WABL Wrap Week 5 – 22/5/22
Round 5 – A lot talk about leadership from our coaches this week, fantastic to see our athletes stepping up when needed!
All of our “Player of the Game” superstars will receive a FREE PIZZA from our friends at Domino’s Kalamunda – Thanks Guys!
Players of the round:
Kaia Rukuata (14-1 Girls) – Kaia dominated offensively with 21 points while also providing rim protection at the defensive end.
Tala Avia (12-2 Boys) – Someone poked the bear! After a few weeks of working on footwork, body position and balance Tala put it all into action on Sunday. Not only did Tala score 14 points, with several late game baskets, he defended all game. Tala pulled in countless rebounds and made good decisions with the ball in the back-court, something we have been working hard on. As the starters took to the centre of the court for the jump ball, we spoke as a group about how to begin the game and our focus. Tala embodied what I expect in a leader. Whoever was on the court with him, at any stage in the game knew that Tala was there and had their back. Tala played the ‘Warrior’ position in our defence and on Sunday, no-one could have done it better. From the beginning jump ball until the end of the fourth quarter people knew Tala was on the court and his presence was felt.
U12 GIRLS (LAWRENCE WEST)
Won against Rockingham Flames (42 – 20)
COACHES NOTES
A real team effort this week with everyone getting points on the board! Our defensive rebounding continues to improve weekly and it’s great to see the whole team hungry for them. We are sharing the ball well and showing confidence in our team mates which is nice to see.
PLAYER OF THE GAME
Chelsea Parker – Chelsea showed great leadership this week, controlling the tempo of our offense and making great decisions with her shot selections & passes
U12 BOYS (LIZZIE FALCONBRIDGE)
Loss against Warwick Senators (45 – 50)
COACHES NOTES
Great team work offensively with great passing throughout the whole game.
PLAYER OF THE GAME
AJ Mok – His hard work at training is finally paying off in the games finishing off with 16 points and always putting 110% on the defensive end. Great shooting day including 4/5 from the 3 point range, next step is to become more aggressive driving to the basket.
OTHER HIGHLIGHTS
Nate Miles – Like always, hustled the whole game to one both end of the court. Great at setting up his team mates for the open shot.
Dave Brar – Stepping up defensively every week. Great to see him getting back to his driving game and using his athleticism on the defensive end.
Leyton Rooke – Fought hard all game on the boards to keep to the score board ticking over. Awesome to see him growing week by week.
U12 BOYS (JOEL WARNER)
Won against Rockingham Flames (47 – 35)
COACHES NOTES
Our team won the game on Sunday. As such, all players were responsible and deserve to feature in the wrap-up. Chad, led from the front. Chad rebounded and hurled the team into transition in the third and fourth quarters, with his typical energy. Chad was a big part of the ‘oomph’ that helped our team to win. His partner in crime was Ethan. Ethan’s enthusiasm for his teammates is infectious and his up-beat attitude is highly valuable. Ethan made a statement at Thursday’s practice and that flowed over into the game. Every team would be better with an Ethan in it! Adam started the second half and gave valuable minutes. Again, he rebounded and brought positivity to his team, along with a positive voice during time-outs. Adam has already learned several offensive and defensive positions, which helps him to be versatile, a great asset to the team. Asten, is building in confidence and this was his best game. Asten competed very well defensively and contested physically when rebounding. He worked hard to get back in defence and his time on court was impactful. Asten hit a jump shot when we needed to settle in the third quarter and boy did the team get a lift from that! Reed, another energy player hit a jump shot in the third quarter which gave the team belief. Following a time-out Reed gave some wonderful encouragement to the team and those intangible efforts can be huge when the game is in the balance. Reed’s learning curve has been massive and he puts the work in every single Thursday at practice. I am pleased he was part of our success on Sunday. The balance of scoring across out team on Sunday was exceptional and should be noted. As a coach, I don’t mind who scores, I care about getting the ball to the person in the best position to score. With that in mind, the facilitation from Zach, Jeremy and Sam in the fourth quarter was outstanding. Sam managed the game tempo in the fourth quarter, which was his primary focus and the only job I asked him to do to close out the game. Sam supported good shot selection and balance on both ends of the court. Zach, when the team was a point down in the fourth quarter, ran the exact set I asked him to run, to perfection, resulting in a score and momentum. Zach played through some pain and his grit is valued. Jeremy played important fourth quarter minutes and was organised both offensively and defensively. Jeremy supported a strong fourth quarter trap, which led to a shift in momentum. To execute a technical style of basketball under that amount of pressure shows that what we are learning is paying off. We are building three ‘floor generals’ that can engage all other players to score. Finally… Rylan. Rylan was given huge responsibility in the third and fourth quarters on the defensive end of the court and he delivered. In several key moments that turned the game, Rylan was responsible. Structurally he held our fourth quarter trap in place and caused several late game turnovers. Rylan put up important fourth quarter points and his motivation to defend was critical in our win. Well done Rylan.
