Sabresmagazine2006 web

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Contents A message from the President

2

Free Throws - Everybody takes them differently

37

A welcome from Vince

4

U14G&B East Coast Tour - Road to Gundagai

38

Lady Sabres

5

U16G1 The going gets tough

40

ABA Men

8

U16G2 Expect the unexpected

41

The Big V Results

10

U16G3 Do as I do. Our girls learn from the best

42

VBL in review

12

U16G4 Keep on keeping on

43

Boys Program

14

Time Outs

44

Girls Program

15

U16B1 Top of the crop

46

U12G1 Under the watchful eye

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U16B2 Listen and learn. These boys are there

47

U12G2 From zeroes to heroes

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U16B3 Sweat and tears

48

U12G3 Have come so far

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U16B4 Turning challenges into positives

49

U12G4 Expecting big things

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U16B5 Enjoy each others company. That’s club spirit

49

Shootathon 2006

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U16B6 From humble beginnings

51

U12B1 VC and proud of it

22

Nunawading Tournament

52

U12B2 2 coaches 2 good

23

U18G1 Lead by example

54

U12B3 Bottom age but all grown up

24

U18G2 The highs and lows of rep ball

55

David Barlow From Sabre to King to Boomer

25

U18G3 Basketball is ABOUT hard work

56

Dandenong Tournament

26

Coaches

57

Thirsty Work

27

U18B1 Basketball makes boys of men

58

U14G1 The school of hard knocks

28

U18B2 Take challenges in their stride

59

U14G2 Hard work = success

29

Norwood Easter Classic

60

U14G3 Setting long term goals

30

The Bogut Show

61

U14G4 Sabres is about fun

31

The National Classic

62

U14B1 No job too tough

32

Refs!

63

U14B2 It’s about respect

33

U20B1 Launching pad for the future

64

U14B3 The future looks bright for Sabres

34

U20B2 The long hard yards

65

U14B4 Playing ball and loving it

35

Signatures

66

U14B5 Boys who rise to the challenge

36

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Sabres Spirit

The Sabres Spirit is alive and well in the souls of our members as we finish another very successful season.

Welcome to the first ever Sabres yearbook! This is a celebration of our fantastic Association and the people who make it the place that it is. It is the culmination of many months of hard work from a number of people who exemplify the ‘Sabres Spirit”. In particular, I would like to thank Murray Payne who has worked tirelessly taking photographs and putting this book together. I would also like to thank Judy Barlow for her constant efforts on this and many other projects. Take the time to read through this book from cover to cover and enjoy the stories and reports from all our teams. Each is just a small part of what makes the Sabres great.

Go Sabres!

Steven Lunardon President SBA

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Twelve 0r twenty the passion is the same...

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A welcome from Vince A SEASON OF TRIUMPHS

In a club filled with characters and exceptional athletes, we were able to chisel out a successful season with a blend of youth, experience and players reinventing themselves for the team.

The final sirens may have sounded on the end of the 2006 season but the Sabredome walls still resound with the cheers of the passing season. Our successes are not only measured by win loss ratios but are more likely seen on the faces of our players. The way they sweat at tryouts, sprint at training, run on to the court on game day, cheer on their team mates or just by the way they wear the orange and blue are often the more long term tangible by-products of a successful club than simply trophies on the wall.

Don’t be mislead, the pursuit of a teams best possible performances are paramount to our clubs growth but the challenge to become better player, coach, person or club will

be lessons long remembered long after the silverware and trophies have been forgotten.

Our triumphs as Minor Premiers in both ABA Big V Championships, our U16 Boys National Championship Win as well as many other tournament successes will see our club held in high esteem by the larger basketball community but it will always be the grit, endeavour and determination of our players as a whole that sees our supporters hold their heads high with pride when they cheer for the orange and blue.

The passion of our head coach shows through

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LADY SABRES RES

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COURAGE

Do not follow where the path may lead Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail...

For the first time since the Senior Women have been in the Big V competition, they have finished minor premiers for season 2006. Their journey started in early January, with a challenging preseason and culminated seven months and 22 games later on top of the ladder.

There were some new faces to the team that certainly added depth, experience and flair. WNBL players Caitlin Ryan, Sam Richards and Kylie Jordan joined the Sabres and had an immediate impact. Caitlin renowned for her “downtown” three pointers brought a definite perimeter game to the team. Kylie was very versatile and used in every spot on the floor both defensively and offensively. Sam is an “excitement machine” and could easily

Cherie SabresMagazine2006.indd 5

Norma

fill u p a highlights reel on her own. She was playing inspirational basketball when unfortunately she suffered a knee injury that ended her season with the Sabres.

Returning to the team after taking a year away for work commitments was Carla Mathisen. Carla brought the missing ingredient from last year’s team, being stability in the point guard position. Making the team for the first time after being in the squad was Michaela Davis. Mickey was the “energy” of the team. Natalie Burke and Talita Haddad both returnees,

Ed 5/9/06 1:04:18 PM

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ABA Women MINOR PREMIERS

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ABA Women 2006 SUPPORTING OUR JUNIORS

continued to improve and impress and showed rock solid commitment to the team. Sarah Fraser Jones had a slow start to the season recovering from glandular fever, but in typical Sarah fashion ended up attacking everything at 110% and hasn’t looked back. Sarah is off to the USA to play College basketball and of course get an education.

Our twin towers were back in action with three-time MVP winner, Tegan

Fowler and MVP and Top Rebounder, Alex Lough. These two players were our ‘inside presence” and continued to cause opposition teams plenty of headaches. Last, but certainly not least, was the captain, Bianca White.

Bincs epitomizes what the Sabres were about with her strong work ethic, great attitude, commitment to the team and desire to be successful.

Some words that the players came up with to represent the identity of the team were: united, respect, pride,

tight, positive and together as one.

The girls should be very proud of their efforts and achievements this season.

I think DELTA would have a smile on her face!!!

Thanks to all the helpers and supporters ....

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5/9/06 1:04:53 PM

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ABA Mens Big V NOTHING BUT THE BEST

Season 2006 ABA Men’s squad included the following athletes and support staff; Craig White (Capt) Steven Lunardon (Vice Capt) David Moore, Nathan Crosswell, Eric Wickstrom, Dean Rzechta, Luke Nielson, Sam Hurren, Tim Brooke, Brett Wheeler and Mark Whitehead. David Pummell (Ass Coach), Jamie Treasure (Ass Coach) Ian Jones (Team Man), Jordy Ryle (Ass Team Man), Nathan Jones (Ass Team Man) Sandringham Sports Medicine (Team Physios).

Season 2006 got underway in style, the team, missing some key additions including David Moore, and Mark Whithead won its first 10 games. Along the way, we managed to record some impressive scalps including Dandenong, Waverley, Ringwood and Werribee who were considered pre season to be title favourites, having signed Sedale Threat, a 10 year NBA veteran to their roster!

Our first stumble came midway through the year when Dandenong at Dandenong beat us by 8 points. It was to remain our only blemish until the last two rounds where Bobby Cunningham and the Seahawks outgunned us twice.

This year’s team is filled with many characters.

Luke Nielson would have to be the funniest and most talkative guy on the team whist Sam Hurren, a new team member for the 2006 season takes the cake for the quietest.

Everyone else ended up somewhere in between these two as far as personalties go.

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Overall, we have had a successful season.

David Moore a former SABRES junior has signed with the Singapore Slingers, Nathan Crosswell will suit up for the reigning NBL Champions, Melbourne Tigers, Brett Wheeler has reinvented himself and committed to the Adelaide 36ers, and Marcus Timmons is close to securing a contract in the NBL after two seasons away from the game at the top level.

I look forward to next season’s team and continuing on with the development of some of our younger guys. It is time for Luke Nielson and Tim Brooke to show their worth along with our more senior guys like Dean Rzechta Craig White and Co. Finally thank you very much to the Committee of Management, Judy Barlow, Chris Morrey, Nola McKinnon, Adam McKinnon, David Pummell, Ian Jones, Nathan Jones, Jordy Ryle and all the volunteers that have helped make our game nights enjoyable and special for all. Without your assistance nothing happens and any success on the court is equally attributed to your efforts, as it is the team.

See you in 07!

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ABA Women Premiers WOMEN TAKE IT IN TWO! We don’t do Sundays!

What an amazing feeling it is to win a championship on your own court in front of your own supporters. And that is exactly what the 2006 Sabres Women’s ABA team did. They defeated Dandenong in Game 2 of the Grand Final 60–47.

However it wasn’t all clear sailing getting to that game. The Sabres dropped Game 1 of the semi finals

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and had their backs to the wall. They survived the battle with Waverley and won Game 2 and 3 comfortably.

adamant that they “didn’t do Sundays”.

Carla Mathisen was awarded the MVP of the Grand Final series.

Game 1 of the Grand Final was at Dandenong and the team was without key player Caitlin Ryan. The players all stepped up a notch and won a close and physical encounter by 6 points.

That set up Game 2 at the Sabredome on Saturday night and the girls were

Congratulations to all the players, support staff, coaches and all the many people that do things behind the scenes to make this program the success that it is, both on and off the court.

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ABA Men Runners Up

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MEN LOSE A TOUGH FINALS SERIES AT THE DOME After finishing atop the ladder at the end of the home and away season with a win/loss record of 18wins/ 3 losses, we had earnt ourself a bye in the first round of the playoffs. This was a much-needed break as Marcus Timmons, Brett Wheeler, and Nathan Crosswell were all carrying some niggling injuries that needed time. As it turned out, we lost the services of Brett Wheeler due to a torn hamstring, and Marcus Timmons was going to have to be managed and play with some discomfort. The worst part about that was he was only able to participate in limited training sessions leading up to our games.

Things got worse for us when the week leading up to our qualifying final against Dandenong, we also lost Erik Wickstrom. Such is the character of this team though, that by tip off we were ready to take them on.

Take them on we did, beating them by 20 odd points to earn another break and qualify straight into the Grand Final series. That week Nathan Crosswell had to take off for an NBL pre season tour to Singapore. Again Marcus was limited with his preparations and if it wasn’t for some of our junior players helping out with practise, we would not have been able to adequately train throughout the week.

The Grand Final series saw us take the Dandenong Rangers. A very BIG outfit indeed, 4 guys over 200cms all of which can flat out play. Whilst their size did bother us throughout the series, it was as much our bad luck at the wrong time of the year with injuries and interruptions that had us chasing a well prepared and determined Rangers outfit.

