Warriors

9/10 Boys Basketball

Defending Champions, the Year 9/10 Covenant Warriors Boys Basketball team, entered the 2009 WCSSA Tourament a little under done. Numerous disruptions in preparation for the tournament meant a Warrior team stepped onto the courts at The Arena that was fired up to maintain it’s WCSSA basketball supremacy, focused upon the task set before them, but were fully aware of the foreboding challenge that lay before them in the form of seven other hungry rival schools.

From a Coaches perspective, I was impressed with the way we improved over the course of the day. It’s great to see how that within competition you can continue to learn, and that a Tournament such as this can be not solely an ‘end’ in itself, but rather, simultanously a ‘means’ to a further end in future competition.

Tenacity and desperation at the ball was initially a missing factor, with rival schools that didn’t have the skill base of the Warriors staying in contention by sheer hustle and hard work. As the head of the Warriors I took offense at this, as it’s the warrior who first and foremost works hards and ne’er rests on his laurels. The challenge was then set to the boys to increase this intensity, this desperation and demand and necessity to work hard at the task that was set before them. Working hard as part of the Warriors is not optional, rather, imperitive and essential, and the boys began to apply this as the day wore on. In this regard, of particular note was the work ethic of Jerry Mannings who, at no impressive height, was able to outwork his bigger opponent to claim numerous rebounds that were not rightly his, and score consistently from second chance opportunities made available by himself. At seeing this intensity others such as Robert Rice then took arms and stamped size and authority within the ‘paint’.

Josh Lendon was a consistent physical leader throughout the day, which as Captain he needed to be, and the team could readily go to him in times of need to provide an offensive spark and renewal of energy on court. Ash Broome, whilst not feeling the range on the day, was always an outside threat and provided the perimeter option that forced defensive structures to spread to accomodate his shooting presence. Luke Nowlan was perhaps the most diverse threat that, as Coach, I could call on to carry out any necessary task required at the time. Wether it be to shut down a threatening opponent with tight defense, or to take on point-guard ball handling responsibilities to keep diversity in our offense, he was able to accomodate.

Tom Berry, our mobile small forward, is the man with the sweet left hand, who is beginning to see the diverse possibilities he can supply offensively. While he loves to hang out on the perimeter and launch “three’s”, which was effective in spreading our opponents defense, he began to take on the challenge of attacking the basket with courage, being willing to put his body on the line for the team. A skill that if developed over the next 12 months, will see Tom as a very dangerous basketballer. And Jacob Gleeson, much of the ilk of Luke Nowlan, was a consistent athletic presence that applied a necessary work rate that many of his teammates could learn from. He chased the ball, he read the play, he picked off passes, he finished on the break, he hustled back on defense. Hard work, plain and simple. It’s all we require. Which leads us to Luke Schultink. Although his basketball specific skills are still in the developmental stage, he was still selected from amongst 20 students to make the Warrior Basketball team. Why? Based solely on his desire to work hard, and his enthusiasm to learn and be a part of a greater team structure. Hunger for participation and keenness to work hard will be rewarded in the halls of Covenant College sport, and I knew, as Coach, that at any time I could call on Luke to go out and bring the team some intensity and work rate, and he’d oblige unconditionally.

The Warriors went through the Tournament with two lopsidedly strong victories, and a single defeat by a mere two points. Finishing 2nd after the opening rounds, we moved directly into the Grand Final to take on Macedon Grammar School, who were undefeated to that point. Unfortunately, their streak was not to change, as the Covenant Warriors faced a team that were bigger (the MGS Centre looked like offspring of Shaquille O’Neal…only white…and with no real skill…just immense size), and were more diverse in there offensive options.

Final score; MGS (20) d Covenant College Warriors (14).

However, it was great to see that directly after the Grand Final loss the boys gathered to focus immediately on 2010. They understood that they were a team made of predominantly Year 9’s and that come 2010 they will have had an extra year of growth, an extra year of basketball developmental and a greater hunger to claim Tournament honours and regain what is rightfully Warrior property; the WCSSA 9/10 Basketball Championship.

Coach McEwen

9/10 Girls Basketball

Article still to come…