PLAYER OF THE GAME
Tala Avia. Someone poked the bear! After a few weeks of working on footwork, body position and balance Tala put it all into action on Sunday. Not only did Tala score 14 points, with several late game baskets, he defended all game. Tala pulled in countless rebounds and made good decisions with the ball in the back-court, something we have been working hard on. As the starters took to the centre of the court for the jump ball, we spoke as a group about how to begin the game and our focus. Tala embodied what I expect in a leader. Whoever was on the court with him, at any stage in the game knew that Tala was there and had their back. Tala played the ‘Warrior’ position in our defence and on Sunday, no-one could have done it better. From the beginning jump ball until the end of the fourth quarter people knew Tala was on the court and his presence was felt.
OTHER HIGHLIGHTS
I’d like to thank the boys for sticking to the game plan. I am focussing on basketball IQ and teaching the boys how to read defences and how to counter with effective offences. How to balance the court and the key concepts of timing, spacing and movement. For a bunch of 10-year-old boys, it’s a lot to take in. But we are learning a lot and it is paying off. This was our first game with 10 available players and the result is more reflective of our ability. I am very pleased that they experienced some success on Sunday in what is a tough league. We are starting to develop our own identity and I’m enthusiastic that it’s built around grit, basketball IQ, positive energy and fair-play.
U12 BOYS (TIM HART)
Won against Mandurah Magic (60 – 31)
COACHES NOTES
After another slow start defensively in Q1, the boys picked up their defensive pressure from Q2 and held it through the game, forcing turn-overs and providing more opportunities to score. Xavier Shaw sat on the bench with the team, cheered us on and provided some tips to the boys.
PLAYER OF THE GAME
Mathew Berkout for 25 points, solid defence as well as assistance bringing the ball up the court safely. Mathew also completed some effective pass and cuts to get easier buckets, good to see what we focus on in training coming out in the game.
OTHER HIGHLIGHTS
Great to have development players getting up early and joining us. I’m sure they provide an extra source of energy for their team mates.
U14 GIRLS (ANDREW HERBERT)
Won against Lakeside Lightning (62 – 36)
COACHES NOTES
This was something of danger game where the low ladder position of the Lakeside team was not reflective of their ability. The girls had to work hard in the first half to build a lead which then enabled them to pull away in quarters 3 and 4 through sustained team defence and full court pressure. Every player contributed to the result with a good percentage boost.
PLAYER OF THE GAME
Kaia Rukuarta- Kaia dominated offensively with 21 points while also providing rim protection at the defensive end.
OTHER HIGHLIGHTS
Great effort from Brooklyn West in applying full court pressure and forcing important turnovers. Holly and Isla did a great job breaking the back court pressure to create an advantage for other players through quick ball movement.
U14 GIRLS (JEMMA / JAYMEE)
Loss against Rockingham Flames (30 – 25)
COACHES NOTES
Defence was outstanding from all the girls
PLAYER OF THE GAME
Maria as she didn’t give up at all and didn’t stop bringing energy to the team. She is a great leader and reads the game very well. Maria’s defence is the best in our team and never fails to put pressure on the ball and to get some stops. She did an awesome job this week
U14 BOYS (ROB REES)
Loss against Warwick Senators (50 – 51)
COACHES NOTES
Our start to the game was great and contributions from all players were good.