In the end, we went down in straight sets in what was a hard fought and physical game two. Like with everything we did this year though, we gave it all we had and I was proud of our efforts. We have had a great season and although losing the Grand Final was disappointing, we are setting our sights at the National finals in Newcastle where we have earnt a 7th seed ranking. Along with our Women’s team we head to the nationals full of confidence with nothing to loose. We will put everything we can into turning the disappointment of losing the Grand Final series into motivation for success at the Nationals.

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5/9/06 1:06:02 PM

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VBL

men

These team sets achievable goals and focus on the positive.... a great life lesson The youth league men’s team completed a season with a fifty percent record with ten wins and ten losses. With wins against all of the finalist except Eltham we were certainly competitive in the league We had a number of contributions from various players throughout the season with Michael Falconer and Damir Matecic consistently achieving double doubles.

Shannon Davey and Pat Bolger also put up some very good figures, especially with Pat’s season being disrupted with illness that put him out for approximately six weeks... In the guard department Alistair

V

Flack, Michael Yailis and Simon Anderson also had high scoring games during the season. Frank Dimu and Nic Dumovic gave us experience in the back court. Brady Walmsley, Jonty Rechzter and as previously mentioned Shannon Davey in their first year with the club fitted in well with the team and put up good numbers in their games .Youngsters Ben Theodore and Jerome Parrot also performed well .

Gavin Meager Sandringham Youth League Men’s Coach

After years in the program these players still ste

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5/9/06 1:06:38 PM

VBL

women

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These unsung heroes of our club train hard, play hard and show our juinors a future in basketball The year started with a trip to the Frankston VBL tournament. All though we did not win a game there were positives to come from the fact that we improved in each of the four games. Two main goals were set at the start of the season. The first was to get four if not five wins for the season.

The second was that any losing margin from the first round would be halved in the second round. The season opener was against one of the powerhouses in the league in Dandenong.

The result showed us just how much work was in front of us if we were to achieve our two goals. The next major hurdle we would have to over come was series injuries to two of the girls and the withdrawal of another due to personal reasons. The introduction of Alice Hammond on her return from America was a great boost to the team, eclipsed only by the enouncement of Lauren Cooper coming out of retirement for one last year. To the girls credit our two goals were in fact achieved with us wining four games and we improved in each return game except one. To all the girls this is a great achievement.

Alan Evans.

till step up and stand side by side

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5/9/06 1:06:57 PM

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BOYS PROGRAM PATHWAYS TO THE FUTURE

Shane Tobin Junior Boys Coordinator

It seems like only yesterday that around 300 young athletes of varying ages came to the Sabres boy’s tryouts. At these tryouts the coaches were given a task of selecting the most talented of the players, into teams; and more importantly keeping an eye out for the player’s who showed potential and could develop as the season unfolded.

It is sometimes forgotten that the coaches and assistants have been preparing, mentoring and training these teams for over a year now.

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During this time, the boy’s program has conducted a beach program (January), spinning classes, individuals, and many other forms of cross-training to help educate and stimulate these athletes in what is a long season.

Player’s such as David Moore (Singapore) and David Barlow (Kings) who were outstanding Junior’s in our program, moved on to hone their skills in the college system, the Big V, The Waratah league and the N.B.L.

What most parents see is the end product, which is game night. But is this really the end product? Player’s progress at different levels, some might take years to mature and reach full potential.

Let’s hope that, out of the boys who tried out in 2006, we have provided a base or pathway for all these players to reach their maximum potential.

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GIRLS PROGRAM

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STRONG GROWTH FOR THE FUTURE

There is much to smile about when looking at the current state of the girls program this year. After a mixed grading result, all of our teams performed strongly in their division with 7 out of the 15 teams making it to the finals and a couple more falling just short. All the girls should be proud of their performances as I know the parents and coaches certainly are. Their performance is in no small part due to the strength of our coaching staff. Never have we had such experienced, motivated and talented coaches in our girls program as the 2006 season and I have been thrilled with their contribution to the development of the club over the last year.

On behalf of the coaches, I would like to thank all of the team managers, parents and volunteers;

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they are the life-blood of our club and help it to grow and perform so well. There are far too many to mention but they include people like Murray Payne, Nola McKinnon and Norma White. A special thank you must also go to Judy Barlow.

The program would simply not run if it wasn’t for her and she truly has orange and blue in her veins. The energy and enthusiasm she has for our club is infectious, lifting everyone around her and on behalf of the entire club – Thank you very much! Thanks also to Vince and Shane for their help and hard work. I think we made a pretty good team.

of anything I would rather have done in that time. It certainly makes the job much easier with great people around you to work with and I’m grateful for the opportunity to contribute to our great club. I have met some absolutely fantastic people who have made a big impact on my life; hopefully I have repaid them in some way. Good luck to all the junior and senior Sabres in the finals and the coming seasons. I’ll be watching.

Craig White

Finally, thank you to everyone who has supported me in my position as Girls Head Coach over the last 5 years. It has been challenging as well as rewarding and I can’t think

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u12 Girls 1

Jim Kendall Coach

UNDER THE WATCHFUL EYE

The season for our team has been a roller coaster ride with a lot of ups and a few downs. We started slowly but the girls have developed into closely knit group who have all improved in many different areas, both individually and as a team They went through the first phase of grading well, qualifying before Christmas losing only to Kilsyth. The practise game phase wasn’t all that successful, as we looked to get the girls organised to play at the highest level.

The Championship season started badly getting beaten by 15 and 20 points. But since then we have progressed smoothly losing 3 games to the 1st, 2nd and 3rd teams on the ladder. We are currently in the fight for 4th spot and a finals birth with a 9 win and 5 loss record.

I am hopeful of finishing off the season with a finals berth. But even if we don’t I have been extremely proud of the efforts of all the girls to improve themselves and make the team successful this year.

I would like to say a special thank – you to my Team Manager Karen Suckling, whose untiring efforts have made my job as coach so much easier and I’m

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sure have aided the success of the team.

1. Kate Hore was an important part of our team who had the ability to score freely and think calmly through situations in games. She improved her confidence to take on players and she always tried to bring others into the game. Her defensive efforts this year were very pleasing.

2. Kathryn Quinn has had an outstanding season and can always be relied on to get us a basket when the team really needs it. She has quiet determination to do well and she has worked to improve her skills. Kathryn has improved her confidence and she will have continued success in the future.

3. Maxine Allen is the person her sets the mood for the team and her aggressive defence and energy on court often inspired the team to follow her example. She has improved her vision and passing skills to provide many scoring opportunities for the team.

4. Amanda Bateman is the youngest member of the team, but she is one of our strongest players, who always gives 110% effort. She is always keen to improve her skills and she has gradually improved her touch with shooting and she is more confident with her dribbling skill. I’m sure she will be a great leader for the team next year.

5. Emily Suckling has shown great improvement and has toughened up over the season and she has provided

another scoring option for the team with her fine shooting. For someone so young she sets a high standard for herself and she will be another great leader for the team next year.

6. Sophie Lynch is one of our strongest and most aggressive defensive players, who has always been willing to put her body on the line for the team. She has improved her offensive skills and her concentration in games to a good contributor to the team.

7. Georgia Tonkin is another player that sets the mood for the team performance. When she is switched on she makes the team stronger, through her efforts to dive on the ball and create turnovers. Her confidence and offensive skills have improved and she is an important scoring option for the team.

8. Stephanie Collins has been a solid contributor throughout the season.

She has slowly developed her offensive skills and her rebounding and defensive efforts have become a lot stronger as the season has progressed.

9. Emma Ward was sadly missed throughout the second half of the season, as she had to drop out due to a knee injury. Her steadiness, determination and steadiness under pressure always added to the quality of our team.

Finally to the parents, thank – you, for the support and trust that you placed in me to hopefully improve your child skills and confidence in themselves that will benefit them and the association in the future.

5/9/06 1:07:21 PM

u12 Girls 2

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FROM ZEROES TO HEROES The season 2006 saw nine girls all new to Sabres selected into the U12(2) girls team. The team comprised: Alim Cherkez, Eliane Davrain, Tilly Gillan, Lauren Hulse, Megan Tucker, Jamie Kelly, Kim Myer, Madeleine Bourke and Gemma Lawrence.

Coach appointed was Glen Watt. We were initially placed into the playoff pool for VC. The task was ahead of us to maintain this grading. Although the girls gave their all at the end of the Gradings and Crossover Games we were placed into the Metro One pool.

The girls diligently trained twice a week over the season and the improvement from the formation of the team has been fantastic.

The season has been a challenge and very nailbiting, when we often went down by one or two points. There have not been as

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many wins as we may have liked but the girls have progressively developed as players and dug deep on many occasions to bring in some wins.

The unquestionable highlight of the season would have to be our win in the Nunawading Tournament.

The girls were entered into the A Reserve competition and went through the entire tournament undefeated.

The grandfinal saw the girls outplay a defensive Dandenong to bring home the trophy (2312). Our Maddy Bourke also was awarded the Most Valuable Player of the Grandfinal. This will remain a great memory of their first year of Sabres basketball.

Jenny Davrain Manager

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u12 Girls 3 HAVE COME SO FAR

Having new players to a team is always difficult, so taking a few weeks for everyone to find their feet, including coaches was a challenge. As the season progressed the girls started to really work together and find confidence in their game.

With the loss of Bec Neeves, relocating to NSW, the team was left with a big gap to fill. With 7 players the girls managed to continue to work hard and be competitive against top teams.

The Queens Birthday tournament at Nunawading, was a turning point for the girls. With the addition of Lucy Burke, Sarah Gordon and Zoe Farrell to the team for this tournament, the girls fought their way through to the grand final. All the girls played their best and used what they have learnt throughout the year only to be narrowly beaten.

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A late but very welcome inclusion to the team is Megs, who has managed to fit in well and adapt quickly.

Despite the lack of wins on the board the girls continued to show improvement and play together as a team. The recent 1 point loss to Werribee proved just how much the girls have improved and developed as players throughout the season.

A big thank you, not only to the girls but to the parents for being so supportive, enthusiastic and committed to the program. This definitely helps make being part of this team much more fun.

Bianca & Lauren

5/9/06 1:07:41 PM

u12 Girls 4 EXPECTING BIG THINGS

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The under 12 – 4 girls are composed of a bunch of truly dedicated bottom-age youngsters that are all willing to work hard and fight strong.

Despite being new to the representative basketball scene, and for some the basketball scene all together, the team caught on fast and within months began to show marked improvements.

