Personal Bests

Hi All,
The photos for the last three matches are in (see below with game reports).
Now, for the second half of the season, which starts this week at North Sydney, we will be rewarding players who surpass their personal bests in any category.
To help the boys know what they have to aim at we have put their personal bests for the first half of the season here.
Every person who gets a new personal best can choose from the bag of lollies and they will, of course, be mentioned in the match report.
Good luck guys for the rest of the season.

PERSONAL BESTS

4. Nathan McOrist
Points: 4.
Rebounds: 4. Steals: 1. Assists: 1. Turnovers: 0. Blocks: 1


5. Jackson Suva
Points: 4.
Rebounds: 10 Steals: 4. Assists: 3. Turnovers: 2. Blocks: 0


6. Michael Northey
Points: 8.
Rebounds: 4. Steals: 3. Assists: 1. Turnovers: 1. Blocks: 0


7. Kurt Joyner
Points: 10.
Rebounds: 8 Steals: 5. Assists: 2. Turnovers: 1. Blocks: 2


8. Aaron Caldwell
Points: 8.
Rebounds: 4. Steals: 5. Assists: 1. Turnovers: 1. Blocks: 1


9. Jackson Gogoll
Points: 13.
Rebounds: 7 Steals: 6. Assists: 1. Turnovers: 1. Blocks: 1


12. James Trimble
Points: 8.
Rebounds: 9. Steals: 3. Assists: 1. Turnovers: 0. Blocks: 0


13. Addam Stone
Points: 10.
Rebounds: 6 Steals: 1. Assists: 2. Turnovers: 1. Blocks: 1


31. Anthony Rodriguez
Points: 6.
Rebounds: 12 Steals: 8. Assists: 2. Turnovers: 0. Blocks: 3

Sharks v Manly (May 21)

Rebound battle: Kurt contests the ball in a fierce melee under the basket.








Rebound king: Jack Suva scored as well as picking up 10 (yes 10!) rebounds.





























Score!: Jackson Gogoll puts up another shot after a quick drive.









Gotcha!: Aaron Caldwell sinks a goal on a fast break point.













Sharks V Manly at Manly (May 21)
Win 47-41

With our two big men, Anthony Rodriguez and James Trimble, recovering from illness, the absence of the quick and steadily improving Michael Northey and an off day for one of our best shooters, Addam Stone, this could have been a very grim day for the Sharks.
But thanks to some fantastic play by Jackson Gogoll, who went on to be the man of the match for the Sharks, and some extraordinary rebounding by one of our little men, Jackson Suva (10 rebounds), the team kept level and then pulled ahead in the final stages of this game.
There were a number of wonderful plays. Aaron Caldwell's steal and layup was a crucial play that gave the team momentum, an unexpected block by Nathan McOrist that led to a turnover ended a concerted attack by Manly and yet another full-length of the court solo effort by Addam Stone - his second in two games - were just a few of the excellent plays that come immediately to mind.
Aaron Caldwell had a strong game across the board and he could just as easily have been the man of the match as Jackson Gogoll.
Kurt Joyner started to find his confidence again and played a consistent harrassing game. And while his shooting percentage wasn't all that high, it was great to see him attacking the boards again.
Anthony Rodriguez and James Trimble struggled in this game. They were uncharacteristically pale and flat-footed because of their illnesses and this was reflected in the statistics. Both boys will appreciate the bye next week which will give them time to recover. Except for this match our two big men have been growing in dominance with every game.
And while Addam Stone may indeed have had an off shooting day, he made up for it with a much improved rebounding performance, something he intends to keep doing.
Scorers: J Gogoll (13), A Stone (10), A Caldwell, K Joyner (8), J Suva (4), J Trimble (2), N McOrist (1).



4. Nathan McOrist
Goals - Attempted: 8. Made: 0. Percentage: 0%
Free throws - Attempted: 2. Made: 1. Percentage: 50%
Rebounds: 2. Steals: 1. Assists: 0.
Turnovers: 0. Blocks: 1.
Points: 1.

