Basketball legends set the court alight
There were some huffs and puffs but they were still able to bring the house down, they were the past and future giants of WA basketball who took to the court for a Legends Basketball Spectacular to mark the opening of the new WA Basketball Centre.
25 January 2010
An All Star team coached by Andrew Vlahov and featuring the likes of Ex-Wildcats Mike Ellis and Cal Bruton plus current Wildcats players, pulled off a three-point win (47–50) against a Legends side coached by John Gardiner that included former SBL stars CJ Jackson and Dan Hunt and WNBL’s Melissa Sinfield.
An appreciative crowd of more than 1500 people cheered them on, delighted with the opportunity to see Ellis and Bruton on court together again.
The win may have surprised Ellis, with both his and his team mates’ fitness being the subject of some light-hearted banter in the lead-up to the game.
“It should be a lot of fun – I just hope we can last the game,” Ellis said.
An unexpected highlight came from Master of Ceremonies Tim Gossage, who was coerced by Jackson into swapping shoes and taking his place on court.
Jackson’s aim was to expose Gossage to the plight of the middle-aged players on court, however the brave MC managed to sink a couple of hoops while Jackson mastered the commentary.
A wheelchair basketball game between two Perth Wheelcats teams contributed to the action-packed opening, with Australian Paralympic Gold medallists including Justin Eveson taking part.
The contribution of the Ellis family – one of the first families of basketball in WA – was also recognised with the naming of the centre’s function room The Ellis Room in their honour.
All Stars
Coach: Andrew Vlahov
Manager: Brad Laine
Players: Marko Deric, Joel Wagner, Sam Harris, Jarrad Prior, Justin Eckhart, Justin Brown, Ryan Soufoulis, Cal Bruton, Mike Ellis, Phil Doherty, Ian Satie, Ben Thompson, Paul Rogers, Aaron Trahair.
Legends
Coach: John Gardiner
Manager: Mel Marsh
Players: Brad Counsel, Jeff Anderson, Dan Hunt, Greg Brown, Vince Kelly, CJ Jackson, James Fitch, Matt Foster, Chelsea Boyanich, Emma Lobb, Brittany Morgan, Melissa Sinfield, Natasha Burgess, Troy Clarke.
New centre puts bounce in basketball’s step
Community and state level basketball in Western Australia will be the major beneficiaries of the new Western Australian Basketball Centre.
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