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OVERTIME
OVERTIME MAG
The official magazine of Big V Basketball
DECEMBER 2011
Brasser, Dirkx & Phelan are...
CRADLE 2
THA GRAVE
ALSO INSIDE...
- CAMBERWELL GRAB MORE NBA EXPERIENCE
- MCKINNON & CORIO BAY JOIN CHAMPIONSHIP
- OT EXCLUSIVE: BENNIE LEWIS LANDS IN WAVERLEY
- THOUGHTS ON PATTY MILLS LEAVING AUS
DECEMBER 2011 EDITION
- TENILLE CANN SIGNS WITH CRAIGIEBURN
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contents
P4
AUSSIE HOOPS NEWS
P5
DRAGONS BREATHING NBA FIRE
P7
CANN HEADS TO THE NEST
P8
COUGS AND RAYS ON THE BIG STAGE
P11
CRADLE 2 THA GRAVE
P14
BENNIE LEWIS NESTS AT WAVERLEY
See what’s news beyond the walls of Big V.
Anstey and Vaughns are ready to roll for Camberwell.
Former Championship/WNBL player Tenille Cann joins Craigieburn.
No use mucking around, these two teams have gone to the top.
Matt Brasser, Shaun Phelan & Jason Dirkx display their loyalty.
Surely the Falcons couldn’t get any better? Well... they have.
EDITORIAL
Well this is a big moment in Overtime Mag history people- we’ve got a photoshoot of three young up and comers of the league, gracing our cover for the last
edition of 2K11.
Matt Brasser of Southern Pen, Shaun Phelan from Altona and Jason Dirkx repping Whittlesea makes for a professional looking product that will continue to
draw more and more readers in. It’s our goal to make it a players/coaches objective to make the cover of Overtime. Get used to seeing these sorts of shots
show-cased across future editions.
And that’s another season in the Big V books and they seem to go quicker
every year. But the momentum towards season 20Twelve is gathering speed
already and we have some sharp articles on what we can expect next year.
Once again putting pen to paper is the Herald Sun’s Grantley Bernard and now
The Age’s Roy Ward joins the team. We’ve got plenty of quality content to keep
you occupied, in the meantime from Big V, we hope you have a Merry Christmas and we’ll catch you next year.
DECEMBER 2011 EDITION
DECEMBER 2011 EDITION
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AUSTRALIAN HOOPS
In 20Twelve, the Dragons have some...
There’s always plenty going on across the nation beyond Big V.
Let’s take a look at what’s been news lately...
AUSSIES ABROAD
Eleven years is a long time in
Aussie hoops. In 2000, we had
most of our Senior National
Team representatives playing locally, in the NBL and
WNBL. Now many of the top
Aussies are scattered all over
the world, playing abroad in
Europe, and now with Patty
heading North, to China as
well.
There’s been a bit of talk about
Patty’s decision to go to China.
At the time, with litigation looking likely in the NBA, it’s easy to
see why he made that call.
In hindsight, that reasoning
was problematic in that the
NBA is now looking likely to
go ahead, but the questions
is: was it still a bad decision?
Firstly, the money’s better. He’s
looking after his financial security, by making twice (and then
some) what he would have in
the NBA. Secondly, there were
never any guarantees on a
contract in this very different
NBA climate. And although we
know he has the game to play
over there, there were no guarantees, and had a deal been
done, there’s every chance
that he would’ve been receiving inconsistent minutes like his
first two seasons.
Which brings us to London.
With Bogut slotting back in the
team, we need our playmaker
playing minutes in the build
up. If Mills spends the next
six months as a spark off the
bench, and then steps into the
role of hardwood leader for
the Boomers, will he be ready?
We need our point guard to be
playing minutes and leading
his team domestically.
Beyond Patty, we have a number of Aussies
abroad making it happen. Penny Taylor is
tearing it up for Fenerbahce in Turkey,
averaging almost 20 points and seven
boards an outing.
Another rising star is Aron Baynes, a relatively unknown big from Queensland who was a
member of the 2010 Boomers World Championship campaign. He’s enjoying 15 and
10 this season for Ikaros Kallitheas, Greece,
a phenomenal effort for a young gun who
had Luc Longley raving after their most recent camp.
