S/Cats are after another aussie centre who obviously didn't play, herbert didn't play, myers didn't play and brad bridgewater did play, Ex-Supercat and now current supercat Jordan Hill didn't play and the final roster player didn't play either. Even if you took that into account, it's still worrying that so many players are unavailable only 2 weeks from tip off.

only practice match, bit like NAB cup

So Brock, I'm guessing your a Port Supporter??????

Even with Herbert and Myers, this is going to be a tough year for the supercats. Myers will bring his game and its needed this year, Herbert will only shoot more than last year which was already a fair bit. I don't see Herbert being a bigtime consistant player, i hope he proves me wrong though.

JV Coach: J.Hill - I remember him from a few years ago and he was the captain who hardly played, i think? If that is the supercats need some vision of further than 12 months.

Superdragon,

You are correct re: Jordan Hill, he did struggle a bit in his last year at the s/cats. He went to Shep in the Big V last year and didn't set the world on fire.

I would have thought having lost so much firepower, the supercats would have gone long term, filled Hill's spot with another development player (which would give them 4 genuine development players) and build for the future, like they did when they brought Medved-Herbert-Reardon-Owusu in a few years ago and it got them a three-peat.

Hill was injured in a pre-season training accident (fractured collarbone) and only made it back for the last 10 games of 2005. His games were limited at Shepp as he works shift work as a firey. Expect Hill to add some valuable experience at training and play very limited games for the same reasons as above.
Make no mistake, he will still be a valuable contributor to the club in that role.

There is still another dev spot open with Fish and KVP making up the other two.
Another Big to come into the mix yet.

GABA Big V div 1 side has stuffed up the progression of our dev players. Technically, Chris Brown should move into Reardon's vacancy, however he has chosen to play BigV

Just the Facts, any word on who that final development player is?

Nah sturty i follow Geelong

JV, the Dev player will probably come from GABA or more likely from CBBA. I expect it to be announced either late this week or early next week.

Anon, you killed your own arguement! You say Brownie couldn't commit to 3 nights a week, then in the very next sentence you turn around and say it was cause he was not looked after on the bench. You can't have it both ways ! At the end of the day if there was not the option to play Big V both he and Harro would be playing Supercats..end of story.
What makes you think the board is in any way responsible for the numbers this year ? They were not accountable for Herbert becoming restricted, nor for Reardon having to leave town nor for GABA deciding to field an (unnecessary) Big V Division 1 team, which has attracted two further players away.

We are minus four, plus two with two more to come compared to last year's top four team. The timing of the exits has been disasterous for our pre-season but I would not go writing the Supercats off just yet.

Is it an U/18 Kid from CBBA?

Just the Facts. What does this mean?

"GABA Big V div 1 side has stuffed up the progression of our dev players."

And then you mention Chris Brown. Hasn't he been playing both GABA and Supercats sides the last couple of years? Didn't he play his junior basketball with GABA? Does that not make him THEIR development player seeing as he came through THEIR system and is paying in THEIR side?

Why is GABA fielding a D1 side in BigV unneccesary? Perhaps the S'Cats, seeing as they are not an affiliated basketball association and therefore just a leech on the system, are the "unnecessary" side? It's been covered here before, the S'Cats provide no juniors, do no junior development, develop no referees....etc etc. They are nothing more than a "take" organisation.

I don't really mean this by the way, cause i've said here before the S'cats are a good org that do some great stuff - but its worth you thinking about.

The Supercats are a leech on Bellarine, Geelong and Corio-Bay. They suck the best out and give NOTHING back.

The Supercats board are not even aware of the new few years and where basketball in Vic is headed, they beleive that players will flock to the scats, but we will see what happens when Geelong, Bellarine and Corio Bay have Big V teams in a few years.

Go Stingrays!

Our teams are independant, we are looking after our own association.
Supercats gave us zer support and thus back. Go Cats

Enjoy it whist it lasts SUPERCATS,
with the Geelong Cats this year, Corio Bay Stingrays next year and Bellarine Storm in the near future all entering Big V Div.1 - Championship Men's teams , the Supercats are in ALOT of trouble.
The Supercats crowds will be lost quicker than Carlton's Captaincy in the next few years unless they align somehow, someway with one association..... The Board has no clue of the right move... or even any idea of the BIGGEST basketball program in the greater Geelong Region.
They will align with Geelong GABA because of the name but in reality have no clue that Corio Bay doubles GABA Geelong Basketball in juniors and even Bellarine Basketball is in higher numbers that gaba Geelong.
Continued failure for geelong 'shortsighted' basketball.