Regardless of the competition the girls always played tough, trying each week to develop their game and skills and never forgetting to smile and enjoy

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themselves. There were many highlights throughout the season; the first goal we shot, the first win, every hard-fought win thereafter, and getting shouted an ice-cream after each win. Ultimately, it is remarkable to see how far they have come. Sabres should be proud and excited to see what these girls can come up with in the future seasons.

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SHOOTATHON 06 ANOTHER SUCCESSFUL YEAR

Highest fund raiser in the girls squads, Maddie Payne, shoots from the perimeter.

Zak Pantelis shows the form that won him the U12 3 point shootout

David Barlow and U14 3 point shoot out winner Jack Ocwieja.

The Under 14 shooters and a host of celebrities get ready for the 3 point shoot out.

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5/9/06 1:08:03 PM

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IT TAKES ALL STYLES

The 2006 Sabres Shootathon was another resounding success with the highlight being the return to Sandringham of exSabre David Barlow (now Sydney Kings & Aussie Boomer) to particpate in the Sabres annual fund raising event.

A host of Sabres ABA & VBL players attended the now prestigious event to help generate much needed funds for the Sandringham Sabres. Marcus Timmons, Sam Richards, Caitlin Ryan, Tegan Fowler, Alex Lough, Brett Wheeler, Natalie Burke, Dean Rzetcha,Bianca and Craig White, Steve Lunardon, Luke Neilson , Talita Haddad, Nathan Crosswell, Carla Mathisen

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and Kylie Jordan as well as numerous other helpers joined our junior Sabres record a great total to help the junior development within the club.

The 3 point shootouts in all age groups were keenly contested with eventual winners being, U12 Zak Pantelis, U14 Jack Ocwieja , U16 Mitchell Watts & U18 Neal Mueller.

The fund raising winner was Maddie

Payne who won vouchers for new shoes to the value of $300!

The U18 Boys raised most as a team and were awarded a great day out at Intencity.

Our thanks go out to the sponsors of all the competitors and all the parents that help the junior Sabres raise money for their own development.

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u12 Boys 1 VC AND PROUD OF IT (Sung to the tune of Come on Aussie) Lachie’s doing it all every game Dokie’s driving past them like he’s insane Nick’s making sweet passes Jordie’s drawing neat charges And Big Al’s there to stick back any misses Nathan’s knifing through the key Zac-Man’s piling in the threes KJ’s blocking shots Jazza’s scoring lots [Jazzalenko, you beauty] And Ronnie’s winning games and blowing kisses

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The Under 12VC team started together last October, and, after our first couple of practice games, we considered finishing, and having Friday nights off. But the boys, under Ron Lemon’s inspired coaching, came together and won their first three grading games to qualify for VC. Now nearing the end of the VC season, the boys have a chance of playing in finals, if they continue to play as well as they have been.

Highlights of the season have been: • Beating Dandenong to qualify for VC • Beating Knox and Dandenong at the Eltham-Dandenong TournamentKnox are currently top of the other division of VC

•

Making the Classic and Finishing 10th, after being placed in a horror pool with two eventual semifinalists • Pizza nights at La Casa Nova (highly recommended for all teams) • Sunday morning training sessions (not!!!!)

Thanks to Ron for being a great coach, team managers Jim and Shani, parents for transport, scoring, paying and supporting, and a great group of highly talented and very friendly players.

5/9/06 1:08:15 PM

u12 Boys 2

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2 COACHES 2 GOOD!!

The team consisted of Drew Kelly, Karl Amon, Harrison Stewart, Adam Hardeman, Blair Lourdes, Austin Raines, James Rieniets, Nathan Smith, Mitchell Swabey and Nathan Papatsanis. Josh Rout and John Raines coached the boys, Olga Papatsanis was the team manager, and all were supported by a great

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bunch of parents. The boys played in Metro 2, their game plan was to move the ball quickly in transition due to the lack of height, pity the teams we played didn’t have the same problem, some of them were huge! The boy’s season could be described as ‘close, but never close enough’. We always held our own and had the opportunity

to win a lot more games than we did, and we never lost by huge margins.

The boys had some great wins and when everything clicked they were great to watch. This season will be a stepping-stone for the boys attack at Under 14 Rep ball in 2007. Well done on a great season.

5/9/06 1:08:29 PM

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U12 Boys 3

BOTTOM AGE BUT ALL GROWN UP! The Under 12 boys 3are doing Sabres proud with four games to go and they’re 5 th on the ladder! Out of the 14 games they have won 7 and had a draw on 1, what an achievement, it will be exciting to see their progress in the next lot of games, we are confident at a place in the finals.

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They are playing extremely well as a team and you can see that they value each others ability. They always encourage each other and play their hearts out in each and every game.

One of the highlights has been the Queens Birthday weekend tournament.

The Under 12B3’s won a worthy place as Grand Finalist and narrowly lost to a team that was at the top of the ladder in a league above them. It was a tough match and even though they lost they won our hearts with the amount of effort and with the excellent sportsmanship that they showed.

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1992!! Seems just like yesterday that David first wore the orange and blue! The stripy warm up top was a real incentive!

Since then, one loved and worn out basketball after another has been a permanent fixture in his hands!

David always loves to come back to the courts at Sandringham, to catch up with coaches and renew friendships formed over the years, and to try to give something back to the club he loved to play for.

The colours of David’s uniform may have changed – from the orange and blue of the Sabres, to the purple and yellow of the Sydney Kings, and now – a dream realized – the green and gold of the Australian Boomers! The love and passion for the game never falters, nor does the dedication and commitment to work hard.

“I love this place! When I was growing up I loved it and just wanted to be here every day. It’s only gotten better since I was young and it’s great to be able to come back and still be a part of the great things that are going on at Sandringham!”

Giving a clean set of heals to the Kiwis.. important

Giving a prize to his number one fan...very important

Giving a hug to his mum... most important!

David Barlow

FROM SABRE TO KING TO BOOMER SabresMagazine2006.indd 25

5/9/06 1:09:07 PM

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Dandenong Tournament STRONG SHOWING BY YOUNG SABRES

Another strong showing at the Dandenong Tournament over the Australia Day Weekend by the Sabres cemented our spot as one of the strongest clubs in Victoria.

Over the Australia Day long weekend over 20 Sabres made journey to one of the many venues involved in the prestigious tournament.

It was great to see the amount of orange and blue at all the venues whether it be on the court, supporting their team mates or at McDonalds between games!

U12B-3 Dandenong Results The boys had a great tournament overall winning four out of their six round robin games, which put them through to the semi’s, both Ben & I were proud of what they had achieved over the weekend in extreme conditions & playing teams which had all top age & more experienced players. We started out like great guns winning all three games on the Thursday, all very convincingly with everyone putting in 100%, everyone was absolutely tired by the end of the third game and looked forward to a cold shower/bath when they got home.

On the Friday night we had a very tight and fast game against another team who were also undefeated at that stage, in the end we went down 22 to 26 but the game could have gone either way at any stage. One of our players received an award for being selected as the most valuable player for that game by the organisers.

On the Saturday we lost our first game to the team who went onto win the under 12 C boys competition, the second game we won convincingly but still went home thinking that we hadn’t made it through to the finals but still very content with what we had accomplished. Late that night I checked the internet and to my amazement we had made it through, so with several phone calls at 11.30pm at night we had arranged to play our semi the next morning at 8am. We all turned up on the Sunday morning with weary eyes through lack of sleep, but we gave ourselves every opportunity to win as we had more of the ball but our shots just wouldn’t drop through on the day. Job well done Boys.

A special thanks to 2 of the training squad boys who helped us out, Darcy & Bradley, they were a great help over the weekend and with out them we would have struggled considering the temperatures we had to play in, thank you.

Ian Leckie & Ben Theodore.

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U12G3 Dandenong Tournament Results The girls had three games on Thursday which resulted in three wins (one being a walkover). These games were won fairly easily however we knew that better competition was due on Saturday. We played Knox (1) firstly and were beaten by almost 30 points. They had five top-age players and were physically bigger and stronger. As a result, the girls were better prepared for the next match, against McKinnon, which had to be won in order to make the semi-finals. A very close fought game was had with Sabres winning by three points. Our semi-final was at 8.00am on Sunday morning against Dandenong (who had come first in their section) and the girls came out firing. Again, we played a bigger team but our defence was awesome. Although scores were tied at half time, the girls shot extremely well in the second half and in the end we won by quite a few. I think the parents were quite shell-shocked but very proud of these wonderful girls.

They were improving with every game. We were back at Dandenong at 12.15pm to play Mornington (another big team). The girls started off well and kept with the opposition for more than half of the game. The final score was 20:10. The girls tried their hearts out and never gave up. It was an outstanding effort considering they were all bottom age (three girls being double and triple bottom age.) A huge thank you to Lauren Cooper and Bianca White for coaching the girls over the long weekend and for their continual encouragement. Also thank you to Lucy and Jamie from the development team for filling in – both girls played very well. Finally, thank you to the parents for supporting the team and giving up their time to drive the girls all over Melbourne. The team members were Eliza, Rachael F, Tarryn, Bec, Rachael S, Laura, Jamie and Lucy. Julie Fairhurst - Team Manager

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Thirtsy Work

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Its gets hot out there and most can’t wait to get a drink and sit and listen to the coaches input into the game.

It gives us time to sit and think of the consequences, commit to the mission and to dream of glories to come.

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5/9/06 1:09:15 PM

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U14 GIRLS 1 SCHOOL OF HARD KNOCKS We started the season off a little shaky, having to go through the second round to get into VC. Mind you a one point loss to Knox, who was eventual National Junior Classic premiers, was what stopped us from getting straight in. Not a bad result before the season has started. First half of the season saw us below where we had hoped to be but that happens when you have a draw, a 1, 2 and 4 point loss to four of the top 5 teams. Whilst the results weren’t always going our way, I was happy with the way the girls were improving and developing as the season progressed.

If you were just an onlooker to this team you would never have guessed that two of the girls are bottom age. Having the opportunity to show their potential and develop their game throughout the year have made them significant players in the team.

Self belief and confidence was probably the main factor that held the girls back this season. I just remember myself how daunting it was coming up against teams like Nunawading, Dandenong and Knox.

But after a trip up the NSW coast for the annual Road Trip, a different team came back to Melbourne. A more boy infatuated team, but also a team that finally realised they could at least match it with the best, if not beat them. Whilst on the trip we were able to play against some top opposition in Canberra, where we had a confidence

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boosting win over a team that had just recently played in the national junior classic, and we also had a narrow loss in Gosford against a team competing in the National Club Championships later in the year. The results of the few games on return of the road trip proved just how much the girls had learnt and developed whilst away.