Ex-Melbourne Tigers swingman David Barlow found himself at UCAM Murcia, Spain
this year and already he’s proving his worth.
Barlow enjoyed a season-best performance
late last month, dropping four from seven
treys on his way to 16 points. the NBA lockout as uncertain as ever, the question begs;
CBL FIRES UP FOR SEASON 11/12
For those Big V ballers who are considered
“city slickers”, you may not be aware that
while your relaxing in the sun of the offseason, country clubs from all over Victoria are battling each other for country
supremacy.
There are a number of Big V players running around such as Jordan Canovan,
Jarryd Moss, Tess Feery, Brook McKay &
Marcus Larcombe to name a few.
And they are all running around in a number of conferences in Gippsland, North
East and South West matching up every
weekend and there is always some quality
hoops somewhere in the state.
For all the latest CBL results, you can now
click on the CBL logo on the Big V website. For quick writeups on each game, a
news article will be posted weekly as well.
BY ROY WARD
THERE are few bigger names in Australian basketball than Chris Anstey
and fewer more understated than
Brian Vaughns.
Camberwell Dragons in 2012 with
Anstey leading the men’s team
into division 1 and Vaughns taking
charge of the Dragons women.
Anstey’s playing career is as wellknown as anyone not named Gaze
but to recap he was a two-time
Olympian, European star and a
three-time NBL championship winner.
Despite a reputation as a great oncourt leader Anstey admits his debut coaching campaign in season
2011 was a test run; a chance to
feel out coaching at senior level.
“I told the boys on day 1 that this
was my first time coaching and I
was going to make some mistakes,”
he said.
“It would be hard if the guys made
it hard but they have been fantastic. Everyone communicates well
and they listen.”
Anstey said he had loved the move
into club basketball although took
time to adjust to working with amateur players.
“After being around elite basketball
for 20 years you find yourself trying
to remember these players aren’t
full time professionals,” he said.
“There are limitations in what they
can do. We only have two or three
practices a week.
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DECEMBER 2011 EDITION
“I told them when we
train we are going to
train like professionals
but I know that I can’t
expect basketball to be
the only thing they think
about.”
Despite losing out to
Blackburn in last year’s
playoffs Anstey has set
the bar high for his side
even though it had
moved up into division
“Last year we exceeded the expectations
of people outside the
team and we have kept
the core of that side
together,” he said.
“We are looking to
integrate some other
players into the team –
I’m expecting another
competitive season.”
The Dragons have
certainly added more
quality to their side
with former NBL centre
Jason Eversteyn signing
to play in 2012 while
Anstey flagged some
possible additions to
his backcourt. Anstey
has also reduced his
involvement
in the Dragons junior
championship
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program to focus on the BigV
side.
While Anstey is clear his goal
is to eventually coach of the
elite level he has enjoyed the
community element of playing at BigV level.
“I came straight into under18s Victorian Championship
and from there went into
elite basketball,” he said.
“So I was never in the club
environment; the people
who come here do it because they love it. I’m probably doing things in reverse
going into this level after
professional basketball.”
The Dragons will take a
simple philosophy into this
season under Anstey.
“Winning is fun and the better prepared we are the
more fun we are going to
have,” he said.
While Anstey’s reputation
precedes him Vaughns
keeps his deep in his back
pocket.
brag about what they did; I
prefer people don’t know,”
he said.
Vaughns, who is head of
basketball at Maribyrnong
Sports Academy, aims to let
his coaching dictate how
players perceive him.
“Those achievements were
so long ago. A lot of the kids
I coach don’t know who I
am, don’t know what I did.
Such a move is rare for an
athlete who has played in
the most competitive basketball leagues in the world
including the NBA, NCAA,
Euro League and the NBL
among others.
Very few people in the
world can say they stared
down Michael Jordan at
the height of his athletic
powers but Vaughns did just
that keeping Jordan below
20 points during an NBA
game.
But Vaughns said he wanted his players’ minds of his
lessons not his resume.”
“A lot of coaches like to
“But as they learn and see
the road I took, they can
relate a little better.
“I tell everyone I coach that
not everybody is going to
be a pro, not everyone is
going to get 15 minutes of
fame but if you work hard
you can give yourselves a
chance to get there.”
