Frankston, Knox, Dandenong and Sandringham all joining Big V! ;-)

Chilling wood Allstars entering BIGV D2M
Bachus Msrsh Lions entering YL2M and YLW
Pakenham Warriors entering D2W

Wallan trying to YL2M
Maccabi trying to YL2M

Mornington YLW
Western Port YLW (maybe)

May need a YLW2

Do we think there could be any movement in the Champ Division?

Eltham & Melb have been pretty poor this year...even when compared to the other teams coming up form Div 1.

Hawthorn could almost be put in the same category but you need to give them some time to adjust.

Melbourne have now been strugglers since the split from the Old NBL alignment when Seamus was still running the Tigers & Eltham appear to have completely lost there way in the last 2 years.

As much as the league promotes team up is it sometimes in the best interest to drop back develop talent consolidate/regroup and come back up in a few years…i.e like Bulleen did a few years back.

Wallan should get in contact with ex knox raider John Phillip pretty sure he lives up in Wallan.

He'd be a great leader if they go into Div 2.

Paul aren't frankston, Knox,dandenong and sandringham already in bigv with youth league teams

#483686

You are seriously boring mate. Anyone can type the name "Anon". Why do you persist in having to call everyone who does it Grant?

Mildura Heat putting in Youth League team , big road trips for the city teams.

The more yl grows the better. Hope to see Bacchus marsh in there. Bellarine peninsula storm should also look at this. They have enough good juniors to put an u23 team together

If Packenham enter D2W then they can replace Shepparton who wouldnt surprise me of they go back to just a mens team

Mildura is set to enter a YL2M team. They played a curtain raiser on Saturday night against S.A Uni and won comfortably.

How will youth league teams feel about the added travel?

A suggestion to cover shortage of refs - move YL games to Wednesday nights like SEABL ran it.

Don't think travel is the issue it is a big issue with Refs at the moment.

#483996

What doesn't the BigV CEO believe in?

Weds nights would kill off any country teams that would like to enter.

#484030

Incredibly "melbourne based" thinking.

Its bad enough asking these country kids and their parents to travel Friday night when the traffic is bad. Now you want half of them them to do it midweek as well?

Bendigo, Ballarat, Geelong, and a bunch of the Peninsula teams all play YL - why should they travel midweek?

The BigV is a weekend league, its home and away. it should stay that way.

And then of course you have to displace domestic games (and the court beside the YL games) on an inconsistent home and away basis - you are going to get very little love for that proposal.

It would be almost impossible to wrap domestic around a bigv fixture. Domestic is built on games at the same set of times, same set of courts, week in week out.

What your forgetting is the youth leagues are just that, often filled with school kids who are in important years at school and so playing late games and having to travel midweek is counterproductive especially for country teams.

It is an under 23 comp so you can't be worrying about the 10% who are school age.

Yes it is a juggle but pretty sure in college its a juggle, the playes with drive and the ones that get organised still get the results.

You said youth league 1 have a look at those teams especially the women, they are filled with school age kids, most will already be doing the two trainings per week, plus any other trainings, plus their games plus their school commitments PLUS YR 12, which is they do well in will negate many opportunities in their lives. So how about thinking of that and if you want midweek games give it to the older divisions the ones who work , drive themselves and have already completed their schooling as kids.

The average age of youth league players is around 21 years old

If you regionalise the YL comp and then have finals at the end of the season it would work on Wed nights as the country comp could play weekends if they want

Would open up the way for refs to be better spread, also the focus goes back to the senior sides as some clubs focus on their YL team winning a championship at the detriment of their senior side

But if you regionalise them what's the point of the comp, they may as well play CBL for an extended season instead of the summer season only as it's all bigv players usually that play in the regional comps. As for the average age being 21 look again, youth league championship may have a slightly older group with most being just out of school, but look at the youth league div 1 , Sth pen is a prime example 5 of their 8 are definitely still at school, imagine having to travel to coburg who are in the same league on a wed night for 8 pm game 10 pm finish home at midnight, is that good for any kid with school the next day. As a parent I know mine wouldn't be doing that school comes first basketball second. Add to that a parent would also have to take them so that's a late finish for anyone working and having to deal with a family. Common sence has to come into it really.

An expanded youth league would be great, always love to see the sport offer kids coming out of juniors a pathway so they don't get dragged away to football and netball all the time.

If extra officials are needed the governing body should know about this and put into place systems that can generate more of them or at least cover any expansion ideas before they become problematic.

IMO the games should stay where they are, coming from someone who has done the Friday night late games for some years now I look forward to weekend games.

Mid week would be a nightmare for several reasons and should never, ever be considered as an option IMO!

Regionalisation is also a bad idea, especially in the highest youth league divisions. Not workable and would destroy the fabric with which we hold the competition in high regard...

Mildura is 600klms away so 1200klm round trip, Horsham ,Wodonga all 300ks it needs to stay on the weekends.

484160 .... You do realise that many of these kids are either out of juniors as in turning 18 this year still doing yr12 or their local comp does not cater for them at a decent level so the only option is bigv. Or should it just be kept for the very very elite, if that's the case there would be one hell of a lot of players without teams.

Trolls, they're everywhere...

Tom, if their youth league teams are winning and their seniors are struggling it certainly isn't about focus it's about ability, so succession planning by encouraging your youth players to hang around by giving them a comp would in the end be better for the club rather than holding on to old players that are just not up to it.

Youth League teams to play mid week - exception would be country teams - play them on weekends.

Easy fix - we get better refs available and the development player can sit on seniors bench.

Training commitment would be less with mid week games.

Plenty of time for the kids to study, socialise and have a part time job.

Not hard to do - SEABL did it and it worked.

SEABL don't play midweek games often usually only frankston as it suits them. Why would training commitments be less with midweek comp, surely they would still train twice a week minimum, if so that compounds three week nights. Think you would find less would play if it went to mid week comp, and that's not the purpose of the sport is it, aren't BV trying to encourage more participants not less. They need to encourage more refs that's what they need and supply better training for them

@484183.

I'm talking about when SEABL controlled D League comp prior to handing over to Big V some 2 years or so ago.

My team (I was coach) played wednesday nights against all metro based teams - it worked a treat.

Most of these kids also played Friday night in VJBL. Some would suit up for SEABL games on weekends.

Country DL games were played on weekends.

Therefore training commitments were less to manage bodies, allow time off for study/social/work commitments.

And by the way we played off in the final.

Feedback from other coaches/players/clubs was good.

Why not give another go - positives outweigh negatives IMO.

Anon. It was a much smaller competition then and the logistics were easier.

Again, there are issues with venues, that maybe the likes of Knox and Frankston can cope with, but Eltham, DV, Broady etc who were never in D-league cannot because their venues are probably full of domestic competitions.