With a few impressive wins and some great team and individual performances it unfortunately just wasn’t enough to get us into finals, narrowly missing out.

This season was not only beneficial to the girls, with some notable improvements throughout the year, but I was also able to improve and develop my own coaching skills. So many thanks to the girls and parents that have had to put up with me for the past three years.

Cheers, Nat Burke

5/9/06 1:09:23 PM

U14 GIRLS 2

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HARD WORK = SUCCESS

In true Sabres spirit these girls go the hard yards and reap the rewards.

The first hurdle that was encountered in 2006 was selecting the team! In my difficulties from such a calibre of junior sabres, I dragged my housemate Michelle down to help out in the selection process, and luckily for me she was immediately drawn to the group of girls we selected and opted to coach out the season with me. After a rocky start we won a few important games in the 2nd phase of grading, landing us in Metro 2. The Australia Day tournament helped us find out feet, and subsequently we started the regular season off with a bang, beating the (now) top team Knox 3 by 15. This, however, was no reflection of the tightness of the game, and was just the beginning of a season full of close games.

Virtually every game this year has been decided by single figures. The highlight of the regular season would have to be our victory against Frankston 3 at Frankston.

Down by 18 points in the 2nd half, the girls rallied together and pulled off a fantastic victory to win by 7 points The Nunawading tournament proved to be a great learning curve for the girls.

We knocked off the top team in Metro One in the semis to advance to the Grand Final. Unfortunately we faced our nemesis Nunawading 2, who we have now faced 4 times this year without a victory (we’re saving that win for finals...). The final highlight of the year was the under 14 road trip. 6 of the 9 girls went away in a 15 girls squad mixed with the U14 -1 team. This trip was such a great opportunity for my girls, being able to play successfully with and against quality opposition, and every single girl rose to the occasion.

They are undoubtedly more experienced and confident in their own game for it.

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With only a few games to go in the season, we are on the brink of finals sitting in 5th spot. The final few games are going to determine our post season future. But with our current record of beating the teams above us and losing to the teams below us anything can happen!!

I can’t explain how awesome it is to have a group of parents that are so supportive of the team and sit back and enjoy the basketball, thank you so much. An even bigger thank you must go to Louise and Tim Rieniets for their superb organisational skills and commitment to the team, and Murray Payne for all the behind the scenes work that he does, the season couldn’t have been successful without you guys. The support that the girls have shown Michelle and I throughout the year has been incredible. Without fail the girls turn up to my ABA home games, the club interaction and support is simply fantastic – it really makes a difference!

I must also thank the girls for being such a great group, everyone has been so easy to teach and eager to learn it makes it all worth while to see the huge improvements in each and every player.

Until next year...

Alex Lough

5/9/06 1:09:33 PM

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U14 Girls 3

SETTING LONG TERM GOALS

These girls are planning ahead for an assault on VC next year and their development has been evident to anyone who has watched them play.

Courtney....her happy friendly face lulls the opposition into a false sense of security. Those long arms spell trouble under the ring.

Chloe.....Courtney’s main competitor in the giggle competition. Don’t even try to grab the ball from her arms...she won’t let go!

Emma...She is strong, determined and tough. You had better move if she is heading your way!

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Sarah....our quiet achiever. She is able to keep control when those around are all losing it!

Olivia....When a gap in the score is needed Olivia is the one to call on. A great scorer at the crucial moments!

Jacqui...Foul her on her shot you are in trouble. A very reliable free shot shooter!

Alex...Always manages to put herself in a great position without the opposition realising it. A great rebounder!

Tilly...Her size deceives the opposition.

Don’t mess with her when she is dribbling...you are wasting your time!

5/9/06 1:09:40 PM

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U14 Girls 4 SABRES IS ABOUT FUN

With Emma in control these girls have gone from strength to strength and set up a great position to take on any team.

After getting off to a somewhat shakey beginning, my team and I have fought hard to now be presently sitting at third place on the ladder. We are looking forward to continuing to play well enough together to qualify for the ďŹ nals next month. Hopefully with our determination, commitment and great coaching by Emma, all our hard work will pay off with a good result.

By Phoebe.

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5/9/06 1:09:46 PM

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U14 Boys 1

NO JOB TOO TOUGH The year started slowly with a couple Easter Classic. It was amazing weather of losses early in grading phase 1. Our third game was against Dandenong 2, with a win putting us into a crossover game to make VC. Another slow start in that game made things interesting, but the boys kicked into gear to win by 10. Our crossover game was against Keilor, who we happened to get on film to help us prepare. The match was an amazing performance by the boys and we won our way through to VC, giving us a relaxing time during grading phase 2.

It’s fair to say that we have underperformed this season with only a handful of wins to date, but it has been more than a memorable season.

Our first win came under the guidance of David Frost (supercoach) who filled in for me while I had ankle surgery.

Then followed a string of losses, which included half a dozen margins less than 5. Shane never mentioned the stress of coaching when he signed me up 5 years ago.

Easter came along and saw us make our way to Adelaide for the Norwood

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and a brilliant time had by all. We even won a couple of games along the way (margins were 1 and 3 points, the boys like to keep things interesting).

We also had a bit of fun stealing each others entry codes to the caravan park and playing pranks on Shane. There was plenty of childish behaviour shown, but mostly by the adults. The highlight of the weekend was the boys vs mums volleyball match which brought out the competitive side of the normally quiet and responsible mums.

Back to Melbourne, and our narrow losses continues, including 2 points and 7 points to the top two sides.

The emergence of Nick and Chris as dangerous forces in the league was extremely pleasing for everybody, especially the coach.

After a few more rounds, we were sick of the Melbourne weather so we decided to book a bus to NSW, where we played teams from Albury to Newcastle on a 9 day tour. This trip had many, many highlights, but the best would be the friendships that the

by Jamie Treasure 35 players and 22 odd adults formed.

It will be talked about for years.

Back to Melbourne again for more Friday night fun. We finally managed to scrape together a couple of wins, where the boys showed how well they can play when it all falls into place. With a few rounds left, we are all looking forward to some time off, but also going out and supporting our fellow Sabres teams in finals.

I know that when I look back on the 2 years I have spent with this group I will remember how much fun I have had with the boys and the parents. I will remember my dismal coaching record, but the highlights will out shine anything else. It’s going to be nearly impossible to recreate a group like this one, extraordinarily hard working boys and happy and supportive parents, and the world’s best team manager, Greg Uhe. Although I’m looking forward to a break, I’m really going to miss my team and I will follow their careers with great interest.

5/9/06 1:09:52 PM

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U14 Boys 2 IT’S ABOUT RESPECT

After the long and testing try outs, the Under 14-2 boys team was formed with the following young men:Luke Albury No.7 Stefan Barca No.23 Tom Callaghan No.21 Jay Dillon No.45 Shaun Jackson No.12 Dion McGirr No.33 Jake o’Donnell No.31 Kieran Rawlinson No.24 Thomas Turner No.6 Steven Zagami No.43 Some of the boys have played together at domestic level and also in the 2005 representative season at bottom age level.

This year was going to be a lot more demanding in the top age group.

After quite a number of practice games against some good opposition the boys had qualified into to Metro 3. Quite a satisfying effort for all concerned. Paul Dungan was appointed coach for his second season after having played with Sandringham at representative level himself. He has the respect of all the boys and his training delivery and his expectations of the boys is certainly starting to assist and improve their skill levels and also gaining the respect of each other and their peirs.

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To date Paul has said “That it has been a good year with all the boys playing for each other and the team is always put above their own personal performance,this attitude will assist them greatly in the run home to the finals”.

The boys train 2 times a week on a Tuesday night and on a Sunday morning. The programs are varied weekly and tuned to meet the needs of particular skills requireing attention.Games are played on a Friday night at far and awide.

It is always great to see the boys ready and keen to go, no matter how far they have travelled with mum,dad and family supporting all the way along.

As Team Manager it is also satisfying that when ever help is required to score, take stats, run off and get an ice pack or even fill up an empty drink bottle there is never a complaint, just a “No worries Tony” Hopefully by the time everyone reads this and the year books are being handed to all the boys, we have some good finals news to report!!

As always “ GO SABRES “ Tony Barca Team Manager.

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Season 2006 presented an opportunity for Brenton and Alex to be elevated and an exciting new tall, Harry was added to an already formidable combination from last years Under 12 VC squad. With new coach Chris Giosis and a guiding hand from Lori Chizik, we just missed getting into metro by a few points.

With a great bunch of parents supporting the team the boys set about the task at hand and early on proved to be too strong for

most combinations and found themselves perched on top of the ladder at the time of writing, the sky is the limit for this combo!

The guards, Jack, Tate, Tim, Alex, Jarrod & Nick A mixed bag of elusive Left & Right hand players, three point shooters, fast breaks and intercepters, these boys really get under the skin of the opposition implementing Coach Chris’ plan.

The Forwards, Lachlan, Neil, Brenton and Harry.

How lucky we are to have these guys in our team, all the boys have developed well this year particularly with their strength rebounding and shooting from on the paint. They are also very effective defensively, breaking fast to provide options offensively.

There sure are some bright futures emerging for these guy’s GO SABRES!

U14BoYS 3

THE FUTURE LOOKS BRIGHT FOR SABRES SabresMagazine2006.indd 34

5/9/06 1:10:05 PM

U14BOYS 4

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PLAYING BALL AND LOVING IT!

We started the season with 10 players including 2 boys new to Sabres.

Finn Neaves (22) was named captain.

In April , Finn and his family moved to the NSW central coast and we’ve played the remainder of the season with 9 players. We’ve missed Finn’s steady play and his family’s friendship and support.

The boys have played well as a team and have all improved as the season progressed. They’ve had some great wins, exciting games and fantastic passages of teamwork.

They have all brought something to the team from: Chris’s- great rebounds, baskets, handy height and total commitment James W -athleticism , jumps- his solid shooting from the line James D “Mr D”- fantastic steals, offensive play and on court leadership Rhys – drives to the basket & speed – he gets everywhere!

Kyle - fast breaks, lay ups and tight D Alex “Shulman” -all court game, confident determination and unstopability Mitchell - “Dennis”- great defence, solid play and booming confidence Ben – lay ups and drives to the basket and teamwork Uros Veljovic- 3 pointers, quick feet and hands We had fun in Ballarat and made the semi-finals of the tournament over the Queen’s Birthday weekend.

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The boys have been great in their attendance at training, play and sportsmanship and the families have been supportive throughout the season at home and away!

We thank Mitchell Thompson and Darcy Gordon, from our training squad, for their participation and fun in our training sessions.

