Issue #4
May 2014
Welcome back from the Easter Break everybody!
CONTENTS
Dates for your Diary
Most of our Representative Players will have taken part in
Congratulations
our Rep Camp during the holidays or taken on some extra
U14M3 on the road to New Zealand
training on the side to continue improving skills and
MWBA Waratah Championship League 2014
MWBA Board Members
fitness.
Contact/Sponsors
One of our Junior teams, the U14M3, has
taken the extra step and jumped across the
ditch to New Zealand to participate in the Pacific Rim Championships!
Make sure to read about their great adventure in this newsletter.
Also, All Star Team Trials and State Team selections have been happening across some age groups
with a good bunch of Manly kids making it in teams!
We want YOU to get involved! Any contributions/photos or reports can be sent to our editor Angelika
Goehring,
email [email protected].
DATES FOR YOUR DIARY
3rd May 2014
Girls U13 All Star Talent Identification Program
Bankstown Basketball Stadium from 3.30pm onwards, details/rego
on
www.nswbasketball.net.au
th
20 June 2014
MWBA Trivia Night Fundraiser, Pittwater RSL, cost $25 pp,
attendance expected of all parents, further details tba.
13th July 2014
Semi-Finals all age groups except U16 Div 1 and Div2 Sydney
Junior Metro League
19th July 2014
Semi-Finals U16 Sydney Junior Metro League
20th July 2014
Preliminary Finals all age groups Sydney Junior Metro League
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Issue #4
May 2014
27th July 2014
Grand Finals Sydney Junior Metro League
24th August 2014
MWBA Junior Presentation Day, Dee Why RSL, from 3pm till 6pm
Representative Basketball
uniform items can be purchased
weekdays from 4pm onwards at
NBISC. Please ask for Claire
France for assistance.
CONGRATULATIONS
Congratulations to U14M1 Harry Beauchamp for being selected into the Sydney Northern
Regional School Rep Team to compete in the State Carnival in Bathurst from 6 th May till 8th May.
The following players have been selected into the U13 All Stars Camp on the 16th/17th August 2014
at the Maitland Basketball Stadium:
Clancy Bird
Jake Crooks
Victor Dumas
Harrison Garrett
Zackary Kimball
Jackson Smyth
Congratulations to U16W1 Katie Castle who has made it through to the next stage of U16Women
Metro State Team Trials to be held on 2nd May 2014 at Trinity Grammar, Summer Hill.
Congratulations to U16M1 Tim Jeffery and Isaiah Lee who have also made it through to the next
stage of U16Men Metro State Team Trials to be held on 3rd May 2014 at Penrith Sports Stadium,
Cambridge Park.
The following players have been selected to attend the U15 Boys TAP Camp on 2nd to 4th June
2014 at Narrabeen Institute of Sport:
Oscar Dumas
Will Jones
Isaiah Lee
Aiden Pashley
The following players have been selected to attend the U14 Girls TAP Camp on the 5th May to 7th
May 2014 at Narrabeen Institute of Sport:
Olivia Edwards
Hayley Fell
Philippa Graham
Piper Gray
Gracie Lee
The following players have invited to attend the U15 Girls TAP Camp on the 7th May to 9th May
2014 at Narrabeen Institute of Sport:
Bianca Blades
Sally Ferguson
Olivia Mills
Anastasija Milovic
Fantastic effort and great achievement from you all! Well done!
If your child has been selected in any special NSW basketball teams, squads or similar we
would love to hear from you and publish their great achievement in one of our next
newsletters!
Contact email: [email protected]
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Issue #4
May 2014
U14M3 ON THE ROAD TO NEW ZEALAND
The Tournament
Over the Easter break, the Manly U14M3 basketball team and entourage (Tour
party of 35) travelled across the Tasman to participate in the 2014 Pacific Rim
Championships held in beautiful Tauranga NZ.