True, also trying to fit youth league games on a mid week schedule would potentially throw junior domestic competitions into dissaray.

Juniors play basketball Wednesday night so they can also play footy on weekends, at least we are not asking 13 - 16 year olds to make a tough decision until they come out of 18's...

The flow on effect of youth league during mid week would be a nightmare for Associaitons to manage in many ways, can't see more positives than negatives.

Seemed to work well in the DL also i know a few teams who've played mid week in SEABL and most of the feedback is good if the games are at the right time.

I know in SEABL the guys like it cause the feel like they are in an actual league rather than just training all the time.

sherbrooke to have YLW team next season to replace SCW team.

The only country teams who are far away from Melbourne that play YL are really Bendigo and Ballarat

Plus back a few years back Ballarat played MMBL, so that argument is done

And Tom, we used to play VBA on Wednesday night - but the age group was a little different.

Bendigo, Ballarat, Geelong, Southern Pen, Westernport etc. all play YL. Each of those teams have a two hour round trip minimum to games on top of three hours at the venue for the game. If Ballarat, Geelong and Bendigo are playing Frankston or Kilsyth then the travel is probably 3 hours plus round trip, after school for a number of kids.

As has been shown here many players are still of school age in these teams, and I would suggest it is more likely the country teams will play school age kids.

It is not desirable to add extra mid week games to those kids, who likely also play Friday night, when traveling TO those games is already difficult because of traffic.

Argument reinstated.

On the fixture request form last year clubs could nominate hosting home games mid-week and the only club to do so was Frankston.

State Champ level needs to be completely removed from Big V branding ASAP. Big V is a massive organisation, and the top level just gets merked into the rest of the low levels involved. Some of the basketball on display at D1 & D2 is lower than domestic at pakenham.
The new teams that have entered into SC this year put on such disappointing events at their home games.

Do you have any examples ^anon or are you just making a random comment?

"Some of the basketball on display at D1 & D2 is lower than domestic at pakenham."

I love comments like this. Often made, never provable, ultimately someone axe-grinding.

There you go, some nice axe grinding.

Uuuhhmmm, Blackburn, yeah so what division, who was the opponent and where are they on the ladder, were they missing players, did they have something to play for and are you a player yourself (do you understand the game)?

I may regret this...

So it was not axe grinding, why make the SEABL comment? Of course it was axe-grinding...

Give some perspective to your comment, as Bear has suggested.

Standard is relative. Teams are in D1 for a series of reasons, but the stupidity of suggesting, as people commonly do, that its worse than domestic here or there, just inflates the quality of domestic basketball or shows how out of touch they are with the Divisions they are talking about.

#484532

I didn't try to defend the standard did I? I pointed out how stupid it is to compare to domestic.

#484537 (please get a login so we can address you easily)

"given that the standard is clearly in line with domestic."

Because this is a statement made with prejudice, thats why. It seems everyone who ever wants to have a crack at BigV does so by comparing it to Domestic.

Here is the answer to that. Shepparton's BigV side is better than any side in its domestic competition, same for Southern Pen, same for Warrnambool same for Blackburn, same for Pakenham. I dare say we can say the same for Whittlesea, or Casey, or Camberwell or Sunbury or Keilor. I think we could say, with an amount of confidence, that these BigV sides would crap on the better domestic teams. There may be exceptions. I understand all of Geelong's SEABL players play domestic, and as such, it might not be true in Geelong, especially if some of their domestic teams have loaded up with SEABL players.

I did not defend the standard. But I can argue the stupidity of the domestic comment.

The anon above you makes better comments, about the relativity between the Divisions - this is a much more reasoned approach to the "standard".

The standard of BigV is what it is, and I am not saying it is earth shatteringly brilliant. I am saying it is relative.

Bear, you are close to Geelong. If you put Geelong's D1 side in their domestic comp as a single team how would they go? (and how many seabl guys do suit up?)

I would argue that the top of Champ has been pretty much featuring the same teams for a number of years now, and that the bottom end of Champ is closer to D1.

@HO Most Geelong Assoc' D1 men's domestic teams have one-two or at most three SEABL players, plus you may find some of the Big V Champ players from CB and other Big V players from D1 making up half a team.

Then you have your ex-SEABL and Big V guys and of course the young guns coming up from U/18's and youth league players, but I would think this to be similar in other places, not very different at all.

It's a strong domestic comp, but Big V D1 Geelong team would hammer almost any one of them, maybe they'd be pushed by the best one or two domestic teams but probably not get over them.

D2 men would be 20-30 points better than the top domestic team where i live.Should D2 teams have imports playing for them?

Thanks Bear.

I think we are finally getting some sensible commentary on where BigV sits in relation to Domestic competition.

I don't rave about the standard of BigV but constantly comparing it to domestic is just ridiculous. Its just someone's agenda.

Would love to see how some D1 players would go in a domestic comp ie Calvin Henry , Ashton Pitts Reggie Fuller , Corey Stanefer would they average 50+ a game please stop comparing the 2 also remember Calvin Henry was all-star 5 SEABL a couple of years back.So D1 is not that bad

Thanks for the input anon 619, I wasn't pushing any personal agenda mate just trying to reply to HO's question.

To the best of my knowledge based on the facts that the Geelong Big V D1 team is on top of the ladder and has no imports in it, unlike other teams in that state competition.

Also, my knowledge of our local competition and the make up of the teams I see weekly.

What facts can you bring to the debate, please enlighten us with your wisdom, don't hold back champ?

Getting back to the initial subject, I think Sherbrooke biting the bullet in SCW is wise. They've struggled for a few years now, and re-building through YLW is a good idea.
Will D1 keep the conference system ? Will YL1W keep the conference system too or will the introduce a YL2W to accommodate the new teams and mirror the set-up in the Mens ?

Any other new teams ?

I have heard that the Big V will be going to SCM, D1M, D2M and D3M as there are 3 teams coming in Horsham and Warrigal coming back and new team Collingwood there is also a chance of Wallan if there is a D3. there is also talk of Eltham SCM dropping down to D1

Currently there is 14 teams in D1, 12 in D2 + 3 or 4 new teams would make around 30 teams. Perfect setup of 10 teams in each division


Glad to see the league finally getting rid of the huge gaps within a division. 40 point blow outs are no fun for anyone and if the league was managed properly would never happen. Each division has a number of teams that beat the bottom team by decent margins without effort whilst resting key players

They need to have the right teams playing in the appropriate division

I have heard that the Big V will be going to SCM, D1M, D2M and D3M as there are 3 teams coming in Horsham and Warrigal coming back and new team Collingwood there is also a chance of Wallan if there is a D3. there is also talk of Eltham SCM dropping down to D1

Currently there is 14 teams in D1, 12 in D2 + 3 or 4 new teams would make around 30 teams. Perfect setup of 10 teams in each division


Glad to see the league finally getting rid of the huge gaps within a division. 40 point blow outs are no fun for anyone and if the league was managed properly would never happen. Each division has a number of teams that beat the bottom team by decent margins without effort whilst resting key players

They need to have the right teams playing in the appropriate division

#484706

So you are restructuring BigV, SEABL and VJBL in one go? (and by implication CABL, Waratah and QBL)

And you have Mt Gambier in Victoria whereas all the other "abroad" teams have to go back to their own states?

