A league if their own - MVPs, DPOYs, COTYs and several other awards will be hotly contested this Sunday
3-Minute Read
MVP
The Most Valuable Player Awards for the League are determined by a system in which each team’s head coach allocates votes after each minor game of the season. After the completion of the minor rounds a list of the top 15 vote recipients is compiled, based on this voting system and sent to each team’s head coach who then allocates 3-2-1 votes to players for this award from that list.
Based on this here is the list of my candidates MVP for Womens and Mens
Womens
Previous winner – Sam Simons (Forestville Eagles)
Maddy Freer
According to our vote predictions for the Halls Medal, Freer is likely to receive at least double the number of votes of any of her team-mates – that means from a coach’s perspective she would’ve received plenty of triple voters. Maybe Rachel Hines might take a few off her but Freer has been one of the league’s outstanding players in 2023 and most improved.
Holly Forbes
Had an exceptional season for the Panthers and given they made the finals is a big reason they’ve gotten there. Ash Spencer looms as someone that might take votes off her, but she’s got a clear run at it and looks the goods to potentially take the award across the league.
Mikayla Williams
For a team that’s been pretty even it wouldn’t surprise you if Williams went the double this season. Highly rated and regarded by opposition she’s likely be in the top 15 vote recipients and as stated in the Halls preview – likely to have been seen as a match winner at different times in the season.
Mens
Previous Winner – Jeremy Smith (South Adelaide Panthers)
Jawan Stepney
Likely in the top 15, won games of his own back and respected by his opposition – Jawan like Freer in the women’s has a clear run at it.
Branden Jenkins
Jenkins took it another level this season and night in night out was the Lions best player through the season. He’ll be very much in the talked about players of the season around this award with not a huge amount of competition taking away from him.
Jack Hemphill
Was best on at least eight times our experts reckoned for the Eastern Mavericks in their best season since 2018 majority of games in the 2023 season. Always amongst the numbers he’s been one of the best import recruits of the season for a team that’s been more than competitive through the season.
Best Defensive Player of 2023
Best Defensive Player Award (Womens)
Previous Winner – Jasmine Simmons (West Adelaide Bearcats)
- Tayla Brazel – #1 in steals with 3.5 steals, locked down on the oppositions best guard
- Brittany Hernandez – 1.2 blocks per game, part of the #2 team in the competition for points not conceded
- Sophie Kerridge – #2 in steals with 3.4, locked down on some quality guards.
Best Defensive Player Award (Mens)
Previous Winner – Alex Starling (South Adelaide Panthers)
- Jordan Forbes – The #1 man in the #1 defensive team of the season, averaging 1.8 steals per game matching up on the oppositions best guard all season.
- Mitch McCarron – The Bearcats are top because of their main man, #2 in steals with 3.7 and #5 with 6.3 assists and averaged one block per game.
- Alex Starling – Block parties and dominated rebounding at the defensive end of the floor he’s every chance to go back-to-back.
Youth Womens and Mens Medals
The Merv Harris (women) and Frank Angove (men) medals are presented to the NBL1 Central player aged Under 23 years on December 31 of the year in which the competition is played, who polls the highest number of votes towards the Halls or Woollacott medal.
Merv Harris (U23 Womens) Medal
Previous winner – Sam Simons (Forestville Eagles)
- Tayla Brazel – Will poll plenty right up to her departure for the U19 Womens World Cup
- Maddy Freer – Likely top five finish with votes
- Olivia Bradley – Huge stretch from Round 10 onwards
Frank Angove (U23 Mens) Medal
Previous winner – Lachlan Olbrich (Southern Tigers)
- Lachlan Olbrich – Every chance to go back-to-back he’s by far the best of the young crop again – could he pull the elusive triple with the Woollacott, the Frank Angove and All-Star five – the last I think to do so was Jacob Holmes for Eastern Mavericks back in the early 2000s.
- Lloyd McVeigh – Had some big game performances but consistency across the full season may be lacking.
- Keanu Rasmussen – The Adelaide 36ers new DP has had a solid season and may be closer to Olbrich’s vote getting than you think.
Coach of the Year
The “Coach of the Year” is awarded based on 3-2-1 votes by fellow coaches at the end of the minor rounds.
Womens (Previous Winner: Tim Shortt (Sturt Sabres)
- Matthew Clarke – Had to do some of the Tiger’s season once again without a full team and steered them to second on the ladder after just missing in 2022 – consistent and a previous winner in 2021.
- Tim Shortt – 18-0 with an unbeaten regular season team showed his wares once again and a warm favourite to go back-to-back for the first time since Kay Flynn for the Eagles in 2000 and 2001.
- Will Smith – Flames were languishing in eighth position mid-season and after a raft of turnover with the playing personnel has found a way to unite the group together and shot them up to third place across the second half of the season.
- Vikki Kelson – Hear me out – The Mavs women finished ninth last season with three wins but had a much more experienced list, Kelson’s Mavs had an average age of 19 years of age and they won more games plus compared to 2022 they conceded 81.5 points per game compared to 84 points per game. They were in contests thanks to her structures and development getting the most of a list on paper many nights have had finishing lower with less wins. Worth consideration having won it in 2015 with the Panthers…
Mens (Previous Winner: Scott Whitmore (Woodville Warriors)
- Andy Simons – Had a much more talented team last season but not as balanced as the one this season, it certainly hasn’t been gifted to him and after some consistency keeping the Eagles at the top the time has come for him to be recognised with this award you feel.
- Dean Nyberg – When your team finishes top of the ladder you always are in the running, you never know how much had been spent on the roster but after Olbrich came in he got the rotations and the balance of the lineup succinct and efficient – and he hasn’t won one yet.
- Paul Rigoni – Continues to defy many and holds the keys to the number one defensive team in the league – a worthy winner that could back up his 2021 accolade and his fourth of his career (2016, 2017 and 2021)
- Daniel Wray – His rookie coaching season has been a success and is worth mentioning – he’s guided the Mavericks to their best season since 2018 and made them a competitive outfit night in night out – worth acknowledging.
Phillip Yuill Medal
The “Referee of the Year” is awarded based on 3-2-1 votes by coaches at the end of the minor rounds.
- Women – Danika Shepherd, Emma Caeran, Andrew Just
- Men – Hugh Starkey, Bailey Dyer, Maddi Shaw
All Star Five
- Women – (2022: Fejo, Basham, Wilson, S Simons, M Williams)
o Alex Wilson
o Brooke Basham
o Maddy Freer
o Mollie McKendrick
o Mikayla Williams - Men – (2022: Doyle, Smith, Humphries, Purchase and Olbrich)
o Jordan Forbes
o Branden Jenkins
o Jawan Stepney
o Anthony Drmic
o Lachlan Olbrich
We are back to doing recaps for the NBL, Catch all the NBL1 Central action this weekend on the NBL1 website, app and game of the week in First Round of the finals between the Forestville Eagles Men and the Sturt Sabres Men on Kayo and Kayo Freebies this weekend.
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CROSS OVER DRIBBLE 