Dejan Veljovic, our “stats man,” has always been positive and encouraging.

The boys and families have all got a lot of laughs and enjoyment from our 4 year old team mascot Tommy - his high fives, hugs for the boys, to his races around the court- he has been fantastic!

We’ve beaten the top team twice in tightly fought games and Coach thought our latest win (62-50) was “our best for the season!” We will play in the finals and aim to finish in top position.

Other famous quotes from the coach: “You need a haircut” “Just call me Coach” “We’ve got it in the bag” “I’ll get another tat if you win!” “No I haven’t walked the dog yet” “I’m going fishing” “What’s the best fish you can find in the Murray River?”

“Get that! Get that!” “Get to him” “If he misses- you’re on!”“Give me 5”- (push ups that is) Coach Gary has been marvellous and always reassuring and positive. The boys have learnt heaps and appreciate his sense of humour. We all thank him for a wonderful season.

Jenny Barber & Rebecca Wilde Team Managers Coach: Gary Thoburne Players: 4 James Watterson 8 Uros Veljovic 13 Chris Tilbey 20 Rhys Dunstan 24 Kyle McDonagh 34 Mitchell Barber 44 Ben Wilde 50 Alex Shulman 53 James Dalzotto Team Mascot:Tommy Wilde

5/9/06 1:10:11 PM

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Our under 14 team started the season at the bottom of pool 9. Our team is made up of 6 upper age under 14’s and 4 lower age. 80% of our team are new to Sabres. Under the guidance of our coach and the sheer determination of our boys we won all our grading games and worked our way up to Eastern 2.

We took part in the Dandenong tournament and fought our way to the grand final, which we lost to Frankston but only by a few points.

This tournament saw our boys really shine as a team, we played 7 games over 3 days. By the end of the tournament they were exhausted but ready and enthusiastic about the season ahead.

We started off the season with mixed results and after round 8 we had only 3 wins and 5 losses under our belt, but the boys fired up and have since had 1 loss, 1draw and have won the rest. We are hoping for a chance at the finals. These boys definitely rise to a challenge.

The team recently competed in the Nunawading tournament with 3 out of our 9 usual players not available we called on a couple of other basketball players – Thanks to Nathan Floyd and to Alex Dent for helping out. This was a very challenging tournament again with mixed results.

To our parents, Mike and I would like to say a big thank you – they have

supported the boys throughout the season and whenever we have needed help or assistance they are always there. A great group of people who have willingly pitched in with anything we have asked them to do. We have a lot of fun when we get together.

Finally to Mike – our coach who has been at every game, never missed training (even having to leave work early every Monday for 5 o’clock training) he is a great inspiration to our boys. The team has learnt a lot about basketball under his guidance. Thanks you Mike for your dedication.

Trudy Seymour - Team Manager

U14 BOYS 5

BOYS WHO RISE TO THE CHALLENGE SabresMagazine2006.indd 36

5/9/06 1:10:19 PM

FREE THROWS

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EVERYBODY TAKES THEM DIFFERENTLY!

Day in day out, week in week out we practice our free throws in hope that one day we’ll be on that line shooting after the siren for our teams glory. No matter what our coaches say we all seem to have our own little twist to that perfect technique.

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5/9/06 1:10:27 PM

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EAST COAST TOUR THE ROAD TO GUNDAGAI On Wednesday the 21st of June, thirty five U14 girl’s and boy’s, plus 20 very nervous adults gathered at the King Club to begin a journey that would encompass 3 states, and hopefully bring back each player a more well rounded individual.

The motto of these trips as legend would have it is ‘the players go away as kids, and come back as adults.

And the parents leave as adults but come back as kids!!!!’

After a few well chosen words from President Steve Lunardon and General Manager Vince Crivelli, we left Tulip Street on a sunny, winter’s day at 11am-right on schedule, with the road trip programmed to the minute.

Disaster About 1 hour out of Melbourne, at a town called Kalkallo, a call was received to inform us that the boy’s bus had smoke billowing out the back [a bit early for pranks don’t you think] and would need a replacement. This would need a rescheduling of games in Wodonga, with the girls to play the best of the border town first. When the boy’s finally arrived for their respective games, they had been on the road for 7 hours, not an ideal start to the tour. This was the only day that nobody got lost, I mean the Hume Hwy; pretty easy really, just follow the white lines, don’t do any uhe’ssmooth sailing.

Day 2 Loomed

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We still had 35 players on board as we journeyed to the AIS. We got to meet David Barlow-ex Sabres player, Brian Goorjian-Australian Boomer’s head coach, and toured the inner sanctums of this sporting mecca. We were also privileged to see Lumpy’s locker #15, and Andrew Bogut- former Sabre’s locker, and learnt a lot before playing the best Canberra could throw at us.

Let me just say, that if the circle around Parliament House had a toll, we would have blown the petrol budget on day 2, for the whole tour. I mean, how many times can you pass the same streets and buildings? Needless to say, the player’s were a bit tired and hungry, but after a superb meal cooked by our master chef, we bedded down for a well earned sleep. Until the alarm rang at 5am, to signal Australia vs. Croatia in the soccer world cup.

Day 22 (felt like it, sorry day 3) dawned and after trays of pies were devoured at midday, time for some culture at a Buddhist temple; the largest in the Southern Hemisphere. Fortunately, having a Buddha in our touring party made introductions easy.

Games that night were played at the infamous ‘Snake Pit’, a joy to be hold. After another early night, we ventured up the Bulli pass which has a gradient of 60 deg to the Central Coast. Oh, did I mention

5/9/06 1:10:34 PM

R

39 anyone getting lost?!! This is where our convoy detached, only to reappear at sunny ‘Gosford’.

We considered buying a holiday shack, at Avoca Beach, but prices were between $5.3 million and down to a bargain $1 million, so...we passed...maybe next year. it was rumored that we lost a couple of kid’s somewhere, but after a hasty meeting, decided to press on (it meant more court time) ...very caring lot.

Having travelled for the best part of 4 days, it was time for a bit of R&R for everybody .

But Australia was still alive in the World Cup, so another late night ensued. Kids needed to be picked up at 8am the next morning, more b/ball that day against local teams keen to show their hospitality. Fortunately we stayed in accommodation close by that meant we could relax occasionally by the spa. Breakfast each morning consisted of 3kilo’s of bacon, 3 dozen eggs, 8 loaves of bread and orange juice, the seagulls where plentiful.

It must be said that the adults behaviour around this time of the tour was exemplary (bribery helps). It’s quite amazing how mature people can change in the blink of an eye.....Sorry cannot say any more- cone of silence has been enforced.

Day .........

By this time Who Cares! We travelled to Newcastle where you guessed it! No- one got lost. ( you know the drill) and eventually arrived at the Broadmeadows Stadium which is hosting the 2007 Big V Finals! Go Sabres! Mens and Womens Teams Both on Top in Victoria. After a mini carnival with our host club and Maitland we found ourselves staying at the B/ball stadium. What do you do ? Play ball! So in the weee hours of the morning we played knockout with 2 girls

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sharing the booty! (With a little help from yours truly.) Come on boys lift your game!

Day..........2006 Time for the turn around and the long long journey back home. Not sure what day or week it is any more the diary has not made sense since day one.

After some krispy kremes for lunch we arrived at the famed Dog on the Tuckerbox Town for the early meal and the trivia ( muck up) night of the year. After the rules were explained and money changed hands, a dress up was called for to decide the winner. As you would expect team TOBIN BROS won easily.

LAST DAY.......HOORAY SLEEP AT LAST! On June 29th at 5.30pm we arrived home right on schedule just as the road trip diary said we would.

The adults and children ( not sure who is who!) are busily planning reunions already (before they even got off the bus) and hopefully we will have many more happy reunions to come!

The Players They learnt how to conduct themselves in an appropriate manner and did themselves and Sabres proud. They came away with a very good record in games played against some of the best teams in Australia for their age group. A lot of fun was had on this trip but without the support of all the adults on this trip it would not have been possible to attempt such an undertaking.

On behalf of the players I thank you.

Until the 2007 trip gets underway may I rest in peace.

Yours in B/Ball Shane Tobin

5/9/06 1:10:39 PM

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U16 GIRLS1 THE TOUGH GET GOING!

After a difficult start to grading and losing our leader in Bridie Norman to a knee reconstruction just prior to Christmas, the team fought hard but failed at the last hurdle in their attempt to qualify for Victorian Championship.

Despite their disappointment the girls started the season with 3 straight wins. They then lost the next 3 before regrouping to win the next 12 games to finish the season on top of the Metro 1 ladder.

Along the way we competed very strongly at the Dandenong tournament and narrowly missed the Grand Final at the Nunawading Tournament, losing in the semi final by 1 point in overtime.

This year’s team is made up 6 bottom age girls, which is unusual for a first team but despite their lack of experience

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have continued to impress against older players every week. Training with the U18-1 girls has certainly been a great advantage and should make the transition into U18’s easier for the top age players as well as prepare the younger girls for a tilt at VC next year.

Words like hyperactive, excitable and talkative best describe the personality of the players but also hard-working, determined and talented are terms that can’t be left out. Trying to keep the girls focused has been a constant battle but invariably training will stop every 20 minutes so that everyone can stop laughing at something someone has done or said. (Usually it’s because of Katrina!) There was never a dull moment with this group.

Not only have the girls been

challenging and rewarding to coach but the support from their parents has been outstanding. They have been a pleasure to work with, never gave one minute of trouble and have helped the season run very smoothly. In particular, I would like to thank the team managers in Susan Belza and Andrew Dimu, their work has been fantastic and very well organised. On behalf of the team, thank you for all of your hard work and support.

Hopefully the girls finish with a premiership, they have been the best team all season and deserve to have their hard work pay off. Good luck to all the girls for the finals and the coming years.

Craig White U16-1 girls coach

5/9/06 1:10:55 PM

U16 GIRLS 2

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EXPECT THE UNEXPECTED!

Sabres abres girls show the league ho how to play ball like the pros.

Alex, Jess, Abbey, Ellie, Meg, Eloise, Arly, Sam and Tamara What a team!

We have had an interesting and unpredictable season.

Just when you think we’ve got the game won- Oops! We’ve had some great games, and we’ve had some shockers. We have beaten the top team, and lost to the bottom team.

The girls have been consistent all year, which is great, because we do not rely one player. The girls have each played match-winning performances.

We reached the semi-finals in the Queen’s Birthday Tournament,

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losing to a very tough Waverley team.

