their games. It soon became apparent that the boys' skills were of a high calibre and they worked well together as a team. Although the team took some unexpected losses, they did so with a great sense of dignity. College virtues were displayed throughout the season, especially in showing compassion for the opposition after a win. Our highest scoring game was a 98–36 win against the Selwyn Hawks in Round 7. This game reinforced the unity among members of the team; all the boys supported one another, leading the team to a superb victory and into play-offs for the semi-finals. Round 1 of the play-offs was an adrenaline packed match against Gators White. There was no backing down and the boys persevered right until the end, but to their dismay the Gators came back strong in the last quarter and won by a mere five points. What the team was able to take away was their pride and high standard of sportsmanship. A special mention for captain Henry Smith, who so ably led the team. Henry developed his leadership skills throughout the season, working alongside coach Tom Crutchley. Henry represented the team well; he had great communication on court and listened to his peers off court when making important team decisions. The player of the season was awarded to Matt Lewis who, as well as being the team’s highest scorer, demonstrated enjoyment, discipline, teamwork and respect in every game. Kevin Chiang was also an outstanding player, with the best attitude on and off court. Kevin was able to deal with conflict and any issues during the season, showing true College sportsmanship. He improved throughout the season with the support of his peers, developing into a player to watch next season. The U17B basketball team evolved throughout the season, with many of the boys improving in their own way, whether in skills, physically or socially. I am so proud of what they achieved and look forward to them coming back stronger next year. Although they did not finish victorious overall, they nevertheless
enjoyed many successes throughout the season. I look forward to seeing how these boys succeed throughout their basketball years at College.
scoring and bench duties. We could not have done it without you. It has been an exciting and purposeful season for U15 basketball this year.
Olivia Austin Manager
Susan Harding Manager
U15 BASKETBALL Manager: Susan Harding
YEAR 11 WHITE BASKETBALL Manager: Neil Nicholson
Team: Nic Book, Jacob Clements, Ed Davidson, Fergus Johnston, Alex Speight, Freddie Tapper, Peter Wang, Harvey Willis With only eight players, the U15 basketball team had to be committed to lengthy court time and strong focus right from their first game – and the boys did not disappoint all season. They attended early morning and evening practices without complaint and took to heart the advice offered by their own coach Scott Kitto and our senior basketball coaches Ed Book and Ben Sheat, in both practice and game sessions. Throughout the season the boys built their court skills and learned how to best improve their defensive play, and their greatest success was becoming cohesive in defence and making best use of court space. Their first decisive win was against Cashmere High School 76–59 early in the season, but the most exciting game of all was against Middleton Grange, which went to the wire, with Alex Speight scoring the determining basket in the final seconds. Special mention also needs to be made of Nic Book, Jacob Clements and Ed Davidson for their goal scoring accuracy in all games throughout the season. Peter Wang and Fergus Johnston played strong defence, and Harvey Willis and Freddie Tapper contributed to both goal and defence success in many games. A novice to the game myself, I was very impressed by the boys’ determination to play as good a game as they could and the positive support they gave to each other through the highs and lows of individual games. I would also like to thank all the parents who gave us so much support regarding transport,
Team: Guy Clarke, Louis Elworthy, Jackson Floyd, Joshua Ford, Alex Hickman Gus Macdonald, Hamish McCulloch, Bradley Shearer, Hanson Xie, Aiden Zhang College started the year with a good opportunity to continue on from last year’s results. That the Year 11 team went undefeated throughout most of the season was in part due to Bradley Shearer and Hanson Xie. Their contribution cannot be overlooked. Their natural athletic ability to combine with other team members meant that quick turnover ball was moved down the court and converted into scoring opportunities. The team was made up of boys who had played together for the past few years, and the backbone of the team was centred around Bradley and Hanson.
Practises were a bit ad hoc at times, with many boys being
pulled in multiple directions with other commitments. That said, the boys were all willing to learn and to improve their core skills. Gus Macdonald proved to be a valuable team player throughout the entire season. He showed the desire to play from day one. The players desire to remain on the court no matter what their bodies were telling them was a true testament of their character. Going into the final against a resurgent St Andrew’s College team we were confident, however, we stumbled at the last hurdle and lost quite convincingly in a game where nothing went our way.
Neil Nicholson Manager
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