Australian Basketball Schools Championships: All the news and analysis from day 3
Regarded as one of the rising stars of Australian basketball, Star Centre of Excellence forward Jessica Petrie has given another example of her outstanding qualities.
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Star Centre of Excellence forward Jessica Petrie has underlined her class with a stunning triple double to send Lake Ginninderra through to the final four of the women’s championship division.
Petrie showed why she is regarded as one of the rising stars of Australian basketball with 20 points, 18 rebounds and 10 assists in Lake Ginninderra’s 95-52 victory over St Luke’s Grammar.
Petrie, the daughter of former NBL forward Anthony Petrie and WNBL championship winner Sarah (nee Berry) had a double-double by halftime and had notched her triple double before the final break.
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With the women’s quarter-finals following the men’s matches, Anthony was able to watch his daughter from the stands having just coached The Southport School to a sport in the men’s semis.
While his own career provided plenty of joy, Anthony Petrie said there was nothing better than watching the joy his children gained from playing.
“I enjoy watching my kids do their thing, I think more than I did it myself — and I loved doing it myself,” Anthony said.
“It’s just a different feel because you just sit back and watch. Just seeing them enjoy something as much as I enjoyed it just makes you happy that sport’s giving them the same thing that it gave my wife and I.
“She’s just excited to get out and play.
“And her mum Sarah played for ‘Lake G’, she’s a Canberra girl, so it’s pretty cool to watch her play for her mum’s high school.”
Fellow Centre of Excellence scholarship holder Isla Juffermans was also outstanding for Lake Ginninderra, finishing with a game-high 30 points and 10 rebounds, while captain Mailey Cunningham had 18 points.
Sophie Dix toiled hard for St Luke’s with 13 points, while captain Felicity Henderson had 10 points and 14 boards in a busy showing.
In the other early quarter-final, Immanuel College withstood a final-quarter fightback from Templestowe College to advance to the final four with a 79-74 victory.
Captain Bianca Stasinowsky was among four players to contribute double-figure scores for Immanuel, finishing with 17 points and a game-saving 16 rebounds to lead her side to the win despite a stunning fightback from Templestowe.
Their 11-point run in the final term got them within a point of the lead after they were down by 10 in the final term.
Captain Dyani Ananiev had a game-high 23 points and 14 rebounds for Templestowe, while Medeline Potts finished with 20 points.
TWIN TALLS GET THE JOB DONE
Twin talls Jade Peacock and Shorna Preston have led Hillcrest Christian College into the final four after winning the battle to become Queensland’s semi-final representative.
Peacock starred to finish with 22 points in Hillcrest’s 67-52 win against Brisbane State High School, while Preston had a double-double 14 points and 16 rebounds for the Gold Coast side.
Coach Pero Cameron praised the effort of his bigs in the win but said his side faced a tough challenge against Immanuel College in Thursday’s semi-final.
“I’m just happy that we’re stat this stage and have made top four at nationals and hopefully we can get to the next level,” Cameron said.
“It’s going to be tough and we won’t look past Immanuel, they’ve got some good players and a great coach and it’s going to be a good experience.”
The Gold Coasters may have to reinvent their game against the speedy South Australians to get to the decider.
“They’re very fast. Their bigs are smart and clever and it’s a good challenge.”
State High had some strong contributions, notably from Sharni Reisinger, who finished with 16 points and 10 rebounds but could not keep pace with their Queensland rivals.
In the last of the quarter-finals, Rowville College snatched the final semi spot with an 82-75 victory over Western Australia’s Willetton High.
Bonnie Deas led the way with a game-high 27 points and 12 rebounds, while Georgia Taylor finished with 22 points despite being forced off court early in the game for running repairs following a bloody head clash.
That delay and another blood stoppage later in the game delayed the match but Rowville would not be halted.
They led from the tip off and pushed the margin out to 19 early in the third term before Willetton closed the gap to seven in the final stages.
The victory sets up a clash against championship favourites Lake Ginninderra College.
ARCHER HITTING THE BULLSEYE IN QUARTERS
Rowville Secondary College big man Archer McMenamin is attracting plenty of attention at the Australian Basketball Schools Championships, with NBL clubs showing interest in the young forward.
McMenamin led Rowville into the final four at the championships on Thursday with a game-high 24 points in his side’s 92-69 championship division quarter-final win against Western
Australia’s Willetton Senior College despite playing just over half a game.
