As the 2024 WABL season draws near, we give you an insight into each teams preparations, what division they will be competing in, and some of their achievements in the lead up to season 2024.
Under 12 Girls
- Team 1
After winning the State Title at the end of 2023, this team looks ready to challenge in the Championship Division in 2024. The group has recently returned from Victoria, where they took out the A grade Championship at the South East Junior Basketball Tournament, an incredible achievement! This team is led by Narell Black and Assistant Kim Wilson, a duo who have been coaching together at the Tigers for over 30 years, mentoring countless groups of young athletes along the way. - Team 2
Team 2 took out the Division 2 Championships at State Champs at the end of 2023, and will be competing in Division 2 for the 2024 WABL season. This team also travelled to compete in B grade of the South East Junior Basketball Tournament where they made it to the semi-finals. The group will be led by Stephanie Poole and assistant Gary Poole who have been integral parts of our U12 program for many years. - Team 3
This team were set a challenge at State Champs, playing up in Division 2 and giving it their all.For the 2024 WABL season, they will be competing in Division 3, where they will no doubt be fierce competitors. This team is coached by Paul Tucek, and Assisted by Makaela Houghton, who many will recognise as a superstar referee. It is great to see the young people at our club giving back to the junior program! - Team 4
A pair of up and coming young Willetton coaches Jorja Elsbury and Jordan Alexander, took this group to State Champs with the challenge of competing in Division 3. Walking away with a win and a draw, this group showed their fight! They will be competing in Division 4 for the 2024 season, and will continue to display their grit and determination all season long.
Under 12 Boys
- Team 1
This group took out the State Title for U12s at the end of 2023, and continue to look like they will have a promising season playing Championship Division in 2024. Coach Declan Ryan has been heading up the U12 Team 1 group for the past seven years, and this year will be assisted by Elijah Williams, a senior Tigers WABL player. - Team 2
This team had a successful State Champs, winning the Division 2 Championship convincingly. They have secured their spot in Division 2 for the upcoming WABL season, where they will look to achieve the same success. Coach Richard Fitzgerald is back in the U12 program, assisted by newly signed NBL1W player Keira Paul. - Team 3
This team were challenged with competing in Division 2 for State Champs, where they put up a strong fight against Team 2’s from other clubs. They will be playing in Division 4 for the 2024 WABL season, where they will be strong contenders led by Coach Shaun Swarbrick and assistants Gihan Cooray and Chris Kitching. Coach Shaun has volunteered across several age groups this WABL season, helping out the program in multiple roles. - Team 4
Another resilient Tigers group! This team competed in Division 3 at State Champs, where they made it to the Semi Finals! They have then gone on to grade into Division 4 for the 2024 WABL season, alongside Team 3. With guidance from Coach Vince Kelley (BWA Playing Life Member, SBL Championship Winning Coach, and SBL All-Time leading scorer), they are in good hands for season 2024.
Under 14 Girls
- Team 1
Another State Title winning team, this team will be aiming to qualify for the Australian Junior Championships in 2024. This group has a great amount of talent. Molly Lawrence and Sydney Heuchan were selected in the BWA Southern Cross Challenge travelling team, while Gry Gianoncelli, Maddison Friday, and Niah Andrew were selected in the BWA High Performance Development Camp squad. Led by Willetton’s Talent and Coaching Manager Craig Friday, and assisted by Peter Houghton, we look forward to seeing what this group can achieve. - Team 2
Led by Willetton Life Member and past tigers SBL player and Championship winning coach Robyn Winter, and assisted by her daughter Chloe Winter, this team are set for a big season 2024! Competing in Division 2 at State Champs, this team finished with an even win-loss record, and went on to qualify for division 2 at grading. Well done to Chelsea Banister-Jones in this team who was named a reserve in the BWA U14 High Performance Development Carnival Team for 2023. - Team 3
This group competed in Division 2 at State Champs and made it through to the semi finals, a great achievement! For the WABL season, they have graded in division 3, and coach Matt Cocciolone will be looking to put their best foot forward for the season. - Team 4
Also grading into Division 3 for the 2024 WABL season is Team 4 led by Coach Ben Davies, who has volunteered his time across multiple age groups for this WABL season. This team played in Division 3 at State Champs and held their own against Team 2 and 3’s from other associations, showing their resilience and competitiveness as a group.
