HILLS HORNETS | ANNUAL ASSOCIATION AWARDS

Every year a few members of the Hills Basketball community are acknowledged for their contribution through our Annual Association Awards.

We would like to take this opportunity to thank every member of the Hills Hornets Basketball Association for the constant support and hard work throughout the season. Our association is built from the ground up, starting with our hundreds of volunteers that dedicate large parts of their life to supporting our club.

The following individuals were recognised for their hard work throughout the 2024 season:

Janet Blanch Trophy Female | Player of the Year | Breanna Fisk
Delmas Green Trophy Male | Player of the Year | Lav Banjac
Richard Slowgrove Trophy | Manager of the Year | Joanne Stanbury
Evan Bennett Trophy | Association Community Award | Cooper Moore
Mary Castling Trophy | Scoretable Official of the Year | Luisa Chapman
Karen Marshall Trophy | Statistician of the Year | Ros Graham
Rookie Referee of the Year | Andy Xiang
Junior Referee of the Year | Holly Powell
Senior Referee of the Year | Jacob Brennan
Steve Nicholls Trophy Contribution to Officials Community | Jayna Bonney
Coach of the Year | Women’s Program | Danielle D’Morias
Coach of the Year | Men’s Program | David Hayman
Contribution to Coaching Community | Greg Marshall ...

HILLS HORNETS SENIOR PRESENTATION NIGHT

On Saturday night, our senior players, coaches, officials and community members were able to let their hair down to celebrate the 2024 Season, one of our best yet. This was a long season of hard work and dedication, which saw incredible results across the board. Well done to all, and we look forward to seeing you in 2025.

We also acknowledged the retirement of two major legends in Hornets history. Jason Strong has made the decision to retire this year, hanging up the boots after representing Hills Basketball first in 1996. This is longer than some of our other Senior players have even been alive. As a coach, teammate and player, Jason leaves behind an unforgettable Hornets legacy.

Cassie Pentney has also announced her retirement. Cassie came to Hills Basketball in 2018 from Newcastle and has well and truly made the HIVE her home. As a favourite amongst fans and teammates, she holds a special place in our hearts. Whilst we`re sad she is leaving now, we`ll always welcome him back in whatever capacity.

We are all incredibly thankful for both Cassie and Jason for their amazing contribution and hope to see them around the HIVE for many years to come.

A special thank you to all the staff who make this possible and our sponsors for their continued support. Hills Basketball is made by those who give their time, dedication and effort and we could not be more proud and thankful.

50 Games | Maddie Emmett, Joe Patmore
100 Games | Cassie Pentney
NBL1 MEN | Marvin Fidel, Saxon Orsini, Chris Bryant
NBL1 WOMEN | Lucy Corke, Meg Jefferson, Taylah Cottees
WARATAH MEN MEN | Marcus Duffy, Zach Stosic, Nick Graham
YOUTH LEAGUE MEN 1 | Josh Morgan, Koby Prakash, Ethan Moss
YOUTH LEAGUE WOMEN | Lucy Corke, Chelsea Hudson, Ella Gale
YOUTH LEAGUE MEN 2 | Sam Vallance, Ethan Macabulos, Lav Banjac
YOUTH LEAGUE WOMEN 2 | Alannah Ellis, Phoebe Matthew, Leah Fowler
WARATAH WHEELCHAIR | Ahmad El Haj Yossef, Evander Conroy, Louis Richards ...

14 CLUB CHAMPIONSHIPS | WRAP - UP

Our U14 Boys Premier travelled to Casey, Victoria from 22 - 27 September to compete at the U14 Club Championships 2024, where the best teams across the country come together to compete. As a national event, to even qualify is an achievement, but our Hornets had an incredible tournament overall.

The boys were in a tough pool, yet managed to finish second, below the ultimate competition champions, the Casey Caveliers. After a difficult 2 point loss against South Adelaide Panthers put them out of contention for the top 6, the boys kept fighting in a challenging tournament to finish 12th in the country.

A huge congratulations to our U14 players, coaches and supporters who dedicated so much time and hard work to this season, which paid off in their results. The team conducted themselves in a way that our Hills Hornets community can be truly proud of. A massive thank you to the sponsors who helped them get there, including Di Jones Real Estate, HugFit, Hoops Sports Performance, Giles Tribe Architects & Sports Visa Lawyers.

We also congratulate Hills Hornets official Joshua Garnon, who was chosen to represent NSW and was selected as the Boys Championship Bronze Medal crew chief. This is an incredible achievement and is an acknowledgement of his hard work and effort throughout the year. ...

SALLY FAEHRMANN | WINS SILVER WITH THE GECKOS

Last week, our very own Sally Faehrmann travelled to Melbourne to compete in the 2024 Asia-Pacific Deaf Basketball Championships for the Australian Geckos.

Sally is an incredible Hornets member and role model for our community and we could not be more proud of her achievements.

The tournament saw the Geckos up against Japan in the Grand Final, and whilst they came away with the silver medal, Sally and her team have qualified for the 2025 Deaflympics which will take place in Japan in November.

Sally was also named in the All Star Five for the tournament, which is an outstanding achievement.

Congratulations Sally and GO GECKOS! ...