Edition 21 - March 2025
A message from the Club President
With the shortest month behind us we know that summer has ended, and the Summer 2024- 25 basketball season is entering its final few games. It seems more sweat than ever has been expended as we have played through some mighty hot conditions. Well done to all our athletes who persevered what has been a hot few weeks.
This season many Wattle Park teams will continue into finals, and we hope they all do well. With a greater focus on finals eligibility (8 games) now is a good time to ensure everyone is good to play. Any concerns speak with your Team Manager.
An incredibly special thanks to all our volunteers who assisted with the Fundraising BBQ. The sausages were not the only thing sizzling on what was another very warm day. We were able to raise money to support our Junior Coaching and promote the Club. It was a little disappointing that we struggled to fill all the spots for this event. The Club is dependent on all its wonderful volunteers to ensure that we provide the best training and playing program we possibly can. With over 600 players hitting the courts each week we need your help. I want to encourage you to please consider where you may be able to participate in helping our athletes have a better basketball experience. That is what you helping out actually means.
We are already planning for our end of year presentation which we want to be a fantastic celebration of our players so there is a chance to help right there. Please note the time and date below as we really want to see a great turnout. Watch for the volunteer shout out and please respond.
We are also looking for Age Group Coordinators. Getting our teams formed each season is a massive job and with registration now open we will need assistance very soon. If you want to see how the sausage is made and get involved in how the teams are formed here is your chance. Happy to talk you through what is required.
Hopefully, everyone has received their registration link for next season. If not, please contact your Team Manager. It is important that you get that in ASAP to ensure a team placement and avoid late fees. We are so looking forward to getting everyone back into action for Winter. Thank you to all of those who have written to me to make team requests, and we will certainly be trying to respond positively where we can. Actually the best thing to do is to place your request in your registration when prompted.
Our main aim will be to get as many young athletes playing basketball. This means we will be forming teams of ideally 8 but up to 9 players, we will be trying to support coaches with training days that work for them, we will look to place players together where requested, its just we cannot accommodate all requests. Unfortunately creating a Goldilocks team for everyone is just not possible. Thank you in advance for your understanding and support.
Finally I also want to thank all our Coaches, TMs and particularly our players that have been seeking to elevate the standard of our games not just in terms of performance but also in the way we play. The Wattle Park Way! Issues with behavioral fouls have been well down. I have really appreciated the drop is dissent shown by our players and supporters toward referees.
This is just not acceptable. I am hoping this can continue and we become a club really known for the way we treat the referees and our opposition. Things do not always go our way; we may not always appreciate the call or the way the opposition behaves but that is not something we control. It’s what we do in the moment that counts. I’m not suggesting we don’t seek to play our best and that means contesting every moment of every game, but we do it with respect. That’s U8s to U19/21s, every supporter, every official.
Thanks for wanting to be part of a Club that is passionate about developing our players on and off the court. No better example than our Junior Coaches like Ben and James as set out below. Excellent job by all our JCs this season.
Best of luck to all our teams for the rest of the summer season, I hope it has been a great one for your athlete
Shayne La Combre
Club President
Go Saints - Brave, True, One
In this edition
Winter 2025 season registrations are now open!
Save the Date: Summer 2024/2025 Presentation Day
Meet our Junior Coaches, James & Ben
Age group co-ordinators wanted
School holidays are coming
Junior coaches wanted
Thank you to our Sponsors
Uniform update
Dates to remember
Winter 2025 season registrations are now open!
As we wind down the Summer 24/25 season, it’s time to gear up for the Winter 2025 season. Full registration details were sent via email, and are now on our website
Junior Monday (Girls) and Friday (Boys) Players – register here: https://www.playhq.com/basketball-victoria/register/8b148c
Junior Saturday Players – register here: https://www.playhq.com/basketball-victoria/register/e18b96
Please make sure you use the correct links when registering – Registrations close 5pm, Sunday March 2nd
Save the date – Summer 24/25 season presentation day
We’re locked and loaded for another great presentation day at Forest Hill Secondary College on Sunday April 27th, 1pm – 4pm.
Pop it in the diary and RSVP here https://www.trybooking.com/CZLME
Junior Coach profile
On a regular basis we profile Junior Coaches – today we meet Ben King & James McCann who coach the Saturday Boys U9.1 team.
My name is Ben, and I am currently in Year 8 at Whitefriars College. This year marks my debut as a coach, and I’m thoroughly enjoying the experience. I have the privilege of coaching the Wattle Park Saints Under 9.1 team. What I find most rewarding is connecting with the kids and having fun during training sessions and games. My favourite coaching moment so far has been celebrating our first victory as a team. In my opinion, one of the most valuable lessons for young players is the importance of building strong relationships with teammates and embracing the concept of teamwork. For anyone considering coaching, I would highly recommend it—it's incredibly fun and enjoyable.
