UPDATED: NUNAWADING SPECTRES COACHES VJBL 22/23

Nunawading Basketball is excited to announce its Nunawading Spectres U12-U18 representative coaching line-up for the 2022/2023 VJBL season.

Guided by Heads of Coach Development Brenton O’Brien and Grant Hardy, the Nunawading Spectres have appointed an impressive coaching group charged to lead the program into the future with an increased focus on athlete development.

“A lot of hard work was put in to engage, observe and listen over the last period of time to understand the standard of coaching within our club,” Hardy said. “I have been impressed with the talent, passion, and enthusiasm shown by all our coaches in every age group. With a real focus being put on selecting coaches who strive to make all our athletes better and to work in collaboration with other age group coaches, I feel all coaches selected will uphold this commitment asked of them. I am absolutely thrilled to work with these coaches over the next 12 months.”

All ‘First Team’ coaches will be tasked to lead their respective age groups with an emphasis on holistic development. They will be strongly supported by identified age group coaches that are strategically positioned to maximise the benefit to all of our selected Nunawading Spectres’ athletes.

“It’s an exciting time for the club with the announcement of our new VJBL coaches,” O’Brien said. “This group is all invested in their own development and will build a strong foundation for the future of the program and give an enthusiastic and exciting feel to the club. We cannot wait to get to work and keep building momentum so we can produce the best environment for our coaches, managers, and athletes to reach their goals.”

U12 Girls
Head Coach: Casey Giles
Age Group Coaches: Chiara Curtis, Rachel Gill, Andrew Hallsall, Amanda Hobba, Taylah Schmidtke, Damian Arsenis, Alicia Casey, Bailey Smith, Col McColl, Ash McColl, Olivia Morris, Lavinia Stow

U14 Girls
Head Coach: Gail Macfarlane
Age Group Coaches: Sue Bayliss, Lisa West-Linnett, Bianca McCulloch, Andrew Kyoong, Rebecca Thorburn, Maddison Geddes, Peter Poon

U16 Girls
Head Coach: Matt Dickins
Age Group Coaches: John Aucterlonie, Geoff Coppin, Jennifer Schimizzi, Todd Spencer, Lani Kerr, Amelie Bayliss

U18 Girls
Head Coach: Libby Schoenfeld
Age Group Coaches: Penny Kafkalakis, Lydon Gogos, James Kafkalakis

U12 Boys
Head Coach: Ryan Moran
Age Group Coaches: Damon Maurice, Campbell Fraser, Roger Skofic, Ben Hardcastle, Geoff Hardcastle, Darren Maurice, James Anderson, Brayden West-Linnett

U14 Boys
Head Coach: Rob Schoenfeld
Age Group Coaches: Bailey Connell, Hayden Bowen, Avo Meguerditchian, Jodie Ferrier

U16 Boys
Head Coach: Darren Rogers
Age Group Coaches: Nathan Morgan, Josh Jones, Emma Pearce, Chris Brakin, Luke Tenbuuren

U18 Boys
Head Coach: Matt Foster
Age Group Coaches: Geoff Hoareau, Nicholas D’Addazio, Leigh Wadeson

There may be some movement of age group coaches, including additional appointments pending final team numbers.

“This is an exciting period for our representative program,” Nunawading Basketball Operations Manager Paul Flynn said. “Brenton and Grant have assembled an impressive coaching list that will serve our program and its athletes incredibly well. We have a number of positive initiatives being introduced this coming season that will add significant value to both players and coaches’ development pathways. It’s certainly an exciting time to be a part of the Nunawading Spectres program.”

“We would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge and thank the enormous contribution our coaching staff have made this past year. Returning to a full season post lockdowns and cancellations posed significant challenges, yet the dedication and enthusiasm of our coaches did not waiver. Upholding the standards required to be one of Australia’s premier representative programs is no small feat, which simply cannot be done without the significant investment of time and experience provided by our coaching staff.”

The Nunawading Spectres are seeking expressions of interest from junior players intending to try out for Nunawading Spectres U12-U18 VJBL teams in the 22/23 season.

Complete your Expression of Interest here >>> https://tinyurl.com/SpectresVJBLEOI

Tryout dates have been published via nunawadingbasketball.com.au as;

Saturday 1 October – Tryout Session 1
Sunday 2 October – Tryout Session 2
Friday 7 October – Tryout Session 3
Sunday 9 October – Tryout Session 4

The EOI provides our representative committee the ability to forecast player numbers for each age group so an appropriate try out schedule (court allocations) can be arranged and provides the Nunawading Spectres an opportunity to communicate with interested families directly.