Vaughns said he was still
driven by his very first season
of basketball as a 15-yearold beginner.
“Some kids I deal with complain about not being in the
first team or getting enough
court time,” he said.
“I tell them I got one second of court time in my first
season – My high school
team won the state championship and even though
we were 30 points up in the
final my coach didn’t trust
me to go on the court until
there was just a second left.
“I got one second on court
and it was the greatest day
of my life because I won my
first championship. Then I
spent all off-season working
hard so he would play me
the next season.”
Vaughn said the Dragons
women had made a good
first impression on him.
“What I’ve seen so far I’m
quite pleased with,” he
said.
“We are a very young but
good, athletic group.
“The good thing is we have
clean slate and everyone
starts from scratch.”
DECEMBER 2011 EDITION
A quick chat with...
Craigieburn’s Newest Addition
Tenille Cann
Big V: Where did you play your junior
basketball?
TC: First started off at Craigieburn then
pretty much from under 12’s to 18’s I was at
Hume City.
Big V: With you signing on with the Eagles
for 2012, I suppose it’d be a bit of a homecoming?
TC: I guess you could call it back to my
roots sort of thing. I wanted to help out the
younger players coming through the squad
and make a bit of a come back into the
game.
Big V: What experience have you had in
your career so far?
TC: Starting off we won the under 18 Victorian Championships which was a fantastic
experience. Then from there I went to college in the US for 4 years and actually did
pretty well over there. Won 3 more championships in 4 years over there, which is
pretty lucky, I guess! Then came back and
played for Hume City for 3 or 4 years and
won 3 in a row!
Big V: Winning is a bit of a habit for you?
TC: Yeah I’m a bit of a magnet I guess!
Big V: Well Craigieburn will be happy to
have you then as they haven’t made finals
since 2008. What are your expectations for
the Eagles next season?
TC: I think we’re in for a good year. With
the squad we’ve got at the moment we
have very good individuals so as long as
we get it together as a team I guess there is
really no limits.
Big V: How do you think your experience at
college and championship level will help
the Eagles in 2012?
DECEMBER 2011 EDITION
TC: I think probably through a bit of leadership on the floor. It’s a pretty young team
we’ve got so they’ll be looking to me I
guess for a bit of guidance and composure
on the court plus general teaching. II want
to be a coach on the floor too, so I’m looking forward to it.
Big V: We didn’t see you around Big V this
year, what have you been doing basketball
wise?
TC: I Just took a year off and needed a bit
of a break. I played a bit of domestic on a
Sunday night, a bit of fun there with a few
mates but just trying to keep fit at the gym
but no real basketball this year.
Big V: What do you want to personally
achieve this season?
TC: The biggest thing for me is to have fun.
Having fun with my teammates throughout
the year and even to teach the younger
ones that are in the team this year and to
win…another one!
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FRESH CHAMPIONSHIP BLOOD
Making the jump into Big V’s State Championship is a big deal.
It’s even bigger when your’e a brand new entrant into Big V, or played in Division Two the year just gone.
After being granted access
into the State Championship
competition in unorthodox
manner, new club Corio
Bay and former Division Two
Women squad the McKinnon
Cougars are ready to take
on the states best at the top
level.
But both took very different
paths into the top flight, both
as unconventional as the
other.
The McKinnon Cougars had
been dwindling in Division
Two Women since 2007,
making the finals just once
in 2010. Fielding a relatively
younger squad this year,
they missed out on finals
by 2 games after a midseason coaching change
threatened to de-rail their
season. But under new coach
and former gun Brooke
Ary, they rallied hard in the
second half of the season,
showing some promise.
Then just a month after
season 2K11 concluded, 10
km’s up the road, something
happened that would turn
the women’s program on its
head. The Waverley Falcons
senior Women’s squad had
gone through a shakeup.
With the promotion of the
majority of players from the
premiership winning youth
Falcons into the top side, a
big chunk of senior players
with high level experience
and Head Coach Bianca
White were looking for a new
home.
The connection between
the two parties began
with a very coincidental
relationship. Coach Bianca
White happened to coach
McKinnon Vice President
John Humble’s daughter at
a junior level. From there the
wheels began to turn and the
foundation for an outcome
that was almost too perfect
to be realistic was built.