And you have destroyed the lower divisions on BigV as well?

Good job...

#484619

That is some quality trolling.

So what happens when a Division 2 club has a top tier junior side or sides?

If you have a look at the VJBL site, you will find some amazing entry numbers from what i would call "small" associations".

Camberwell have 34 and Warrandyte 30+ from this list:

http://www.foxsportspulse.com/assoc_page.cgi?c=1-3911-0-0-0&a=CLUBS

I just don't think its as easy as saying you are small domestically so you can't have teams...

Agree there is no relationship between the level of competition for all Juniors & Seniors.

Some medium to large Associations are at the top level of Junior competition but their Seniors are playing Div 2 ie Keilor.

You then have Clubs like Sherbrooke playing SCM & SCW but their juniors are almost non-existent.

Perhaps you should consider the current structure in Victoria is the best its ever going to be with SEABL, BIG V, CBL for seniors and then VJBL for juniors.

Don't try to fix what essentially aint broke...

but you haven't actually established why it is cracked, you just keep proposing a different model - or models.

ok, so lets deal with the premises you have now established....

"I play teams from far away who have equally capable leagues in there own state"

this is flawed, as much as I am a huge defender of the other state leagues, particularly QBL, the Waratah and CABL competitions are not nearly equally capable to SEABL - administratively, promotionally, comptitively and Tassie have no league.

"I dont play teams that are of the same calibre from literally minutes away"

because those teams are not of the same calibre, and if put in the league with you, in the medium term would end up over-spending to keep up.

"What if I could take all of my seniors and youth to the stadium to face the same opponent. (would be alot less hastle for everyone involved and have so many advantages.)"

I think the hassle would be very similar, and I actually cannot think of any advantages, the concept promotionally might have a nice life in the short run, but then wears off and, with the predominance of domestic basketball, would not fly in the first place.

"If we had just had one victorian league which incorparated all victorian basketball associations with rep sides of senior, youth and junior.
seabl, big v, cbl, mmbl, vjbl and vwb all funneled into 1 league with 3 distinct classes split into regions or not "

you would have a competitively weaker structure, by far, than you do now.

The VJBL, for all its flaws, grades teams on ability, which is desirable because of the bulk of the season you have the best teams playing the best teams. This is a competitive advantage to all - that is not happening in your structure.

The BigV also grade, although in a less obvious way and with less success. The SEABL do not grade.

Your concept is a blank piece of paper concept, but they are not always better. It has real weaknesses in juniors, and doesn't account for the momentum of age groups in teams from time to time. Every so often a star team comes from an unusual country location and performs really well in VJBL - it could not be accommodated in your structure but it needs to be accommodated. Your structure effectively assigns an association to a divisional level long term (maybe medium term) despite the fact that within that association from time to time age groups or genders will have strengths and weaknesses.

You have spoken a number of times about regionalising, but that does not always work, it would likely lead longer term to very distinct weaknesses and encourage even more player moveement.

Your thinking on representing associations is interesting (domestic genuinely underpinning rep) but then you grant concesssions to Warrandyte and Camberwell who basically have no underpinning strength.

and finally.....

"Wouldn't it be easy if I could just pick the best available talent from the domestic clubs of this association and place them into representative sides based on there age all under the banner of knox raiders."

don't you do that now?

Essentially what your saying is you structure the VBL based on Association size and you have fixed Divisions based on the same criteria Association size and you have just 1 junior team in each age group in a Division based on the same criteria Association size - regardless of ability.

In my mind the competition within each level from Seniors to Youth League to Juniors would vary so greatly you couldn't say any of it was a quality competition.

I've seen this type of structure at a local level for football and its a disaster because the assumption is made that the Senior & Junior teams including all age groups are of the same standard (ie all A-Grade) and we know that is never the case.

In terms of the Big V its probably getting too big and some of the Divisions need to reduced to say 10 teams so you keep the quality and you may need more Divisions based on ability to compete and not association size.

In terms of SEABL its an Elite multi-state based competition and provides the high level competition that Clubs & Associations desire otherwise they wouldn't be playing.

Think there's a bit of history there in Cavs V Keysy.

I don't entirely agree with the "league is getting too big". I think every Association should have the chance to be represented at Senior Level. Home grown talent shouldn't have to move to a bigger club, just for the chance to play at this level. Long term it can only be good for the game, as it provides our young players with the opportunity to continue playing the game we all love.

I do agree however that referee numbers and 'quality' is an issue and something that needs to grown with the league.

"Billy Hoyle" Casey and Keysy had no history until the first time they met this year then more despicable behaviour on the weekend. One would think the league will need to step in here before things get even more out of control

I wish we still had the original BigV forum sometimes, there were epic debates about Promotion/relegation back then.

I always thought relegation and promotion, like the football leagues and soccer leagues do it, was the way to go in hoops!

However, the team composition and ability to change teams by moving players and introducing imports during the season play such a major factor in success, how hard is it for the Big V to actually make that call...?

Promotion/Relegation is the way to go.Let clubs find there level according to their playing talent and finances.

I have the same question as Bear, but if i read it correctly, with a little less incredulity.

I think it is hard for the BigV to make the call on promotion/relegation.

A couple of years back, Eltham went out (for one season I think) and got a bunch of people to play based on a chequebook.

This is the sort of thing that can easily happen with a BigV program, the roster changes radically because of a new coach, new money, new president... whatever, and can just as easily fall away.

Making promotion and relegation decisions in that environment probably is difficult. And then I am sure, as someone sort of indicated, when they challenge a club about where they "should" be playing they probably get all sorts of bullshit.

Actually HO, I do believe in the promotion/relegation theory and I think it could work, should work...

I just think it is in the too hard basket for the league based on facts mentioned, especially when it comes to money and buying success through imports.

(Perhaps it's too hard for an organisation at Big V level to control something like this)?

My apologies,local AFL leagues here in Melbourne will be changing to that structure in the long term.An example over here is one league has 3 divisions.Top division pays $250-500k in salaries, 1st division pays $100k to 250k and division 2 is upto 100k. These are broad figures but you can see there is something for everybody.

I think they do ask, but between October and March a lot can happen!

Is grading in BigV such a disaster now?

What are the big anomalies?