PLAYER OF THE GAME
Kobe Seubert as he has done in the past few games he lead from the front and controlled the ball
OTHER HIGHLIGHTS
Hudson Anton had a great game returning from covid, the week off must have done him a lot of good.
U14 BOYS (THOR AMUNDSEN)
Loss against Lakeside Lightning (46 – 64)
COACHES NOTES
A tough effort from our team against a good opposition. Building our defensive intent and patient offence were key objectives and were a big step in the right direction. Missing our big man, our three forwards played big and worked well on the boards. Foul trouble limited their defensive progress but showed that we can match the oppo bigs with the right intent. Much improved court defence and use of the motion, the group is building week by week.
PLAYER OF THE GAME
Jaxon MacPherson gave everything he had to combat their bigs and certainly held his own, pulling down multiple rebounds and building his offensive presence..
OTHER HIGHLIGHTS
Odin Amundsen returned from a break with some important buckets and showed his defensive work rate is an important part of this teams progress. Taj Jeffery was great at both ends of the court, developing into a fine court leader. Hayden Parker demonstrated some great ball use and control in setting up the offence.
U14 BOYS (LUKE POYNER)
Won against Perth Redbacks (66 – 57)
COACHES NOTES
A good win for the team today. A strong start to the game saw us establish an early lead that we maintained for much of the game. Tough defensive pressure worked well for us even with a reduced roster against a full strength team. Offensive movement gave us plenty of opportunities to score during the game, and the boys truly stepped up in the last quarter to dominate control of the ball to secure the win. Its fantastic to see the team continually improving, and this week was no exception.
PLAYER OF THE GAME
Jackson Bailey – Played a fantastic game today and was a rallying point for the team. Kept plenty of pressure on the ball defensively, and created many scoring opportunities with 11 points and several assists.
OTHER HIGHLIGHTS
Jensen Poyner was strong on the boards inside the key on both ends of the court. He controlled defensive rebounds in the back court, and supported the team offensively with 12 points through put-backs and baseline cuts.
U14 BOYS (SHANNON TREW)
Won against Rockingham Flames (57 – 44)
COACHES NOTES
We got a lot of minutes into our development players and they were able to keep the momentum that the starting 5 started. A few players had their best games and had lots of smiles on their faces. My development big had a very good game and worked hard on his tasks/goals.
PLAYER OF THE GAME
Captain Jack Craven- Captain Jack lead from the front and helped to bring all the players into the game and also got a handy 30 points. Coach was able to relax on the bench as my leader controlled the court.
OTHER HIGHLIGHTS
Just the normal huge team effort, no Hero basketball.
U16 GIRLS (MATT HARDING)
Won against Perry Lakes Hawks (76 – 61)
COACHES NOTES
First 3 rounds we had really slow starts and the last 2 games the girls have worked extremely hard together to get off to a Strong Start and against Perry Lakes the girls absolutely jumped all over the Hawks both ends of the court in the 1st. In saying that the next 3 quarters was basically 1 point the difference in each. Our Suns girls are striving to be the best defensive team in our division, we still have a couple of issues regarding the boards but I can see that they are giving everything they have and I can’t ask for more than that as a Coach. I’d like to mention a couple of girls that are showing Great Team leadership towards not only their team mates but the opposition and officials, Lily Leeder and Skye Thomas
PLAYER OF THE GAME
Ana Vietter, Miss Vietter is the only junior in this Suns outfit her efforts in transition is Super impressive and even though she doesn’t hit Big numbers her ability to shut down opposition fast breaks and puts her heart and body on the line is really something special.
OTHER HIGHLIGHTS
Loana Avia and Hannah Willemse are working extremely hard on owning the paint in defence. Miss Willemse is in her first wabl year and she works extremely hard at training and the next 4 months I am more than confident that she will have a break out game. Susan Rammal is really starting to show what she is capable of, I guess all my yelling at her since November is paying off. Jokes aside she’s really starting to find her role as a team player and I’m super impressed.
