Key Coaching Course information for VJBL;

All VJBL Head Coaches, coaching teams 1-3 need a minimum of the Club Coaching Accreditation.

All VJBL Head Coaches, coaching teams 4 and lower need a minimum of the Community Coach accreditation.

All Domestic Coaches are heavily encouraged to have at least he Community Coach accreditation.

For more information on our Coaching Courses, please contact Rob Coulter – rob.coulter@basketballvictoria.com.au

The Wyndham Basketball Association has locked in all four imports for the 2024 season and we know you’re all going to love what we have put together.

Amanda Paschal

The Wyndham Basketball community will be over the moon with the announcement that a local favourite, both on and off the court, Amanda Paschal, has put pen to paper to sign for another season.

Amanda is no stranger to the Wyndham Basketball community and has proven her ability to dominate in the BigV competition.  ‘AP’, as she is affectionately known, will return to our Championship Women’s program for the 3rd consecutive year.

The 2023 MVP, Defensive Player of The Year, Golden Hands Award winner and All-Star 5 recipient is primed for another big season of BigV, spending her summer time with the Bendigo Spirit in the WNBL.

Championship Women’s Coach Gerard Hillier knows that AP’s impact is invaluable and that she will be a huge benefit across the entire Wyndham Basketball community – “We are extremely excited to have Amanda Paschal join our program again for the 2024 Big V season, not only an elite player and leader on the court but equally impressive with her work ethic in growing the game of basketball in our community here at Wyndham.”

AP summed up her feelings towards re-signing succinctly, “excited to get back on the court with my Wyndham family for another year and compete for a Championship!!”

Julie Brosseau

Julie Brosseau is joining AP as an import in the Championship Women’s team for season 2024.

Julie comes to Wyndham with one incredible resume, including having played for the prestigious Kansas University and most recently in the top division in Luxembourg, where she averaged 21 points, 40% from 3, 5 rebounds and almost 2 steals per game.

Gerard Hillier, our Championship Women’s Head Coach, is ecstatic to have Julie join our club for the 2024 season.  “Julie is a really big addition to our program, not only a high-level shooter from multiple levels but also an established ball handler and decision maker with plenty of experience playing at Kansas University and internationally.”

Julie shared Coach Hillier’s joy and can’t wait to join us in 2024, “I am really excited to join Wyndham Basketball and play for Coach Gerard. This team has proved to be a winning program over the years; I can’t wait to be part of it and bring my abilities to the table. I am definitely looking forward to connecting with my new teammates and exploring a new country”. 

Myles Thomas

Myles Thomas joins our Men’s program and will make an immediate impact on and off the court.  Having played all four years of his college career at Tuskegee University, Thomas has since played in Kosovo, Malta, where he won the championship in the top division and, most recently, Romania.

Head Coach of our Championship Men’s Program, Lucas Allen, believes Myles ticks many boxes for the team in 2024. “Myles is an outstanding addition to our program.  It was important for us to find someone with a range of experiences playing the game and a versatile skill set.  Myles has played internationally and across multiple countries since finishing his college career and in varying roles.  His size, skill set and athleticism are all elements of his game that we can’t wait to intertwine into our style of play”.

Thomas is excited to take what he has learned internationally and bring that to the team at Wyndham – “I’m thankful for the opportunity and looking forward to extending my playing experience out to another part of the world, where I’m able to display my talents with the Wyndham Basketball program, that has been successful on and off the court.  I’m also looking forward to joining the winning culture and continuing that success this upcoming season”.

Troyce Manassa

A familiar name, and for many, a familiar face in Troyce Manassa, is one piece of our Championship Men’s import combination for the 2024 season.  Having spent the last two seasons in the BigV Championship division, Troyce re-joins our Head Coach, Lucas Allen, after working together in 2019.

Troyce saw the big picture and joined Wyndham with more than Basketball on his mind, “Wyndham is aligned with my core values both as a player and a person, and I’m excited to join the club and push the Wyndham way forward”.

Manassa continued with the sentiment that it is more than Basketball that drew him to our club, “With the preexisting relationships I have here, it makes joining a new team so much easier knowing that I’m surrounded by people that I trust”. 

Championship Men’s Head Coach, Lucas Allen, shared similar sentiments to that of Manassa – “Troyce was the first person I met with following the end of our season, and we are incredibly excited to have him join us for the 2024 season.  The signing of Troyce and the excitement that comes with it is multi-faceted; he is experienced internationally, he is a proven winner, we have worked together and won a championship previously, and he is at a stage in his life where his maturity and experiences will be invaluable elements of his leadership within our team”.