We’ve qualified to play finals in a few weeks time, and with Glen our coach at the helm, we are sure to be a threat.

With our team, you never know who will win, until the final siren.

The girls have all enjoyed being a part of this great team.

We’d like to thank the team managers and parents for all the kilometres, support and encouragement from the sidelines.

5/9/06 1:11:03 PM

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U16Girls 3

DO AS I DO! OUR GIRLS LEARN FROM THE BEST...

With Sarah at the helm these girls train and play at top speed.

The girls who make up this team are, (in number order) 4 Tina Dreher, 7 Shanie Klas, 13 Amy Harris, 20 Kate Southward, 22 Sarah Southward, 25 Hannah Kennedy, 31 Amy Coleman, 32 Kayla Cherrington and 51 Michelle Palmer. Our fantastic coach is Sarah Fraser-Jones, and assistant coach Rick Cherrington.

As the season is drawing close to the end, our team is sitting comfortably in 3rd position by percentage only, two games clear of the fourth placed team.

Our losses for the season have been by smallest of margins and each of these teams is definitely beatable.

The girls have learnt much this season and hopefully the team

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can put this all in to practise when the finals come around.

This season has been fantastic in regards to training sessions. The girls have experienced the best training sessions led by Sarah.

These vary from full on fitness training to drills to shooting. I think this is the only Sabres team where all the girls turn up to every session they possibly can, be it 6.30 am in the freezing cold, or 11.30 am Sunday morning. They actually enjoy their sessions with Sarah, learn some great stuff and enjoy themselves. What more could you ask??

Thank you Sarah for the best season!!

HEEEEEEYYYYYYY SABRES!!!!!

5/9/06 1:11:13 PM

U16Girls 4

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KEEP ON KEEPIN ON! Our first vote of thanks goes to Brett Pearce offered to give coaching a trial run, after Paul O Donnell had helped out during tryouts, that trial is still going and we are grateful for his ongoing support o f the girls. He is a very calm and gentle man who treats them with respect and gives guidance with tact and diplomacy.

He is always able to find positives out of every game and boosts the girls self esteem on all occasions.

We are very fortunate to have a person that gives his time at this level with such dedication.

We welcomed Rhiannon to our team, she has continued to improving her skills and plays with great enthuasasim.

We secured a win the last grading game and to us it was a grand final the girls were elated and excited.

Melisa then joined our team. Mel started apprehensively but has proved to be an effective shooting player who is now very comfortable with her position in our team and is often our breakaway player scoring well for our team.

Hayley, Hannah and Margot all came to us with vast netball experience. Hayley is now a tough stand up player with a no back down approach. She has taken some knocks but keeps getting in the oppositions face and is able to score from what is

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sometimes an impossible tussle. Hannah is our tall and her percentage of rebounds continues to improve as the season goes on. She stands her ground and is not easily pushed out from under the basket.

Margot quickly adapted to basket ball from her Rep netball background. She is our high scorer in the team and also has become tougher in the clinches.

She is a quick thinker and is often in the right place for a pass and is able to score well from her assists under the basket under extreme pressure. She also defends well and is able to intercept with her long reach.

Our delight of the season has been Jessica, who has put in some fabulous matches with great scoring. Jess is also a shy girl who now stands up to the opposition and is able to sneak way and be ready for the long pass and scores well. The defense side of her game has also improved and is a great asset to out team.

Our other taller player is Sally who keeps on trying and although has the most unorthodox shooting style I have ever seen still hits loads of baskets from just inside the arc. She just loves to play basketball and brings a smile to our faces with her sometimes surprising efforts with great results.

Our guard and great defensive player is Michelle, she is without a doubt the toughest player in the team. She takes the opposition on at any level and mostly comes out the winner. She reads the game well and constantly tells the girls the plays and moves on the court, her ability to

throw the ball the length of the court gives us some free points( if the girls can catch the ball).

At the start they were a group of girls who wanted to play basketball at their own level, the now are players who respect each others strengths and weaknesses, they constantly support each other from both the bench and on court. They allow mistakes to slip by and applaud great plays and baskets, all victories are team victories, not individuals and most of all they have gown as people, whose bond extends off the court into great friendships.

They may not always play together but will always remain friends. Thanks to Deb and Brett Lindstrom who fill in as coaches when needed, to Carolyn and Ian our photographers, to Sue our most enthusiastic barracker, to Janelle and Mark our transporters at any given moment, to Naz our sustenance girl, to Sharon our off court referee, Gabby and Paul who coached us through our grading.

I have enjoyed the season as team manager and thank each and every one of you for the support you have given me with scoring and all tasks I have asked of you. I hope the girls will receive the rewards that they deserve this season with success in the finals.

Regardless of where we finish remember, participation is always worth the effort.

5/9/06 1:11:27 PM

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TIME OUT!

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5/9/06 1:11:34 PM

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TIME TO THINK AND EXPLAIN!

Time Outs..... a time to get a drink, catch your breath, celebrate a success or discuss a mistake. Whatever the reason they are always worth listening to.

Two minutes a half to coach your players.

That’s all some of us get to convey all the things that are rushing through our minds during the hustle bustle of a close game. The players come to the bench looking for guidance and inspiration and we stand there and try to think of the most important aspects that we need to convey.

Some use whiteboards, some use hand gestures and some use popping veins and spittle! Whatever the method the message is usually the same, regroup, be patient, set up your offence, man up in defence, drive the basket, shoot

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from outside, well done, pick up the intensity... the list goes on.

What everybody else says in the huddle is nearly all secret team business but I have been privvy to alot as I have crept up close with my camera hoping to get a good pic as well as some insight into this coaching game.

What I have picked up from this journey is to not state the obvious... the team knows they are down, don’t repeat the score... the opposition is out rebounding us, don’t ask them why they are not jumping... they can’t buy a basket...don’t tell them to be more

accurate ... and never tell players to do stuff that they haven’t done in practice!

A positive sandwich or the plus, plus, minus, plus method of saying two things good, one thing bad and finish with another good one seems to build confidence without being to harsh.

Use the time wisely and share it with the players it is a really private moment between players and coaches and comments in this situation have a profound impact on players.

Cheers Murray Payne

5/9/06 1:11:38 PM

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U16 BOYS 1 TOP OF THE CROP The U16 VC boys have had a great year of basketball and have shown themselves to be the side to beat in the U16 competition as finals approach.

The team, coached by Shane Tobin, has taken all before it this year winning the Eltham Dandenong tournament in January, the Adelaide tournament over Easter and the Classic tournament in June.

In the 2006 VC competition, the team is undefeated after 15 rounds in our half of the draw so it has been a great year.

Interestingly, things have changed dramatically in the 2 years since this team won the U14 VC title.

This 2006 team has 5 stalwarts that remain from that succesful team - those being Jack and Mitchell Watts, James North, Tom Dalzotto and Will Schubert. So amongst 5 personnel changes there has also been another major change.

The U14 team team would have been considered “medium tall” but in U16’s we are now one of the shortest teams in the competition!! The additions to the team since U14 include 2 of the “taller” long term Sabres boys -- Nathan Geer and Jarred Dullard - but even they are only “medium tall” versus the size of the players we now regularly compete against. Both

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Nathan and Jarred have been really valuable players this year playing as talls - having improved enormously over the season. It has been fantastic to watch their progress with Nathan now regularly scoring double digit points for the team and Jarred was also contributing with points and rebounds. Other personnel changes to the team from U14’s have been the inclusion of guards Michael Theodoridis, Josh Wilcher and Lachie Madder. It is great watching these guys play their talent is enormous and a real pleasure to watch.

But being a short team, the better teams have generally tried to counter our great ball movement by constantly playing zone defences against us. We expect more of these tactics in the finals and wouldn’t we love to have our outside shooters “ön fire” at the right time of the year and force our opponents out of their defensive mindsets! Really though, we have to be prepared to counter whatever game our opponents throw at us --- in our aim to bring another VC title back to the club.

On re reading I said there were 5 stalwarts of the team. Surely though, I should have said there were 6.

Coach Tobin should get some credit in there somewhere!

Go Sabres.

5/9/06 1:11:57 PM

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Coach Tyler has certainly provided passion to the team as he reinforces the level of commitment required , both on and off the court , for the team to be successful and fully realize its’ potential With new players and a new coach in Tyler Wilsmore the team took a while to gain some momentum at the start of the year. This was particularly so during the grading games when the team lost some very “winnable” games , which resulted in them just missing out on qualifying for Metro 1.

To the boys credit they put the disappointment of missing out on Metro 1 behind them and focused on the job at hand to win the first 11 games and be on top of the ladder. It is fair to say that their performances have been a combination of “winning ugly” and some good , skillful team basketball.

During the course of the year we have had several social functions for players and parents to get to know each other better outside of the basketball stadium, which everyone has enjoyed.

With the minor round games almost completed we wish the team well during the final series.

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5/9/06 1:12:06 PM

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U16 BOYS 3 SWEAT & TEARS The2006 season was always going to be challenging. We were a bottom age team and had 4 new team members, all “talls”, trying to fit in with the remainder of the team, who had been together for at least 2 years with Jovica Uzelac our coach.

Our first challenge round saw the team bottom of our pool, after playing against mostly top age teams.

Our next challenge round saw us notch up some much needed wins and we finished top of our pool, after which we played and won some challenge games to qualify for Metro 4!

Into the season proper, and despite 2 wins from our first 3 games, we struggled to consistently put together sufficient quality basketball to beat the opposition, much to the coach and parents frustration.

We found out that playing against older teams, who persistently played zone defence, did not allow us to play our free flowing offense. For some relatively new to basketball coaching, it is hard to see how zone defence contributes to the game. So we had to go back to the drawing board!

At this point in the season Stefan U. and Stefan S were dominating our scoring options, ably assisted by

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Jeansy and big Tom. But this wasn’t enough and we finished the half way mark with only 3 wins from 9 games.

Then a mid season coach change just to test the team.

After 3 years of intensive coaching Jovica needed a break and Shane asked me if I could take over. I knew my junior AFL coaching would help but I was a bit light on in the “technical department”. My coaching might have been a bit unorthodox at times but the boys were showing some good signs, and were worth persisting with.

And as they say sometimes a “change is as good as a holiday”.

The second half of the year saw a definite improvement in results from the team. We found a way through the zone defence of teams and started to find that we could get results when the whole team was contributing.

The team took more ownership and accountability on the court and we finally played some fast break basketball and found we could beat most of the top sides in the competition.

We got good support from ‘Wacko”Jackson, Jack the “Iceman”, Connor (Marathon man),

Lachlan(sticks), Tyson(my hair is not too long) and Will(yes coach), to record 6 wins from our last 9 games.