The centre just missed a double-double, finishing with nine rebounds to go with his 24 points at 60 per cent from the field and was a key plank in his team’s win.
Rowville assistant coach and former Boomers guard Adam Gibson said McMenamin had all the attributes needed to get him to the next level.
“He’s obviously a big body, he’s a really good team man, great around the group and does all that stuff,” Gibson said.
“One of his things is just moving his feet well but at this tournament he’s been great at his post seals, his presence inside and finishing off and his defensive side of the game has been impressive as well.
“He’s got a long way to go obviously but he’s already got the size and body that can help him get there.”
At 17 and in Year 11, McMenamin has plenty of time to develop but he’s already showing plenty of potential and his combination with captain Joel Foxwell (18 points, 8 assists, 3 steals) and Noah Suarjaya (17 points) allowed Rowville to take the ascendency early, with coach Alex Palazzolo giving every player substantial court time in the win.
Captain Aiden Fitzgerald top scored for Willetton with 15 points, while busy guard Patrick Odingo had 10 points and eight rebounds and Ryan Coutts 14 points and Eight rebounds.
BRISBANE STATE HIGH SCHOOL PRIMED FOR SEMI-FINAL DATE
MEN’S CHAMPIONSHIP DIVISION QF:
Brisbane State High School (QLD) – 112
Trinity College (SA) - 95
- Matt Logue & Emma Greenwood
Brisbane State High School has booked a blockbuster semi-final date against Rowville Secondary College after its ‘Big Three’ – Roman Siulepa, Elijah Kamu and Mason Amos combined for 63 points in a win over Trinity College.
Siulepa (20pts, 12rbs and 7asts), Kamu (20pts, 8rbs) and Amos (23pts, 4rbs) helped Brisbane State High claim a comfortable victory.
The gun Queensland side has quickly turned its attention to taking down Victorian powerhouse Rowville in Thursday’s semi in a bid to qualify for the Men’s Championship Final.
Star forward Kamu knows his side must be at its best to beat Rowville.
“Rowville — a Victoria side, they are always hard to beat,” Kamu told News Corp post-game.
“They have shooters and bigs as well. We know what to expect, but we’ve just to come out and play well.”
In Siulepa, Kamu and Amos, Brisbane State High possess the most potent trio in the men’s Championship Division.
The threesome are tight on and off the court, and it shows.
Kamu says Siulepa and Amos have helped him to become a more polished player.
“Playing with those two guys is incredible — I love it,” he said.
“Playing with Roman, who is one of my guys, is great because he has that energy.
“I feed off it when I’m down.
“Mason also feeds off Roman with his three-point shot. He is one of the best shooters in the tournament.”
In the final match-up, Southport School captain Ben Tweedy sank a pressure free throw with just over two seconds on the clock to break an 85-85 deadlock to send hometown heroes (TSS) into the final four.
Tweedy converted one of his attempts from the charity stripe to hand TSS an 86-85 lead, with the game looking as though it would come down to one nail-biting play.
But Newington College lost possession on the inbound pass, with the Gold Coasters able to control the ball until the final buzzer.
Jaylen Pitman (23 points) and Indy Cotton (21) combined for more than half of the TSS total, with the depth of the Queensland GPS side paying off as four players reached double-digit totals.
Newington big men Christian Aukuso (24 points and 14 rebounds) and Goc Malek (24 points, 11 boards) both notched double-doubles, while captain Jake Weinstein finished with 15 points.
TSS will face tournament favourites Lake Ginninderra in Thursday’s semi-finals.
PLAYER DRIVEN HALFTIME MEETING FIRES UP LAKE GINNINDERRA
MEN’S CHAMPIONSHIP DIVISION QF:
Lake Ginninderra College (ACT) – 105
Concordia College (SA) – 81
- Matt Logue
A 41-point third quarter has helped Men’s Championship Division heavyweights Lake Ginninderra College overcome an 18-point first quarter deficit to avoid a shock quarter-final loss to Concordia College.
Lake Ginninderra were expected to roll past Concordia, but the South Australians had other ideas with a remarkable 38-point opening quarter.
Concordia maintained the momentum in the second to go to halftime with a 51-42 advantage.
At this point there were genuine concerns that the Men’s Championship favourites could be bundled out in the quarterfinals.
Enter Lake Ginninderra head coach Jason Denley. He knew his side had been through adversity before, so he stood back and let his players take charge of the halftime address.
Asked at full-time if this move was on purpose, he replied: “Yeah, absolutely.
