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.

Werribee Basketball’s Big V Championship Men has signed exciting young globetrotter Jacob Formosa.

Formosa has returned from a professional stint in Malta, including representing the Maltese national side, and is pumped to be pulling on Werribee yellow in 2019.

Formosa is an energetic guard who has enjoyed two seasons in the Maltese National League, as well as playing for Sunbury in Big V last season.

In 2018 he was selected to play for the Maltese National Team and even won a gold medal at the FIBA Small Countries Tournament in July when Malta defeated Norway in the final.

Jacob said he couldn’t wait for the season ahead.

“2018 was a huge year on the court for me personally and I’m really excited to take my basketball to the next level here in Werribee. Warren (Estcourt) is building a great roster and I’m counting down the days until the start of the season,” Formosa said.

CM Coach Warren Estcourt said Formosa brought good experience for a guy his age.

“Jacob has gained invaluable experience from both playing in Malta and being a big part of the Maltese National Team who won Gold at the FIBA European Championship for Small Countries in 2018,” Estcourt said.

“He works hard, listens, can shoot the ball and is underrated defensively. We were very happy to obtain his signature for season 2019.”

The Big V season starts in March.

Werribee Basketball is excited to announce its Championship Women side has signed exciting youngster Sarah Elsworthy for the 2019 Big V season.

A talented Point Guard, Elsworthy has been involved withthe Adelaide Lightning in the WNBL for the last three seasons. She also has playing experience in the Queensland Basketball League and the SA Premier League.

In her first year in the best female league in the country, Elsworthy was runner up in the WNBL Rookie of the year award and took home Adelaide Lightning’s Rachael Sporn Encouragement Award.

Elsworthy said she was looking forward to playing in the Championship Division for Werribee.

“I can’t wait to start training and getting to know my teammates at Werribee. I am looking forward to playing in the Big V, a league I have heard great things about,” Elsworthy said.

“Reece is piecing together a competitive team and I am looking forward to being a part of it.”

Devils’ CW coach Reece Potter said Elsworthy was a fantastic signing and would strengthen the team considerably in the Guard position.

“Moving into the Championship Division meant we needed to do some key recruiting and signing Sarah is a great start. She works hard, wants to get better and will set professional standards for younger athletes in our Big V and VJBL program to look up to,” Potter said.

“I greatly look forward to seeing the impact Sarah can have for our program, both on and off court.”

The Big V season starts in March.

Werribee Basketball is pleased to announced our association is the latest NBL 3x3Hustle franchise. The exciting news means Werribee Basketball will soon be hosting Street Hustle events and having teams compete in the “3×3 State League” called the Urban Hustle.

Longer term, the association is eyeing off qualification for Big Hustle National and when launched, the NBL Pro Hustle series.

Being based in one of the fastest growing regions of the country, Werribee Basketball is excited to attract new participants to basketball through the 3x3Hustle model.

Werribee Basketball Business Manager Andrew Summerville said the Street Hustle events will provide a completely different offering to our regular competitions.

 “3x3Hustle is an exciting evolution in our game and we’re pleased to be at the forefront of it. It’s my hope we can attract new participants to the game, with the modified format and exciting one-off events” Mr Summerville said. 

“The Wyndham region is growing at such a rate that we continually need to look at new ways to attract locals to our sport and 3x3Hustle presents the perfect opportunity for us to do so.”

In 3x3Hustle, squads are made up of three starters and one sub, games are played on a half court and it’s first to 21 or whoever leads after 10 minutes. The shot clock is set at 12 seconds and a basket is worth one point, or two points for anything beyond the arc.

These changes mean 3x3Hustle is convenient for anyone, anywhere. Just lace up the shoes, bring a ball and it’s time to hustle.

Mr Summerville also outlined the longer-term goals to compete at a professional level.

“We hope the entire association and local community gets behind our 3x3Hustle franchise so we can push to have Werribee teams competing at the top professional level in 2019 and beyond.”

Werribee joins Nunawading Spectres, Bendigo Braves, Bulleen Boomers, Deakin Melbourne Boomers (WNBL), Geelong Supercats (Vic) Brisbane Bullets (NBL), PCYC Queensland (Qld) Canberra North, Canberra Central, Canberra South (ACT) Woodville Warriors and West Adelaide Bearcats (SA) as 3x3Hustle franchisees.

And for juniors hoping to play 3x3Hustle for Werribee, the perfect place to start is our 3×3 Intro camp. CLICK HERE for more details!

To WBA Members

Werribee Basketball Association Executive would like to inform our community that Andrew Summerville resigned as Business Manager on Friday 22nd March to pursue new career opportunities. Andrew served as Business Manager for over 2 years and oversaw a period of change and rapid growth for the association. Werribee Basketball Association wishes to thank Andrew for his efforts and wishes him all the best in his future pursuits.

The WBA will begin a search for a replacement in the coming weeks and will provide an update once completed. If you have any questions please contact the WBA office on info@wyndhambasketball.com or 03 9742 5440.

Summer Super Camp

Cost – $65.00 per athlete for 1 day OR $110.00 for both days

Targeted at – Aussie Hoops & Domestic Athletes (ages 5 – 15)

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER

Rep Prep Workout

Cost – $65.00 per athlete

Targeted at – VJBL Representative Athletes Only

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER

3×3 Intro Camp

Cost – $60.00 per athlete

Targeted at – All athletes from U12 to U18

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER

Email:

jarrod.moore@wyndhambasketball.com 

Phone: (03) 9742 5440 

Werribee Basketball is pleased to announce Mason Rogers will coach the Youth League Women’s side in 2019-20.

Mason took the reins of our YL2W team in 2018, impressing with his attitude and application to rebuilding the program. He is also Girls Coaching Lead for our VJBL program here at Werribee Basketball.

The Youth Women will again play in D2 and after showing great signs of improvement throughout the 2018 season, the team has its eyes firmly fixed on promotion going forward.

Mason said he was excited about the next phase and wanted to continue to improve on the development made last season.

“I was really proud of the way the team evolved throughout the season,” Mason explained. “And I’m determined to ensure we continue on that path and get better again in 2019.”

Werribee Basketball’s Business Manager Andrew Summerville said the association was pleased to secure a coach with Mason’s potential.

“Mason has great knowledge for someone his age and we hope to see him continue to prosper here at Werribee,” Mr Summerville said.

“He did a great job guiding the team last year,and we hope to see the girls come on in leaps and bounds in 2019.”

Mason said he had one clear goal in mind for the upcoming season.

“We only just missed the playoffs last season, so making them is an obvious goal next year. Ultimately I’d love to see our Youth Women climb out of division 2 and be competing with the top teams in the Big V.”

YLW try-outs start on Tuesday, November 20.