And before they knew it, and
without a flicker of hesitation,
McKinnon pounced on
the opportunity to put their
women’s program 2 to 3
years ahead of where they
had planned and welcomed
the former Falcons into “The
Den” with open arms.
In a matter of days, the
Cougars had turned a solid
Division Two Women’s unit
into a State Championship
one, while also forming
a new Youth Women’s
team, allowing the previous
McKinnon’s senior women
a spot at the senior level
instead of just being phased
out.
Coming along for the ride
is Waverley’s 2011 coach
Bianca White who is excited
about the fresh start for her
and the girls she is very close
with.
“I’m really looking forward
to it because it’s sort of a
changed mindset”, said
White. ”We’re now part of
DECEMBER 2011 EDITION
the club and part of something
bigger. It’s a small club and
everyone is trying to grow the
program and it’s legitimately
a family club. When I was
involved with Sandringham,
it used to be like that and to
come back to that, it’s nice.”
With the new era for Bianca
and her girls ahead of them,
they leave behind Waverley
whom they had been involved
with for so long prior. But
Bianca is looking forward to the
change.
“Waverley took on a new
direction, McKinnon presented
itself and it was just meant to
be. It was so quick and it was
a good thing and the change
will be good for the girls”, said
White.
And some of the girls that are
coming along for the ride are
household names in the Big V.
Brookhouse, Richards, Feery
and Lough are just some of
the quality that will be running
around “The Den” next season.
As for the existing McKinnon
girls, with the majority of them
being quite young, Coach
White has a plan for them.
“I’m constructing a
development squad so I’ll have
a rotation where we’ll have a
couple suit up each week from
the Youth League. We have
to develop for the next few
years”.
It’s also not often that a
completely new club can join
up and dive straight into State
Championship- easing in is
overrated anyway.
But here they are, the newly
accepted Corio Bay Stingrays
who will be running around
with the competitions best in
State Championship Men.
Corio Bay are the other major
association in the Geelong
area, having been around
since 2004 at a VJBL level and
are now sporting 136 junior
domestic teams and 172 senior
teams.
After dominating the Country
Basketball League for the last
2 years, the club thought the
time was right to not only enter
a team, but to throw them right
in the deep end with a number
of recruits that are proven at
the top level.
Coach Dan Riches is optimistic
about the coming year, reeling
off a number of quality players
that will be pulling on the
Stingray jersey in 2012.
“The squad will primarily be the
team that won the two state
country championships plus an
American import, said Riches.
With the likes of familiar Big V
DECEMBER 2011 EDITION
face and 2010 Division One
MVP Jason Reardon, former
SEABL players James Walker
and Luke Osborne and well
known Big V shooter Paul
Hutchinson, the level of ball at
State Championship will not be
a shock to these experienced
competitors.
But the burning question that is
sure to be raised is; why would
a completely new club with
no Big V experience at any
level dive straight into State
Championship? The answer
is pretty simple- they’ll have
a team that is flat out good
enough to compete as of right
now.
“When we originally applied,
we did for Division 1”, said
Riches. “Once the league
had seen the list we had
on paper, it was at their
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suggestion we enter into
State Championship Men.
We knew what we had to
do to be a competitor in
the league. Get an import,
attract some more talent
and we thought that was a
reasonable expectation.”
So here they are, on the
biggest stage at state
level, ready to take on
These championship rookies
will be under the microscope
as everyone will be watching
very closely how both these
teams go in 2012, but for
different reasons.
Especially in State
Championship, new
competitors in a division
always raise a ton of
questions.
the Waverley vs. McKinnon
game be when they meet
up for the first time?
Regardless the addition of
these two teams has the Big
V world talking- such is the
nature of the off-season.
Sometimes when a club
takes a plunge, shakes up
the status quo and doesn’t
just rest on their laurels, it
LOYALTY
LiVES
HERE
By Grantley Bernard
powerhouse teams in
Waverley, Eltham and
Ringwood, plus powerhouse
players in Ivan Platenik,
Daniel Dillon, Bennie Lewis
and Jamal Brown. But with a
team that is certainly ready
to compete right now, Corio
Bay are more than capable
of facing this calibre of
basketball.