"X" an event that happened previously this year could indeed be considered "history" between the two teams. But I don't think it started at the game earlier this season.

Sounds like a classic rivalry that is among the great sporting rivalries!

Banjo's and moccos required!

If there is a rivalry, people will continue to not give a damn because it's a rubbish division.

Grant Johnson from Sherbrooke has signed in Finland.

Bulleen getting done by Sherbrooke is a big surprise.

That said Sherbrooke have the best import in the league & Bulleen are pretty poorly coached.

Bower's reputation as a coach is taking a hammering...Warrandyte and now Bulleen...

"Corio Bay men showed they are still contenders in the championship with a strong result."

Were they ever not a strong contender?

Bower's always seems to have $$ follow him but can't seem to get in done.

His rep has been hurt alot in recent years with many past players less than happy....seems that he can recruit thou but just not a game day guy

I hearing the Bowers has resigned...

Any idea who'd be front runners for the gig?

Seems like it one of the plump jobs in the Big V....new facility, good core team, money for imports.

can't see DP leaving Dandy even thou he now works at Bulleen.

Lee only been at Eltham 1 year so your cant see him moving.

Estcourt hasn't really done well and had finals success so if Bulleen want to be a middle of the road team he is your guy...if they want finals success not sure you chase him.

Why did Ringwood and Corio Bay play this weekend? They both get to host an elimination final winner so why not just give them a bye week?

I realise they will have seeded the EF winners in but still seems pointless.

On the face of it HO, may seem pointless, but the people attending enjoyed an exciting game, the association hosting that game got more promotion from the event and the players get to keep their eye in by not having a week off.

I know some players with niggling injuries may have benefited from a week off, but it's not like football where the week's break is more of a benefit IMO.

The Big V scheduling is all over the place, some conferences, other divisions no conferences, etc... It is hard to follow, however it is what it is I guess!

Why would Darren perry leave dandenong SEABL men when he's such a success their to go coach in bigv .... Really think about it?!!!!!

Bear, you don't run a finals game so players can keep their eye in or for extra promotion for the home team.

The only other reason I can think of is to determine seedings for the GF, assuming teams ranked 1&2 go through.

Playing this game served little purpose but to detract from the more important elimination finals.

It might be a case of "it is what it is" but that doesn't mean we shouldn't question.

#486359

Which just serves to disadvantage country teams and those from small associations.

it gets back to the whole keeping the leagues competitive idea

I haven't suggested anything. I have pointed out the limitations of the original suggestion which you asked for thoughts on.

There is a debate to be had, and it goes to the stupidity of the "BigV is no better than domestic" argument as well.

That debate is whether D2 and D1 are about Development. I think they are about the Associations A beating Association B. Then their respective YL team is about Development.

A local footy league is not about development, its about Box Hill vs Vermont or Maffra vs Leongatha putting their best teams on the ground each week. Those teams supplement their local content with "imported" players. If you stopped them doing so, you seriously affect their ongoing ability to effectively represent their club.

Personally i think the League should restrict the use of imports in Div 1 to 1 only and not allow imports in Div 2.

The lower divisions should be about local content and development.

Thoughts?
I agree totally with this, develop what you have especially in these lower divisions.

So will you also then restrict Australian paid players?

Think you will find most YL teams are local talent, especially if they have a champ team or SEABL team rather than just a div1 team. Look at dandenong YLCW team every single one of their players has come through the ranks of dandenong juniors with one exception. Knox, Bendigo, Ballarat all the same.

"A restricted player is a restricted player, be that NBL or American."

This would be fine, if the American was always the same quality as the Australian, but they are not, far from it, I agree with lower placed not having NBL quality players (unless they were once locals - Bruce going back to Horsham for example).

But the value to a country D2 club of bringing in an American who rounds out their 5, and makes them competitive enough to make finals, should not be underestimated. But that player is not an NBL quality player these days.

The league has changed, there was a time when every import basically dominated their team's stats. that is not always the case now. I know Mildura's guy can smash the league, and he should be playing at least one, if not two levels up. But the imports, and the way they come into the country now, are complimenting teams generally, not decimating them.

The country argument has long been that the import does a heap of things around their club that they cannot get the Australian guy to do, because the import is only focused on basketball, not on his FT job or study - its reasonable.

You cannot say to a country team you cannot have an import, but then let a small metropolitan team secure a SEABL player because they have the cash and recruiting advantage. The SEABL player is probably not going to take the money to go an play for the Energy or Shepparton, because its too far to go and they will get similar money closer to home.

For Big V to be more competitive they need a promotion/relegation system where teams can find there level.Dont have a problem with imports playing in the lower divisions but some of them are no better than the local kids.An import averaging less than 15-20points minimum is taking up a spot for a junior.

Oh ye of short memories.

Darren Perry was sacked last year due to a conflic of interest over his job at Bulleen. It was then overturned when he won the national championship. Same people who booted him out of the DoC role for Dandy juniors and contributed to his original sacking are still there. So anything could happen but I hope he wins the National Title again to shut these people up.

Let's hope he's at Dandy winning titles for as long as he wants to be there.

Well for it to be overturned I'd say he has more supporters than idiots who want him out so I'd say he's very safe

"An import averaging less than 15-20 points minimum is taking up a spot for a junior."

That is an absolute statement that is absolutely unprovable HD.

That junior may not be capable of 15 points a game and might not be ready for that. And it also underestimates what that player (import) does for you at training, around the club etc. And in the Country context, you might be losing that junior for 6-8 weeks of your season while they play for Vic Country etc. Country teams cannot recover the gaps like others can.

Warrnambool have done extremely well this year, but effectively needed two imports alongside a bunch of kids. Last year, with effectively three imports and a similar bunch of kids they struggled somewhat. (Their result on the weekend was remarkable because their import did not play.)

No doubt, Warrnambool will start to lose those kids (uni, work) and have to constantly regenerate their program to maintain competitiveness. The argument for them having two restricted players is that it makes them consistently competitive, as their kids learn to play at the level.

You cannot just make hard and fast judgements on imports playing for country cubs based on the 'local development" theory - the result would be Warrnambool not playing in the league.

An import costing $25k and averaging less than 15 pts per game no matter what they do off the floor is not value for money considering the amount of talent available out there.

Dont give names. With imports its a whole package:Wage,flights,car,accommodation,insurance, licence fees etc....

Haha HD, I think that you will find a lot of imports in their first year come out on working holiday visas so the club can get them a job to supplement their income.

For the imports that have been out here a couple of seasons or are on a sports visa. They get paid a min $500 a week. They would then have to work to help offset that through coaching or stuff around the office.

I know of one import at Big V level who is on $60k a year.Nearly fell off my perch when i heard that.That is not playing only, there are few more components to it than that.

Matt Pebole at Casey is on $38k for the time he is out here

^^^
Not bad for a club with no cash....