The tournament consisted of 108 boys & girls teams from U12 through to U21 Women. There were 5
teams from Australia competing, ourselves and 4 NSW Country Cup rep teams. The Manly boys were
participating in the U13 age category that had 16 teams competing from across the North Island.
With a guaranteed six games and full stop clock in action there was plenty of basketball on offer for
the team to develop, get the most out of the time away together and build towards our goal of metro
league playoffs.
The tournament games were predominantly played at the ASB Arena,
Mt Maunganui, a new 40 Million Dollar complex that had 9 beautiful
basketball courts. This venue will be utilised by Basketball Pacific for
future tournaments at least for the next 3 years.
Aside from the tournament games there was a smorgasbord of
activities for all basketball enthusiasts - player clinics, coaching clinics
and presentation on US collegiate system ran by Jim Foster
(Tennessee Women’s Head Coach and past USA Women’s coach)
and Pat Hunt (FIBA president of coaching and head of player
development/ coaching for Basketball Australia), further to this there
was a disco put on and even a mayoral reception to open the tournament.
Big thanks to our tour party and huge Thankyou to Mel Young of Basketball Pacific, Mark Rogers
CEO Tauranga Basketball and Marree Green leagues Manager of Tauranga Basketball for running a
superb tournament and making the cousins from across the ditch feel most welcome!
The Games
The Manly boys’ first opponent in their Pool B opener was New Plymouth, travelling all the way from
the West Coast. Their 300km journey left them tired and slightly confused about venue location and
their late arrival unfortunately resulted in a forfeit. Our boys were restless and we arranged to play a
“friendly”. Manly provided too much speed and talent for the New Plymouth boys to put up much of
a fight, winning by over 60pts.
The only memorable
takeaway from this game was the 9.5ft rim at one end of the
court – was that C-Bird dunking?
Game 2 pitted Manly against Thames Valley in another game
that saw Manly race out to an early lead against an
overmatched Thames Valley team. In the end, Manly won
convincingly by over 60pts against very little opposition. The
boys’ spirits were running high at the conclusion of the first
day of basketball, sporting a 2-0 record, and sitting even
with Waikato Black at the top of the ladder.
The game against Waikato Black to determine the Pool B winner quickly doused thoughts that Manly
would romp through the competition. The game was held at the Queen Elizabeth Youth Centre in
Tauranga on a 1940’s style court that would easily win site location for a Hoosiers II sequel. It’s here
where the boys got their first locker room experience – getting pumped up and receiving pre-game
instruction from their coaches before running out together to start warm-ups.
The game started ugly and got uglier! The boys were in a real physical and mental fight against a
team that may eventually provide the forward pack for the 2019 All Blacks World Cup rugby team.
The game was back and forth for the first half, with our boys meeting aggressive Waikato play with
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Issue #4
May 2014
their own newfound toughness, evidenced by a feisty Nathan Clark half-court scrum, and finesse that
eventually provided a bit of momentum to end the 1st half. Questionable officiating had Coach Haydn
at the scorer’s table at halftime speaking to “The Boss”- a self-provided title to the venue supervisor.
The Boss was slightly shy of 200kg and was grumpy. Although Coach Phil back’s up Coach Haydn, if
the QEYC transformed into the Malice at the Palace at Auburn Hills, Phil wasn’t so sure he had coach
Haydn’s back…
The coaching tactic paid off in the second half as the officiating improved as well as the Manly boys’
resolve. With tactical passing, including a gravity defying dish by magic Maley, and a press that
created headaches and numerous fast-breaks for our greyhounds Garrett and Broadbent, Manly raced
to a 25pt win. Some boys wondered whether we would see this team down the road in the finals.
The game was a real eye-opener for the boys and their parents. Lots of ice was required post-game
as it seemed a Manly player was on the floor every possession. It was also during this game that
Manly’s secret weapon was being designed. The combative game
ignited spirit and passion in a group of fans that usually spends the
game at the canteen: Enter the Cheerleaders!
