Basketball Australia is pleased to announce the winners of the 15th annual National Junior Basketball awards, presented at the Under 18 Australian Championships in Launceston, Tasmania this morning.
Attended by Basketball Australia Chief Executive Scott Derwin, the recipients received their awards at a special breakfast held at the Country Club Villas in Prospect, Launceston.
The awards recognise the immense talent of junior basketball players throughout Australia as well as honouring the hard work and dedication of grass roots basketball officials, administrators and coaches across all levels of play.
2007 Australia Post Boomers squad member and gun AIS point guard Patrick Mills was named the Male Player of the Year while 2006/07 defencejobs WNBL Rookie of the Year Cayla Francis was named the Female Player of the Year.
Francis returned to Australia last night after winning Silver at the FIBA Under 21 World Championship in Russia with the Australian Under 21 Women’s team, the Sapphires.
Mills is currently in Serbia with the Australian Under 19 Men’s team, the Emus, who play Turkey in the opening game of the 2007 FIBA World Championships for Under 19 Men tomorrow.
AIS Men’s Assistant Coach Paul Goriss was named Male Coach of the Year and Tracey Samuels was named Female Coach of the Year.
2007 National Junior Basketball Award winners:
Male Player of the Year – Patrick Mills (Canberra, ACT)Female Player of the Year – Cayla Francis (Adelaide, SA)Male Coach of the Year – Paul Goriss (Townsville, QLD)Female Coach of the Year – Tracey Samuels (Merrylands, NSW)Male Administrator of the Year – Nicholas Such (Taringa, QLD)Female Administrator of the Year – Cathie Roberts (Warel Height, QLD)Male Referee of the Year - Damien Adams (Eltham, VIC)Female Referee of the Year – Mindy Pawsley (Sunbury, VIC)Contribution to Basketball for Players with an Intellectual Disability (Male) – Simon Richards (Spence, ACT)Contribution to Basketball for Players with an Intellectual Disability (Female) – Elissa Bradley (Latham, ACT)Best Media Coverage – The Burnie Advocate, TasmaniaJunior Male Basketball Volunteer of the Year – Keith Wilson (Portland, VIC)Junior Female Basketball Volunteer of the Year – Val Mann (Illawarra, NSW)Junior Basketball Score Table Official of the Year – Marcia Tilbury (Karrinyup, WA)Junior Basketball Statistician of the Year – Neil Smit (Darwin, NT)Junior Male Basketball Vocation and Education – Tiri Masunda (Hobart, TAS)Junior Female Basketball Vocation and Education – Keira Sheils (Fadden, ACT)Junior Female Basketball Vocation and Education – Cara Angel (Essendon, VIC)