$60k for 12 mths.

If it is a 12month gig $60k for full time work then games/coaching on weekends is avg money.

Let's say he playing, plus coaching kids and working 9-5 for 12 months it really is not great money

TW thats true.I think the problem is the player has had it pretty easy in the past but new management has put KPI's on him which will see the end of easy street.

Matt Pebole is on a working holiday visa and wouldn't not be making $38k for playing.

Casey might have got him a job to earn that

"An import costing $25k and averaging less than 15 pts per game no matter what they do off the floor is not value for money considering the amount of talent available out there."

HD, you are normally pretty reasonable, but that is another absolute, unprovable statement. And the assumptions behind it are flawed in my view.

I remember Steve D. (cannot spell his surname) at Bendigo used to bring in imports to places like Echuca and Wangaratta. They came in under sporting visas (not working/holiday visas which make it easier now) and this were well paid. Those guys played in their teams and generally had good numbers. Being imports they became celebrities in those country communities which cannot be replicated in Melbourne and thus created multiple promotional opportunities for their club and town. But they did far more than play, working in admin, creating new competitions, school clinics etc. Even today, at 25k, that would be a good investment for many of these communities. and again, these communities cannot attract a high quality Australian to their town for a short period of time.

Of course you want more than 15 ppg from them, but you need him to be helping you win games/remain competitive most of all, whatever his numbers are. the guys has to deliver on and off court, build the game and help you with profile.

It depends what you want: do you want an import to play, do you want a coaching director or ambassador or do you want both?From a playing perspective for $25k you can get 3 very good Aussies at $8k each.Country towns are different to metro teams.Imports are a big deal in a country town and you have to question the quality of some of the imports in the lower grades.

$500 per week, LOL turn it up.. For starters the minimum wage in Australia is $640 per week, so the absolute bare bones an import can legally be paid if he turned up at the start of the season and left at the end is about $16.5K. Then they get other benefits on top like car, accom, camps etc.

Its more like $25K for a D3/Duco player and up to $60k for a top notch import.

Some of you also need to ask BigV what their ruling is on making payments to players on Holiday and non working/sporting Visas too...


Don't know what country your living in but $650.00 per week is certainly a lot more than the minimum wage

650.00 per week is way over the minimum wage here in Australia, just ask those who would love that as their minimum wage

HD, we have been talking about country teams. People here are proposing removing imports from D2 and restricting D1 to one.

That limits country teams and would probably see many of them leave the league.

A country team spending 8k on 3 Australians to come play for them would be stupid, as it would just suck up court time for some kids, but getting one import at 25k who does other things compliments your team and program if you manage it right.

Mildura or Shepparton or Horsham or Wodonga or Warrnambool would be unlikely to get an Australian at 8k for anything other than playing, and even then getting them to commit to training would be difficult.

By making Div 2 restricted player free you are taking away one valuable method of promoting the association. I'm not sure that's the answer.

@HO, it does appear that game was played for seedings as you suspected it might have been:

State Championship Men

Corio Bay claimed home court advantage for the playoffs with a stirring 99-74 demolition of Ringwood in the Hawks own gym.

I was talking metro more the country. We only hear about the imports who post the big numbers but there are also some that are taking up roster spots whos statistics are less than flattering....

#HD, we have been talking about country teams. People here are proposing removing imports from D2 and restricting D1 to one.

That limits country teams and would probably see many of them leave the league.

A country team spending 8k on 3 Australians to come play for them would be stupid, as it would just suck up court time for some kids, but getting one import at 25k who does other things compliments your team and program if you manage it right.

Mildura or Shepparton or Horsham or Wodonga or Warrnambool would be unlikely to get an Australian at 8k for anything other than playing, and even then getting them to commit to training would be difficult.#


seriously why do DIV2 players need paying, its not a huge comp standard wise really so why do they need to have an import, DIV2 is like CBL level, they don't allow imports in that comp, and any 'import' worth any good is surely not going to settle for DIV2, come on get real guys.
Totally agree with who ever said if the removal of one player means that team cant compete you need to seriously ask should they be their in the first place.

#486561

Thats a good comment.

but what is local content to a metro vs country team?

Local content for Collingwood or keysey is basically any guy that wants to try out from a multitude of associations nearby - all of which probably have a player base in the thousands.

Local content for Horsham is almost certainly limited to the guys that play in the Horsham local competition which i suspect has way less than 1000 players, many of whom play footy as well.

I think the challenge of putting a small country program (i haven't talked about geelong or bendigo here) on the floor is far greater than you guys realise.

#486583

I am not saying D2 players need paying.

(However, comparable players playing country footy are paid....)

I am saying that removing the capacity of a D2 country club from having an import reduces their capacity to be competitive, to be promoted etc.

Look at traditionally smaller clubs who have climbed the ranks in recent times - Camberwell, Warrandyte and Mckinnon. All have basically gone on recruiting drives to do that - and i don't mean they have poached players, in some cases they have grabbed guys out of retirement etc. They can do that recruiting because there is a big pool of players locally to recruit from - that is not the case for smaller country clubs.

Country basketball teams can't compete with what local football clubs pay so the guys that do play are doing it for love more than anything else.
Just to put things in perspective:

http://www.bordermail.com.au/story/2461823/o-and-m-paying-players-2m-plus/?cs=2529

BTW,

I really agree with this:

"BigV needs to have a cleansing and refocus on quality not quantity."

Does Caseys import need a FIBA licence to play here even though he is not being paid by the club and does that apply to all imports on working visas?

If you are on a working holiday visa the club can pay you whatever they want or nothing at all.

You need to get a clearance from the last country that you played in.

Thanks Anon for the info.Do you still need a FIBA Oceania licence or does that get waived.

Happy Days - A Foreign Player's Licence is required for all players who do not have Australian citizenship, regardless of what type of visa they are here on.

Thats interesting, I thought it was dependent on the level you play.

Thanks Beth for clarifying the point.

Same Cavs Nation that was going to win the Championship in all 3 Divisions they competed in ??
#notevenclose

They'll just get new coaches and they'll win it all next year....

Which coaches are not back next season?

The D2 Men's team lost in the Semi's. The Youth Team won the Championship. How is that under performing ?

Chelsea has advertised all 3 positions.

Alot of clubs advertise the coaching roles as its in their constitution.

You mutha F@ckas make me laugh. Always the same old bull sh!t

Happy Days, whats the word out of Mornington with the Senior Coaching gigs?

Ex Mornington player returning to coach

Have heard of a mass exodus of players from Chelsea D1 Men. Best, Standerfer among others all gone. Can anyone shed light ?

Happy Days, I take it thats with the Men's program? What about the Women's side of things, talk of players walking out but that whisper comes around every year with Morno.