“We’ve got a lot of faith in the leadership group with Cam Pender in the leadership spot.
“They are an older team, so it always helps at these tournaments when you have kids in year 12 who have been through these situations before.
“As a coach, you just trust that they can problem solve.”
Denley’s ploy paid dividends as Lake Ginninderra scored an incredible 41 third-quarter points to flip the match on its head.
Concordia were brave, but they couldn’t match their rival’s experience, power, and athleticism.
Tournament MVP favourite Cameron Pender was again brilliant for Lake Ginninderra.
Pender had just eight first quarter points, but he exploded in the second to finish with 24 points, 11 rebounds and an impressive 10 of 11 from 2-point range in a powerful 30-minute stint.
Wings Mason Bruce and Lachlan Smith combined for 32 points.
Coach Denley believes the wakeup call is exactly what Lake Ginninderra needed.
“If we can evolve through those tough pool games to be able to handle the bigger moments as we go on,” he said.
“I think this shake will help us with the semi-final.”
Shooting guard Paddy D’Arcy was Concordia’s best player with 23 points.
SON OF NBL COACH HAS SIGHTS ON NBA
While South East Melbourne Phoenix coach Simon Mitchell was on a flight to New Zealand to take on the top-of-the-table Breakers, his wife Kerryn and son Spencer were locked in combat on the court on the Gold Coast.
Southside Flyers WNBL assistant Kerryn is coaching Flinders College’s U15 girls Div 1 team, while Spencer is running the point for the school’s U15 Div 1 boys.
Spencer is clearly a chip off the old block.
“He’s his father’s son,” mum said after their teams did the double against Queensland’s Marsden State High School on Wednesday.
“He likes to say that he’s 100 per cent self taught.
“I started coaching him when he was 5, but he likes to say that we haven’t helped him at all and he has taught himself everything in the backyard.”
Spencer has a role model right in front of him in Phoenix development player Owen Foxwell, a point guard who was in the club’s system while still in school.
“You know Owen Foxwell? Yeah, like what he is doing,” Spencer says.
“I don’t know him but I’ve met him. I love Foxy, he’s awesome.
“I’m definitely looking at NBL and then hopefully I’m good enough to look at the NBA.”
At 13 and 186cms, he’s his own man, who works hard and watches a lot of tape and is trying to adopt the best features from the sport’s most elite.
“I don’t really model my game off of people but I like to try to take a little bit from everybody,” he said.
“So like Kyrie Irving, try and get handles like him, Magic Johnson, passing, and just shooting, it’s Steph (Curry).”
Mum says he’s better on the defensive end, which would surely please dad, who preaches it to his Phoenix players.
“He’s actually a lockdown defender. Offensively, he has point guard IQ, but just prides himself on his defence,” she said.
“We know we can put him on their best player, guard, big doesn’t matter, because he’s got the length and he can lock them down.
“He also needs a haircut,” she laughs.
Both agree Simon can be grumpy after a Phoenix loss.
“Don’t talk to him when he comes home from a loss and shower him with praise when he comes home with a win,” Spencer laughs.
Kerryn says it’s not actually that bad - it’s worse when Collingwood loses.
“He’s in a worse mood if Collingwood loses than Phoenix,” she said.
“Maybe because he’s got some control, he can process Phoenix wins and losses better than the Pies,” Kerryn said.
“I can’t watch a football game with him, I have to leave the room.”
Simon is generous with his time when Kerryn asks for basketball advice and he asks for her input too.
“If I’m needing a look at stuff, he will, and he won’t go ‘oh, you should be doing this or that’, he doesn’t do that,” she said.
Both understand the pressures that come with coaching.
“I mean, it’s hard,” she said.
“So lots of space if it’s not going well and lots of encouragement.”
FUTURE OPAL’S 26-HOUR DASH FROM GUAM
After a week in Guam leading the Australian team to a FIBA Oceania Under-15 Gold Medal, all Jessie-May Hall wanted to do was get home – so she could play basketball.
The Westfields Sports High star guard had barely touched Australian soil before she was back on the bird flying north for the Australian Basketball Schools Championships on the Gold Coast this week.
The 15-year-old’s journey home took 26 hours and included a 15-hour layover. She landed in Sydney at 10.30am on Monday and by 5pm that afternoon was on a plane to Queensland.
Nobody would begrudge the superstar from sitting out the championships after a taxing week of international play overseas. But that was never on Hall’s radar.
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“No, I knew straight away (I was playing). I landed in Sydney and I was ready to go,” she said.
