Photo Credit – Sarah Reed (Via Basketball SA)
3-Minute Read
This year’s newly named Basketball SA Awards afternoon was where for the first time the Lorraine Eiler Medal (formerly known as the Halls Medal and named after a pioneer of Women’s basketball) and the Noel Woollacott Medal for the Fairest and Most Brilliant players of the league was presented.
For the first time since 2006 – a West Adelaide Bearcat took out the Women’s top award with Olivia Levicki‘s comeback complete becoming the first since Sam Woosnam and the ninth in the club’s history to claim the award. Levicki on 46 votes finished just ahead of Forestville Eagles Sam Simons on 41 votes while Woodville Warriors Jasmin Fejo‘s second half of the season saw her storm home into third place with 39 votes – 15 clear of fourth place and below. Joining the three in the All-Star Five was Ke’Shunan James and Jordyn Freer with Freer named an all-star for the first time after several strong seasons.
Mark Billington of the West Adelaide Bearcats won his first Coach of the Year award to beat out three-time winner Sturt Sabres Tim Shortt and Forestville Eagles Toby Schaftenaar. Keira Gardiner became the first ever winner of the Merv Harris award for the best U23 Youth Player of the Year from the South Adelaide Panthers beating out sister Hannah Gardiner and Eastern Mavericks Daisy Hocking. Jasmin Fejo added to her accolades with a first Defensive Player of the Year making her the first Woodville Warrior to do it since Tamara Norris (nee Haase) when the award was first given in 1999 – and the Coaches MVP to be the third Warrior to achieve it since Callan Taylor and Teige Morrell
The Mens was much tighter than anticipated but Keanu Rasmussen took the Woollacott medal for the West Adelaide Bearcats for the first time since 2013 on 31 votes. He beat out South Adelaide Panthers Christian Brandon on 26 votes and a fast finishing Eastern Mavericks BJ Symons on 24 votes. Alex Starling going for his fourth Woollacott Medal finished just behind in fourth on 22 votes.
Rasmussen also took out the Frank Angove Medal and Coaches MVP completing the quad for the first time since Jacob Holmes in 2004 named in the All-Star Five along with Brandon, Sharif Black (Sturt Sabres), Daniel Johnson (Forestville Eagles and last Bearcat to win the medal in 2013) and Efe Abogidi (Central Districts Lions).
Coach of the Year went to Rupert Sapwell of the Central Districts Lions just over 2022 winner Scott Whitmore of the Woodville Warriors and Andy Simons of the Forestville Eagles
Joe Jackson of the Woodville Warriors took out Defensive Player of the Year – the sixth Warrior to do so behind Craig Gilbert, Andrew Puddifoot, Paul Vandenbergh and Mitch Creek. He held off Efe Abogidi and five time winner Alex Starling to win the award by only a few votes.
For the officials the Phillip Yuill medal for the Womens was awarded to Bailey Dyer for the first time and for the Mens to Nathan Durant – his thirteenth award in either Mens and Womens since 2010.
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