Somebody is impersonating me...Haven't heard anything as tied up with other commitments.With Phil King taking over as President things should become alot more structured and stable.Heard nothing on the coaching front.I did like Demarcus's comments in the Big V magazine.

The grapevine reports potential coaching changes in D2W for Chelsea, Mornington & Casey

Oakleigh advertising an EOI for D2W
Chelsea same for Youth Women
Both WP men's teams require new coaches. Whisper of the Men's team looking at a former D1M COTY
Casey women's coach to be an ex player

So they are seeking an U12's coach from Frankston?

Why is there such a merry go round for coaches in Big V.You can only do what you can with what you've got.Why not focus on bringing your juniors through, rather than buying a title.

Interesting about Vlad. He has a good knowledge of the game but not sure about playing and coaching.

Happy Days, Spot on the money. Some of the cash spent at the lower levels is a joke.

I can understand for country teams who may struggle to fill the teams with quality coming through,

The amount of D2 teams running with imports and paying players to compete is laughable.

So what do you do with someone like Western port D2 Women? They are coming up to D1 next season and will clearly need to spend money on their team as they are miles off D1 level, and their junior girls program is weak so what do they do?

Think you will find that WP are staying down in D2. Just because you win doesn`t mean that you have to go up a division.

I am sure they can recruit some players if they have the right contacts to play there.

Are WP not classed as a country association?

Dan Riches to Hawthorn. Would be very interesting for the men's team.

Spending money was great for Pakenham in D2M.

Said no one ever.

Bulleen roles don't close until the end of this month so nothing has happened yet.

Casey has reappointed all three coaches for next season.
Clearly looking to keep things stable it would seem.

All 3 coaches ? Surprising
#cavsnation, get over it buddy. Nobody cares.

Any surprise results from the awards last night ?
Though Kaban unlucky with D2M MVP and a few all star picks were questionable perhaps.

MOST VALUABLE PLAYER

State Championship Men- Grant Johnson (Sherbrooke Suns)
State Championship Women- Colleen Planeta (Hume City)
Division 1 Men- Calvin Henry (Mildura)
Division 1 Women- Lindsay Horbatuck (Latrobe City)
Division 2 Men- Matthew Bartlett (Shepparton)
Division 2 Women- Jessica Thompson (Western Port)
Molten Victorian Youth Championship Men- Dylan Hogarty-Doyle (Nunawading)
Molten Victorian Youth Championship Women- Geraldine McCorkell (Dandenong)
Youth League 1 Men- Max Cody (McKinnon)
Youth League 1 Women- Alysha Carden-David (Altona)
Youth League 2 Men- Staci Richardson (Keysborough)

ALL STAR FIVE

STATE CHAMPIONSHIP MEN

Guard- Liam Norton (Bulleen)
Guard- Grant Johnson (Sherbrooke)
Forward- Jason Reardon (Corio Bay)
Forward- Ivan Platenik (Waverley)
Centre- Ma'alo Hicks (Corio Bay)

STATE CHAMPIONSHIP WOMEN

Guard- Funda Nakkasoglu (Bulleen)
Guard- Nicole Zammit (McKinnon)
Forward- Amber Hegge (Ringwood)
Forward- Tegan Cunningham (Waverley)
Centre- Colleen Planeta (Hume City)

DIVISION 1 MEN:

Guard- Brett Goodgame (Geelong)
Guard- Jordan Canovan (Latrobe City)
Forward- Calvin Henry (Mildura)
Forward- Corey Standerfer (Chelsea)
Centre- Seb Loader (Geelong)

DIVISION 1 WOMEN:

Guard- Kylie Morrissy (Geelong)
Guard- Vanessa Power (Mildura)
Forward- Amy Wormald (Geelong)
Forward- Sarina Simmons (Mildura)
Centre- Lindsay Horbatuck (Latrobe City Energy)

DIVISION 2 MEN

Guard- Eric Miraflores (Keysborough)
Guard- Matthew Bartlett (Shepparton)
Forward- Matthew Witherden (Casey)
Forward- Andrew Kaban (Oakleigh)
Centre- John Lewis (Shepparton)

DIVISION 2 WOMEN:

Guard- Merle Hall (Coburg)
Guard- Jessica Thompson (Western Port)
Forward- Jasmine Lovejoy (Chelsea)
Forward- Rachel Jeffery (North East)
Centre- Lauren Cooper (Western Port)

MOLTEN VICTORIAN YOUTH CHAMPIONSHIP MEN

Guard- Adrian Tomada (Kilsyth)
Guard- Kirk Smith (Sherbrooke)
Forward- Dylan Hogarty-Doyle (Nunawading)
Forward- Matthew McCarthy (Waverley)
Centre- Stefan Ionescu (Nunawading)

MOLTEN VICTORIAN YOUTH CHAMPIONSHIP WOMEN

Guard- Stephanie Reid (Frankston)
Guard- Sam Castles (Knox)
Forward- Geraldine McCorkell (Dandenong)
Forward- Caitlin McLachlan (Bendigo)
Centre- Sophie Tarabolsi (Dandenong)

YOUTH LEAGUE 1 MEN:

Guard- Max Cody (McKinnon)
Guard- Mitchell Alush (Werribee)
Forward- Jake Cowling (Bendigo)
Forward- Elliot Warren (McKinnon)
Centre- Mitchell Angleton (Werribee)

YOUTH LEAGUE 1 WOMEN

Guard- Stephanie Belbasis (Coburg)
Guard- Sam Loughhead (Corio Bay)
Forward- Alysha Carden-David (Altona)
Forward - Megan Hendry (McKinnon)
Centre- Ezi Magbegor (Coburg)

YOUTH LEAGUE 2 MEN

Guard- Dominic Bruno (Craigieburn)
Guard- Billy Feben (Melton)
Forward- Bradley Murfett (Chelsea)
Forward- Staci Richardson (Keysborough)
Centre- Matthew Walker (Keysborough)

COACH OF THE YEAR

State Championship Men- Ken Harrington (Ringwood)
State Championship Women- Warren Taylor (Hume City)
Division 1 Men- Bobby Cunningham (Warrnambool)
Division 1 Women- Ang Wall (Mildura)
Division 2 Men- Russell Parker (Shepparton)
Division 2 Women- Carl Mascitti (Coburg)
Molten Victorian Youth Championship Men- Peter Godfrey (Kilsyth)
Molten Victorian Youth Championship Women- Gary Fox (Bulleen)
Youth League 1 Men- Marcus Timmons (McKinnon)
Youth League 1 Women- Hannah Lowe (Hawthorn)
Youth League 2 Men- Craigh Smethhurst (Keysborough)

DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR

State Championship Men- Titus Robinson (Sherbrooke)
State Championship Women- Colleen Planeta (Hume City)
Division 1 Men- Max Allin (Southern Peninsula)
Division 1 Women- Lindsay Horbatuck (Latrobe City)
Division 2 Men- John Lewis (Shepparton)
Division 2 Women- Claire Edwards (Melbourne University)
Molten Victorian Youth Championship Men- Dyland Hogarty-Doyle (Nunawading)
Molten Victorian Youth Championship Women- Sam Castles (Knox)
Youth League 1 Men- Aden Muir (Sunbury)
Youth League 1 Women- Margaret Kershaw (Warrandyte)
Youth League 2 Men- Jamal Talo (Keysborough)

YOUTH PLAYER/RISING STAR/ROOKIE OF THE YEAR

State Championship Men- Matthew Jackson (Diamond Valley Eagles)
State Championship Women- Amy O'Neill (Diamond Valley Eagles)
Division 1 Men- Michael D'Agostino (Blackburn)
Division 1 Women- Ella Hellessey (Southern Pen)
Division 2 Men- Joel Smith (Keilor)
Division 2 Women- Rhinna Barton (Shepparton)
Molten Victorian Youth Championship Men- Adrian Tomada (Kilsyth)
Molten Victorian Youth Championship Women- Shannon Dufficy (Diamond Valley)
Youth League 1 Men- Max Cody (McKinnon)
Youth League 1 Women- Ezi Magbegor (Coburg)
Youth League 2 Men- Dominic Bruno (Craigieburn)

Obviously not all my sources are on the money.
The women had a good pre-season this year.
I think unless they add some pieces, especially with their departures, there cant be much improvement.

Good point re mck and oakleigh

Isn't the majority of McKinnons senior women's team the waverly team from a few years back ? Coach and all ?
Could be mistaken, but isn't that the same thing...?

Billy Hoyle you are spot on my friend!

Will Demarcus get the coaching gig at Mornington?

Completely different if there is already a team in place IMO

Saw Stewart Baird signed as senior coach for 5 years with Casey.Be interesting to see if both parties can last the distance.

Are they looking to make the jump to D1 ?
Heard they were looking at it....

SCM ?? One player doesn't catapult a team from D2 to State Champ...
If they had some more signings perhaps...

They did (well not the first year). But they also had some other very decent talent on that roster (hicks, reardon, Hutchison. Osborne etc) as well as import Eric Williams.

5 or 6, anonymous ? Got any names ? What happens to the local guys who were playing in 2014 ?
I applaud their ambition to better their program, I think all clubs should be aspiring doing so, but shouldn't it be done with a backbone of local talent ? The question has been asked on this forum before about recruiting a top level team and the sustainability questions that it raises...

So what are the possible new entries in to Youth League Women's?

Bacchus Marsh, Sherbrooke, Mornington and Chelsea have all advertised EOI's for youth Women. Could perhaps see a shake up of the divisions?
So Hobba is leaving Dandenong ? But is the rest of the squad strong enough for Champ?

huh, interesting. Wouldn't Mornington and Chelsea be better off putting their "ok" youth players straight in to the senior teams? Not like they are state champ and the jump is a big one, their U18 girls programs are regional dwellers so maybe just stock up your D2 squad instead of entering a youth team which will be utterly horrible.

Budget cuts at Dandy so fringe players considering there options.

Metro two in U18's is that same as regional in all other age groups, it is flat out horrible and you can't deny that. Yes youth league is all about development, but surely some form of standards must be kept/set?

Both those clubs would have gringe worthy girls programs, so why let them expand until they can fix up their junior program?

Southern Pen had their U18 VC bench players in Youth League this year, and they had to play some good hoops just to break even in the comp, those bench players would beat Mornington's senior team let alone their proposed youth league team.

So again I ask, why don't you just grab the one or two "ok" players and put them in the senior squad?

Anon.
The flyer on their website advertises tryouts for Youth Men AND Women.
Wether or not they're accepted is another matter, but it appears they intend to enter both.

Yes i agree, they were however i was talking about youth league mate

Their starting 5 were in the women's team, and their bench were youth league. Read what i wrote again mate

Here we go, dealing with plebs again.... No point arguing with retards, but trust me that the large majority of youth league were their bench player OR bench player who quit playing because they were not happy with court time in U18's.

Not sure if the League will accept more than one new team into 2015 D1M competition - I assume Craigieburn will be relegated after a very poor season and return to D2M.

I'd imagine Shepparton get first option into D1M but whether Casey would also be promoted is subject to League & Club approval.

I guess the League could expand D1M into two Divisions of 8 teams to make this work but then they would need to play 22 games for the season.

I am hoping that Shepparton go up to D1, would be great to see them climb back up to their former glory days!

There are some decent young players out Shepparton way Ashke, not sure how strong the seniors will be as that will provide the backbone of the team if they go to D1, but I would also like to see them up there...

@Bear, good call and if they could get a few of their seniors to come back to the club they would be more than competitive in D1.

@Bear... Take it from someone who lives here. We've got a REALLY bright future.. whole D2 championship team could have played YL. Personally I hope they go up to div 1, but another year in D2 with our younger players getting heavy minutes over Summer in CBL would do wonders.

It's not a matter of getting guys to return. It's about developing the ones we have... A lot of the ones possible to get back are guards anyway and we have plenty of them so it's not a huge stress.

Southern Peninsula women looking to go to State Championship.

Southern Peninsula women looking to go to State Championship.


Seriously!!!????? Think they need to be competitive in div1 first

Yeah I think you might find that it was more than just Bartlett that was too old for YL. Ian Wright is older than Bartlett and the Import wouldn't of been able to play YL either. However, they do have a very strong mix of young talent coming through none the less.

How will Shepparton's Women's team go this coming season? Last year their best player was Barton by a country mile and she is in year 12 this year, will she be moving on to Uni or going back to Bendigo now that her study isn't so full on?

The D1M competition was already chocoblock in 2014, surely there can't be too many additions to the comp without a few teams going down as well?

Facts mean that the statement is true, if you actually read what has been said then have a look back over the season, you will find that what Ashke is saying IS fact and that the rubbish Anon is going on about IS NOT fact.

What would one class as competitive? I thought Sth Pen did a reasonable job in D1W all things considered.

I expect with Gerard taking the role as coach of Sharks women we'll see a little less hype and alot more W's.

Have you seen the standard of ylw, it's worse than un18 div1 in VJBL in many cases,

A lot of agendas and rants going on here, and not a lot of actual fact or intelligence. Why is it a great concern if a YL team plays with 6 or 7? You honestly don't need anymore than that at YL1, YL Champ might be a little more demanding however YL1 & now YL2 certainly is not.

If the Southern Pen YL program was a joke, what are your highly regarded thoughts on the teams that finished below them? What are your thoughts on the players who played YL to gain much needed experience to then go on and win the National Classic and VC title with their U18 team??? No doubt you have thought of these answers whilst living in your grandmas basement playing Sim City.

