While the New Year will hold hope for the Australian Deaf Women’s Basketball Team going to the 2009 Deaflympic Games, we are also saddened to acknowledge this opportunity is not the same for the Men’s Team. However, as a former basketballer and Deaflympian myself, I would like to encourage all aspiring basketballers to keep persevering - train hard and stay determined. There will always be many opportunities in the year ahead.

I would like to extend my appreciations to Basketball Victoria for their support, especially Matt Dunstan who has made wonderful contributions towards our programs this year. We look forward to a stronger working relationship in the New Year.

To the parents of our basketballers, our members and basketballers themselves, thank you for your support. We look forward to seeing you at our NDBCC in 2009.

On behalf of the DBV Committee, I wish you a Merry Christmas, and a safe, prosperous New Year!

Irena Farinacci
President

This event will be an opportunity for all to be updated on DBV’s progress throughout the year as well as their plans for the future.

Attached is a flyer regarding the event for your information.

dbv_2008_agm.pdf

We hope to see you there!

The meeting will be held at the JM Lovett Centre at Vicdeaf. To find out more about the evening, simply click here to view the flyer.

If you are interested or you know someone who may be interested in fulfilling the President portfolio, contact DBA Secretary Michelle Jackson (secretary@deafbasketball.org.au) to get a hold of the paperwork.

DBA and Deaf Basketball Victoria encourage members of DBV and the deaf community to attend the meeting. The election of the President will be the only Agenda Item on this evening.

Further information regarding Registration and other details will be advised at a later date.

Keep these dates marked in your diaries - this event promises to be exciting!

Click on link below to view the flyer:

ndbcc-2009-flyer.pdf

Crick’s talent was spotted by selectors last month when he participated in the National Deaf Basketball Championships in Brisbane, with Melbourne City club who won the event. Prior to competition, he had registered his interest in playing in the Deaflympics Open Men’s team, which has long been his dream.

“I am excited and proud of what I have achieved, especially at the age of 13,” said Crick who was born with a severe to profound hearing loss (up to 80%).
“I have always wanted to play in the Deaf Australia team. Playing with the Melbourne City team was really great as well. I’ve met new friends and do enjoy playing Deaf basketball.
“When I play with the deaf team, we have to take out our hearing aids, so we don’t hear anything. When playing it’s much quieter than when playing with the hearing team because there isn’t any noise (voice). It’s fun to try something different that I have never done before.
“I enjoy playing with deaf people because they have fun but take the games and training seriously. I enjoy playing with the men because they have played basketball longer than I have so they know more about basketball than I do and they help me improve on things. Plus in the men’s games it’s tougher, faster and I love playing at that level. It helps toughen me up!”
Already a promising player in mainstream basketball and recipient of the Rising Star award with local club, the Altona Gators, Crick has also been identified as a talent potential by Basketball Victoria, previously invited to participate in a talent identification and development program.
He has participated in Deaf Basketball Victoria’s Junior Development program over the past couple of years, at which time he was spotted by Melbourne City.
“During this time, Shane has demonstrated his prodigious skills and maturity beyond his age,” said Melbourne City coach Wesley Brockett.

“On a number of occasions, we have approached Shane’s father Rod about the possibility of Shane joining our team to compete in the National Deaf Basketball Championships. Due to his age and commitments to Altona Gators and schooling, we were unsuccessful. However with the Deaflympics around the corner (September 2009), both Shane and Rod decided to join Melbourne City.”

The average age of Melbourne City players is around 25, with Crick the youngest player. Despite the age difference, Crick was able to mix it with the big boys.
“He made an enormous contribution towards Melbourne City’s triumph at the Champs,” said coach Brockett.

“His ability to do something with the ball and his ability to get the ball was particularly outstanding. He hassled hard in our full court press and man-on-man defense to create traps and steals. He pulled down vital rebounds and he scored when we needed him to score. Shane’s a ball magnet and he instilled confidence into our team thanks to his self-belief in his game.

