Saturday 17th June 2017
GAME NIGHT PROGRAM SATURDAY 17th JUNE 2017 Printed by
14 Hepner Place North Geelong 3215 Ph: 52722558
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TRIPLE HEADERS Big V D1 WOMEN – 3:00PM SEABL WOMEN – 5:00PM SEABL MEN – 7:00PM TONIGHT’S GAME IS SPONSORED BY
FROM THE FRONT OFFICE We’re over the hump and heading for home and we need your support to make 2017 as successful for the club as possible. Our teams are sitting in the top 3 in both leagues and as they strive to make this a championship year, we need the city of Geelong to get behind them. After tonight we have nearly a month break in home games, but that break is followed by 5 STRAIGHT games at the Geelong Arena, which then leads straight into finals… so brace yourselves Supercats fans, you are about to take it up a level… If you are currently a Supporter, not a Member, the club has an awesome 5 GAME MEMBERSHIP package available to purchase for the remainder of the season. Not only will this package get you entry into the 5 remaining home games (from July 15 to August 5) but we’ll throw in tickets to our first home final (which our teams are very close to locking in). So drop into the shop tonight and become a member of the Geelong Supercats. It has been a successful few weeks for our SEABL Men with important wins against Nunawading and Kilsyth, and a road win against Canberra. The only negative is a calf injury to Jamie Medved suffered in the dying minutes of the Nunawading game… read all about the injury in our Geelong Addy wrap later in the program. The next two games could be season defining, Mt Gambier here tonight and them Mt Gambier on the road next Friday. Sitting at 11-1 on top of the East Conference these are two very very tough games for our men and they are going to need your help as the 6th man on the court tonight to get over the line. For the women a slightly light schedule over the past few weeks, but again crucial wins against Canberra and Nunawading led into the BYE. The girls need to lock in wins now to ensure they are set up for a tough stretch that could happen without Sara Blicavs and Alex Bunton due to opals duties. Tonight opponents may have surprised a few, but as the development team for the WNBL Sydney Uni Flames they wont surprise our girls. David Herbert and his team are ready to go and ready to lock in win number 8 in a row. Finally our next home game will be headlined by the return of Shane Heal & Cal Brunton to the Geelong Arena. A Sportsmans Dinner, followed by the SEABL Men’s clash with the Melbourne Tigers is a great way to take in all the action of the night. Tickets for the dinner will be on-sale next week, with the dinner concluding in time for tip off. We hope that you will join us to hear from these two former greats of the Supercats and support the club at our major function of the season. Enjoy the night #SeeRed #SupercatsFamily Regards, Dean Anglin CEO
MATCH DAY PREVIEWS MEN Luina Geelong Supercats (3rd East Conference 10-4) vs. Mt Gambier (1st East Conference 11-1) @ Geelong Arena, Saturday 7:00pm REFRESHED after a week off, the Luina Geelong Supercats return to the court to take on the high-flying Mt Gambier. The Pioneers arrive at the Arena with the SEABL’s best record at 11-1 and riding a three-game winning streak. If the Supercats are to challenge Mt Gambier and Nunawading for a top-two finish in the East Conference this contest is almost must-win for Leon O’Neill’s men. It doesn’t get any bigger than what awaits us this Saturday night,” coach O’Neill said. “If we are to be successful against such a polished opponent we will once again need big contributions from all 10 players. In the games that we have won this year we have been able to spread the work load across the whole team which makes us difficult to predict and therefore slow down.” Like the Supercats, Mt Gambier has stars across the board. Import Daniel Alexander averages 18.8 points and 9.8 rebounds per game, while NBL experienced duo Tom Daly (17.5ppg) and Brad Hill (14.0) will also have to be respected. Not only can they score heavily, both have the ability to bring teammates into the contest, as reflected by both averaging 4.8 assists per game. Geelong duo Kris Blicavs and Kristian Rocci may find themselves assigned defensive roles throughout the night, which will hopefully turn into points for the likes of veteran shooter Nathan Herbert (21.2ppg) and import DeMarcus Gatlin (19.9ppg). It is the first of consecutive meetings between two of the SEABL’s most successful organisations, with the return bout back in Mt Gambier next Friday night.