“I love the girls (at Westfields). I’ve played with them for ages and we get along really well.
“I’ve been away from all of them for so long – I haven’t seen them in a while. A week or so … that’s a long time for me, being away from home. I missed them a lot.”
It was a fruitful first trip overseas for the star of the future, who averaged 25 points and almost seven steals per game in Australia’s unbeaten run to gold in Guam which earned her selection in the All-Star Five.
News Corp’s no.2 ranked female prospect at the national championships, Hall is touted as an Opal of the future and her status as unbeaten Westfields’ top player in the U20s – as a 15 year old – only adds to her already impressive basketball resume.
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Hall missed the opening game of the championships and is on limited minutes during pool play to manage her workload.
That didn’t stop her from putting up a game-high 27 points in Westfields’ 81-48 win over Redlands School on Wednesday morning.
“She’s been a bit tired after playing big minutes for Australia but she’s come in and come good and she’s the kind of kid that just wants to play,” Westfields coach Mirinda Reed said.
“Her brother is playing in the 17s so she would have been here anyway, but knowing Jessie and the kind of person she is she would have said ‘I want to play’ after sitting out one game.
“First and foremost she’s an awesome person. Very humble, very competitive and she just wants to make everyone around her better. Those are the sort of players you want to coach.”
Hall isn’t the only standout for the early U20 Division 1 title fancies.
Kira-May Filemu put up 24 points against Redlands and is the division’s top scorer through three days of competition, averaging 22ppg.
Westfields meets fellow contender Marsden State High School on Thursday morning with the winner to clinch the finals top seed.
Avondale’s ‘Shaq’ needs to be more selfish
In perhaps the tightest division at the Australian Basketball Schools Championships, Avondale School boasts a match-winning presence the envy of its rivals – and he’s only just getting started.
That was the ominous call from head coach Terry Johnson after Jayden Tawake put down 26 points in Avondale’s 45-point thrashing of Hunter Sports High School on Wednesday morning.
The U15 Boys Division 2 boasts no unbeaten team after two days of play but Avondale, following an opening game defeat, has established itself as one of the main fancies with their MVP candidate power forward leading the way.
Fourteen-year-old Tawake is their ace in the pack, averaging 28ppg and boasting more than double the scoring output of the next-best player in the division.
Standing north of six feet and with a mean streak inside the paint rarely spied at this age, his coach likens him to Lakers great Shaquille O’Neal. But he wants to see more.
“He can be dominant. But he’s too unselfish at times, to a point he wants to get the lesser-likes involved. That’s kudos to Jayden as a player and as a kid but there are times we need him to be Shaquille and average 30 (points) and 20 (rebounds),” Johnson said.
“He had 40 yesterday and it was kind of easy. He made it look easy.
“Any team that has Jayden in it needs to expect 30 and 30 from him. Those are Shaq numbers and that’s what he can do.
“He was a different player the past couple of years where it was all about scoring; now he’s starting to find guys and get them involved which is testament to his development.”
Tawake was the spark that lifted Avondale from his halftime malaise. Leading by just three points at the major break, the Pool A leaders broke away to trounce their would-be finals rivals 85-40.
It was a statement made from a team that’s still finding its groove on day three of the tournament, with plenty of upside still to come.
“We lost our first game so the last three (wins) have been a lot better,” Johnson said.
“We’re starting to build, but that first half (against Hunter) was a coach killer – it’s why we go grey and bald. But after that we were fine.”
Championship division MVPs become two-horse races
It’s a two-horse race for the tournament MVP in the Men’s Championship Division at the Australian Schools Championships on the Gold Coast.
Lake Ginninderra College forward Cameron Pender and athletic Brisbane State High School wing Roman Siulepa are fighting for the best player honours.
Pender is the most complete player at the tournament, and he underlined that with a remarkable 49-point, 15-rebound, nine-assist near-triple double in the Lakers’ 105-85 win over Victoria’s Rowville Secondary College on Tuesday.
Siulepa also has been brilliant, dropping a combined 53 points in two games on Tuesday.
In the women’s Championship Division, the MVP race is a battle between two Lake Ginninderra College stars in Jessica Petrie and Isla Juffermans.
The pair have been dominant forces for the ACT based school.
Day 3 is looming as another blockbuster day of Championship Division action, highlighted by quarter-final action in the Championship Division for boys and girls tipping off from 2pm (AEST).