5. Jackson Suva
Goals - Attempted: 6. Made: 2. Percentage: 33%
Free throws - Attempted: 0. Made: 0. Percentage: N/A
Rebounds: 10. Steals: 1. Assists: 0.
Turnovers: 2. Blocks: 0.
Points: 4.

6. Michael Northey - Did Not Play

7. Kurt Joyner
Goals - Attempted: 13. Made: 2. Percentage: 15%
Free throws - Attempted: 6. Made: 4. Percentage: 66%
Rebounds: 7. Steals: 3. Assists: 1.
Turnovers: 9. Blocks: 1.
Points: 8.

8. Aaron Caldwell
Goals - Attempted: 7. Made: 4. Percentage: 57%
Free throws - Attempted: 0. Made: 0. Percentage: N/A
Rebounds: 3. Steals: 2. Assists: 0.
Turnovers: 1. Blocks: 0.
Points: 8.

9. Jackson Gogoll
Goals - Attempted: 11. Made: 5. Percentage: 45%
Free throws - Attempted: 4. Made: 3. Percentage: 75%
Rebounds: 7. Steals: 5. Assists: 0.
Turnovers: 4. Blocks: 0.
Points: 13.

12. James Trimble
Goals - Attempted: 4. Made: 1. Percentage: 25%
Free throws - Attempted: 0. Made: 0. Percentage: N/A
Rebounds: 2. Steals: 1. Assists: 0.
Turnovers: 0. Blocks: 0.
Points: 2.

13. Addam Stone
Goals - Attempted: 17. Made: 5. Percentage: 29%
Free throws - Attempted: 0. Made: 0. Percentage: N/A
Rebounds: 6. Steals: 0. Assists: 0.
Turnovers: 1. Blocks: 0.
Points: 10.

31. Anthony Rodriguez
Goals - Attempted: 3. Made: 1. Percentage: 33%
Free throws - Attempted: 2. Made: 0. Percentage: 0%
Rebounds: 2. Steals: 1. Assists: 0.
Turnovers: 0. Blocks: 1.
Points: 2.

Best by category
Scorers: J Gogoll (13), A Stone (10)
Rebounds: J Suva (10), K Joyner, J Gogoll (7)
Steals: J Gogoll (5)
Assists: K Joyner (1)
Turnovers (lowest): A Rodriguez, J Trimble, N McOrist (0)
Blocks: N McOrist, K Joyner, A Rodriguez (1)

Sharks v Sharks

Nice shoes: Anthony knocks over a player on a drive to the basket. He got the foul.



















Leap of faith: Jakcson Gogoll pulls down a rebound in spectacular fashion.































Going up strong: Anthony forces his way to the basket again.