We beat all the top sides apart from MelbourneTigers, who were the only team we didn’t beat during the season, and who were clear leaders at the top of the table.

In the last month we had trouble getting 5 fit players on the court, and a costly loss to a lowly side with a month to go, meant we had to win our last 3 games to qualify for finals.Well 2 out of 3 aint bad! But unfortunately no cigar, and we were bundled out of the final 5 after the last game based on head to head results (something that is also foreign to AFL coaches).

This was a disappointing finish to the season that promised so much, but we had a few laughs at the same time.

Thanks to Richard Hollands for managing the team, and to all the parents for their support during the season.Special thanks to Jovica our coach, who has invested so much time into these boys and taught them so many things, even I can’t remember them all.

Good luck to all Sabres teams in 2007.

David Frost

5/9/06 1:12:13 PM

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First year into U/16 was always going to be a huge challenge for most of our players and I am pleased to say that they have risen to the challenge and have developed very well as a team, in the face of more than their fair share on things to deal with on the way to becoming a competitive and “together” outfit.

Even before we got through grading games, we had a number of players decide not to follow through with the challenges of this year and we had to recruit new players after the grading phase had commenced. Then, to top it off, we had to “break in” a new coach! And if that wasn’t enough, in the grading games, the boys were pitted against teams that were twice their size, speed and experience. We were all glad to finally get through those games, get allocated our grade, find our feet, and finally move

into the season with the team settled and our new coach in place.

The good news is that from then on, once Michael Mullan got to work on the boys, both as a team and as individual members of the team, it all started to come together. Michael was ably assisted by Shane, who helped with recruiting new players, both externally and from within Sabres ranks, and running some team building sessions along the way to support Michael and the team. We have had more losses than wins, but we have learnt from our losses and continued to build as a team and look more and more competitive as each week goes by. We have now strung a couple of wins together and if the boys keep going like this, we just might end the season with more wins than losses.

Importantly, the boys are really enjoying being part of the a Sabres team, supporting each other on and off the court, and enjoying their season more as it progresses. Turning challenges into positives has been a learning experience for all involved this year, (parents included), and it is great to see the boys come together with Michael, finally nail a few good wins, and be competitive even when they don’t quite get there.

Well done to Michael and the boys – great effort this year with a lot of positives that can be used as a foundation for future success in 2007 Go Sabres!

Allan Roney Team Manager

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5/9/06 1:12:24 PM

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U16 BOYS 5

ENJOYING EACH OTHERS COMPANY...

IS REAL CLUB SPIRIT

It has been a great year for the boys under the guidance of Senior Coach Peter Dixon and his Assistant Stuart Hooper.

It has been a great year for the boys under the guidance of Senior Coach Peter Dixon and his Assistant Stuart Hooper. The team was selected from a combination of top age (Brad Fairhurst, Gideon Lipinski, Ben Shellim, Igor Jovanovic) and bottom age boys (Tom Jelleff, Guy Dixon, James Hooper, Lachlan Powell, Lachlan Hardisty).

However it was clear from the start, that once the team started to gel, a

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good season was certain. We played 11 grading games for 7 wins resulting in being placed in Eastern Division 2, probably a little unlucky not to be graded higher. In the regular season we are currently situated well clear at 2nd on the ladder having won 12 out of 15 games. It looks to be a competition between top side Pakenham and ourselves for the trophy, with one win apiece occurring when we have met.

Highlights of the year have been the improvement of all players, the ability of the team to win the close games and in particular, a team of boys that enjoy each other’s company both on and off the court. A great group of supportive parents has made the season enjoyable even on the coldest Friday night.

5/9/06 1:12:32 PM

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FROM HUMBLE BEGINNINGS

A team that makes their supporters proud From humble beginnings of 7 players, one of those in plaster, the U16-6 boys have grown into a team that has made great strides in it’s game.

A mixture of top and bottom age, with varying rep experience, they’re a team whose initial existence was shaky to say the least. A mixed bag of results throughout the season, though overall they’ve done well – they should make the finals.

With movements in and out of players and coaches, the season has had it’s dramas. Injury and sickness has insured everyone has had to miss at least one game, the team spirit is such that the injured still participate from the sidelines!

A win against the top team with just 1 sub would have to rate high. The Nunawading

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Tournament was a good experience – great fun, we even had birthday cake.

The boys have grown so much over this season. They know when they stuff up, they celebrate when they do well, their zone defence is awesome!

The success of this team should also be measured by their future contributions to the basketball arena, be it playing, refereeing, or coaching.

Well done boys, you should be proud of your achievements – your supporters are.

5/9/06 1:12:40 PM

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NUNAWADING SABRES STRUT

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5/9/06 1:12:49 PM

TOURNAMENT

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THEIR STUFF

The tough and difficult Nunawading Tournament saw the majority of Sabres teams strut their stuff as a measure of their performances for the year so far. This tournament is an excellent rangefinder to see how your team is travelling and is also a great way to get motivated for the final games of the season. Congratulations to all the teams who participated and competed in some very challenging games.

(Sorry boys but I wasn’t able to get there for your games, I was in Ballarat! ...Murray Team Photographer)

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5/9/06 1:12:56 PM

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U18 GIRLS 1 LEAD BY EXAMPLE

Unfortunately our team hasn’t lived up to our pre-season expectations, dreams and goals. We have had a couple of very close games but we just didn’t finish hard enough. We have had a lot of ups and down due to illness and injury and this has been hard on the team. This week we welcomed back Jessie after she had been out due to her knee surgery for several months and had a good win over Dandenong 2.

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Timmo’s crew just has to focus, work hard and play out the rest of the season with high hopes. We need to win the last 3 games of the season. We are very fortunate and grateful to have a legend of basketball with Marcus as our Coach. His knowledge of the game has been very important to us all and has helped us tremendously improve on our game as a team and also on our individual skills development.

We will certainly be trying our hardest to win the last three games for Timmo! We appreciate all the work that he has done for our team.

As Marcus would say “Wag it girls” (after a three point shot) Katie Harris Under18 Girls1

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U18 GIRLS 2

THE HIGHS AND LOWS OF REP BALL!

The Under 18 Girls 2 team consisting of Lucy Amon, Tori Cameron, Monique Ferguson, Monique Lourdes, Cassie Head, Hannah Ross, Jamie-Lee Royal, Nikki Schliker and Steph Wearne have endured the highs and lows of rep basketball this season. The team was not entirely settled until well into the grading phase and this was reected as we just missed out on Metro 1 and were forced back into Metro 2. Under

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18’s is a tough age bracket with many functions away from basketball, so it seemed it was going to be a disrupted season with not only socials etc but also injury took its toll as well. There were many rounds when the team played two or three players short, but to the girls credit they always battled on regardless and produced some memorable victories. An example of this was in Round 13 when we matched

up the then current ladder leaders Bellarine and proceeded to shut them out of the contest and beat them by 5 points. Having the full list available was evident in the result as all of the team put in and achieved a great win. We hope the team have enjoyed the season and special thanks go to Team- Manager Heather Cameron and Coach Marcus Amon and all the parents.

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U18 GIRLS 3

BASKETBALL IS ABOUT HARD WORK The Girls Under 18(3) Team started the 2006 season really strong. They fought hard and won most of their grading games to gain a position in Metro 2. The girls trained and played hard to achieve their highest standards.

Unfortunately the season didn’t continue on the same level as it began. After losing a couple of players, and numerous players being out due to injury or other commitments, our season took a bit of a downhill slide.

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By the end of the season we had trouble fielding a full strength team and struggled on court and at training due to outside factors.

I’m sure if circumstances had permitted we would have been up there with the top teams and ready to fight hard for a spot in the finals.

5/9/06 1:13:20 PM

57 Craig uses the Jedi mind meld technique

Gary gets serious

Nat gets to their level Mick paces the court

Sarah talks their language Tyler uses his brains Jim accentuates the points

Marcus is just too cool

Bincs punches the air

Ron makes them pull together

Al uses the quiet approach

Paul makes eye contact

Marcus can’t keep still

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5/9/06 1:13:28 PM

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U18 BOYS 1

BASKETBALL MAKES MEN OF BOYS After a tough campaign in grading games, we were ousted from the VC pool, courtesy of an extra time on, in the last cross over match, losing by three points. A team objective set at the start of the season was to be the best defensive team in Met 1 and we are currently achieving this by a solid margin, with the opposition hitting an average of 36 pts per game.

Now let me introduce you to the team “Abalone” Ron DehaanOur laid back coach always wearing shorts and thongs (the ones on your feet) - he always strives to get the best out of our boys - he always speaks his mind - has been sent fishing for the big prize and with some luck should bring it home.

Neal “Clutch” Mueller - the goto player who always gets the job done, to win the game or break a stalemate. - Neal is the man.

“Pickpocket” Tim Bolger- many have tried and many have failed as quick hands Tim steals the ball and drives the basket, always played small but is developing his big game “Jumping Jimmy” - Big James McKinnon tall and like a pretzel but nothing gets past J Mac. His artistry and endeavour swats the opposition away from the basket every time, he

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also cleans up offensively.

Izzy “The Voice” Jones - the ultimate team man when not on court giving his all, inside - boxing out and rebounding, he may be heard encouraging his on court buddies Adam “Whisper” Walsh - an allencompassing man mountain who loves to “encourage” the opposition. Walshy defensive rebounds and back manoeuvres effectively for baskets. Referee’s love him... (?)

“Tricki” Ricki Dehaan - our three point specialist - the one to dish to for that needed 3pointer - brings the ball up the court and sets up the plays.

Will “Rowdy” Hassall - big or small this boy can play either an effective strong defender with a tremendous jump shot.

Tim “Muscles” McMullen this big boy floats around the opposition like they don’t even see him, a great inside shooter “Krafty” Kale Pryor - the man for every occasion - speed - defence or straight out offensive action you can Kount on Kale. MVP in Adelaide tournament Final.

Josh “Smelly” Schultz – and do we know why? - Josh has the knack of being able to get away on his own for many a quick dash to the bucket.

Gargantuan accolades for the jovial Julie Mueller for assisting on Friday nights, judicious Julie Jones and Diligent Dave McMullen for their meticulous statistics duties. Credit also goes to Ron for stepping into the coaches’ role for the season.

Well done to all the boys, team and their families and supporters.

Go Sabres!! Show them what you can do!!!!