U16 GIRLS (CHARLIE SMART)
Loss against Perth Redbacks (57 – 58)
COACHES NOTES
Although still impacted with Covid and down a player the girls started off strong holding a seasoned Redbacks to a couple of points difference. A strong third from Redbacks saw us around 15 points down going into the fourth where our girls knew they needed to dig deep. Some superb rebounding, keyway steals saw us claw back the margin. Key 3 pointers from Alex and a foul seeing Mila go to the line a few times sealing her free throws and superb rebounding from Amber saw us up by 3 with a minute left. Unfortunately, a fast break and a foul saw Redbacks regain the lead by 1 and although the girls tried everything in the last 30s luck wasn’t on their side with free throws seemingly bouncing out and shots not converting. Tremendous strength of character shown from all the girls who refused to give up and they fought until the final buzzer.
PLAYER OF THE GAME
Lila – was a defensive force both ends of the court. Securing some fantastic steals, hunting down her player forcing turnovers and selfless play always looking for her teammates.
OTHER HIGHLIGHTS
Huge thank you to our 2 U14 girls who stepped up after playing their own game to assist. Georgina and Holly.
U16 BOYS (BAILEY FERGUSON)
Won against Perry Lakes Hawks (82 – 58)
PLAYER OF THE GAME
Blake Thomas – Blake used his build and strength to his advantage penetrating the gaps and making the right decisions from a cheeky layup to a pass to the open man. On the defensive end, Blake was very active contesting most shots and grabbing many rebounds.
U16 BOYS (LACHIE RILEY)
Loss against Joondalup Wolves (69 – 78)
COACHES NOTES
We maintained continuous flow of points which was a goal the team was aiming for. Defensively the team played 3 very competitive quarters.
PLAYER OF THE GAME
Jack Dowd, Jack played with excellent efficiency. It is amazing what a player can achieve when they give 100% for all tasks including the 1%ers. Great shooting, great positioning, great takes. Well done Jack.
U16 BOYS (RAE D’SYLVA)
Loss against Rockingham Flames (52 – 91)
COACHES NOTES
When the ball moved the team looked in control. Few Standouts on defence.
PLAYER OF THE GAME
Rajzhan D’sylva. His decision making on court was good and played some great defence.
OTHER HIGHLIGHTS
We were short of players this week with three boys not available last minute but the team were able to do their best .
U16 BOYS (TYRON NEIL)
Won against Rockingham Flames (74 – 58)
COACHES NOTES
Rockingham Flames set a really good 2-3 zone defense which shutdown our fastbreak transition game from the start. The boys were able to utilize our team set plays giving us another avenue to score and come away with a 16 point win.
PLAYER OF THE GAME
Link West was brilliant in defense causing crucial turnovers and was influential in the 3rd quarter where we scored 30-17 and took the game back after being 5 points down at halftime.
OTHER HIGHLIGHTS
Our interchange players stood up especially in the 3rd quarter and played a crucial role in the game when it was needed most.
U18 GIRLS (DYSON LOWE)
Won against Perry Lakes Hawks (84 – 75)
COACHES NOTES
Absolutely proud of the girls today we only had 7 due to injuries and Covid but they played their hearts out and got the win. The girls played amazing defence making the hawks lives very difficult. Offensively we moved the ball well and had a great shooting day (finally). Extremely happy with the girls efforts to keep pushing through will minimal subs.
PLAYER OF THE GAME
Grace O‘ Meara Smith. She had an excellent game today, shooting the ball well, driving to the hoop and moving the ball around. Defensively she did an amazing job staying in front, standing up tall on drives and rebounding the ball. Graces effort and energy was amazing and did anything she was asked for the team. Fire up Grace!
OTHER HIGHLIGHTS
Abby killed it dominating on the offensive end and keeping the girls calm. She’s grown as a leader and a player and today showed it.
U18 BOYS (COOPER LOWE)
Loss against Perry Lakes Hawks (59 – 107)
COACHES NOTES
The way they started the game was great, got good shots and made life as hard as possible for the other team. But for the remainder of the game we had no effort and body language was poor, which is something they all need to work on for next weekend.
PLAYER OF THE GAME
Jed Jones, he spoke to me about what he needs to improve on and he did that over the weekend.
