchair team, the Gliders, while our the Sydney Uni Flames at Wollongong. and support we are determined to ensure the right efforts are a key component in making basketball reform to fruition was, at times, an arduous task and senior men’s team, the Boomers, were knocked out The formation of the single governance and foundations are set for the next decade. one of the greatest sports in this country. it was with positivity, excitement and a sense of in the Quarter Finals by eventual Gold medallists, the On a personal note, I have thoroughly enjoyed management body strengthens the focus on purpose that the stakeholders of the sport decided United States. In addition, our two Under-19 teams, the experience and challenges of the role of Chief building the sport across all levels and provides In 2008, we also neared the end of a significant On behalf of the Board and the Basketball unanimously to come together as a single, unified the Emus and Gems, qualified for the 2009 FIBA U19 Executive since 1999 and as such I indicated to the stronger links between the national and state rebranding exercise that will bring unification in a community I would like to congratulate and body under a revised governance and management World Championships by winning the 2008 FIBA U19 Board in late 2008 that I would not be a candidate bodies. This will enable the development of sound graphic sense to all levels of our sport. The new acknowledge the outstanding contribution of our structure. This structure and reform will build a Oceania Championships in Adelaide. for the position of CEO in the new BA. Therefore, commercial strategies, strong financial management, branding was developed over many months and Chief Executive Scott Derwin. While I know Scott will sustainable national business model which in concert as this is be my final report as CEO I would like to a sustainable business model and measurable when we launch the new brand in 2009 we hope be quick to acknowledge the support of his team, with the States will deliver viable commercial and Despite a sell out crowd at the Sydney Entertainment take this opportunity to publicly record my deep outcomes to establish basketball’s place as a major that you will embrace our new direction. Basketball Australia owes a debt of gratitude to Scott community benefits, and ultimately a stronger and Centre for the fifth game of the 2007/08 National and overwhelming gratitude to the staff that has mainstream sport in Australia. for his tireless application, passion and dedication more robust national elite men’s and women’s Basketball League Grand Final series our national worked with me, and supported me so well, during In August 2008 the Federal Government appointed in leading Basketball reform and success on the competition. 2008 also marked the culmination of men’s league endured some difficult times that period. I have also been blessed with the an Independent Expert Sport Panel to investigate and international stage. We all wish Scott the very best a Review of our High Performance programs. The throughout the year. The ownership and governance support of great Boards, chaired by John Maddock report on Australia’s sporting system encompassing for the future. consideration of recommendations and subsequent structure of the League was clearly unsustainable and over recent times by David Thodey. It has been a both the elite and community levels as part of the implementation will begin to take full effect in the and in need of review which as part of the reform pleasure and an honour serving BA and I leave very Crawford Inquiry into Sport. BA prepared a detailed I am pleased about the new direction our sport has later stages of 2009. agenda culminated in the announcement that the satisfied and pleased with what we have collectively submission and will meet with the panel in 2009 taken in 2008 and excited and energised by the 2008/09 season would be the last under the existing achieved during my tenure. I wish the sport the very to ensure basketball’s rightful place in Australia’s potential opportunities offered by reform. I look model. A new, commercially sustainable and robust best for the future and I leave to be a very interested sporting landscape. forward with optimism to 2009 and again, thank you national men’s competition will be launched in spectator on the sidelines. for your support and commitment. October 2009 based on the successful application for NBL licenses requiring adherence to benchmark 2 WWW.BASKETBALL.NET.AU WWW.BASKETBALL.NET.AU 3 BASKETBALL AUSTRALIAUSTRALIA AANNUALNNUAL RREPORTEPORT 20082008 BASKETBALL AUSTRALIA ANNUAL REPORT 2008 Rollers The most successful of the Basketball Australia national teams in 2008 was the Paralympic Gold Medal winning Australian men’s wheelchair basketball team that reached heights not witnessed since its victory at the 1996 Paralympic Games in Atlanta. The Rollers began their 2008 campaign at a Troy Sachs stepped up in the Gold Medal match with Paralympics test event in January, where they took 19 points while Eveson was Australia’s top scorer at home a Silver Medal behind Canada despite victories the Games with a 19.25 points per game average. over Canada, China and the Netherlands in the The Rollers were subsequently named the 2008 early stages of the tournament. In June it was to be Australian Paralympic Committee Team of the Year another second-place when Canada again downed while Head Coach Ben Ettridge was nominated for an undermanned Australia, who was without Captain Coach of the Year. Brad Ness and shooting guard Shaun Norris, at a Four Nations tournament in Osnabruck, Germany, Australia’s men’s wheelchair basketball team for the followed by a Bronze Medal at the North America 2008 Paralympic Games in Beijing: Cup in Birmingham, Alabama, behind Canada and Dylan Alcott - VIC Photo: Courtesy of the Australian Paralympic Committee the United States.