May 7
Versus Sharks 3 at Sutherland
Loss 36-27

This may have been a loss but the boys played what may well have been their best game of the season. Sharks 3 are one of the top teams in the competition. Yet in the first quarter the boys stuck right with them and in the third they even outscored Sharks 3.
The boys defended wonderfully against a team that normally penetrates at will.
Anthony Rodriguez had an outstanding game in the rebound department, pulling down 12, a personal best for him in the regular season and the highest total of everyone so far. He also had three blocks, the highest of anyone in a single game this season. The only hole in Anthony's game was his shooting under the basket (1 from 9). If he practices rebound and shoot on both sides he will put up big numbers sometime soon.
Addam Stone top scored with 10 points, his highest total and percentage of the regular season (55.5%). His first two touches of the ball led to an assist for Nathan and a goal. He rebounded well in the first half but disappeared defensively in the second half with no rebounds and slowing on transition defence. If he can pick up this side of his game he will add much more to his game and to the team.
Nathan McOrist really got amongst it under the basket, picking up two rebounds, a very nice assist and used his quick pace down the court to make two steals from intercepts. He may be a small player but he is growing tougher all the time.
Jack Suva used his speed to full effect in this game. His four rebounds were picked purely on being the first in position and his three steals came the same way. But best of all Jack was looking ahead, setting up some excellent plays despite the full court pressure applied by the other Sharks team.
Michael Northey maintained his form from the last game, scoring four points in close while playing a smothering defence that stopped many drives from Sharks 3. He will be sorely missed in our next game against Manly. He will be absent because he has to represent the state in dancing.
Offensively Kurt Joyner had a quiet game, but his defence as always was awesome. His five steals and quick turn of speed put Sharks 3 on their heals numerous times. A highlight of this game for Kurt were two phenomenally quick blocks and the reduction in his turnovers, down to a season best of just one. The goals will come again for Kurt if, as we said last week, he gets one step closer to the goal.
Aaron Caldwell filled every column but the assist, with a strong all round game. His turnover count also equaled his best in the regular season (3). Aaron is strong under the basket (see his four rebounds) and fearless on drives. His scoring percentage is high but it would be nice to see him take a few more shots and look a little earlier for the pass when he brings the ball up.
Jackson Gogoll is the team's Energiser bunny. If he has ever stopped, even for a moment, no one has seen it. He was everywhere in this game, fighting for every loose ball, jumping for every rebound and attacking the basket if a lane opened. His six rebounds, another personal best, showed his tenacious nature. He went down in the last minute of the game after being knocked over on defence and banging his head. Jack was carried off by his dad but recovered quickly.
James Trimble was quiet on the attacking end but huge on defence. He was put on Sharks 3' best player, Thibaut Potin, who has good ball skills and is very quick. James ability to move sideways and stay in front of his player often forced Thibaut to give up the ball. In the second half he went on a rebounding spree, adding seven to his total.
This was a game where many of the players achieved personal bests and the boys passing showed they were coming together as a team.
High scores: Addam Stone (10)
Rebounds: Anthony Rodriguez (12), James Trimble (9)
Steals: Kurt Joyner (5)
Assists: Nathan McOrist, Addam Stone (1)
Turnovers (lowest): Kurt Joyner, Addam Stone (1)
Blocks: Anthony Rodriguez (3), Kurt Joyner (2)


4. Nathan McOrist
Shots taken: 5. Made: 1 Percentage: 20
Free throws taken: 0. Made: 0 Percentage: N/A
Rebounds: 2
Steals: 1
Assists: 1
Turnovers: 3
Blocks: 0
Points: 2

5. Jackson Suva
Shots taken: 1. Made: 1 Percentage: 100
Free throws taken: 0. Made: 0 Percentage: N/A
Rebounds: 4
Steals: 3
Assists: 0
Turnovers: 2
Blocks: 0
Points: 2

6. Michael Northey
Shots taken: 6. Made: 2 Percentage: 33
Free throws taken: 0. Made: 0 Percentage: N/A
Rebounds: 1
Steals: 2
Assists: 0
Turnovers: 2
Blocks: 0
Points: 4

7. Kurt Joyner
Shots taken: 8. Made: 0 Percentage: 0
Free throws taken: 6. Made: 0 Percentage: 0
Rebounds: 2
Steals: 5
Assists: 0
Turnovers: 1
Blocks: 2
Points: 0

8. Aaron Caldwell
Shots taken: 3. Made: 1 Percentage: 33
Free throws taken: 2. Made: 1 Percentage: 50
Rebounds: 4
Steals: 2
Assists: 0
Turnovers: 3
Blocks: 1
Points: 3

9. Jackson Gogoll
Shots taken: 7. Made: 2 Percentage: 28
Free throws taken: 0. Made: 0 Percentage: 0
Rebounds: 6
Steals: 0
Assists: 0
Turnovers: 5
Blocks: 1
Points: 4

12. James Trimble
Shots taken: 3. Made: 0 Percentage: 0
Free throws taken: 0. Made: 0 Percentage: N/A
Rebounds: 9
Steals: 1
Assists: 0
Turnovers: 5
Blocks: 0
Points: 0

13. Addam Stone
Shots taken: 9. Made: 5 Percentage: 55
Free throws taken: 1. Made: 0 Percentage: 0
Rebounds: 2
Steals: 0
Assists: 1
Turnovers: 1
Blocks: 0
Points: 10

31. Anthony Rodriguez
Shots taken: 9. Made: 1 Percentage: 11
Free throws taken: 0. Made: 0 Percentage: N/A
Rebounds: 12
Steals: 3
Assists: 0
Turnovers: 2
Blocks: 3
Points: 2

Sharks v Ryde, May 7

Quick hands: Michael pulls down a rebound.