Under 14 Boys
- Team 1
Another State Title winning team, this Champs team is coached by former Perth Wildcat Matt Knight, and assisted by Tim Newey. Their success at State Champs saw them automatically qualify for Championship division for the 2024 WABL season. With a chance to qualify for the 2024 Australian Junior Championships, it will be exciting to follow this teams journey. A special mentioned to Mason West who was selected in the BWA Southern Cross Challenge Travelling Team for 2023. - Team 2
Coached by NBL Championship winning coach Alan Black, and assisted by his son and Tigers Club Captain Andrew Black, this team won the Division 2 title at State Champs, after going undefeated in their pool games. They will be be competing in division 2 for the 2024 WABL season, and will certainly be one to watch! - Team 3
Team 3 stepped up and competed in division 2 at State Champs, and finished with an even win loss record, an impressive feat. The group went on to qualify for Division 2 for the WABL season with a terrific performance at the grading tournament. Coached by Craig Petta, and assisted by Jessie Andrew we are looking forward to seeing this teams season play out. - Team 4
This group made it to the Division 3 grand final at State Champs, where they came up against Bunbury Team 1, who were unfortunately too good on the day. The boys backed up their impressive State Champs performance by qualifying for Division 3 at their grading tournament. Coached by Caleb Lee, this is a tough group of young boys who don’t shy away from a challenge.
Under 16 Girls
- Team 1
Our U16 Champ Girls made it all the way to the grand final at State Champs, and lost by 2 points in a nail biter! They will be competing in Championship Division for the 2024 WABL season, led by Coach Jenni Hess and Assistant Coach Craig Andrew. Jenni was selected as a coach for the 2023 U15 BWA High Performance Development Camp (HPDC) Teams, and Addison Lynch, Charlotte Lee, and Jalyn Newton-Taito were selected in the U15 HPDC team. Tamsin Hill was selected in the U15 Girls Southern Cross Challenge travelling team. Tamsin Hill, Ayvah Rioli, Rose Clinch, and Jailyn Newton-Taito, and Alida Dogramaci were all selected in the 2024 Metro State Performance Program Squad, and Michelle Ninyette was selected in the 2023 Country State Performance Program Squad. This is a highly talented group that will be exciting to watch in 2024! - Team 2
Coach Justin McGowan, assisted by Ben Davies, led this team to the Division 2 semi finals at State Champs where they went down by a heartbreaking 1 point. The team qualified for Division 2 in grading, and will be gearing up for a big season. A special mention to Victoria Nathan who was selected in the BWA U14 High Performance Development Camp in 2023. - Team 3
Team 3 also competed in Division 2 for State Champs, taking it right up to Team 1 and Team 2’s from other associations. This grit and determination saw this group qualify for Division 2 at grading, a great outcome for their 2024 WABL season. Coached by Chris Elliott and sssisted by Tanaya Elliott, we look forward to seeing this team make their mark in Div 2. - Team 4
After a challenging pool draw in Division 3 at State Champs, Team 4 still went on to qualify for Division 3 for the 2024 WABL season! Coach Connor McLachlan and Assistant John Shea are familiar faces around Willetton Basketball from our Holiday Camps and Domestic Academy.
Under 16 Boys
- Team 1
Coached by Ross Williams and Assisted by Tristan Pitter this group made it to the Semi Finals at State Champs, and this qualified them for Championship Division in the 2024 WABL season. This talented group will be exciting to watch, with Luke Paul, Luke Martin, Hunter Hearn, Kailen Harrison and Alexander Edwards all being selected in the 2024 WA Metro State Performance Program Squad, and Will Teasdale who was selected in the WA Country State Performance Program Squad. They also have Richard Gerovich who was selected in the U15 BWA High Performance Development Camp, and Raj Berry who was selected as a reserve. - Team 2
Team 2 coached by long standing WABL Coach Gordon Gadenne assisted by Lucais Gadenne and Zac Hampel will compete in Divison 3 for the 2024 WABL season. Special mention to Xavier Donald who has been named in the 2024 WA Country State Performance Program, and who was also selected in the BWA U15 Southern Cross Challenge Travelling Team. - Team 3
After competing hard in Division 2 at State Champs, Team 3 will play in Divison 3 for the 2024 WABL season. Coached by Emil Nedved and assisted by Lyndsay Yates, this group work well as a team, creating equal opportunity for everyone and embracing the Willetton Way. - Team 4
In Division 3 at State Champs, this team fought hard in every game, with the average margin across the 4 games being only 2.5 points! They have graded into Division 5 for the 2024 WABL season, and will be led by Coaches Ollie Watkins and Noah Valentine. When he isn’t helping develop our WABL players, you will catch Ollie capturing the action as our NBL1 photographer!