U18 BOYS (ANGUS HYWOOD)
Loss against Lakeside Lightning (64 – 82)
COACHES NOTES
This weekend’s game unfortunately once again was taken away from us in the last quarter and a bit. We continue as a group to start so incredibly well and then as the game’s intensity builds, we lose our motivation and when our heads drop so to we then drop winnable games. This purely has come from a lack of taking the little moments serious and this includes trainings, as a group we must motivate ourselves from within by being present in every moment of basketball. We must be practicing with intent and conviction, we must be training at game speed with game shots. The lazy layups, the poor passes, trick shooting, not competing at your best to then build your team mates skill level alongside you is something that we must change as a group!
We CAN turn this season around, we must WANT to turn it around first!
PLAYER OF THE GAME
Todays game deserves 2 Players of the round – Alex Cunningham our big man really dominated the paint both ends all game! Alex attacked the rim with aggression and looked to finally find his groove, getting the dish passes in the paint finishing strong, rebounding everything and hosting a block party down our defensive end. Harrison Hart- Harrison is widely renowned as a sharp shooter in any league/Division and that is exactly what we got from him today. Harrison was an absolute sniper putting up 18 points with 4 3Points and perfect 6 from the free throw line! As much as Harrison is an offensive threat it is defensively where he earned the recognition. Guarding the point guard every possession and doing it with no letting up!
OTHER HIGHLIGHTS
U18 BOYS (HAYDEN BIRD)
Loss against Warwick Senators (44 – 109)
COACHES NOTES
First half of the game being able to be and stay consistent. While also taking on the huge team they we here even our little guys where grabbing rebounds and stopping the big fellas form scoring.
PLAYER OF THE GAME
Tyson gerragthy, was our only big and had to play a lot of time on the court never once dropped his head and was there to help his teammates out in anyway shape or form.
OTHER HIGHLIGHTS
Going up against a top and big team like Warwick and to see how the boys fought and played in the beginning was a major highlight and shows the potential we have for the season.
U18 BOYS (RICK BATISTA)
Loss against Perth Redbacks (64 – 69)
COACHES NOTES
We have so much room for Improvement and you can tell these kids want that too it’s very pleasing. Fundamentally we blew 6-7 wide open layups and probably got ahead of ourselves using fancy moves. When we keep our team structure and execute fundamentals this team will do great things.
PLAYER OF THE GAME
Jet Olsen – keeps working hard no matter what for his team, gets ahead of the opposition’s defence every week and continues to give us great scoring punch off the bench
OTHER HIGHLIGHTS
Kalvyn Batista’s game this week was a standout and if not for Jets great game, he could well have been player of the week. His 4 blocks from small forward were pivotal in changing the opposition’s structure and took the ball into the he paint all day, putting their bigs in foul trouble. Michael Luce continues to shine through as a leader in this group with not only important buckets but his ability to talk and communicate, show me that we have a future leader amongst us.
U20 BOYS (DAN VLAHOV)
Won against Willeton Tigers (62 – 54)
COACHES NOTES
This week saw our three season top scorers (including our two starting bigs) not taking the floor and this left the question as to our capacity to score & defend without them. This question was answered defensively with the Tigers being held to just 54 points (their second lowest score to date) whilst at the offensive end we were able to do enough to recover after losing the 1st quarter by 2 to gain, and defend, a 4 to 6 point lead for the remaining 3 quarters of the game never losing the lead and finishing 8 points up. Well done team!
Everyone gets a mention this week as it was a solid team effort starting with Ethan Nash who led the floor and showed great intensity and leadership at both ends along with Noah Jacques, Bart Kongor and Alex Jenkins for quality contributions defensively whilst generating positive actions in offensive. Jack Burrowes, Stephen Phipps, Austin Cole, Matt Canny and Jason Moore were also strong contributors and have all assisted to move us 1 more spot up the ladder into 4th.
Thanks to Aaron Weldelassie, Will Comerford & Cayden Ivankovich for coming down to support their team mates even though they were not suiting up.
PLAYER OF THE GAME
Rory McCarthy for stepping up in the absence of the starting bigs with some solid defensive work and a handy 8 points.