WOMEN Luina Geelong Lady Supercats (2nd East Conference 9-3) vs. Sydney Uni Sparks (4th East Conference 6-6) @ Geelong Arena, Saturday 5:00pm ASKED at the start of the season if you’d be a happy with a 9-3 record entering the second half of 2017, most Geelong fans would have been content with .750 record. However, coach David Herbert knows there is much improvement in his squad as it looks to lock away a sixth consecutive post-season berth. The Lady Supercats bring an equal competition-best seven-match winning streak after what Herbert labelled a “lacklustre” 60-50 victory without star Sara Blicavs before the Queen’s Birthday break. “We have our full squad back for this game and I am excited to see us take on Sydney, which poses a huge threat to in the East Conference,” he said “A new team with talented individuals and the backing of a WNBL program are ingredients for this team to come in and serve it right up to us. Among those talented individuals is WNBA draftee Tahlia Tupaea. Taken with pick no.36 by Minnesota Lynx, Tupaea has backed up an impressive WNBL campaign with the Sydney Uni Flames by averaging 20.6 points, 7.6 rebounds and 4.6 assists per game so far in 2017 for the Sparks. She is also shooting the ball at an impressive 42.6 per cent. A Geelong win will not only consolidate its spot inside the East Conference top two, but also provide plenty of confidence heading into a returning meeting with Sydney Uni next Friday night in the Harbour City.
CLUB NEWS MY RUSSIAN EXPERIENCE OWUSU WAITING IN WINGS 8th June 2017 | Geelong Advertiser | DAMIEN RACTLIFFE
FORGOTTEN Supercat Nick Owusu has not given up hope of returning to the court this year despite an ongoing battle with knee tendinitis. The veteran point guard has not played since last year’s campaign-ending semi-final loss to Albury Wodonga, after a clean out in December. But with the SEABL side and his best mates Jamie Medved and Nathan Herbert in fine form, Owusu has not written off his season just yet. “I’m confident I’ll be back this year,” the 32-year-old said. “At times you think, ‘Is it going to get better? Is it going to heal?’ “It’s extremely frustrating to be honest. “Of course, I’m really happy for them (Medved and Herbert); they’re great mates of mine on and off the court and I’m genuinely happy to see them playing so well. “But, of course, for myself, I’m desperate to get back out there with those guys and the rest of the team because I feel like we’ve got a fantastic squad and at full strength we can beat anyone on our day.” The injury first flared up in the 2016 pre-season and after playing three matches early in the campaign he was sidelined for three months, before returning to the court for the last seven matches.
Nick Owusu is sponsored by
“I did a whole lot of rehab last year, missed a bunch of games through the middle season, and I came back, I think, the last month of season and played finals with the understanding that I was going to have to do something after the season to get it right,” he said. “Then I had surgery to try and remove some of the scar tissue and stuff, and an arthroscope, in December.” But Owusu said he planned to have returned to the court by now. “I was expecting maybe the first month to miss,” he said. “There are times when it does feel good and then potentially trying to work harder to get back quicker, maybe there’s been times when I’ve pushed it too hard. “For whatever reason it might not feel right or gets some soreness and I’ll have to scale things back. “I’ve changed my thinking that way to gradual steps and increments as opposed to trying to double the weight I’m pushing each week.” Owusu said he would not rush to return but still hoped to play a part this season. “I’m not trying to push it; it’s difficult to get any timeline, it’s really how the body responds,” he said. “I think in the next six to eight weeks that I’ll be able to at least start doing some training on court. “There are other people that have had career ending injuries, but I’ve got plenty of fire to play at least a few more seasons. I still think my best basketball is ahead of me and I still plan on going and winning another championship with the Supercats.” Photo credit: Nigel Hallet Geelong Advertiser
CLUB NEWS MY RUSSIAN EXPERIENCE SUPERCATS INJURY CLOUD 15th
June 2017 | Geelong Advertiser | DAMIAN RACTLIFFE
GEELONG Supercats veteran Jamie Medved is likely to miss Saturday night’s clash against ladder leader Mt Gambier after a calf injury in the win over Nunawading a fortnight ago. Coach Leon O’Neill said he would take no risks with the 34year-old, despite the importance of Saturday night’s home game. “It’s one of those things, if it was a final we would play him but we’ll just have to see how he’s responded to treatment over the last half a dozen days, and we’ll wait as late as possible with him,” O’Neill said. “If there’s any risk at all we wouldn’t take it. “We’ll have to wait and see how he gets through practice this week and given his age and the fact it is a soft tissue injury, you want to make sure you get them right. Outside of Jamie, everyone’s fit and we’ll be raring to go, I’m sure.” Mt Gambier has been the powerhouse side this season, winning a formidable 11 of 12 games and its recent record against Geelong is strong. The Pioneers smashed the Supercats 97-74 when they travelled to Geelong in April last year, before prevailing 98-87 in their July home game.