“From a coach’s perspective, I thought Shane handled himself with aplomb. Obviously he had to deal with opposition who were taller and physically stronger than what he’s accustomed to. Because of this he had to play outside his natural position (as centre) and more so as an attacking guard for Melbourne City.

“Deaf Basketball Australia generally considers players at Shane’s age as a Development Player. In Shane’s case, he is a lot more advanced in terms of skills and basketball smarts. His attitude on court and his willingness to improve his game will help his chance to make the final National team selection. At the Champs in Brisbane, I have thrown Shane some challenges and he conquered them.

“The thing that will eventually go in Shane’s favour in the future is no doubt his never-ending growth in height and shoes. He’s 13 years of age, 184cm and wearing size 14 shoes….he’s a monster and it’s already a scary thought how tall Shane will be in several years time,” said Brockett.

If he makes the final selections for the Australian Deaflympics team, Crick is confident that he can hold his own with the men, and sees his speed and his ability to read the game as his strengths, sentiments echoed by Brockett.

“There is always room for improvement and I have no doubt Shane has the desire to improve all facets of his game. While he has the fundamental skills, it’s probably the time for him to step up to another level. He may be a natural centre or power forward in his Gators team, as evident by his post-up positions and rebounding abilities, perhaps now is a good time for him to work on his ball-handling skills if he is to play against taller, stronger opposition. Ball-handling is commonly known to give basketballers a psychological edge by outsmarting opponents through manoeuvring and precision. Shane will be extremely dangerous if he masters this with both sides of his body.

“There’s no doubt that Shane has put himself in a great position, basketball wise. While playing for us in Brisbane recently, Shane was exposed to bigger, stronger players who had some international deaf basketball experience. This experience for him will give him an instant advantage over his hearing counterparts,” said Brockett.

“The standards of deaf basketball in Australia compared to international events are worlds apart. If Shane is to make the final team to compete in the Deaflympics in Taipei next year, he will be playing against some professional deaf basketballers. This type of exposure for Shane at such a young age will assist his game in years to come.

“Time will tell, however I believe he’s a star in the making if he’s willing to do the hard yards.”

The All Sports 4 Good Sports Day is a full day event that will be taken place at the picturesque surrounding of Geelong College School on Friday July 4. This fun day is conducted by Deaf Children Australia in partnership with Basketball Victoria will hire a van for those interested kids who are from the Melbourne metropolitan areas, departing from Deaf Children Australia headquarters (in Prahran).

To find out more about this exciting fullday event, click here to download the flyer and register your attendance. This is a fantastic opportunity to shoot hoops and polish your skills under the guidance of Instructors from Basketball Victoria.

It’s a monthly clinic which takes place at Melbourne Sports and Aquatic Centre (MSAC) in Albert Park for young athletes aged between 10 - 18 years who love their basketball and dream of one day playing for Australia.

To confirm your interest, please click here to find out more and register your involvement to Peter Folan (Deaf Children Australia) by telephone or email.

DBV e-News May ‘08

The e-News can also be found under our e-News section of this website.

Please note that future editions will be forwarded to DBV Members only so we encourage you to sign up. Membership forms are available on this website as well.

The Healthy Hoops program is an excellent opportunity for Victorian deaf basketballers who will be competing in the National Deaf Basketball Club Championships in Brisbane.

This is a one-off session at Basketball Victoria’s Headquarters at Melbourne Sport and Aquatic Centre (MSAC) on Monday June 30.

DBV strongly encourage all players going to Brisbane to attend this session. The invitation extends to anyone, all are welcome. It promises to be a invaluable tutorial experience that produce the ultimate result.

To find out more about the night, click here to download the Healthy Hoops Flyer and register up.

It’s a monthly clinic which takes place at Melbourne Sports and Aquatic Centre (MSAC) in Albert Park for young athletes aged between 12 - 18 years who love their basketball and dream of one day playing for Australia.

To confirm your interest, please click here to download the registration form and register your involvement to Peter Folan (Deaf Children Australia) by telephone or email.