Will the Cougars be able to
replicate the success the
core group of Falcons have
had over the past few years?
Will Corio Bay be put in their
place by some strong and
established State Champ
squads that will be keen to
show them what it takes to
battle with the big boys?
How heated of a battle will
can dramatically advance
programs in the blink of an
eye.
That’s what we have seen
from these two clubs and
they should be commended
for having the intestinal
fortitude to go out on a limb
and give it a shot.
DECEMBER 2011 EDITION
WHEN you put all the angles together, Shaun Phelan
never stood a chance. He
was always going to be an
Altona Gator.
Not when his dad Geoff
took up basketball after suffering a shoulder injury playing baseball. Not when his
mum Lyn was an avid and
more-than-handy domestic
player.
Especially not when he
grew up – and still lives – in a
house just around the corner
from the Altona Stadium.
The Phelan family is certainly
committed to Gator basketball..
“It’s great to be involved
there,” Shaun said. “The
family is pretty much there. I
mean, we basically live next
door.”
It’s more than fair to say the
Altona Stadium is a second
home for the Phelan family.
DECEMBER 2011 EDITION
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graduating to the Southern Peninsula Youth League
team and now looking at stepping up the men’s
team in Division One.
But Matt’s ambition goes well beyond the Sharks.
Having just completed his VCE studies, Matt’s next
big basketball goal is to play college ball in the US.
“I really want to go to college,’’ Matt said. “It might
be hard to get there, but I’ve got a couple of guys
down here trying to help me out.”
From junior domestic hoops to college basketball is a
big leap, but Matt Brasser might just be able to make
it. Lucky his mum knows how to make a deal.
Or perhaps it’s closer to an extension of the family home given
Shaun knows he can easily get hold of the keys whenever he
wants to sneak in for a quiet and private shoot-around.
Dad Geoff is down there most nights, organising courts and
teams in the domestic comps where Shaun and his younger
brothers Heath and Travis cut their basketball teeth.
Having first worn the Gators uniform as a 10-year-old in the
Under-12s, Shaun has graduated to the Big V program, playing
in the Youth League for three seasons and one championship.
This pre-season Shaun has given himself the task of trying to
gain a roster spot with Altona’s Big V Division One team, which
would take him from the bottom to the top of the Gators rep
program.
Not that the 20-year-old forward/centre is talking up his chances of actually making the team for the new Big V season that
tips off in March.
“I wouldn’t really like to say,” Shaun said. “We’ve got a lot of
talent there this year.”
The great thing for Shaun if he did make the top team for next
season is it would almost take him full circle – or at least back
to his childhood days.
As a little bloke, Shaun always looked up to the men wearing
the Gators uniform and would often turn up to Big V games
with his mates and worm their way onto the bench.
“When I was in juniors a few of my coaches played Big V,”
Shaun said. “We’d all just go and watch. I looked up to them
all the way through.”
Now it’s the turn – maybe – of the kids to watch Shaun.
MATT Brasser’s mum was also a major influence in getting him
started down at Southern Peninsula.
Young Matt was resistant to Trish Brasser’s suggestion that he
give basketball a try, so they struck a deal that might have
been the best Trish ever made.
“I never really wanted to play,” Matt said. “But one day my
mum made me go. She said to play one game and if I didn’t
like it I didn’t have to go back to play again. I loved it and I
haven’t stopped playing since.”
That was when Matt was about 10 and he started out in the
Under-11 domestic competition with no great ambition in basketball other to enjoy the sport and the games.
The idea of playing rep basketball was something Matt didn’t
really entertain, despite the urgings of his coaches, who recognised the potential in the point guard, who now stands a shade
under 183cm – the old six feet.
“My coaches eventually got me involved,” Matt said. “I would
go to (rep) trainings and Under-18s was when I really started
playing.”
The basketball growth curve has spiked since then with Matt
DECEMBER 2011 EDITION
JASON Dirkx is at an age when plenty of young basketballers are just trying to make an impact on senior
competition.
But the reality is that Dirkx is a veteran in terms of
experience and seems like he has been part of the
Whittlesea Pacers Big V program forever.
