Last night the Brydens Sydney Uni Flames players, sponsors, volunteers and staff gathered together at The Grandstand to celebrate an impressive season of basketball in the Wattle Valley 2014/15 WNBL competition.
Geoff Tripp the event’s MC for the night, spoke about the remarkable job young new coach Shannon Seebohm had done. He developed a great culture on and off the court for the girls which resulted in a playing style that was selfless and team orientated.
Shannon was extremely dedicated throughout the season, with his assistant coach Reece Potter who spent countless hours reviewing game tape and preparing sessions for the team. Their endless hard work resulted in the team making it to the preliminary finals where they were ultimately beaten by the Bendigo Spirit who will go on to play in the WNBL Grand Final this weekend against the Townsville Fire.
Despite this close loss, the team should be extremely proud of their season which was commemorated last night.
A number of individual players were highlighted for their achievements and involvement in the success of the club. Firstly the future of the club, the program’s Flames Academy Player of the Year was announced. Sherrie Calliea was honoured to accept this award. She represents a number of young, talented players making the transition between junior to elite level basketball. The Flames Academy was hugely successful this year and will hope to provide a pathway for girls into the Flames senior side in future years.
Seebohm then announced three senior squad awards, including Most Improved Player, Best Defensive Player and Most Valuable Player.
Tahlia Tupaea collected the award for Most Improved Player. At 17 years of age Tahlia plays with a maturity beyond her years. She became vital for the team throughout the season, a key player often giving spark off the bench and relieving Katie Ebzery and Leilani Mithcell of point guard duties as needed.
Hayley Moffatt was awarded Best Defensive Player in her first year with the Flames. Moffatt, often outsized throughout the season, took on numerous challenging match ups and managed to shut down key offensive contributors for the opposition. It was her reliability to complete these tough tasks which resulted in her having such a consistent season.
The award for Most Valuable Player was shared between two deserving people in Katie Ebzery and Leilani Mitchell. Coach Seebohm couldn’t split the two when it came to attributing the top honour. These two have combined right throughout the season to become the strongest back court duo in the compeititon. Leilani Mitchell led the league in assists while Ebzery was in the top five in the league in scoring and guided the squad consistently as Co Captain.
The night concluded with a number of gifts being presented to the teams ever supportive and passionate sponsors. They have been incredible throughout the season in the assistance they provide in maintaining the success of the club and through the encouragment they provide at games.
Likewise, General Manager Karen Dalton was praised for her hard work and undying efforts throughout the season which often go unnoticed.
Everyone involved in the program no matter what capacity should be proud of the teams achievements and we can look forward to a bright future and another successful season in 2015/16.