Although the Manly fan base was outnumbered, under the direction of
master choreographer Nicki Crooks, the “Little Sisters”, Inez, Summer,
Kayla, Opal, and Sammi, provided enough cheer and glamour to offset
the sometimes hostile and raucous environment.
Manly’s quarterfinal match-up was against host city Tauranga. After being challenged earlier in the
morning by Waikato, the boys had their usual focus and determination back and rolled to a 72-30,
playing the entire 2nd half under the “mercy rule”.
The Manly team was quickly becoming the talk of the U13 bracket. Tenacious defence and unselfish
team basketball was slowly winning over both spectators and opposing players. Many teams couldn’t
contend with the defensive full-court formations that’s become the backbone of our squad’s strong
play. Some old-timers, who recall seeing the elder Smyth play, were not surprised, as these were
trademarks of the former Tall Blacks playing career.
The semi-final against Waitakere A was a transformational
game of sorts for our U14M3 team. The two teams were evenly
matched, and traded baskets early in the game. A Hilary
Swank inspired halftime boys to men speech by Coach Haydn,
along with relentless defence, eventually wore down the
opposition. Strong post play, and a breakout scoring game by
Jackson who notched 25pts, secured the win.
The other semi-final was being played on an adjacent court.
Waitakere Premiers were playing our Pool B nemesis Waikato
Black. The boys knew we would see this team again. What
the boys didn’t expect to see was Waikato Black getting
thumped by 60pts! The final game was going to be against a
super quick, talented team from West Auckland.
The final game was a memorable one. Although the Coaches Corner had Waitakere Premiers as clear
pre-tournament favourites, Manly coaches knew our boys were ready for the challenge. The team
had been playing near flawless basketball over
the preceding 5 games, with all the boys seeing
meaningful minutes. Super sub duo of Dumas
and Scarr had provided meaningful offensive
output and defensive grit to augment the
starting five. We were ready and rested. We
had height, and we were going to establish that
advantage. We jumped out to an early 10pt
lead in the 1st quarter, stunning the Waitakere
coach/players into an early time-out as our boys
dissected the Waitakere press. The gap at halftime was a single point, helped in large part by
an offensive explosion by Manly’s front-court
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May 2014
play lead by Crooks, Bird & Kimball who finished with a combined 38pts.
Waitakere’s nerves settled and they started connecting from long-range. A seemingly never ending
bench provided problems for our boys. The Manly boys played from behind at the start of the second
half and kept it close throughout. Only a late offensive spurt put the game out of reach late in the 4th
quarter, with the boys falling short 73-60.
The coaches, manager, and parents of the 2014 U14M3
International squad are all very proud of the boys’
accomplishments and development at The Pacific Rim
Championships. New friendships were formed, old friendships
strengthened, with the boys conducting themselves with class
and good sportsmanship in victory and defeat, on and off the
court.
After a full week of success playing overseas, the boys are
looking forward to resuming representative play.
Pacific Rim Championship Tournament – A Parent’s perspective!
Late in 2013 as the new U14 Men’s Team was entering a state of readiness for the upcoming 2014
season, Coach Haydn Smyth advised that he was aware of a Pacific Rim Tournament to be held at
Easter in New Zealand. At the time, it sounded interesting and exciting, but also a long way off and
potentially much to organise!
As the date approached it became apparent that parents and coaches were committed to
participating, travel plans were locked in, coordination of who-would-be-where got underway and a
timetable for practice and matches created. We were to compete in the men’s U13 pool.
Coach Haydn knew the competition would be tough and he made sure the boys knew the kiwi kids
would be big, strong and solid!
Finally, we were off to NZ, to stay in Mount Maunganui (about 3hrs SE of
Auckland) near Tauranga, however we met in Rotorua on the Wed night for
a cultural experience of Māori tradition, where we were invited into a Marae
(a meeting house) at Te Puia thermal reserve and home of the famous
Pohutu geyser.