MEN’S CHAMPIONSHIP DIVISION STAT LEADERS:
Average points:
Cameron Pender (Lake Ginninderra College) – 36.33 pts
Roman Siulepa (Brisbane State High School) – 28pts
Jaylen Pitman (The Southport School) – 23.67 pts
Elijah Kamu (Brisbane State High School) – 23 pts
Ben Tweedy (The Southport School) – 21pts
Average rebounds:
Bowyn Beatty (Lake Ginninderra College) – 14rbs
Cameron Pender (Lake Ginninderra College) – 13.67rbs
Elijah Kamu (Brisbane State High School) – 11rbs
Tom Sutton (Concordia College) – 13.5rbs
Average assists:
Cameron Pender (Lake Ginninderra College) - 7
Roman Siulepa (Brisbane State High School) – 5.5
James Burrard (Newington College) – 5
Mason Amos (Brisbane State High School – 5
Joel Foxwell – (Rowville Secondary College) – 5
Women’s Championship Division stat leaders:
Average points:
Jessica Petrie (Lake Ginninderra College) – 24.33pts
Isla Juffermans (Lake Ginninderra College) – 21.33pts
Jade Peacock (Hillcrest Christian College) – 21.33pts
Felicity Henderson (St Luke’s Grammar School) – 18.33pts
Average rebounds:
Isla Juffermans (Lake Ginninderra College) – 14.67 rbs
Jessica Petrie (Lake Ginninderra College) – 14.67 rbs
Felicity Henderson (St Luke’s Grammar) – 14rbs
Aspen Crase (Immanuel College) – 14rbs
Average assists:
Lily Carmody (Templestowe College) – 5
Lucy Dexter (Rowville Secondary College) – 4.33
Alison Francis (Lake Ginninderra College) – 4
Felicity Henderson (St Luke’s Grammar) – 3.67
U17 Boys Division 1
Team to beat: Berwick College (3-0)
MVP Leader: Christian Moraes (Rowville Secondary College)
Berwick completed a cleansweep of Pool A with a hammering of The Scots College on Tuesday afternoon, positioning the Victorian school as the team to beat in the division. On the Pool B side, Rowville can replicate that dominance with a win over Hillcrest on Wednesday morning.
Christian Moraes has been on fire through two games for Rowville, putting up 31 and 25 points. He’s currently the clubhouse leader for MVP honours ahead of Hillcrest’s Ryan Schuback and Luke Fennell of Berwick.
U17 Boys Division 2
Team to beat: St Joseph’s College (3-0)
MVP Leader: Nil
It’s a tight division on both sides of the draw, with St Joseph’s unbeaten in Pool A and Trinity College in Pool B though neither has looked perfect through the opening two days of play. St Joseph’s has taken care of business to exit Pool A as the top seed. We’ll know more by the end of Wednesday as to who their main title challenger will be.
The MVP race is equally tough to call. Mabok Makoi (17ppg) of St Dominics College narrowly leads Oliver Olechnowicz (16.5ppg) from John Paul College. But we likely won’t have a standout star until the whips are cracking in the knockout stages later this week.
U17 Girls Division 1
Team to beat: Rowville Secondary College (3-0)
MVP Leader: Keira Hudson (Barker College)
Rowville remains the only unbeaten team in the division and boasts the clear best for-and-against through the opening two days of the tournament. Great tests of their title credentials come on day three with match-ups against Lilydale High School and Barker College, who have both established winning records thus far.
Rowville has dominated the early scoring and boasts four players in the top-five for points-per-game. But the clubhouse leader on Wednesday morning is Keira Hudson from Barker College, who averages a tough under 19 points per game.
U17 Girls Division 2
Team to beat: Mater Christi College (3-0)
MVP Leader: Breanna Carter (Mater Christi College)
Let’s call them the ‘Bullies from Belgrave’ because Mater Christi College has beaten up on its Pool A rivals. They boast a for-and-against of more than 400 per cent and the closest any school has gotten so far is 21 points. It’s much more even on the opposite side of the draw, with Trinity Anglican College out of Albury the early pacesetter in Pool B.
Breanna Carter started hot against Gold Coast Christian College putting up 34 points. She leads all players on 57 points through the first two days – 17 more than her nearest rival.
U15 Boys Division 1
Team to beat: Rowville Secondary College (4-0)
MVP Leader: Michael Andrew (Marsden State High School)
Rowville set the early benchmark in Pool A and looks the presumptive division winner after two days, though there is a lot to play out between now and grand final day. It’s been a complete performance from the Victorian school – just one player, Austin Kirikiri, finds himself in the top-five pointscorers, despite Rowville’s scoring dominance.
