2023 Representative Award Winners

Another exciting representative season to celebrate! It was full of hard-fought battles, nailbiting buzzer beaters, tears of joy and frustration, and the many moments that unite us as proud Tigers. It was a pleasure to have our community together to celebrate the efforts of our Junior and Senior teams at presentation on Saturday 19 August.

It was a busy season with eight Junior and two Senior teams representing the Shoalhaven this year. Many teams achieved success with championship winners across various divisions and age groups. Every team played with heart and passion!

Thank you to the army of people who make it all possible. The commitment of everyone involved in our Representative Program is inspiring.

ASSOCIATION AWARD WINNERS

The awards below were nominated by our community and evaluated against the nomination criteria by an independent panel. The full criteria can be viewed at the bottom of the post. Where there were no nominees or the nominees did not meet the criteria, no award will be given. A summary of the nominations has been provided for each award recipient.

Junior Representative Male Player of the Year – Lucas Evison

Lucas represented the South Coast PSSA at the CHS Boys State Championships. He demonstrates good sportsmanship at the domestic and representative level.

Senior Representative Male Player of the Year – Eli Matic

Eli was a high scorer for our Youth Men this year and has been offered a scholarship to play in the USA. He is an encouraging role model to younger players and demonstrated his commitment to the Tigers on the recent Bunnings BBQ.

Senior Representative Female Player of the Year – Simone Hackett

Simone is the women’s lead scorer and a natural leader in the team. Her tenacity makes an impact in offence and defence. Simone goes above and beyond by refereeing multiple games between playing and contributing to the Tiger’s success as an association in many ways.

Representative Coach of the Year – Christine Campbell

Christine received numerous nominations all praising her commitment to the U12G, the Tigers, and basketball as a sport. Throughout the season she has built a culture of belonging and supported every player to succeed as an individual. On game days, she sets an example of respect by interacting positively with the opposition and officials. Christine’s coaching style has gifted the girls on her team with inspiration and empowerment that will last a lifetime.

Representative Referee of the Year – Layla Volpatti

Layla’s dedication to refereeing saw her selected to represent NSW as a referee at the 2023 Australian All Schools Basketball Championships in Perth and South Coast PSSA at the Tri-Schools Tournament in Sydney. She refereed at SJL & Barrengarry for the Tigers this season and was awarded the Grand Final Game at the CHS Boys State Championships. Layla’s nominations also cited her positive attitude, her role as a mentor to younger referees, and her commitment to refereeing junior and senior domestic comp each week.

Representative Team of the Year | The Ryan Walsh Memorial Trophy – Under 12 Girls

These young Tigers have had a fantastic season on and off the court. The team received numerous nominations citing the girl’s impressive Tigers spirit. This was evident in their enthusiastic support for other teams, the positive sportsmanship that was reported by opposing teams, a cheerful approach to fundraising with raffles and the 100 Club, and their flexibility around training options. Half of the team was in their first season, one came straight from Aussie Hoops, but they took it all in their stride to the finish as Runners Up at Barrengarry and 3rd at Country Tournament.

TEAM AWARDS

Senior Women

• MVP – Simone Hackett
• Coaches Award – Alannah Forde
• Most Improved – Layla Volpatti

Youth Men

• MVP – Eli Matic
• Best Defensive Player – Mitch Falcke
• Player’s Player – Mitch Falcke

U18 Boys

• Player’s Player – Lucas Evison

U16 Boys Div. 1

• Player’s Player – Toby Royston
• Defensive Player of the Year – James Speer
• Most Improved – Nate Rees

U16 Boys Div. 2

• Encouragement Award – Noah Sharkis
• Player’s Player – Marcus Francis
• Best & Fairest – Ethan Nikolovski

U16 Girls

• MVP – Kate Speer
• Most Improved – Bethany Dennis
• Coaches Award – Evie Svensson

U14 Boys

• MVP – Lincoln Witting
• Best Offensive Player – Stephen Alfano
• Player’s Player – Cameron Donaldson

U14 Girls

• Player of the Season – Scarlet Waldmann
• Coaches Award – Tessa Volpatti
• Most Improved – Lexi McRae-Brumfield

U12 Boys

• Coaches Award – Clancy Soeters-Clark
• Most Consistent – Randira De Silva
• Encouragement Award – Noah Claven

U12 Girls

• MVP – Isobel Campbell
• Player’s Player – Camilla Addison
• Most Improved – Isabelle Andrews-Mueller

GRADUATING PLAYERS

• Azriel McMillan

• Ashton Morris

• Gaveen De Silva

• Harry Petre

• Julia McMillian 

• Keegan Feehan

• Lucas Evison

Association Award Criteria

Junior Representative Male and Female Player of the Year 

This award recognises junior representative players who achieve selection to represent beyond SBA during the current season. 

The criteria for this award are:  

i. Selection for BNSW development opportunities such as D League, Country Tour/Slam, TAP, NITP, IAS, or state team.  

ii. Selection to a South Coast or NSW school representative team.

iii. The player must demonstrate good sportsmanship and model the Tiger’s values. 

iv. Players of all ages will be considered but players in the U16/18 divisions will be given priority. 

Senior Representative Male and Female Player of the Year 

This award recognises senior representative players who achieve success within the current season. 

The criteria for this award are:  

i. Selection for a BNSW Waratah League Award such as All Star 5, Players of the  Year, Top Point Scorer, etc.  

ii. The player must demonstrate good sportsmanship and model the Tigers values. 

Representative Coach of the Year 

The award recognises a Representative Coach for their commitment, passion, and good sportsmanship to achieve success for their team. The recipient is a leader who models the Tigers values at all times. 

The criteria for this award are: 

i. Shows a passion for basketball and commitment to their team. 

ii. Builds a strong rapport and gets the best from their players.  

iii. Displays respectful, positive behaviour to officials and the opposing team when representing SBA. 

iii. Seeks development opportunities and demonstrates a commitment to building their coaching qualifications.

Representative Referee of the Year 

This award recognises a representative referee of any age who has succeeded as a representative referee in that year.  

The criteria for this award are: 

i. Shows commitment to pursuing the referee pathway by seeking development opportunities and progressing their grading. 

ii. Being selected to referee at a representative level beyond SBA.

Ii. Being selected for finals games at representative competition. 

Representative Team of the Year | The Ryan Walsh Memorial Trophy
This trophy is awarded to the representative team that displays true team spirit. By working together to create a supportive team culture and commitment to the game, this team has created an environment that supports them in reaching their potential. 

The criteria for this award are:  

• Displays an impressive commitment to train, stay, and play together. 

• Demonstrates a supportive and collegiate team culture. 

• Displays positive behaviour and sportsmanship when playing. 

• Shows improvement in their cohesiveness over the season but does not necessarily have to win their competition.