After 16 rounds of exciting Country Basketball action, we are heading for finals…and with finals come awards. Yes, it is officially award season for our North East and South West conferences.
One of those prestigious awards is the All-Star 5 team. The All-Star 5 is the five best players from each of the respective conferences. So, who is up for the award?
Below we’ve listed 10 finalists from each conference who are in contention to win the coveted award:
North East Men
Brock Thompson – Wodonga
A young Centre/Forward took a giant leap this year to lead the scoring for the wolves. A high score of 26 against top-ranked Seymour shows this boy can battle it with the best in the league.
Cameron Anderson – Mansfield
With the support of teammates Ben Les & Jesse King, carried the eagles to a 6th place finish this season. A Centre/Forward continuing to mark his spot in the league.
Eric Miraflores – Benalla
Reigning CBL North East MVP & Leading Scorer continued to show his scoring skill shooting 308 points this season. Can Eric & the breakers get back to the championship game and win that ring?
Keenan Gorski – Seymour
A key member of the blaster squad this season who shot a staggering 46 points in Round 6. A last regular season game injury may see Keenan, unfortunately, missing Seymour’s run at back-to-back championships.
Lachlan Kego – Benalla
Last season’s North East Defensive Player of the Year continued his solid defence this season. Don’t forget he can score the ball too with a season-high 30 points coming in Round 14.
Ryan Phillippe – Wallan
The leader of the panther's squad was able to shoot the ball well again this season at an average of 23.7 ppg. Wallan will need his hot hand firing on Saturday night as they look to knock off the ladder leaders in the Semi-final.
Ryley Bouker – Myrtleford
At just 20 years of age, Ryley stamped his authority on the league shooting a league-leading 41 made 3pt shot this season. Can this youngster along with the saints make it through to that championship game?
Sam Maher – Wangaratta
A guard/forward who was the heart and soul of the warriors this season and who at times struggled to find the numbers to field a team on the court. Sam was there for all 14 games shooting a season-high 26 against Wallan back in December.
Tyler Barker – Myrtleford
A shooting machine guard who at just 18 years of age coached the Myrtleford team this season into the Finals series. He showed he belonged at the top of the North East conference players list averaging 20.5 ppg.
Tyler Best – Seymour
A huge part of Seymour’s championship run this season. A forward who can score the ball with a season-high of 33 coming in round 15 against the second-place Benalla Breakers.
North East Women
Abbey Zamperoni - Myrtleford
An excellent player with a handful of 20-point performances during the season. She was a constant offensive threat for any opposing teams.
Carley Cranston – Wallan
Cranston was a key contributor to Wallan's success this season with her great offensive output. She’ll look to carry this form through the finals.
Evie Hughes - Myrtleford
Evie had a great individual scoring season, which saw a 32-point effort back in Round 15 and 26 point game in Round 9.
Jade McCowan – Albury
McCowan has been the Cougar's best player this season, averaging an impressive 22.1ppg. Keep an eye on her during the Cougar's finals run.
Rachel Jeffery – Wodonga
Rachel has led the Wolves to the best record in the North East Women conference. She also finished second in total points scored with 206 points.
Racquel Stevens - Myrtleford
Stevens was a sniper from beyond the arc, knocking down 16 threes in 10 games. She helped round out a very competitive saints team.
Tayha Watkins - Seymour
Arguably the best North East Women’s player this season, Watkins has been a scoring machine for the Blasters. She topped the total scorers list amassing 242 points in 9 games.
Taylah Reidy – Wangaratta
Reidy had a very solid season for Wangaratta. Unfortunately for the Warriors, the season didn’t go to plan, they’ll look to bounce back next year.
South West Men
Austin McKenzie – Horsham
Mckenzie has been the Hornet's best player this year with his electric scoring. He averaged 25ppg this season and will look to continue that through finals.
Cody Bryan – Horsham
Cody Bryan has also been a key contributor to the Hornet's success this season. Providing solid scoring week in and week out.
Jack Haggett – Millicent
Well, Haggett has certainly been impressive for the Magic this year. Multiple 20-point games and a chance at leading his team to a Grand Final berth.
Joshua Fiegert – Ararat
Fiegert does a little bit of everything for the Redbacks, is a great defender and is deadly from the 3-point line.
Kade Bradley - Millicent
Like Haggett, Bradley has been huge for the Magic this season. He ranks third in total points scored, racking up 300 points for the season.
Kane de Wit - Mt Gambier
Kane has been special this year for the Lakers. They sit second on the ladder heading into finals and he’ll be the player to watch for Mt Gambier.
Nathan Hardingham – Portland
Last year's MVP, Hardingham has been a star for the Coasters. Unfortunately, they just missed out on finals, so they’ll look to regroup next season.
Ryley Hutchins – Terang
Hutchins was a lethal shooter for Tornadoes. He managed to rack up a staggering 34 triples for the season.
Simon Berkefeld - Mt Gambier
Berkefeld had two monster games during the Lakers season. In Round 5, he dropped 35 points and then topped that in Round 11, dropping 37. He’ll look to go off in the finals.
Zac Dunmore – Ararat
Zac Dunmore is the odds-on favourite for the MVP award for the South West Men this year. He’s been an absolute offensive juggernaut putting up an incredible 479 points in 15 games.
South West Women
Caitlin Story – Horsham
A Forward/Guard to be reckoned with. Caitlin’s presence on the court is most felt on the defensive end but don’t let that fool you, she can score the ball too at an average of 13.9 ppg this season including 19 triples.
Dakota Crichton – Warrnambool
A late starter to the season coming in at around 11, Dakota had a huge impact for the mermaids only just a few games in. In 2023 alone she averaged 17.2 ppg.
Emalie Iredell – Horsham
The reigning CBL South West Leading Scorer continued on her scoring ways shooting a huge 224 points for the season from her 11 games, but unfortunately, that wasn’t enough to get the hornets into the finals series.
Emily Winter – Millicent
One of the many Winter playing for the Magic this season. Emily is a scoring machine shooting 202 points in just 7 games. Will be a key member for Millicent as they make their run for the Championship.
Jasmin Howe – Millicent
A guard who only managed to play 8 games for the magic this season but still managed to be Millicent’s 3rd leading scorer & 7th in the league for the season.
Millie Jennings – Portland
An under 18 who has made her mark on the league this season shooting a season-high 22 points against the mermaids in round 13. Can Millie carry the coasters back to the Championship game?
Sarah Ritter - Mt Gambier
At the Forward/Centre position, Sarah showed she can match it with the conference best. Can Sarah and the Mt Gambier team continue their winning fashion in the finals series?
Tanielle Knight – Portland
Another player of the coasters around the 18 years of age mark. A coaches nightmare to guard this season as she contributed double digits in all her outings this season including a massive 6 3-pointers in the round 9 clash in Torquay.