Michael Andrew has been Mr Consistent for Brisbane’s Marsden State High School, shooting 23, 24 and 26 points to lead the division through the opening two days.
U15 Boys Division 2
Team to beat: Avondale School (2-1)
MVP Leader: Jayden Tawake (Avondale School)
A truly open division with no unbeaten team after three games. Avondale sits atop the standings and solidified its place with a win over number two ranked Reddam House. Wednesday’s fallout will better shape the finals picture.
A class above is Jayden Tawake in this division. His 86 points through the first two days is 32 more than the next player. He put up 40 points in Avondale’s win over Reddam House on the opening day of the championships and looms as his school’s ace in the pack in its quest for a title.
U15 Girls Division 1
Team to beat: John Paul College
MVP Leader: Isabella Mirkovic (John Paul College)
John Paul College coach Jeff Henderson has high hopes for his young group’s championships division hopes in a few years’ time – and they’re showing their class on the Gold Coast this week. Led by superstar guard Isabella Mirkovic, the Brisbane school has swept all before it so far.
Mirkovic boasts the most points of any player below the championship division so far this week, averaging 27.25ppg – almost 10 more than the next-best scorer, teammate Olivia Olechnowicz. After dispatching local rivals Marsden 54-41 in their Tuesday afternoon encounter, it would take a monumental upset for John Paul to slip up from here. But stranger things have happened.
U15 Girls Division 2
Team to beat: Hunter Sports High (2-0)
MVP Leader: Sharni Richardson (Northpine Christian College)
They’ve only played two games so far but Hunter Sports High has dominated all-comers to this point. Boasting a for-and-against pushing 600, it’s been a muscle-flexing start to the championships for the Sydneysiders.
In Pool A it’s been a perfect 3-0 start for Rotorua Girls High School who were made to work for their win over Berwick College but have otherwise had it relatively easy to this point.
Northpine’s Sharni Richardson has been a consistent force through two games in Pool B, putting up 18 and 21 points. Rotorua’s Sahara Katene is averaging 16.67pts per game and is well in the conversation, especially if her school can make a deep run through the finals.
Opals keeping watchful eye over future stars
It’s likely there are a number of future Australian Opals strutting their stuff on the Gold Coast at the Australian School Championships.
Little do they know, the watchful eye of Opals assistant Paul Gorris is taking it all in.
Gorris, at the behest of Opals coach Sandy Brondello, is at the Carrara Indoor Sports Centre, not just to eye the best young talent in the country, but also to help build on the Opals culture by showing that the national program has a genuine care for the sport’s grassroots pathways.
“We’re not always looking at what’s the next event, it’s about our future and Sandy’s very mindful about leaving a legacy and building for that future,” Gorris told News Corp as we watched Centre of Excellence stars Isla Juffermans and Jessica Petrie step out for basketball powerhouse Lake Ginninderra.
“So it’s good for us to have a presence and get eyes on some of these younger ones.
“The talented ones in schools don’t necessarily make state teams or make the nationals, so it’s easier to cast your eyes across numerous players that you may not get to see all the time.
“The tournament is an open book.”
The obvious drawcards are Petrie and Juffermans, who have both represented Australia at underage level and are dominating the tourney, but Victoria’s Rowville Secondary College has impressed Gorris with its togetherness and discipline.
“Rowville’s got a number of really good girls and kids in their group,” he said.
“I think they’re probably the most-disciplined in the half-court offence. Dean Kinsman’s done a good job coaching them, they’ve got a really solid group, their Xs and Os are good.”
Rowville tough nut Dakota Crichton and young gun Bonnie Diaz, just 16, have caught his eye.
“Bonnie’s a combo guard but I think she’s just got a really good feel for the game,” he said.
“She’s the youngest one in their team but really stands out from an athletic standpoint.”
The CoE will almost certainly have its eye on Diaz - the kid is a fearless young jet who looks a natural hooper.
Melbourne Boomers WNBL development player Lily Carmody is here leading Victoria’s Templestowe College and has impressed Gorris.
“She competes hard, she plays hard, is a willing passer, really sees the floor well and competes every possession,” he said.
“I just like the way she goes about it, she’s a willing teammate and she could probably score every time down the floor, but she’s making the assists, looking for teammates, getting things organised, I really like what I’ve seen of her.”
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