The singing, dancing and invitation for the women and girls to participate in
an indigenous dance ceremony, while the men and boys were brought on
stage and taught the beginning of the well-known Haka, all contributed to a
wonderful experience for the families. Afterwards, we were invited to attend
a Hāngi, where food had been cooking in the ground since the morning.
Judging by the number of trips to the buffet, it was evident everyone
thought the food was delicious!
We all headed into Mount Maunganui for a Thu night get-together and on Good Friday played our
first match against New Plymouth at 8:30am. Unfortunately the weather was very bad and New
Plymouth arrived well after the start time and so forfeited the match. Manly and New Plymouth
played 3 quarters as a ‘friendly’ and it soon became clear that Manly would do well, running away
with a 68-11 win. A great start to the competition! Friday afternoon had us playing against Thames
Valley and another easy win, 94-20, so another confidence booster for the team.
Some of the team had sisters on tour with them and not to be
bored by events, decided to become the Manly Cheer Squad!
With some cool dance moves and synchronised kicks, the girls
would form a tunnel for the Manly boys to enter the court.
Parents from the opposing side were no doubt suitably
impressed that Manly had its own cheerleaders!
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May 2014
Mount Maunganui is a beautiful place however cyclone Ita meant we couldn’t see much of the
surrounding area for first few days. Hanging out for dinner with parents, coaches, team and siblings
was a great way to get to know each other, with great local food, beer and wine.
Saturday morning had us playing a team known as the Waikato Black and what a physical game it
was! Our boys were a little shell-shocked at the push and shove, and this was their first experience of
such a physical side, however our skills held firm and we ran away for a hard-earned 65-51 win. This
put Manly through to the quarter-finals that same afternoon.
We then met the local Tauranga side and again, Manly’s talent and training held out for a 74-24 win.
Manly were now heading to the semi-finals on Sunday and the Cheer Squad had big plans!
We learned that a west Auckland side, Waiketere, had two teams
in the competition and we were to meet their ‘B’ side first, but
being Easter Sunday, Dads headed out early morning to sunny
downtown Mount Maunganui with bags of chocolate eggs, and laid
out the mandatory Easter Egg hunt. The kids had a great time and
collected heaps of eggs, while the dads did their best to keep other
stray kids from stealing them!
The boys were nervous when we arrived at the stadium on Sunday
afternoon, however their preparation and training once again held
out for Manly to win against Waiketere ‘A’, 66-48. The boys were into the U13 Grand Final!
Sunday night had us all in Coach Phil’s serviced apartment
in Mount Maunganui for pizza and some more bonding for
the boys, then off to bed for some much-needed rest before
the big match at midday Monday.
I’m sure all the boys were nervous on Monday morning, as
everyone arrived early at the stadium. We discovered that
the Waiketere ‘Premiere’ team were to be our competitors
and rumours were they were the U13 team to beat. Not to
be fazed, Manly were confident in their preparation,
physically and mentally.
Right on midday the match kicked off with what became a neck and neck quarter, with the lead
changing several times. Quarter 2 was much the same as the pace increased and by half time, the
gap between the teams was only 1 point! Quarter 3 saw Waiketere increase their lead but Manly
were still in the game. Unfortunately quarter 4 didn’t go as well as it might for Manly with some great
pressing defence and intercepts from Waiketere, who were able to hold on to their lead and win the
match 73-60.
Considering one of the Waiketere parents remarked to me that no other team had taken more than
20 points from them, 60 points to Manly was a fantastic result! As a parent, what was important to
me was the level of sportsmanship demonstrated by both teams in what was a thrilling and nail-biting
match to watch. The skill levels were similar and really, either team could have won the match on the
day.
