Players, coaches, officials and spectators will converge at Geelong Arena for the annual Under 20 & Ivor Burge Footlocker National Championships. The six-day tournament will include a host of nail-biter matches and intense competition as every state battles it out for their respective crowns.
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.
U20 Women
Head Coach: Tom Garlepp
Assistant Coach: Rachel Higgisson
Assistant Coach: Lauren King
Manager: Renelle Genner
In an unchanged coaching staff lineup, the U20 Women will be back with a vengeance after finishing their campaign last year in fourth position, after taking the title in 2021.
Head Coach Tom Garlepp once again is in charge and ready to take his team back to the gold medal podium. Garlepp will be lining up for his fifth time as Head Coach for this age group and has a wealth of experience that will be on show this week. He is the current Head of Basketball at both University of Sydney and St Ignatius’ Riverview plus he recently was a part of the coaching lineup for the Emerging Opals squad and is a Norths Bears local.
As for Garlepp’s two assistant coaches, he welcomes back two familiar faces in Lauren King & Rachel Higgisson. Another great inclusion to Garlepp’s support staff is Ballina Basketball’s former Championship player with the Adelaide Lightning and Basketball NSW Development Officer, Lauren King. She has played over 250 games in the WNBL and won a championship with Adelaide in 07/08. This will be her third time assisting Garlepp and will bring an extra advantage to the team with her wealth of knowledge & Basketball IQ.
Another Northern Suburbs alumni, Higgisson will commence her fourth time attending the national event for this age group. She is currently overseeing the Bears Youth Women’s side and is a former Waratah 1 championship player herself. Higgisson will bring a plethora of expertise to Garelpp’s team to assist in bringing their team together in Geelong.
Manager Renelle Genner is the new inclusion to the bench but she herself is no rookie when it comes to managing a state team. Affectionately known as ‘Mamma G’ she has fostered many teams in her time ranging from the U18 Country Girls in 2022, Waratah 1 Women’s team at Illawarra and a handful of representative sides including from the Australian Country Junior Basketball Cup.
U20 Men
Head Coach: Brook Pearce
Assistant Coach: Miles Bench
Assistant Coach: Pat Williamson
Manager: Noah Mitchell
In his first time taking the reigns of a NSW State Team, Brook Pearce will head up the NSW U20 Men after various years on the bench as an assistant coach for U20 Men & U16 Metro Boys. Pearce is an established coach within the BNSW High Performance Programs, and continues to coach at his local association at Norths in Junior and Senior competitions. He will bring the stability and unique perspective the group needs to progress throughout the week.
Joining Pearce in the AC roles are Miles Bench & Pat Williamson. Miles Bench comes into the fold in what will be his second time away with a state team after working with the squad as an apprentice coach back in 2021. He is currently the UTS Women’s Head Coach & 1sts Assistant Coach at Trinity Grammar School while also managing his duties as the HC of the Norths Bears U18 Boys Junior Premier League team.
As the Sutherland Sharks Player Development Manager, Williamson is more than equipped to take on the role of assistant coach for the U20 Men with plenty of basketball coaching experience on his resume. One thing to note, even though he will be heading to his first nationals, he is no stranger to the pressure of the game after he has spent the last NBL season working with the Illawarra Hawks as an Intern Coach and will assist the Sharks NBL1 program as an AC in 2023. They will both offer a fresh perspective for the side in the hopes of grasping for the gold medal after finishing in the 5th spot in 2022.
Rounding out the coaching staff is Manager Noah Mitchell. This will be Mitchell’s third consecutive Nationals as the Manager of the NSW Under 20 Men’s Team. He was previously involved as the assistant manager for the Sydney Comets Under 14’s team which placed 3rd at the 2018 National Club Championships. He will be looking forward to another fantastic week with the team (featuring his special dinner go-to of Spag Bol) and keeping the positive environment on and off the court as a must.
Ivor Burge Women
Head Coach: Cheryl Wills
Assistant Coach: Rosalind Wells-Davies
Manager: Sarah Mottram
In her second appearance at the national tournament, Head Coach for the Ivor Burge Women is Cheryl Wills. Wills is no stranger to the physicality and skill level needed to compete and coach at a high level as she has been an association coach at Newcastle Basketball for a number of years. Wills will be eager to start the tournament off with a bang and will use her good communication skills to assist this young group of talented athletes and improve on their second-place silver medal following the 2022 tournament.
In her first time as an assistant coach at the National level, Ros Wells-Davies will join the line up after previously working as the manager for the team last year. She has coached and managed over 30 years in numerous teams throughout three different clubs and is a Life Member of Cessnock Basketball. She has recently assisted BNSW in a number of programs such as the I AM A GIRL Legacy Program, Country Development Programs and coaches in Maitland. Wells-Davies will use her past playing and coaching experiences to assist her team to take advantage of their talent during the 3×3 competition.
Rounding out the bench is manager, Sarah Mottram. Mottram will be instrumental in providing support for her team on and off the court. She has refereed for many years across various levels within Basketball NSW and will be the final piece of the puzzle for the team aiming to win gold.
Ivor Burge Men
Head Coach: Paul O’Neill
Assistant Coach: Mick Harris
Manager: Susan Skellett
Leading the Ivor Burge Men as Head Coach for another year is Sutherland’s Paul O’Neill. O’Neill has been at the helm since 2018 and has previously coached at the Sydney South Special Olympics for the past two decades as well as a Head Coach for a Sports School for 25 years. In his 35 years of experience, O’Neill has done it all from administration, board, governance and Coaching and will once again bring out the best in each and every member of the team.
Matching up with O’Neill once again is Mick Harris who has also been a part of the Ivor Burge State Team since 2018. Harris has been involved in multiple sports (he is also a Skiing and Snowboarding coach) and in developing athletes who seldom get the accolades nor breaks they deserve. His coaching credentials include the Special Olympics, Austria World Games, Trans Tasman in Cairns, Asia Pacific Australian Team in Newcastle and Adelaide, Melbourne and Canberra National Games.
In the Manager position, Susan Skellet will be returning in her second year at the Footlocker National Championships. In 2022 Skellet was instrumental in fundraising for her team and secured a number of sponsorships for the side to help support the Ivor Burge program. She will bring a wealth of experience in management and organisation.
Tournament Details:
The 2023 Under 20 and Ivor Burge National Championships will be held in Geelong (Geelong Arena, 110 Victoria Street, North Geelong 3215) from Tuesday 14th to Sunday 19th February.
Monday 13th Feb: Media & Training Day
Tuesday 14th Feb: Pool Games
Wednesday 15th Feb: Pool Games
Thursday 16th Feb: Pool Games (Plus start of the Ivor Burge Women 3×3 Tournament)
Friday 17th Feb: Quarter Finals & Classifications
Saturday 18th Feb: Semi Finals & Classifications
Sunday 19th Feb: Grand Final, Play Offs & Closing Ceremony
Fixture
Fixtures found here.
Tickets
Tickets available here.
Note: Can only be purchased online.