It's not that bad: Anthony gets upset over a missed shot while Kurt goes for the rebound


















Shooting Tex: Addam sinks a simple layup off a baseline drive.

Hi guys,
The photos are finally (FINALLY!!) in.

May 7
Versus Ryde at Sutherland
Win 39-37

This was a game that went down to the wire. The Sharks were very fortunate early on, attacking the basket on drives and picking up a stack of fouls that put them on the free-throw line. Ryde's habit of reaching in to get the ball didn't help them much either.
That said, in the first three quarters a lot of the calls went the way of the Sharks leading to a foul count of 15-0.
There were plenty of bright spots in this game.
The team as a whole are getting under the basket and it was interesting to see how the rebound counts were spread evenly across everybody, although, as usual, Anthony was the dominant big man.
A special mention must go to Michael Northey who has improved with every game. His 8 points from 8 shots was a great boost and may see him start to become a regular scorer for the team. His defence has also improved and he picked up two steals in this match.
Kurt Joyner, top scored but it was off a very low percentage. If Kurt can get a step closer his percentage and totals will both increase dramatically. As a fast break specialist and excellent defender he could easily get a lot more points if he takes that extra pace for a simple layup.
Nathan McOrist had a quiet game but his two steals and some of the passing he displayed indicated that he is starting to see the whole court better. Expect some assists to start appearing in his stats.
Jackson Suva, our point guard was everywhere in this game, getting rebounds, steals, assists and taking four shots. He is starting to find players down the court more often and is bringing the ball up in a straight line.
As solid as always, Aaron Caldwell again had a strong percentage but off only two shots. It might be worth moving Aaron up to the hot spots as he drives strongly to the basket and often attracts fouls. That might help improve the team's shooting percentage which is hovering around the mid-twenties.
There has yet to be a game where Jackson Gogoll hasn't been both fierce and committed. He was again here, fighting for the loose ball and pulling down three rebounds against much bigger players. His strong drives took him to the free-throw line twice.
James Trimble has become the man to beat on defence lately. His lateral movement has led to numerous turnovers because he forces silly passes from the opposition. Because he was marking a player away from the basket this time, his rebound count dropped but this was no reflection on his value to the team. However, James struggled with his shooting and it might be worth spending some time working on this to build up the offensive part of his game, especially because he often finds holes in the defence but struggles to complete.
Addam Stone runs hot and cold. He struggled at first trying to post the taller Ryde players but then set up two jump shots that forced the defence to open up. It was also good to see him start to rebound. As one of our medium-sized players we need him there.
Our big man, Anthony Rodriguez, was huge in this game. He anticipated the ball well, picking off passes and also ripping the ball out of the hands of Ryde players under the basket. He handled the challenge of Ryde's big player excellently but struggled to complete amid the melee of players at the offensive end.
All in all this was a great result mixed with some good fortune.
Top scorers: K Joyner (10), M Northey, A Stone (8)
Rebounds: A Rodriguez (7)
Steals: A Rodriguez (8), J Suva (4).
Assists: J Suva (3)
Turnovers (lowest): A Rodriguez
Blocks: A Rodriguez



4. Nathan McOrist
Shots taken: 3. Made: 0 Percentage: 0
Free throws taken: 0. Made: 0 Percentage: N/A
Rebounds: 0
Steals: 2
Assists: 1
Turnovers: 1
Blocks: 0
Points: 0

5. Jackson Suva
Shots taken: 4. Made: 1 Percentage: 25
Free throws taken: 0. Made: 0 Percentage: N/A
Rebounds: 3
Steals: 4
Assists: 3
Turnovers: 2
Blocks: 0
Points: 2

6. Michael Northey
Shots taken: 8. Made: 4 Percentage: 50
Free throws taken: 0. Made: 0 Percentage: N/A
Rebounds: 2
Steals: 2
Assists: 0
Turnovers: 3
Blocks: 0
Points: 8