Hey COGG, where would Corio Bay play if they entered BigV?

Sorry South Aussies for pinching your forum but these recent posts demand a response.

HO, A Geelong Division 1 Big V side is not necessary because Geelong already have a senior men's program being the Supercats SEABL program. The SEABL program is not a leech as is does not, and never has, taken one cent from the GABA nor has it levied GABA juniors, as many other SEABL programs do to their junior associations.

It is simply a waste of precious GABA funds to compete at that level.
It exists for two reasons only:
One, because of the minority of small minded, short sighted people on the GABA board who STILL think that the GCBA Supercats are afillitaed with the professional NBL Geelong Supercats who admittedly did mistreat GABA and local players for many years. These people have actively worked against the Supercats since their return to ABA and would like to think that a Big V team could eventually progress to Championship division and, in turn have some misguided belief that they will pick up the sponsors and crowds, which currently flock to the Supercats games. I would put it to you that the intent there is for GABA to leach off the success of the Supercats rather than the converse.
Two, because the GABA want to be able to advertise that they offer an elite men's program, which Corio Bay currently do not. This is a desperate attempt to stop the hemoraging of players away from GABA to CBBA.GABA will go broke in the process if this is unsuccessful.

On the subsequent points made:
Corio Bay will be entering a YL team only as they are progressively thinking enough to understand that they can affilliate with GCBA and use the Supercats SEABL as their elite men's program.
True, there have been a number of members of the Supercats board who have, for various reasons, shown loyalty to the GABA association for a long time despite being slapped in the face on every single occasion when the olive branch has been extended. I would suggest that the entering of a senior Big V team (BTW this is the 2nd time this has been tried) is the straw that broke the camel's back. The Supercats will pay the price this year for not looking further affield for their local development talent, however, now that GABA have shown active intent to destablise the SEABL program any of those past loyalties that still exist would be null and void. I expect the board to take whatever steps are necessary to restore the supply of local talent into the program.

I find it disturbing, in some of the recent posts, that GABA people are attacking the Supercats program with such vitriole. The values of the Supercats club have always been about providing an elite level of community basketball for Geelong locals and there have always been at least eight players on the Supercats roster who are Geelong juniors (The vast majority from GABA. Surely this is consistent with the values of the GABA itself. If so, why not co-operate and affiliate with the program rather than always attempting to tear it down and destablise it ?

Just the facts. You stated that GABA dont need a senior mens side. My question to you is where do the players not up to ABA level play. I think its a great decision, the more Geelong players playing in rep teams can only be a bonus and only make the region in a whole stronger.

There were 40 plus players turn up to the Div 1 and YL tryouts in Geelong. GABA must be doing something right...

Oldcat, A fair point well made. I appreciate that there are a few people involved in GABA who still have the attitude of strengthening the game of Basketball in the region. This was my point, which seems to have gotten lost in the dialogue. The game itself should be promoted and not this team over that team.

JTF, Interesting conclusions and you have refuted very little of what I have asked. Can you clarify a few things that perhaps I misunderstood.

a) Is the GCBA not affiliated with the former NBL administration? Did they become a whole new entity when they entered the SEABL?

b) Has GABA not run an elite mens program basically since the old CVIBL started - like back in 1991 or whenever? Or did this become the Supercats? (it may have I am not sure on this)

d) What are the Supercats doing about their women's team, or does yours and the Supercats altruistic commitment to BASKETBALL only extend to men?

Finally, are you now comfortable, based on Oldcats comments and your response, with the GABA decision to enter a Big V side? Cause it looks to me like you are now saying it is a reasonable thing for them to do.

The GCBA (a.k.a. Supercats) has no affilliation whatsoever with the former NBL administration, the nickname was retained for marketing purposes.

To my knowledge, GABA has not run a senior mens program since 2002.

The Supercats have considered a women's program on a number of occasions, however, there has been no need to run one as the GABA have run a competitive Big V womens program for some time. Anything the Supercats would put together would simply cut accross the talent pool and, as I said about the Big V men, would be unecessary.

I agree with oldcat and concede the point that there is a third motive for creating a Big V Div 1 team. I heartly agree with him that strengthening basketball in the region should be the goal of all of us. However I still cannot support the creation of the team while there are opinions like the GABA GM's above, which is we are looking after our association and not yours. This is clearly not supporting oldcat's position.

