BIG V SEASON WRAP 2024
YOUTH LEAGUE WOMEN
LADDER POSITION: 5th (11 wins – 7 losses)
FINAL RESULT: 2024 Champions
LEADING SCORER: Lucy Howard 17.47ppg @ 44.12%
LEADING REBOUNDER: Summer Field 9.86rpg
MVP: Lucy Howard
MOST IMPROVED: Sophie Tattersall
COACHES AWARD: Sienna Quinlan
2024 was the year of the Storm in Youth League 2 Women, as we broke through for our maiden Championship at the third attempt.
However, it was done the long way round as the Storm ended up qualifying fifth for the Finals and proceeded to defy the odds, through a series of elimination finals to make the Grand Final against Western Port and then demolished the favourites early in the game to set up a memorable win for Coach David Smith and his team, who got to taste Championship success.
Lucy Howard had a breakout season for the Storm, as the leading player, scoring 20 or more in seven games across the season, with a best of 36 in Round one against Warrandyte, which set the tone for the remainder of her 2024 campaign.
Summer Field was also a key component of the team throughout the season on the offensive and defensive glass. In a super consistent season, Summer collected double figure rebounds on no less than 12 times for the season, with the highlight bering 21 boards against Sunbury in round three.
2024 saw the continued growth of a number of players across the season, including Sophie Tattersall and Abbe Dunn, which they’ll look to build on again in 2025.
STATE CHAMPIONSHIP WOMEN
LADDER POSITION: 2nd (18 wins – 4 losses)
FINAL RESULT: Preliminary Final
LEADING SCORER: Bridgette Rettstatt 17.36ppg @ 51.94
LEADING REBOUNDER: Bridgette Rettstatt 13rpg
MVP: Bridgette Rettstatt
MOST IMPROVED: Olivia Virt
COACHES AWARD: Charlotte Armstrong
It was a case of ‘into the unknown’ for our Championship Women, after being runners-up in Division One in 2023 and then making the leap into the Championship Division for 2024.
In the end, the Storm came through with flying colours, with some canny recruiting adding more talent to an already talented line up, with the addition of Bridgette Rettstatt, Courtney Strait and Ally Knights.
In particular, Bridgette had an outstanding season, both on the scoreboard and the stats sheet and it’s no real surprise that she was named MVP for the season, scoring 20 points or more 10 times across the season, with a high score of 27 against Sherbrooke, along with an amazing 18 times with 10 rebounds or more in a game, out of a possible 25 games for the season.
Courtney proved the perfect foil for Rettstatt, scoring 20 points or more on seven occasions, with a top score of 29 in a memorable win against arch rivals Warrnambool.
One of the real highlights of 2024 was Olivia Virt stepping up to the next level to be a key component of this Storm outfit with her playmaking being a highlight of her year.
After a sensational 2024, we look forward to building on this season’s efforts and taking another step towards success in 2025.
STATE CHAMPIONSHIP MEN
LADDER POSITION: 7th (11 wins – 11 losses)
FINAL RESULT: 7th
LEADING SCORER: Kavione Green 24.18ppg @ 48.71%
LEADING REBOUNDER: Kavione Green 12.82rpg
MVP: Kavione Green
MOST IMPROVED: Nathan Gronbeck
COACHES AWARD: Max Kos
Following a disappointing first year in State Championship Men in 2023, some solid recruiting in the off season, picking up defensive star Kavione Green from Wyndham, along with veteran former Geelong Supercat Liam McInerney and Supercats guard Nick Velasquez, gave cause for positivity heading into this campaign.
With two wins in the first three rounds, things were looking on course and with a road win against top of the table Wyndham in Round 5, there was cause for optimism as to what 2024 could be for the Storm.
Between Rounds 5 and 11, the Storm were well in the hunt, with six wins from nine games, to be right up near the top of the ladder and looking like a genuine contender for a finals berth.
From there, the Storm were riddled with injuries and unavailability, that saw some games where we were only able to field six or seven players for the match.
On the positive side, we managed to win the last two games of the season to end on a high note and an 50% win/loss record sees an improvement on 2023’s 3 wins and 18 losses.
Kavione Green had a standout season for the Storm, scoring 20 points or more an 14 occasions, with nine of those being 30 points or more, with his biggest haul for the season coming against Shepparton in Round 11, with a 38 point return. On the glass, KG collected 10 rebounds or more on 16 occasions through 2024, with four of those being 20 or more. The biggest result for him as in Round 16 when he pulled down 31 rebounds against Western Port.
Nick Velasquez had a solid year, averaging 17.64ppg at 43.09% to go with 4.14 assists per game, whilst Lewie Varley also had a consistent season with 13ppg at 33.55%, 4.82 rebounds per game and being the leader for assists, averaging 5.77 per game.
YOUTH LEAGUE 2 MEN
LADDER POSITION: 13th (5 wins – 17 losses)
FINAL RESULT: 13th
LEADING SCORER: Mitch Smith 17.63ppg @ 45.99%
LEADING REBOUNDER: Ashton Lantzke 6.61rpg
MVP: Mitch Smith
MOST IMPROVED: Ashton Lantzke
COACHES AWARD: Levi Rickard
2024 was a season of continued growth for our Youth League Men as a work in progress, with a number of young players, finding their way in a senior environment.
Whilst the win/loss column wasn’t in our favour, 2024 saw players like Harry Crane, Levi Rickard, Nathan Dawson and Jamieson Renkauskas steadily improve throughout the year and see further growth in their game.
Mitch Smith was the key component to the Storm outfit, as one of the senior players in the team, Mitch provided the offensive grunt on the scoreboard, putting together a very nice mid season stretch before succumbing to injury late in the year.
Injuries was a key factor in the story of this team in 2024 as players such as Daniel Clifton and Max Maciejewski being unavailable for big chunks of the season, with their respective ailments, which put extra pressure on Captain Ben Walters, new recruit Ashton Lantzke and Bailey Goodgame to work hard on the boards.
One of the highlights of the season, was seeing young gun Jack Maultby making his comeback from a serious knee injury and being able to play out the season.