As the Australian Under 18 & Kevin Coombs Cup Junior Championships tip-off this week in Ballarat, Victoria from the 10-17 of April, Basketball NSW looks at the Head Coaches and their support staff that will lead their respective teams on court for a full preview and history.
U18 Country Men
Head Coach: Curtis Sardi – Basketball NSW
Assistant Coach: Callum Wade – Maitland Mustangs
Assistant Coach: Darren Duff – Newcastle Falcons
Manager: Todd Turner – Newcastle Falcons
In his second stint as the Head Coach for the U18 Country Men, Basketball NSW High Performance Coach, Curtis Sardi will be once again at the helm. Previously, Sardi has attended numerous Australian Junior Championships as the NSW Metro U16 Head Coach, and as the Assistant Coach to the U18 Metro Men & U20 Women.
He will be partnered once again with his two Assistant Coaches from 2021 with Maitland’s Cal Wade & Newcastle’s Darren Duff. Wade is no stranger to the junior national stage as this will be his seventh time in the AC role, previously working with both U18 & U16 Country Men. Duff will return for his second stint with the Country State team and also continue to bring his passion for the country-side as he has been a staple in ranks of BNSW High Performance Programs for several years as well as coaching numerous junior and senior teams at his local association for the past 12+ years.
The final name on the bench for Sardi, is manager Todd Turner hailing from Newcastle. Turner is also a familiar face around NSW state teams as this will be his 16th time involved with a state team role. Todd not only brings managerial experience but another voice of reason to the team with his experience and will bring a unique enterprise to the U18 team.
U18 Country Women
Head Coach: Shelley Bates – Sutherland Sharks
Assistant Coach: Felicity Cook – Coffs Harbour Suns
Assistant Coach: Cindy Bonham – Illawarra Hawks
Manager: Renelle Genner – Illawarra Hawks
For the Under 18 Country Women, Sutherland’s NBL1East Women’s Head Coach, Shelley Bates, will take charge of the side once again. Bates has been appointed as Head Coach of the side since 2020, however due to the callenation of that year’s tournament, this will only be her second time coaching the team at the event. She has also worked her way up the ranks within the NSW High Performance Programs, attending numerous Australian Junior Country Basketball Cups, various BNSW camps and as an AC at the 2019 U16 Australian Junior Championships.
An exciting time for Bates’ U18 Country team is that for the second year in succession, she once again has appointed an all female support staff with Felicity Cook from the Coffs Harbour Suns and Cindy Bonham from the Illawarra Hawks as Assistants. Both Cook & Bonham are Ex-Country junior players and are now returning to the national championships as an assistant coach for the very first time. Both bring a wealth of experience from their playing experience and are heavily involved in the BNSW High Performance Programs.
Proving again as another team favorite, Manager Renelle Genner (affectionately known as ‘Mamma G’) is back for her second year with the age group. Genner has fostered many teams in her time ranging from the Waratah 1 Women’s team at Illawarra and a handful of representative sides including from the Australian Country Junior Basketball Cup. The girls will look to Genner for that extra push of motivation throughout their week away fighting for the gold.
U18 Metro Men
Head Coach: Reece Potter – Hills Hornets
Assistant Coach: Will Hill – Sydney Comets
Assistant Coach: David Hayman – Hills Hornets
Manager: Kumar Manix – Sydney Comets
For the U18 Metro Men side, back in his second year in the sky blue is Hills Hornets NBL1 Men’s Head Coach, Reece Potter. Originally from Maitland, Potter has been heavily involved in the BNSW pathway and has previously been involved with NSW Country state teams in the past before making the move around Australia/Victoria for other coaching roles. He is also currently the Head Coach at Knox Grammar and has previously Head Coached the Victoria Metro U18 Women. He is also a former Big V, SEABL Head Coach, Coaching Director for Wyndham Basketball and has been an Assistant Coach in the WNBL and at three Oceania championships for Australian Junior teams.
In the first of Potter’s support staff is Sydney Comets’ Will Hill. Hill has been the Head Coach for the Comets Youth League, Under 18 and Under 16 sides for the past nine years. Hill, a former Division 3 College Player, will be attending his fourth nationals and will be eager to set the pace of the Metro Men early in the competition. David Hayman will also be looking at steering the U18 Metro Men as the second AC. Hayman, who is also part of the Hills Hornets family, will be stepping up in his first Australian Junior Championships as coach but has attended as a former NSW Metro Junior during his playing days. He is currently the Performance Program Lead Assistant Coach at Knox Grammar School, current NBL1 squad member at Hills and was coach of the 2019 Hills Hornets U14 National Championships winning team.