After all, the shooting guard started playing Big V
when he was about 16 and already has six produc-
“AS A LITTLE BLOKE, SHAUN ALWAYS LOOKED UP TO THE
MEN WEARING THE GATORS UNIFORM”
tive seasons with the Pacers under his belt.
“I started played under-12 domestic and didn’t think I
was anything special when I was younger,” Jason said.
“I tried out for rep and (after a few years) went straight
into the senior program.
“We had a few openings in the Div1 team in my second
year (after playing one season of State Youth Champ)
when a few players left and I was able to get a spot in
the team.”
It was a spot that Jason has more than made his own
over the years, becoming one of the best scorers in the
competition and playing alongside his brother Matthew.
But there have been plenty of dedicated people to
help Jason along the way and Melbourne Tigers captain Tommy Greer was among the Whittlesea people,
coaches and players that Jason looked up to during his
formative basketball years.
After making the playoffs last season, the Pacers are
aiming at going back to the finals in 2012 and going
further than being tipped out in the semi-finals.
The aim is to challenge for the championship, which
would be nice for Jason Dirkx, a young veteran with
many more years left to win many more championships.
DECEMBER 2011 EDITION
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IF YOU CAN’T BEAT EM - JOIN EM
THE FALCON HAS LANDED
In an Overtime exclusive, NBL Melbourne
Tiger Bennie Lewis has signed with the
Waverley Falcons for season 20Twelve
after playing the last two seasons with the
Big V State Championship Tigers.
With the departure of veteran Vashon
Weaver from the 2K11 Falcon squad after
moving on to Warrandyte, Lewis has not
only filled the void at the 3 spot, but gifts
the Falcons yet another offensive weapon in their formidable arsenal. Armed
with a sweet jumper and god-given athleticiscm, Lewis gives opposing champ
coaches an extra headache next year
when they are sitting in the Falcons’ rafters taking scouting notes.
with modified rules to force a fast paced game and minimal defense. Not only
did Lewis thrive as he threw down an array of windmills and tomahawks, he won
the Most Explosive Award for the day. He electrified the crowd with his athleticism,
had tons of fun and the MSAC rims have never been the same.
Coach Eric Minerve is a happy man and rightfully so. The explosive forward gives
Waverley another option to go along with Threatt, Platenik & Dillon. Spoilt for riches is a monsterous understatement. But predictably Minerve downplayed it, however he will not be able to hide behind underdog status this time as they head in
at this early stage overwhelming favourites.
2011 was a tumultous season for the Big V
Tigers with coaching and player personell
changes occuring throughout the year.
The Tigers managed just 6 wins from 18
games and missed the finals for the second year in a row- unprecedented at Big
V level. But Lewis continued to carry his
team, averaging 17 points and 7 boards
a contest while commanding the best
opposing defender and an abundance
of help D.
“Bennie is willing to put the team ahead of individual accolades”, said Minerve.
“His length, build, ability and versatility to play the 2/3/4 positions will pose the opposition plenty of mis-match issues with the group as a whole.”
And here comes the renowned Minerve downplay people:
“But what ill say is, the last 2 years the favourite hasn’t won, so where does that
put us? Games still have to be played. We have a strong list, but I’m sure Ringwood and Eltham are doing things( recruiting). I know Eltham won’t be the same
but there’s plenty of good teams that will give us challenges.”
Funnily enough, Lewis’ kryptonite was
the Falcons defense. Bennie the Birdman
averaged just 10.6 points in 2011 against
the champs and will be relieved that he
won’t have to face them again.
Sorry Coach, but you’re not getting away with it this time. As of right now, the
Falcons boast the deepest and most talented squad that are all proven and are
already back to back champs to boot with the Lewis pickup.
And if you haven’t caught him in a Tigers
singlet before, you may have caught him destroying the Big V All-Star event- the
Big Bounce at MSAC during the year. The event pitted division against division
DECEMBER 2011 EDITION
The signing has the Falcon faithful abuzz and will get spectators flocking through
the gates. Big V fans, strap yourselves in because the Falcons are going to be a
spectacle in season 20Twelve which is already shaping up to be a year to
remember.
DECEMBER 2011 EDITION
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