Yes U18 VC (girls) is stronger than YL, whats your point? Nothing new there, U18 VC top 4 teams would beat the large majority of D1 women's team, but again, nothing new there.

Yes the jump from juniors to seniors in the mens is hugely different than that of the women's side of things, again, nothing new there. Solid U18 VC girls would easily slot in to Champ or D1 teams, where on the boys side of things you might find it a lot tougher to do the same.

@Ashke, playing SIM City in grandma's basement, classic pisser mate...

Great news for Stingray program, every qualified and experience basketball person they can add to their program is a bonus for their growth and development I believe!

Saw via Keilor Thunder's facebook that they have been accepted into VYC men and Div 1 Men.
The youth is completely understandable but struggling to see how a team that snuck into 4th place and swept in the first round of finals can be promoted into D1

Ahh they snatched up Kaban,
Good get by them!

Nothing is approved until the Big V AGM which I believe is the 15th Nov.

What Keilor have probably received is confirmation their applications will be recommended by Big V Executive be accepted by the Club Delegates at AGM.

Decisions have been made this week by Big V on recommending/rejecting all new entry applications & division change requests.

VP you are wrong on the division change side of things, new teams yes, but teams simply moving divisions is a Big V call and does not go to the AGM.

I thought the changes to Divisions gets presented to the Clubs at the Pre-AGM for discussion then voted at the AGM but you could well be right.

Ahhh time will tell haha

Stingrays Basketball announces open try-outs for the 2015 State Championship Men's program.
Head Coach Mark Leader welcomes all interested players in the regional and metro areas wishing to advance their basketball in the Stingrays program to attend these open scrimmages.

Details:

Session 1: Friday 17th October, 6.30pm
Session 2: Friday 24th October, 6.30pm
Venue:
Geelong Basketball Netball Centre
1 Crown Street, South Geelong.

*Please bring a light & Dark reversible.

Full details here: http://www.foxsportspulse.com/assoc_page.cgi?client=1-7333-0-0-0&&news_task=DETAIL&articleID=31847957

Southern Pens new import just boarded a plane to Aus and Darren Best got cut in England. Be interesting to see if he gets picked up by another club.

Yes Max Allin is back, had to make it a bit more exciting than it really was.Not much happening at this time of year :( Manny Hendrix is back in town saw him down the shops.

Will be very interesting to see if the new coach Mark Leader will make changes at Corio Bay, the roster last year was pretty good but some have moved on, as they always do.

Imports will again be a key, last year's imports were very good, but didn't quite get it done when it counted. Good luck to Mark and the new team, I think they will be a very strong outfit again in Champs Div 2015...

What are your thoughts on hutchy returning to the Cats bear ?
Able replacement for Goodgame ? They playing finals again in 2015?

Daz Best is straight back to Chelsea as he signed with them before he left for UK and is there together with Corey, Vlad and Branko, returning players from last year.

Firstly Billy, Hutch is a great team man and top bloke, he was very valuable to the Stringrays in their initial entry into the Big V and helped them gain success. Now he can play a mentoring role and I think will certainly be an asset to the Supercats Big V D1 team.

He has gone on record, I think if they win it he will probably pull the pin an a long career, but with Hutchy you just never know. He loves the sport and is working hard at training to stay fit, along with other veterans like Keith Harrison and Seb Loader, they do bring quite a bit of experience.

Can the team play off in 2015, yes of course they can, like any team if they stay healthy and play smart they will be there IMHO...

Has Bulleen done anything?

good returning group for Chelsea but a lot of guys that like to shoot and not play defense

Happy days did you even read the article I chose to leave because I had been offered a job by other teams now not knowing who you are because you are not using your name unless you have played as a pro player traveld around the world had your education paid for at a USA college you don't know what your talking about.
I've been lucky enough to be paid to play basketball for a while now and will continue to do so until I chose not to. Other than that best of lucky to everyone in the bigv I will be back as soon as my season is over in the uk mid April some time.

No argument there about Hutchy, Bear. Top fella.
Good luck to the cats this year. Will be another great year in D1.

If people are going to get up on this thread and start shredding other people I suggest do the same thing like Darren and put your name to your useless comments so we can see if they hold merit, otherwise shut the fuck up and go back to your pointless life.

We are all with you Mr Shaker.

Stingrays sign 6'9 US import Jordan Latham|
Fri 23rd January 2015 | @StingraysMedia

Stingrays Basketball is pleased to announce the signing of Jordan Latham as one of the clubs "State Championship" Men USA import players for 2015.

The 6’9 shot blocking centre will arrive in Geelong on the 13th February before the “State Championship” season opener on 14th March after a successful college career at the Layola University Maryland. Latham is eager to start his professional career and is exciting to sign with Stingrays Basketball, “I am really excited about heading to Australia, I hear it is beaufiful and the people are ward and friendly. The Stingrays organisation is a powerful and winning program and I am excited to be apart of this program” said Latham.

Latham was asked what the Stingrays fans can expect to see from him this season at Stingray Stadium, “I anticipate on showing my overall game and my passion for winning. In my college career I have been apart of winning teams and I plan on bringing the same winning mentality to the Stingrays” said Latham.

“The ways in which I will impact the team is by being the ultimate team player. I will do whatever it takes in order for my team to win. I will also bring a well-rounded defensive game to this team. Weather its getting a big stop on defense or making the right play in order for the team to win” said Latham.

Stingrays head coach Mark Leader was looking for some additional size to support Ma’alo Hicks and is pleased in signing the big centre from Baltimore, “The big appeal of Jordan was his length (7’2 wingspan). We expect him to be a shot changer and be a big help to Ma’alo in the paint this year” said Leader.

The Stingrays continue with their pre-season and will continue to announce signings for the 2015 list over the fortnight.

The first pre-season match is Friday 13th February at the Geelong Basketball Netball Centre, 6.30pm tip off vs a USA Touring team.

Full article at coriobaybasketball.com: http://www.foxsportspulse.com/assoc_page.cgi?client=1-7333-0-0-0&&news_task=DETAIL&articleID=33148008

https://www.facebook.com/coriobaybasketball

Congrats to Ashke on his new album:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k0oCCtZ_uNA

I thought we would expose Ashke singing abilities.Who won at Sth Pen yesterday.Couldnt drag myself off the beach....

Happy Days, that youtube clip has made me want to change my name on here lol

thank-you for your kind words about my mental state and that of my team mates. Please do not shy away from enlightening us with further insights but please do put your name to it if you'd like to have more credibility than a troll...

Hume city sign luke egan, mark berezdecky and kewal shiels

That anon was obviously a troll Seb, has no idea what's really going on, I would ignore post 041 altogether.