Amanda will be in Australia during the summer months as she continues to train with the Bendigo Spirit in the WNBL, whilst the other three imports; Julie, Myles and Troyce will all be arriving early-mid February 2024.

The Wyndham Basketball Association is thrilled to share with you the announcement that Zoe Zwerling has signed as our Youth League Women’s Head Coach for the next two years.

WBA’s Player and Coach Development Manager, Gerard Hillier was delighted to be able to appoint Zoe to the role – “We are super excited to have Coach Zoe Zwerling sign on to take charge of our Youth League Women’s program for the next  two years. Zoe comes to the program with a genuine passion for player development and has a strong desire to climb the coaching ranks and make a career in coaching, so we are really fortunate to have such a passionate and focused young coach lead our Youth League Women’s program.”

“Zoe has been one of our more active coaches within our development programs over the past 12 months, and has displayed a strong understanding and knowledge of the Wyndham Way, which will no doubt greatly assist our Youth League players in their development.”

Zoe shared Gerard’s enthusiasm for the appointment – “I’ve known for years that I’d eventually transition from playing to coaching basketball.  This feels like a natural step for both me and for the program, and a perfect fit. I think my extensive playing experience has set me up to be a great leader for the Youth League women’s team. I love the culture at Wyndham, and the direction the club is headed”.

The Youth League Women are hosting tryouts this week, which will be Zoe’s first official duty as the new Head Coach.  If you are interested in being a part of the Youth League Women’s program at Wyndham, make sure you head to this link to register.

Hillier, Allen & Bensted commit for the long term ✍️

The Wyndham Basketball Association are delighted to announce that Gerard Hillier (Championship Women), Lucas Allen (Championship Men) and Aaron Bensted (Youth League Men) have all signed long-term extensions with the club, with each of them committing to our program for the next 3 years.

Coming off the back of back to back Grand Final births, Gerard Hillier will continue to lead our State Championship Women until at least 2026.  Wyndham Basketball Association General Manager was all praise for Hillier “Gerard is highly respected, very experienced and an outstanding leader within basketball and has overseen and driven the successful transformation of not only the Championship Women’s program, but the entire Wyndham Basketball Player and Coach Development department”.

Joining Gerard in returning until 2026 is our Championship Men’s Coach, Lucas Allen.  Having been in the role for 2 years already, Wyndham Player and Coach Development Manager, Gerard Hillier, was thrilled to have Allen continue int he role, “We are extremely fortunate to have Lucas sign for another 3 years and continue to lead our Championship Men’s program into the future, Lucas has done a first-class job with building a professional and progressive environment for our players to develop and flourish in, which will no doubt continue to deliver great results for the Wyndham Basketball Association and our community.”

The Men’s program as a whole has secured long term continuity with Youth Men’s Head Coach, Aaron Bensted also signing on to continue in his role until at least 2026.  Gerard Hillier continued to share his elation with Aaron’s signing, “The work Aaron has put in over the past 2 seasons with our Youth League Men’s program has been nothing short of remarkable, bringing a genuine passion for player development and a strong commitment to our club and community. We are absolutely delighted to have Aaron sign on for another 3 years, and know he will continue to build our program and achieve great things.”

Fresh off winning the BigV Club of The Year Award, along with 15 other individual awards at the BigV league awards night, the Wyndham Basketball Association’s Senior Program is flourishing and the commitment from all three of these successful, high calibre coaches is testament to not only what has been achieved at Wyndham in recent times, but the opportunity and promise that lies ahead in the near future.

As a club, we could not be filled with more joy with each of these signings and we are filled with enthusiasm and excitement for what the future holds.

We will be able to announce our Youth Women’s Head Coaching appointment in the near future.

In the last two seasons, both of our Youth League programs have had success, each finishing with a banner at the end of the year to hang on the walls.  This isn’t enough for us though, and we want to continue to pursue excellence.

Both our Youth League teams will have a chance to progress to Victorian Youth Championship division with qualifying games being played early in 2024.  On top of this, the pathway between our Youth and Senior teams is evident and the opportunities are real.

If this is something you would like to be a part of, make sure you register and head along to our try outs, info below;

If you want any further information, please do not hesitate to contact our Player and Coach Development Manager, Gerard Hillier – gerard.hillier@wyndhambasketball.com