When TJ Remy hit the floor for the Champ Men against Blackburn last week, it was his 100th time representing the Devils at Big V level.
Playing a combination of Youth League and Champ Division, Remy is proud to have played his entire Big V career in the Werribee singlet.
“It was a really proud moment,” Remy said. “I enjoyed going out there knowing it was my 100th – it definitely added something special to the game for me.”
“I have to admit, even my first score last week felt extra special. It’s a fair bit 100 games in Big V – and to do it all for Werribee is great, I loved it,” Remy explained.
Remy is Werribee through-and-through. He played juniors all the way through here and credits many of his early coaches in helping to shape the player he has become today.
“I still remember my first influential coach – Paul Montalto. I was a content player as a really young kid, just hung back a bit and did what I had to. Paul really got in my ear and helped me to push myself to get the best out of my game.”
At just 22, Remy is still young enough to be playing in our Youth League side and had it been up to him, he might still have been.
“I was planning to play out in Youth League until I was too old, then try out for the Champ team. It was Warren (CM coach Warren Estcourt) who encouraged me to play last year and I’m really grateful he has been so supportive over the last two years.”
After a slow start, the CM are starting to click with results turning their way. Remy believes there’s still plenty of life in this group.
“I think we’re really pushing for a run, we’re really starting to gel as a team. As players we’re all still really hopeful of making a run for the finals – that certainly remains our goal,” Remy said.
In his first year at Werribee, Jacob Formosa also played his 100 Big V game, an outstanding effort.
The CM take on Hume City Broncos this Saturday night at Eagle Stadium, hoping to begin that run towards the finals!
The CW start the night at 6:30pm, also against the Broncos and the Men hit the floor at 8:30pm.
Get the diary out and put this in – Save The Dates for our 2019/20 VJBL rep tryouts!
While it’s a few months away, we wanted to give everyone as much time as possible to plan around the dates!
As per our process – athletes can attend 2 of the 3 tryouts for their age group to be considered for teams.
Further details about times and how/
Topic – Teaching Man to Man Defence
*Learn to teach individual containment;
*Shell/help defence principles;
*Purposeful communication; &
*Boxing out/rebounding;
CLICK HERE TO REGISTER
Date – 19th May, Sunday
Time – 5:30pm – 7:00pm
Location – Eagle Stadium (Court 8)
Cost – FREE
Former Werribee junior and 2018/19 WNBL Champion Maddy Rocci is back in town and she’s showing off a nice new championship ring!
Back home for a well-earned rest, Maddy will be making special guest appearances at a number of our Aussie Hoops and school sessions.
Maddy said she was thankful for the start she got at Werribee (in rep and playing domestic with Iramoo) and was more than happy to help develop the next generation of stars.
“It’s all started for me at Werribee Basketball and the coaches I had helped me develop. Paul Jones was one of my coaches and he and everyone else helped me get to where I am today.”
Maddy is living proof that the player pathway here at Werribee has limitless potential.
“There were multiple opportunities to leave Werribee during my junior years, but I never wanted to and now I am proof you don’t have leave Werribee to reach your ultimate dream,” Maddy explained.
“Ultimately if you are willing to work hard the opportunities are here at Werribee and you really can go on and play at a higher level from here.”
If you see Maddy with a big smile on her face, she says she’s still riding high after the championship win. “It’s only my second season and never thought I’d have a WNBL championship at the age of 20 – so it’s all a bit surreal.”
“About two minutes to go we started celebrating – but when that final buzzer went we just jumped on the court and started celebrating with the team,” Maddy said.
And the celebrations didn’t end on the final buzzer either. “It was a big party. One of the Canberra Capital’s sponsors Bentspoke put on a function for us after the game, so we celebrated hard.”
Werribee favourite and 2018 Big V All Star 5 Konor Kulas will return to the Devils for the 2019 season.
Kulas, who was one of the most dominant players in the league last year, quickly became a fan favourite with his dynamic play and affable personality.
Prior to his first season in the Big V, Kulas has played professionally in Germany and had a terrific career at South Dakota School of Mines and Technology.
In a fantastic 2018 Big V season, Kulas’s scoring ability became difficult for opposititon defenders to contain and he often drew fouls as a result.
“I loved my time in Werribee last season and was thrilled when Warren called asking me to come back,” Kulas said.
“I hope we can use the momentum we created last season to have a serious crack in 2019 – it feels like unfinished business for me.”
Championship Men coach Warren Estcourt said he’d always planned to invite Kulas back.
“Konor was the backbone of our team in 2018 and re-signing him for season 2019 was our main priority,” Estcourt said.
“He is the consummate professional, both on and off the court, and I am looking forward to welcoming him back and watching his continued development this year.”
The Big V season starts in March.
Athletic American David Shepard has signed on as Werribee Basketball’s first male import for the 2019 season.
The 6’7 power forward will add international experience to the squad, having played professionally in Argentina.
Played his US college career at Linderwood, Shepard was a consistent point scorer and used his height to dominate the boards.
Shepard said he was excited by the challenge of the Big V league.
“I am very excited for this opportunity to play in Australia. I look forward to competing at a very high level,” Shepard said.
“I look forward working as hard as possible to insure the team’s success.”
Championship Men coach Warren Estcourt said he was looking forward to seeing what Shepard can do on court.
“David brings us great size, athleticism, enthusiasm, and shooting ability. He can guard any position and I can’t wait to see how he fits into our program,” Estcourt said.
