was disappointing that these players, in their final year of basketball at Christ’s College, were not able to live up to the potential of the team. Nicole Billante Manager U17 BLACK BASKETBALL Manager: Ben Sheat Coach: Ben Sheat, Joe Cook-Green Team: Jacob Clements, Ed Davidson, Truman Heath, Will Jones, Matthew Lewis, Rob McClean, Bruno Vaughan, Peter Wang For the first time in College history, the school had a team in the 1st Division grade of the U17 competition. The team battled well all season, even with tough numbers at times because of injury and sickness. Wins over Middleton Grange and Burnside High School (eventual grade winner) were impressive. Robert McClean had an impressive season, averaging 15 points a game and hitting 34 three-point shots throughout the season. Jacob Clements and Matthew Lewis both averaged 12 points a game. While the team was on the wrong side of the score in most games (in a grade where most teams had Thomson Trophy teams playing), the boys always fought hard. Most of the time – after being up or close heading into the 4th quarter – the team just ran out of steam. Thanks to coach Joe Cook-Green for bringing the energy to the team every Saturday and pushing the players. Ben Sheat MiC U17 WHITE BASKETBALL Manager: Olivia Austin Coach: Fletcher Anderson, Jack Hodgins Team: Kevin Chiang, Santino Felitti-Duter, Gus Eglinton, Fergus Johnston, Dominic Lee, Michael Li, Aston Nijjar, Daniel Wei, Jack Yang, Adam Zhu The U17 White team is to be highly commended for its efforts. The
team featured a combination of students who had played basketball for many years and some who had never played at this competitive level. It was great to see the more knowledgeable players help others improve their game strategy. The boys had a difficult time – possibly the result of the division they were placed in. In their best game in Week 3, they secured a 62–59 win over Pioneer. An action- packed game, the boys fought hard for their points. Pioneer ended up one of the toughest teams in the division so it was with great pride that the boys could reflect on that win. Overall, the boys were to be congratulated on the way they represented themselves and College on the court – a most noteworthy achievement. While the team had some unexpected losses they did so with dignity, displaying College values, and showing respect for others and teamwork despite their disappointment. Each boy contributed to the spirit of the team, working together to achieve the best possible outcome. They should be proud of themselves and their hard work, along with their sportsmanship and perseverance right until the season end. Coach Fletcher Anderson led the boys, alongside assistant Jack Hodgins, who took on the coaching role in the latter part of the season. Fletcher brought his extensive knowledge to help the boys achieve at their best. It was clear at training that they were able to reflect what they had learnt from Fletcher and Jack. Among the season standouts was Santino Felitti-Duter, who would always offer a helping hand in leading the boys. He also assisted the coaches with plays and strategies to better serve the team. The Most Improved Player award went to Kevin Chiang. In every game, Kevin gave it his all and it was wonderful to see his progress over the years. The highest scorer, Aston Nijjar, was able to finish the play with accuracy because of the amazing on-court
teamwork. I am proud of what this team has achieved, despite the many disruptions. It was unfortunate that we did not come out victorious overall, but we had many successes throughout the season. I look forward to managing the team in 2022, knowing the boys will come back with a strong determination to succeed. Olivia Austin Manager U15 BLACK BASKETBALL Manager: Susan Harding Coach: Rani Hammond Team: Truman Heath, Aston Nijjar, Ben Laing, Gus Eglinton, Austin Smith, Jackson Garry, Ihaka Cate, Hoani Ifopo-Togia, Jake Leck, Gordon Liu Our season started with a roar in our first game against Shirley Boys’ High School, with Shirley ahead by only 3 points. This energised the boys for an intense series of games which were always highly entertaining and often nerve-wracking for their coaches and supporters alike, as the boys fought point for point competitively in every game. Any loss quickly became a decisive win in the next encounter and the boys powered through to be ultimately named the Canterbury U15 Champions for 2021. This is only the second time that College has won this competition at this level so it is an impressive win and a validation of two years’ hard work by many of the players. In Rani’s words ... “All 11 of the young men in this team have contributed to this successful season and it comes from the determination and hard work they displayed in trainings which allowed them to express themselves as basketball players and as a team on Saturday. Talent is not hard to find on this roster and their development this year, as a team and as individuals, has been pleasing. This team has carried over a lot of chemistry from 2020 with five of
193
Register 2021 Sport
Made with FlippingBook Digital Publishing Software