Under 18 Women
- Team 1
After competing in Championship Division at State Champs, Team 1 graded in Division 2 for the 2024 WABL Season. Led by SBL Championship Winning Player Whitney Perrett as head coach, this team had several players named in the 2024 WA Metro U18 State Performance Program. Saoirse Smart and Lara Bussell were named in the squad, with Lara Bussell making the final team that are currently competing at Nationals. - Team 2 (Squad)
Team 2 had a promising State Champs, making it to the grand final and missing the Division 2 title by 1 point. They fought hard again at grading, and managed to qualify for Championship Division for the 2024 WABL season! Led by Coach Dylan Small and assisted by Shaun Swarbrick, this group is one to keep an keen eye on. Special mention goes to Ava O’Neill who was named in the U18 WA Country Team, who are currently over east competing in the U18 Nationals.
Under 18 Men
- Team 1
Coach Josh Barham, who is currently away with the U18 WA Metro Boys as part of the coaching staff, and has stepped into the NBL1 Men’s program this season also, is assisted this season by Cooper Rich taking this team into Championship Division for the 2024 WABL season. They showed plenty of promise at State Champs, making it to the Grand Final and falling short by just 2 points. The team is made up of the likes of Aaron Gashaw, who has just signed his first NBL1 contract, Tim Ibukunoluwa and Harrison Fitzgerald who were all selected in the U18 WA Metro State Team. Also in the team is Lowell Christopher who was selected in the U18 WA Country State Team. Channing Olowoyo joined the team this season and also signed his first NBL1 contract with the Tigers. A special mention to Shayden Weerakoon and Lachlan Burnett who were named in the U18 Metro State Performance Program for 2024. Watching this team play is certainly worth the price of admission! - Team 2
Team 2 finished with an even win loss record in Division 2 at State Champs, and went on to qualify for Division 2 for the WABL season. Coached by experienced WABL coach Darren Srdarev, this team shows promising signs for the upcoming season. Special mention to Jack Elliott who was named in the 2024 WA Country U18 State Team, and is currently competing over east at Nationals. - Team 3
Team 3 had a tough pool draw in Division 2 at State Champs, coming up against all Team 1 and 2’s from other associations. Despite this, they still managed a win, and close margins across their games. Team 3 will compete in Division 3 for the 2024 WABL season, led by Coach Brent Alexander, who brings his experience from both WABL coaching and involvement in WA State Programs to the table. - Team 4
After playing in Division 3 at State Champs and holding their own, Team 4 have qualified for Division 5 for the 2024 WABL season. 3 out of their 4 games at State Champs saw 7 players in the team hit the score sheet, with the team adopting a selfless style of play. Looking forward to seeing this team in action during the season!
Under 21 Women
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- Team 1
It’s exciting to see this age group reinstated for the WABL Women. The U21 Team made it to the semi finals at State Champs, falling just one game short of the big dance. Coached by Michael Winter, Simon Parker and Peter Cook, this group are in good hands. The team list features many of the young guns from our NBL1 squad, including Eva Cooke, Katie Duncan, Keira Paul, Bethany Banister-Jones, Jasmin Clark and Ella Murdoch. A special mention to Katie Duncan who represented WA Metro at the U20 Nationals in 2024. This list combined with some promising young talent coming through the ranks makes for an exciting group heading into the WABL season.
- Team 1
Under 20 Men
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- Team 1
Coached by Neil Wright and assisted by Matt Walsh and Matt Raison, this group had their spectators on the edge of their seats through all of State Champs in Championship division with 2 draws, and a third game that was decided a 1 point! The team will compete in Division 2 for the 2024 WABL season, where they will be a competitive force. Special mention to D’Antae Woods who signed his first NBL1 contract with the Tigers for 2024.
- Team 1