“David’s skill set will make him one of the best imports in the league in 2019 and I am confident he will be a wonderful addition for the club both on and off the court.”
The Big V season starts in March.
Alisia Jenkins is a rebounding machine, who has been compared to former Chicago Bulls livewire Dennis Rodman.
Good thing she’s Werribee Basketball’s latest import signing!
Playing professionally in Finland this summer, Jenkins is averaging almost 15 rebounds a game, the second highest in the league. She has also played professionally in Spain.
During a standout college career at University of Southern Florida, Jenkins was a force a nature, dominating the boards and averaged a double-double during her final two years.
Jenkins said she was excited about signing with her new team.
“I’ve been very lucky to play basketball in a number of different countries and I’m excited to add Australia to that list,” Jenkins said.
“I hope plenty of Werribee locals come and check out the team this year.”
Championship Women coach Reece Potter said Jenkins would certainly bring some excitement to the court.
“Alisia is an outstanding addition to our team and an energetic personality. She is a supreme athlete who will make great contributions to our team on both the offensive and defensive end of the floor,” Potter said.
“Alisia’s rebounding, speed and strength will prove to be a nightmare for opposition teams to stop. I know our basketball community is going to love the way Alisia plays.”
Jenkins will join the team at the completion of the Finnish season.
Werribee Basketball can reveal our first import for Big V season 2019 is American college star Alexyz Vaioletama.
Vaioletama boasts an impressive resume which includes playing in junior US national teams, a stellar career at one of the top D1 colleges in the country (University of Southern California) and professional stints in South Korea and Puerto Rico.
She arrives in Werribee after a strong season in Finland’s Korisliiga, playing for Honka.
The 6’1 forward said she looked forward to playing in the Big V league.
“I’m looking forward coming down to Australia and getting to know my teammates at Werribee,” Vaioletama said.
“I know Australians love basketball and the games will be super competitive. I think my game will suit the style of play in the Big V league and I’m looking forward to the challenge.”
Championship Women coach Reece Potter said Vaioletama will fit into the team nicely.
“Alexyz is a true professional and will add much-needed scoring, rebounding, defence and overall leadership to our team as we move into the Big V Championship division this year,” Potter said.
“I am greatly looking forward to working with Alexyz as we push to build an extremely competitive team this year and more importantly over time, build a strong pathway for female athletes in Melbourne’s west to play at an elite level.”
Vaioletama will join the team at the completion of the Finnish season.
Werribee Basketball’s Domestic Development Program (DDP) is designed to help our players bridge the gap between domestic and rep basketball and this year’s U/14 girls are proving it works!
In total, 8 girls from our 14.1G and 14.2G completed DDP prior to making a VJBL representative team, emphasising the value of the program.
Currently playing in the 14.1Gs, Shakoda Onken Paiti said the program was very helpful in preparing her for VJBL. “DDP helped me build up my skills and gave me a fantastic insight into rep basketball, it definitely helped me develop as a player.”
Shakoda’s teammate Ayan Ali said she improved dramatically as a result of the program: “I was able to improve my dribbling and especially my footwork, I am a lot faster now than I was before!”
Ayan’s sister Anam Ali (also playing in 14.1G) said: “It was really good, the advice was very helpful. I worked hard on my shooting technique during the program and it has improved greatly.”
Shakoda, Ayan and Anam’s teammate Jasmine Pirangi said she loved learning from a range of WBA coaches: “The access to the coaches at DDP was really helpful. I learned a lot during my time in the program.”
DDP provides domestic players with an unrivalled opportunity to enhance their basketball fundamentals and hear first-hand from VJBL representative coaches.
In the 14.2G, Khirysa Pese said: “The program was great.”
Khirysa is joined in the team by Aheu Yak, Ebyan Dhakal and Charli Potts.
Charli said: “DDP definitely helped get me into a representative team, my game improved and I’m glad I was part of it!”
Ebyan agreed, saying DDP gave a great insight into what was required to play rep basketball: “Having access to the coaches meant I knew what skills I needed to work on and really helped to improve my play.”
Charli’s father Andrew Potts said his daughter and her teammates had really benefited from being part of the program.
“They absolutely have improved through their involvement in DDP. Having the opportunity to work closely with rep and senior coaches was fantastic – especially working specifically on technical skills,” Andrew explained.
“For Charli, it certainly helped with her skills, but it also built up her confidence on court and she deals with the nerves before a game much more effectively now.”
There are still spaces available for the DDP program in Term 1 for both our Tuesday and Thursday sessions, click here for more details.
Werribee Basketball’s Big V Championship Men has signed emerging young guard Phil Renteria.
Renteria has a strong history in the top level of Big V Basketball, having played for Hume City and Corio Bay over the last four years. Last year he travelled to South America to play for Piratas De Bogata in the Colombian Professional Basketball League.
In a sign of how that experience improved his game, Renteria was nominated for Youth Player of the year in Big V CM last season.
“I’m always looking to improve my basketball and playing at Werribee in the top level of Big V will help me do that again in 2019. We’ve been training for a couple of weeks and the squad is starting to come together very nicely,” Renteria said.
Estcourt said another player with international experience helped drive the entire roster to a higher standard.
“Phil has just finished a stint in the Columbian National League with Piratas De Bogota in 2018 which has enabled him to continue his rapid improvement over the past 12 months, Estcourt said.
“He’s one of the best young guards in the Big V and I’m genuinely excited to see him run our team on the floor this year.,” Estcourt said.
The Big V season starts in March.
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