7. Kurt Joyner
Shots taken: 18. Made: 4 Percentage: 22
Free throws taken: 2. Made: 2 Percentage: 100
Rebounds: 3
Steals: 2
Assists: 0
Turnovers: 7
Blocks: 1
Points: 10

8. Aaron Caldwell
Shots taken: 2. Made: 1 Percentage: 50
Free throws taken: 0. Made: 0 Percentage: N/A
Rebounds: 2
Steals: 3
Assists: 0
Turnovers: 3
Blocks: 0
Points: 2

9. Jackson Gogoll
Shots taken: 7. Made: 1 Percentage: 14
Free throws taken: 4. Made: 1 Percentage: 25
Rebounds: 3
Steals: 3
Assists: 0
Turnovers: 1
Blocks: 0
Points: 3

12. James Trimble
Shots taken: 8. Made: 0 Percentage: 0
Free throws taken: 4. Made: 0 Percentage: 0
Rebounds: 2
Steals: 1
Assists: 1
Turnovers: 2
Blocks: 0
Points: 0

13. Addam Stone
Shots taken: 10. Made: 4 Percentage: 40
Free throws taken: 0. Made: 0 Percentage: N/A
Rebounds: 2
Steals: 1
Assists: 1
Turnovers: 1
Blocks: 0
Points: 8

31. Anthony Rodriguez
Shots taken: 10. Made: 2 Percentage: 20
Free throws taken: 4. Made: 2 Percentage: 50
Rebounds: 7
Steals: 8
Assists: 1
Turnovers: 0
Blocks: 1
Points: 6

Sorry about the delays

Hi all,

Our next game is at 11.15 in Sutherland Stadium against the other Sharks team. We will meet at 10.45am.

Sorry about the delays in posting, I'm in a new job and it is taking up a lot of my time.
Some quick and urgent things to deal with.

BBQ this Sunday
All teams have been rostered to do barbecue duty on Sunday. Sadly our turn is this week between 9.30am and 11.15am. Our game starts at 11.15am. I will ring around Friday night and see who can step up to the hot plate.

Player medical forms
Could anybody who hasn't filled out their player / medical form give it to myself or Michelle this Saturday.

Chocolate money
The club wants all chocolate money ($48) to be handed to the managers and given in one lot. If parents could pass this on to Michelle by no later than next week then we will have it all out of the way and, with that, most of the club expenses for the season.

Photos
We have handed all the money for photos to the club, so these can be picked up now.

I'll have a game report from our last game and photos Addam's party posted this weekend.

I'll write again as soon as I can.
Cheers all,
Alvin

Game against Ryde this Sunday

Hi all,
Our game this Sunday is against Ryde at Sutherland.
The game starts at 11am on court 4.
Manning (or womaning) the benches this week are the Gogoll and Joyner clans.
There was a managers' meeting on Tuesday which I couldn't make. I will add the details arising from this on Sunday afternoon.
Cheers
Alvin.

Hills Hornets at Hills, April 30

Touch and go: Addam's first touch of the ball leads to a fast break goal.

















High flyer: James rises above Anthony to take a rebound.





















Unlucky: Kurt is slapped on the arm as he goes up for a shot. No call was made.