Jamie Medved is sponsored by
O’Neill admitted his side faced its toughest task yet. “We like to play the best and Mt Gambier is certainly that,” he said. “They’ve come to Geelong the last couple of times played us and really embarrassed us — they’ve beaten us by big scores. Coming off the bye, they’ve had the same opportunity (to freshen up) as us. We’re really looking forward to the challenge.” O’Neill said his side would take it up to the ladder leader. “We thought we played some good basketball before the bye, beating both Nunawading and Kilsyth away, and we’re looking forward to seeing where that (form) leaves us as far as giving these guys a good run for their money,” he said. “We’ll be wary of what they’ve done in the past ... making sure we do come ready to play. If we do come switched on and ready to play, I think we can hold our own with anyone in the league.”
Information supplied by www.menshealthweek.org.au and used with permission of the Canadian Men’s Health Foundation
LUINA GEELONG SUPERCATS SEABL WOMEN Number
Full Name
Position
Player Sponsor
Age
2
Ellen Kett
Guard
23
5
Alex Duck
Guard
26
8
Agnes Emma-Nnopu
Guard/Forward
16
9
Chantel Horvat
Forward
18
13
Alex Bunton
Centre
23
15
Sara Blicavs
Forward
24
20
Ebony Rolph
Forward
22
24
Isabella Brancatisano
Guard
22
19
Georgia Tauschke
Guard
21
30
Charlotte Brancatisano
Guard
20
44
Eve Braslis
Forward
17
Head Coach Assistant Coaches Team Manager & Assistant Team Managers Strength & Conditioning Coach Physio
David Herbert Glenn Sharp & Darren Busuttil Beth Davis, Marcus Lovell & Malik Davis Chelsey Cameron provided by Corio Bay Health Group
SYDNEY UNI SEABL WOMEN Number
Full Name
Position
Age
2
Susannah Walmsley
Guard
26
3
Serika Shillingsworth.
Guard
18
4
Tahlia Tupaea
Guard
20
6
Emily Matthews
Guard
18
8
Charlie Evans
Guard
18
10
Shanae Greaves
Centre
23
11
Kimberley Hodge
Forward
19
12
Natalia Beaumont
Forward
18
14
Lara McSpadden
Forward
18
22
Madeleine O’Hehir
Forward
19
55
Chloe Morrissey
Guard
18
Head Coach Assistant Coach Team Manager
Cheryl Chambers Mark Alabakov Natalie Donnelly
NEXT HOME GAME SUNDAY 9th JULY vs KILSYTH WOMEN 12pm & MEN 2pm
LUINA GEELONG SUPERCATS SEABL MEN Number
Full Name
Position
Player Sponsor
Age
5
DeMarcus Gatlin
Combo Guard
24
8
Kris Blicavs
Combo Gard
28
9
Nick Owusu
Point Guard
32
11
Nathan Herbert
Shooting Guard
32
15
Ma'alo Hicks
Power Forward
29
17
Nathan Freind
Guard
26
21
Kristian Rocci
Shooting Guard
23
24
Liam McInerney
Power Forward
26
42
Eric Gaff
Centre
30
52
Jamie Medved
Shooting Guard
34
54
Ash Cannan
Power Forward
35
Head Coach
Assistant Coach Team Manager & Assistant Team Managers Physio
Leon O’Neill
Luke Beauglehall Jesse Drever, Nathan Scarlett & Marcus Lovell provided by Corio Bay Health Group
MT GAMBIER SEABL MEN Number
Full Name
Position
Age
3
Lachie Hunter
Forward
18
5
Tom Daly
Guard
25
6
Luke Jamieson
Forward
22
7
Daniel Alexander
Forward
25
10
Brad Hill
Guard
30
13
Matt Sutton
Guard
32
15
John Jones
Centre
25
9
Jack Madgen
Guard
23
41
Erik Burdon
Guard
32
42
Kane DeWitt
Guard
19
Richard Hill Ryan Meakin Deb Bowman
Head Coach Assistant Coach Physio
NEXT HOME GAME SUNDAY 9th JULY vs KILSYTH WOMEN 12pm & MEN 2pm
SEABL LADDERS EAST CONFERENCE UP TO ROUND 10
SEABL MEN
SEABL WOMEN
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