James goes to school at Carey Grammar, is in year 8 and plays footy and basketball. His favourite TV show is Brooklyn 99 and movie is Top gun maverick. He’s been coaching for one season and is coaching with his mate Ben. His favourite part about coaching is seeing all the kids reactions when they win - when they score, they look really happy and sometimes do funny celebrations. His favourite moment as a coach was winning the first game when no one knew each other but all the kids acted like old friends when they were celebrating. The most important lesson for young players learning to play basketball is probably that it’s a team sport and just to have fun, as they are just playing for fun at this age. I would say to someone considering coaching that you should do it to see the memories the kids make while playing and it is also really fun!
Pic: Ben (left), James (right)
Age group co-ordinators wanted
Love basketball? Great at organising? Comfortable making decisions? We’re on the lookout for Age Group Coordinators (AGCs) for our Friday and Saturday competitions to form teams and keep things running smoothly as we head into the Winter 2025 season.
What you’ll do:
✅ Allocate team resources (Coaches, Team Managers & Training venues)
✅ Form and balance teams considering requests, numbers and skills
✅ Act as a go-to for any queries or issues
When?
✅ Busiest time: The month before each season + first few weeks of the season.
✅ The more AGCs we have, the lighter the load!
What you need:
✅ Organised & decisive
✅ Able to handle tricky team selections & parent feedback
✅ Basketball knowledge helps, but isn’t essential
You’ll have plenty of support from other AGCs as well as Shayne.
Interested? Get in touch with us at info@wattleparksaints.org.au to chat to Shayne.
School holidays are coming!
Once again our sponsors International Sports Camps are offering a great deal for Wattle Park Saints families on their 3 day basketball programs – save 30% by booking now at iscamps.com.au
Junior Coaching opportunities for Winter 2025
With Winter registrations now open, we’ve got some great Junior Coaching opportunities. Please give Glen a call or email at info@wattleparksaints.org.au to find out more. We’ll also be running a Junior Coaches Induction session at the Nunawading Basketball Centre in the Conference room - stay tuned for details.
Our Sponsors
We are very grateful to our sponsors – thanks to these sponsors, we have been able to provide top-notch coaching and development, along with coaching kits to our young aspiring Junior coaches in our community. This support has not only improved their confidence, leadership and basketball skills but also instils valuable life lessons around teamwork, discipline, perseverance. It's heartening to see this positive impact and how sponsorship makes a difference.
Thank you to our season sponsors
Community Bank Inner East: We are thrilled to announce a partnership with the Community Bank Inner East, and would like to thank Community Bank Inner East for their support. Over $9.5 million dollars has been invested in the local community since 2003. This, and many other projects in our local community may not have happened without this support. We encourage you to consider the Community Bank for your banking needs.
Pizza & donuts : 668 Canterbury Rd Surrey Hills; www.pizzarepublica.com.au
The Prefurred Groomer: https://theprefurredgroomer.com.au/
ABAX Accounting: Contact John Hearn jehearn@hotmail.com
PICAC: A unique industry-led training centre with campuses located in Brunswick, Geelong and Narre Warren Contact: info@picac.edu.au
Community Bank Inner East
Benetas is a leading not-for-profit provider of residential aged care, retirement living, respite, in-home and community services.
Camberwell IGA : 1401 Toorak Road Camberwell
Everything's Connected Progressive Osteopathy : 734 Riversdale Road Camberwell
International Sports Camps: https://iscamps.com.au/
Uniform update
For uniform enquiries, head to Uniforms@wattleparksaints.org.au
Share your game day pictures
We would love to receive any game pictures from our Monday, Friday and Saturday Teams, so we can celebrate the players, coaches and WPS community in Halo and on our Facebook & Instagram pages.
We’re always on the lookout for any pictures of our players in action. You can send these to us at info@wattleparksaints.org.au or through Facebook (WattleParkSaints) using Messenger.
Make sure you let us know a little about the match and the players.
Close Action shots are great, team shots with Coaches are even better!
Dates for the diary
Monday night competition final season game: Monday 17th March
Friday night competition final season game: Friday 21st March
Saturday competition final season game: Saturday 22nd March
Monday night competition Elimination Final: Monday 24th March
Friday night competition Elimination Final : Friday 28th March
Saturday competition Elimination Final: Saturday 29th March
Monday night competition Grand Final: Monday 31st March
Friday night competition Grand Final: Friday 4th April
Saturday competition Grand Final: Saturday 5th April
Winter Season Saturday competition begins: Saturday April 26th
Presentation Day: Sunday April 27th 1pm - 4pm
Winter Season Monday night competition begins: Monday April 28th
Winter Season Friday night competition begins: Friday May 2nd
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