Afterward, both teams headed to the award ceremony for Manly to receive their
Silver medals and Waiketere the Gold. In the opening address by one of the
Tournament
directors,
Manly
were
specifically appreciated for coming all the
way ‘across the ditch’, and especially
Haydn for his time as a Tall Black, his
contribution to NZ basketball and for
coaching Manly to a grand final berth.
After the euphoria and pressure of the tournament it was
time for some R&R, so some families headed to Hobbiton,
the Hobbit village where Lord Of The Rings and The Hobbit
were filmed. Afterward, families went their own way to
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May 2014
head home, some stayed for a few more days’ holiday, while others bumped into each other at some
of the tourist attractions in Rotorua and later at the airport.
As a parent, this was my first overseas sports trip and by the buzz of conversation between the
parents during the week, the boys hanging out together after matches and socialising, having the
experience of playing overseas and the change in culture, all combined within the framework of an
international tournament, I’d say the entire trip was a complete success.
By Coach Haydn Smyth (The Tournament), Coach Phil Kimball (The Games) & John Broadbent
(Parent’s Perspective)
For more details and photos please visit manly basketball facebook site.
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Issue #4
May 2014
MWBA WARATAH CHAMPIONSHIP LEAGUE 2014
MWBA is running a successful Seniors program with their home games being played at NBISC,
Warriewood.
Details about all games will be available on www.nswbasketball.net.au. You can find all home games
of our Senior’s team listed below.
Please make sure to check the website for any changes of the draw during the season.
Come and support our Senior teams this season and watch some great basketball at your
doorstep!
Waratah Championship Team Men Games until end of July 2014:
DATE
rd
Sat 3 May
TIME
VENUE
TEAM
TEAM B
5pm
NBISC
WCLM
Sutherland Sharks
th
5pm
NBISC
WCLM
Maitland Mustangs
th
5pm
NBISC
WCLM
Bankstown Bruins
th
5pm
NBISC
WCLM
Newcastle Hunters
th
Sat 28 June
5pm
NBISC
WCLM
Pioneer Tavern Panther
th
Sun 6 July
3pm
NBISC
WCLM
Illawarra Hawks
Sat 12 July
5pm
NBISC
WCLM
Norths Bears
Sat 26 July
5pm
NBISC
WCLM
Hills Hornets
Sat 10 May
Sat 17 May
Sat 14 June
Waratah Championship Team Women Games until end of July 2014:
DATE
TIME
VENUE
TEAM
TEAM B
th
3pm
NBISC
WCLW
Maitland Mustangs
th
3pm
NBISC
WCLW
Bankstown Bruins
th
3pm
NBISC
WCLW
Newcastle Hunters
th
Sat 28 June
3pm
NBISC
WCLW
Davlin Security Panther
th
Sun 6 July
1pm
NBISC
WCLW
Illawarra Hawks
Sat 12 July
3pm
NBISC
WCLW
Norths Bears
Sat 26th July
3pm
NBISC
WCLW
Hills Hornets
Sat 10 May
Sat 17 May
Sat 14 June
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Issue #4
May 2014
MWBA BOARD MEMBERS
The members of the current MWBA Board are as follows:
Board Member
Position
Owen Evans
President
Jenny Saggus
Ron Kendall
Brian Chapman
Jon Hart
Phil Smith
Steven Ramage
Financial Director
Public Officer
Director
Director
Director
Director
Correspondence to the Board should be directed to the MWBA office.
CONTACT
Manly Warringah Basketball Association
Ph o ne : 9 9 1 3- 3 6 22
Northern Beaches Indoor Sports Centre,
J a c ks o n' s Roa d , Wa rr i ewo od .
Po sta l: P.O. B ox 39 6 , Na rra bee n N S W 2 10 1
Fa x : 9 9 1 3- 3 6 44
E ma i l :.ma n l yba s ketb a ll .c om .a u
Newsletter Editor – Angelika Goehring
Email – [email protected]
Manly Warringah Basketball proudly acknowledges the support provided by its
major sponsors.
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