5/9/06 1:13:42 PM

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Our team was comprised mostly Sabres Under 16 players coming up, Robert Kugler, Aaron Shaw, Ryan Cowan, Nick Stansfield, Ian Churchill, Ben Fraser, Jamie Shulman (Captain), Guy Thomson, and three new players from other clubs, Dylan Davies, Sam Dowling and Ben Machar.

The boys got off to a promising start with ABA player Nic Dumovic standing in as coach. Thanks Nic – the guys enjoyed it.

New vigour was brought to the players soon into the season with Vince Crivelli taking over, ably assisted by Mark Thomson.

The team graded in U18 Regional 1X and after a somewhat slow start the guys started to turn their efforts into winning.

The June Nunawading tournament proved to be a big challenge for the team with three guys away and generally being pitted against higher-ranking teams.

Nevertheless it was “character building”, as they say, & the guys kept their heads and acquitted themselves very well.

As we write this (31st July), the team now ranks 4th and is well placed for a berth in the finals.

It has been an interesting experience for all. Big thanks go to coaches Vince & Thommo for their advice & inspiration. Also big thanks to Shane Tobin for Tuesday night training.

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NORWOOD EASTER CLASSIC The U18-1 Boys went across to Adelaide at Easter to contest the annual Norwood Easter Classic at under 18A grade level.

The team was supported fantastically by Kevin and Julie Mueller, Jo and Rowley Hassall, who between them made sure all the boys were well fed and generally taken care of. Also there to support the team and take care of the scoring duties were Corryn, David and Alyse McMullen.

In our pool of four games, we were only really challenged by Sturt. In a hard fought out game, we prevailed, the score being 54 to 45.

Another great game by our boys running out winners 58-38.

The Grand Final saw us in a rematch with Sturt, the boys were really pumped for this game and needed to be, the game was tough, hard and close. Sturt by 6pts at 1⁄4 time, Sturt by 4pts at 1⁄2 time, Sturt by 1pt at 3⁄4 time.

Then the all important last 1⁄4, the boys gave it all they had and triumphed, running out winners by 10pts, 36-26. The Grand Final was a impressive team effort (as were all the games) Well done guys – You’re the CHAMPIONS! And well coached Ron.

MVP for the Grand Final went to Kale --- Top effort mate. **** An added highlight of the tournament was our uniforms, the boys wore fluoro green (Swoosh) uniforms, they were the hit of the tournament, even being approached by quite a few girls from other teams wanting to have their photos taken with our boys......I suppose the question is....was it the uniforms the girls wanted a photo of, or the guys that were wearing it.

So after our four matches, we sat undefeated on top of the ladder in our pool.

The Finals: The semi final was against Eltham, who finished 2nd in their pool.

The boys were expecting a hard contest, and came determined, prepared committed and were purposeful in their play.

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5/9/06 1:14:11 PM

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The Bogut show comes to town

One of the highlights of 2005 was the visit to the Sabredome of #1 NBA Draft pick, ex Sabres junior Andrew Bogut. Playing with the Milwaukee Bucks in the NBA, Bogut recently scored a career high 21 points in the Bucks win against the Cleveland Cavaliers.

After 4 games the Milwaukee Bucks 213 cm rookie is averaging 9.5 points, 9.3 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game. Andrew put up a fine showing in his first NBA game, posting 13 points, 9 rebounds and 3 blocks in the Bucks 117-108 overtime win over the Philadelphia 76ers. “It’s just great to be out here,” Bogut said. “I was just thankful to be living my dream of playing in the NBA” Here at Sandringham we will continue to follow Andrew’s career with great interest and pride.

The boys and girls of the Sabre’s Junior Program sat in awe as Andrew gave them a brief history of his basketball adventure. His never say quit attitude is a testament to the Sabres success and a valuable lesson for all our players to learn from.

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5/9/06 1:14:13 PM

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The National Classic

Sabres U16VC boys team entered the National Classic tournament over the recent Queens Birthday weekend with high expectations, following recent good form in the VC competition.

We started off with an 8.30am game against Dandenong who are a giant of a team with 3 kids over 6 ft 5 and 4 of them who can dunk!

Lachie Madder, our guard in this land of giants, also played well to guide us to a 69 – 51 victory.

In our second game, we jumped Northern Suburbs (NSW). Josh Wilcher was scoring freely again.

Stephan Uzelac, come up from Sabres bottom age 16’s, had also played well for 6 points and a couple of good assists too.

Our Quarter Final game was against Bulleen and we welcomed back Will Schubert to the starting 5 following injury we motored to an 84 – 61 win and set up a semi final clash with our big rivals, Sturt (SA).

Sturt have 6 state players in their team have 4 players taller than our tallest player. We had got though to the Classic Grand Final game – on the back of a 62 – 45 win over Sturt.

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It was really encouraging for the Sabres boys to see a lot of familiar faces turn up at the Dandenong stadium to support the team. Not least of these was Basil Cervi, who is the person who started Sandringham Basketball Association in the early 1970’s Mitchell Watts did a great job against Dandenong’s talls – and his cousin Jack, was playing a fantastic game too. Jack hit successive 3’s in Q3. We pulled away to record a 75 – 51 victory. Sabres had won the Classic!

It was a great effort from the boys and a great result for coaches Shane Tobin (ably assisted by Lori, of course). Boys; you have done yourselves and the club proud – performing brilliantly when the pressure was at its greatest. Many thanks to Shane for the fantastic leadership he provides the team.

Under 12 VC BoysClassic Report The Queen’s Birthday Classic Tournament is an invitation-only event that brings together the best 16 teams in Australia.

The Under 12 Sabres boy’s team was one of eight Victorian teams that were invited to compete in the tournament. Anyone who ever gets the chance to play in the Classic should certainly take it up, as it allows you to see just how much talent young basketballers in Australia have.

We were drawn in our initial pool to play against Bulleen, Sturt (SA) and Forestville.

We could count ourselves unlucky in the draw as only two teams from each of the four pools were able to progress to the top eight, and we lost to two of the eventual semi-finalists, Bulleen and Sturt, in our first two games. We fought back from these disappointments to defeat Forestville easily on the Saturday night. After two good wins against North Adelaide and Eastern Mavericks, we eventually played off against Eltham for 9th and 10th. In a high-scoring, seesawing game, the boys just missed out losing by three points.

All players (Alex, Blair, Jordan, Karl, Lachlan, Matt, Nathan, Nick, Zak) had good moments in the tournament and, as a team, we demonstrated that we were competitive with the best in Australia. Our problems against the strongest teams were that we lacked their consistency. Special thanks to Blair and Karl who came up from the second team to help us out, as Keelan and Jarrod could not play, and demonstrated that they could easily hold their own in this squad.

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Refs!

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Can’t live without em!

A sincere vote of thanks to all the referees who turn up every week to help facilitate our wonderful game.

We may not always show it, but we all appreciate the time you all take to help with the running of the rep ball and domestic program.

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It’s the hardest gig in the book. Give us a break and the opposition eats you alive and call a foul on us and every orange and blue supporter wants your hide!

Week after week you guys and gals turn up and give your all for the game...( it couldn’t be the money!) just to help us fulfil our dreams.

Thanks again!

Can you spot all the Sabres in these pix?

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U20 BOYS 1

LAUNCHING PAD FOR THEIR FUTURE The under 20 men’s number one team is made up of a good mix of height and athletic, skilful players. The grading phase for metro 1 had the team winning its first three games by an average of 20 plus points. This gave the boys the chance to challenge for VC. The game against Darebin proved to be a very physical one which we could not quite rise above, with some missed opportunities we lost by a margin closer than the seven points indicated on the scoreboard. The start of the

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metro one season began with a loss by three points to Hawthorn. The next six games had the boys combining well as a team to win them all. The wins were made up of a good mix of an inside and outside game, good decision making and great team principals. The following four rounds saw a complete form reversal with losses in all games.

After the break the results were back where they should be with two wins by 31 and 21 points. The team was back playing with confidence. The last

few rounds are just ahead and we are fourth on the ladder, determination and a good attitude to team ideals will dictate our season’s performance.

Good luck in the coming weeks. Well done boys!

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U20 BOYS 2 THE LONG HARD YARDS It has been my pleasure to coach this group of young men this season as they work hard, play hard and take no prisoners. They are passionate, talented and commited... but then I should have known that as I coached many of them in their first season of rep ball as U12 sabres back in the late nineties.Their progress in the Sabres junior program is nearly complete and we hope to finish this year with a finals spot.

These guys play better basketball than I can coach, they know more plays, have run more drills and yet they still concentrate during time outs and listen to whatever I have to say. They have given me and each other the respect every participant in this program deserves. They turn up early each week and attend games and training with the same enthusiasm they did when they

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were 11. It’s a little different from the days when I used to drive the whole team to games and now they drive themselves. Each week I hope one of them will bring a parent or girlfriend to help score!

The season has been very competitive with every game being a good contest. We had a very eventful trip to Ballarat where we competed in the Under 21 age group. Several teams had travelled for interstate and had centres and forwards over 6’10”. The highlight of the trip (other than the XBox 2K6 marathon) was our win against Altona where we came back from a 19 point deficit at half time to win by 13!

I would like to thank Jay (for his shotblocking), Stewie (for his sweet ballskills), Phil (for his 3point bombardments), TMac (for his street

smart skills), Dunc (for his intensity), Will (for his passion), Eggy (for his extraordinary vertical jump), Brett (for his toughness) and DR (for his loyalty). I have been really privileged to have the chance this group of young men and wish them all the very best in their future endeavours.

A special mention to Danny R when after tearing his knee to shreds in May has still attended nearly every game and training driving all the way from Whittlesea. In addition to this my thanks to Stewie for putting up with the hardest gig in basketball, being the son of the coach! (especially me!)

In conclusion a special thanks to Paul and Cheryl Schliker for scoring so often and all the parents who drove my guys around and gave their time when required.

Cheers Murray Payne

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Signatures

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Professional and affordable CENTREFORCE in conjuction with BIG PRINT Allow us the opportunity to provide your club or association with an exciting, professional magazine for under $20* per player!

What better way to remember you or your players achievements than with a full colour magazine including the majority of players in the club**.

Let the staff at Centreforce and Big Print take the headaches out of producing your club or schools magazine.

An initial meeting with our consultants will get you on the way to producing a magazine that will make your competitors envious.

Call us for a copy of our pricing brochure and to arrange an appointment with one of our designers.

Call Murray at Centreforce on 5975 8600 or murray@centreforce.com.au or Grant at Big Print on 9629 7711 or grantw@bigprint.com.au *Price based on 400 copies of a 72 page book ** When used in conjuction with team photography

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