JTF.

I rang someone and asked some questions myself. FYI GABA have competed in mens in the CVIBL > VBL > BigV every year since 1991, that includes the years post 2002. The Supercats did not come out of that program, but was created as a new organisation and a new team at the beginning of 1997.

Apparently they have competed at different levels of the VBL since then, moving up and down divisions. They won D1 early in 2001, played at ABA! (thats the same as the Supercats BTW :-)) level in 2002 and then back into D1 in VBL. Over the last couple of years they have played in the VBL's YL, which is not considered a junior competition at all but a senior competition in order to allow players to move back and forward to the Supercats. So in effect GABA have never stopped having a snr rep program for men since they entered the CVIBL in 1990. Sounds like what they are doing now is just another step in that progression.

From what I heard last night it is the BigV who are preventing the movement of players between GABA's YL team and the Supercats this season - and the GABA have been fighting this in conjunction with the Supercats.

It doesn't really not sound like "active intent to destablise the SEABL program" does it?

So you have nothing new to add then...
I have already mentioned they won Div one in 2001. There competion at Championship level in 2002 was a joke only winning 1 or 2 for the season, and they have played YL since. We can argue the symantics all day and night but that is not a senior men's program IMHO as the number of 'senior' players is limited.

They tried to knock off the Supercats in 2002 and failed, they are trying again and that is not the best thing for basketball in the region.

They should be continuing to play YL2 for the development of the juniors and playing the best of those up in SEABL.

BTW, Supercats played cats in a practice match last night, Supercats up 93-36 at the half, score was wound back to 50-36 and the Supercats still won by 50. 9 techs to the cats.

But they are still playing YL2 aren't they?

And from what I know of the brawl they have been having with the BigV, haven't GABA been trying to get their YL players permission to also play with the S'Cats? Its being talked about all over the BigV, and has been mentioned on the BigV forum.

Can you now answer the question - does this behaviour sound, as you allege, like the behaviour of an organisation with (quoting you again) "active intent to destablise the SEABL program" ?

Ho, The whole point of the arguement is that it is not GABA trying to get "their" YL players permission to play with the Supercats it is the Supercats allowing their SEABL players to play down in YL for the mutual good.

YL gets two solid players back in their YL program, S'cats get valuable court time for their bench.
The fact of GABA entering a Div 1 team has stopped this opportunity not only for these two but for others to come in the future. Hence, active intent to stop flow of juniors into the SEABL program.

You can argue all you want but as Amy H stated in this very thread above, GABA is looking after GABA association number 1.

The two are registered SEABL players and, as such, they will not be allowed to participate in YL while a senior men's Big V program (that is an open division, not age restricted) exists. Note that this is a Big V rule not a SEABL rule. I grant you that GABA, along with GCBA is argueing against this but its a bit like subercats argueing against Herbie's restriction when we knew full well that he satisfied the crteria to be restricted. The horse has bolted.

The Stingrays have applied to the Big V to enter in 2012 and we are just waiting for the formalities to be signed off (paperwork etc).

No official word on the Geelong Div 1 to Champ Men move yet, the Supercats and GABA are now one entity so it'll be up to Big V as to whether they will be allowed to keep a snr team.

Their youth league team is in limbo due to the discussions between SEABL and Big V about creating one YL comp. If they don't, then again it'll be up to Big V as to whether a SEABL team can have a Big V YL team or a SEABL D-League team

Guys, you're welcome to start a new topic for your discussion if you want rather than putting up with one about being smashed by 40+! If you do, then post here to alert interested parties to it.

Unless the Big V require otherwise, the Stingrays will be entering Div 1. Word going around (and its just a rumour) is with the departures from Geelong (some to stingrays, some overseas, some retired) they will be looking at Div 2 should they be allowed to remain in the league.

Bellarine do have a massive catchment area but from my observations (obviously i'm not directly involved with Bellarine) it appears that the people running the program don't have any aspirations to organise/create a senior program. This is not a knock on Bellarine, their junior program has produced some good players and teams, just from what I see and hear.

From the Stingrays point of view, we'd love to have Bellarine in the Big V.

I'm pretty sure that has been on their website for a couple of years, but I am happy to be corrected as it'd be fantastic for basketball in the Geelong region to all 3 associations competing in the Big V.

Anon, GABA/Corio Bay helping Bellarine? In what way? Are you talking about on court, off court or in the boardroom?

My guess is they're worried their players might come across and don't want it to happen.