Loss 54-41
MVP James Trimble

Our first and fourth quarters hurt us in this game. We came out slowly, going to the first break 9-3 behind. In the second quarter and most of the third we outscored Hills to take a two point lead but then forgot our defence in the final few minutes of that period and drifted back to a 39-31 deficit at 3/4 time. After that the game just fell away from us.
Despite the loss to a very quick Hills team, there were some promising signs from the boys this week.
The shooting percentage increased and our rebounds improved at both ends, although we were still behind in total rebounds against Hills.
However our turnover count is still a problem. We made 32 turnovers. Of these 23 were off bad passes. Addam Stone (2 from travel) and Jack Suva (1 uncalled blatant foul) picked up a couple of turnovers on their statistic sheet that were really bad calls by the ref. All three calls, both to the naked eye at the time and afterwards when viewed on video, were obviously incorrect.
Our transition offence still seems to be blind to the left hand side of the court. In the entire first half our left hand scorer Addam Stone had only two touches of the ball. He scored off one and had an assist to James Trimble from the other. In the second half the numbers went up and Addam picked up six more points and an assist.
Jackson Gogoll played with an enormous amount of passion, fighting for every ball and Anthony Rodriguez had a massive second half at both ends of the court, shooting, rebounding, assisting and picking up steals. Meanwhile Kurt Joyner had more steals than turnovers and showed much better ball protection than in the two prevous games. Aaron Caldwell was strong under the basket at both ends. He strikes well from the top of the key and it may be worth considering putting him in a shooting position more often as he often attracts fouls and is a strong player in the melee under the basket. Aaron's scoring opportunities were limited in this game primarily due to the number of turnovers that came from his passes.
Michael Northey improves with every game. His defence is excellent and he was very unfortunate not to score in this game, with balls running around the ring but just failing to drop.
Point guard Jackson Suva has been taking too few shots recently. Once again he had a high percentage but only attacked the ring twice. Jack is a strong player and needs to trust himself more.
Nathan McOrist was fairly quiet during this match, but his move from the sideline - using a head fake and sudden acceleration - that led to his only score was one of the plays of the game.
There are some promising signs in this game. If we can keep improving our rebounds and reduce the bad passes we could get our first win of the regular season.
With Ryde at Sutherland our next game - a team that has two towering players - our rebounding and boxing out needs to be at its best.
Scorers: A Stone, J Trimble (8), J Gogoll (7), A Rodriguez (6), K Joyner, J Suva (4), A Caldwell, N McOrist (2).

Statistics
4. Nathan McOrist
Shooting: Field Goals: 1 of 6. Percentage: 16%
Free throws: N/A
Rebounds: 1. Steals: 0. Assists: 0. Turnovers: 2. Blocks: 0.
Points: 2

5. Jackson Suva
Shooting: Field Goals: 1 of 1. Percentage: 100%
Free throws: 2 of 2. Percentage: 100%
Rebounds: 2. Steals: 2. Assists: 0. Turnovers: 3. Blocks: 0.
Points: 4

6. Michael Northey
Shooting: Field Goals: 0 of 5. Percentage: 0%
Free throws: N/A. Percentage: N/A
Rebounds: 2. Steals: 1. Assists: 1. Turnovers: 1. Blocks: 0.
Points: 0

7. Kurt Joyner
Shooting: Field Goals: 2 of 5. Percentage: 40%
Free throws: N/A. Percentage: N/A
Rebounds: 7. Steals: 4. Assists: 2. Turnovers: 3. Blocks: 1.
Points: 4

8. Aaron Caldwell
Shooting: Field Goals: 1 of 2. Percentage: 50%
Free throws: N/A. Percentage: N/A
Rebounds: 2. Steals: 5. Assists: 0. Turnovers: 6. Blocks: 0
Points: 2

9. Jackson Gogoll
Shooting: Field Goals: 3 of 9. Percentage: 33%
Free throws: 1 of 6. Percentage: 16%
Rebounds: 4. Steals: 6. Assists: 1. Turnovers: 5. Blocks: 0.
Points: 7

12. James Trimble
Shooting: Field Goals: 4 of 7. Percentage: 57%
Free throws: N/A. Percentage: N/A
Rebounds: 3. Steals: 0. Assists: 0. Turnovers: 3. Blocks: 0.
Points: 8

13. Addam Stone
Shooting: Field Goals: 3 of 6. Percentage: 50%
Free throws: 2 of 2. Percentage: 100%
Rebounds: 1. Steals: 0. Assists: 2. Turnovers: 3. Blocks: 0.
Points: 8

31. Anthony Rodriguez.
Shooting: Field Goals: 3 of 13. Percentage: 23%
Free throws: N/A. Percentage: N/A
Rebounds: 9. Steals: 2. Assists: 2. Turnovers: 3. Blocks: 0.
Points: 6


Team highs:
Scorers: A Stone, J Trimble (8)
Rebounds: A Rodriguez (9)
Steals: J Gogoll (6)
Assists: K Joyner, A Rodriguez, A Stone: (2)
Turnovers (lowest): M Northey (1)
Blocks: K Joyner: 1