Last but not least on the sidelines for the Metro Men is Manager Kumar Manix. Manix has managed the U14 City of Sydney Comets boys team for the past two years and is currently managing the Inner West Youth League Division 1 Team. Even though this will be his first trip away with a state team, he has plenty of experience in supporting his side and motivating each member to be the best that they can.
U18 Metro Women
Head Coach: Renee Garlepp – Norths Bears
Assistant Coach: Danielle D’Morias – Hills Hornets
Assistant Coach: Kate Seebohm – Norths Bears
Manager: Natalie Donnelly – Sutherland Sharks
Coming from coaching the 2021 NSW U20 ‘White’ Women, Renee Garlepp will now sink her teeth into the U18 Metro Women this year once again appointing an all female support staff. Familiar with the age group, Garlepp was once previously the Assistant Coach for the U18 Metro Women proving that hard work and dedication pays off. She is also no stranger to the pressures of playing for a national title, previously represented NSW Country as a Illawarra Junior and played for Australia at the Junior & Senior Level before transitioning to coaching. She also won the 2020 Waratah Youth League Coach of the Year and continues to coach at the high level within the BNSW High performance Programs and for her home association, Norths Basketball for their NBL1 Womens side.
Hills Hornets’ Danielle D’Morias steps into the fold as Assistant Coach to Garlepp. D’Morias has been a long-standing member of the Hornets coaching roster, overseeing many junior and senior teams over the years including HC for their Youth League for three years and AC for the Waratah 1 Women’s team for four years. Four-time Defensive Player of the Year in the Spalding Waratah Senior League, Kate Seebohm also joins Garlepp and D’Morias as an Assistant Coach. In what will be her second Nationals, the Norths’ native is no stranger to coaching at a high level with previous experience as the Head Coach with various Norths Bears Representative sides as well as playing four seasons at the California University of Pennsylvania.
Sydney Uni Flames Championship winning Manager Natalie Donnelly also joins Garlepp’s trusted support staff rounding out the all female group. Donnelly previously managed Garlepp’s U20 side last year and as the Team Manager for the Ivor Burge NSW Women’s team in 2013.
She has also been the Team Manager for the Sutherland Sharks Waratah Championship Women’s team for two seasons in 2015 & 2016 and has been the Sydney Uni Flames Manger since 2015 including the 2016/17 season when the Flames won the competition. With over 35 years of experience in basketball as a player, coach, referee and team manager, Donnelly will certainly be an asset to everyone involved.
Kevin Coombs Cup
Head Coach: Brett Stibners
Assistant Coach: Gerry Hewson
Assistant Coach: Shawn Russell
Manager: Jemma Thorpe
After two years of cancellations, this year will see the Kevin Coombs Cup return and NSW is set to make its mark on the competition with four-time Paralympian Brett Stibners making his debut as Head Coach. After 187 international appearances spanning across 15 years, Stibners has won a gold and silver medal at the Paralympics, competed in three world cups winning a gold and 2 bronze medals and has won 6 National league titles (NWBL). His experience will be a huge asset to the team and invaluable for all members of his staff.
BNSW Hall of Fame Member, and one of Australia’s most recognisable Paralympians in the sport of Wheelchair Basketball, Gerry Hewson suits up next to Stibners as Assistant. He won the first-ever senior men’s Gold medal for Australia during the 1996 Summer Paralympics in Atlanta, for which he received a Medal of the Order of Australia. From there, Gerry continued to impress in the National Wheelchair Basketball League and has coached numerous teams in the NWBL and a handful of Australian National Teams. In the second assistant coach role Shawn Russell has been named for the NSW team. Russell also is a former Australian Paralympian making his Rollers debut at the 2009 IWBF Asia-Oceania Championships and competed for Australia at the Rio Paralympics in 2016. He currently suits up for the Wollongong Roller Hawks with Stibners.
The glue that holds the team together is Manager Jemma Thorpe. Thorpe will be making her premiere at this year’s championships, she is no stranger to Wheelchair Basketball as she has been coordinating Wheelchair Basketball at Wheelchair Sports NSW/ACT for the past year. She is also leading the way, coordinating the inaugural Wheelchair Basketball Spalding Waratah League with Basketball NSW.
You can catch all our coaches and our teams live during every game thanks to Basketball Australia, Foxtel & Kayo Sports. Partnering with Kayo Sports, a selection of games will be will be streamed live and free on Kayo Freebies (including the finals) with the remaining games streamed live on Basketball Australia’s YouTube account. Stream the Australian Under-18 Championships and Kevin Coombs Cup for free on Kayo Freebies. No credit card required, register now!
Kayo CLICK HERE & Basketball Australia Youtube page CLICK HERE.
For the full fixture/results CLICK HERE.
For the highlights from the City v Country match CLICK HERE.