From the Co-Captains of Basketball, Angus Mattick and Matteo De Vecchi
Training Camps
The start of 2017 marked a new challenge for Waverley Basketball, as everyone was coming off a promising start to the season, only to be interrupted by the holidays. A development camp for junior teams in years 7 to 10 was held with 1st V coach Mr Johnny Jovine helping them get into full swing for final five games. It also allowed for Coach Mr Jovine to see potential prospects and expose future players for the program.
The 1sts and the 2nds also had their annual mid-season training camp, which incorporated three days of intense training. This camp was run by Coach Mr Jovine, Coach Mr Chamberlain and Coach Mr Montano and was an opportunity for the players to get back into full swing for the second half of the season. Both 1sts and 2nds are in contention for premierships, with the 1sts at three wins and two losses, and the 2nds at two wins, one draw, and two losses. This camp also provided players with the opportunity to prove that they were worthy of a 1st V spot, so the competition was at an all-time high.
CAS Basketball Blitz
Participation in these camps also helped teams taking part in the CAS Basketball Blitz to play well and show strong competition with the other schools. The 2nds played at Barker while the 1sts played at Knox. The 2nds was an up and down tournament with one win, two draws and one loss. The win came against Cranbrook due, in part, to the game being forfeited by Cranbrook as a result of a slippery playing surface. The two draws came against Trinity and Knox, in which Waverley came back from deficits late in the game to tie it up by the end. This was taken on board by the 2nds and they have learnt to play the whole game and not to ease up on any team, especially if they see a victory as inevitable. In the loss, Barker just outran Waverley, and also converted their free throws whereas Waverley didn’t.
The 1sts had a great Blitz tournament with a record of three wins and one loss. Unfortunately, a broken leg injury to Johnny Pawle and knee injury to Jeremy Petritsis will sideline them for the rest of the season. We wish them the best of luck in their recovery. The 1sts wins came against Trinity, Cranbrook, and Barker and the one loss came against a strong Knox team. Dean Stojanovski and Nicholas Blakey both starred in the Blitz.
CAS Season
The first round back in 2017 against St. Aloysius was unfortunately cancelled due to the heat wave that hit Sydney over the weekend. Although this was disappointing for most students, it was the in the best interests of all the players. On to this week, we are playing against Cranbrook. The 1sts and 2nds are playing on Friday 17 February, with the 2nds starting at 6pm and the 1sts starting at 7:15pm. We recommend that you arrive at 5:45pm to ensure you get a seat. All Waverley students attending must wear full Waverley College uniform.
Best of luck this weekend!
