Villanova College
Sports Bulletin – Issue 13, 14 September 2023
Sports Bulletin – Issue 13, 14 September 2023
First V
At the end of last year when we as coaches sat down to set out our plans and goals for the year ahead, at the top of the list for our First V Basketball was to chase history. On Saturday, our squad came together as one, with a willingness to make individual sacrifices to impact winning. They did so not just with their own objectives at hand, but more what it would mean to their families who too made sacrifices, their brothers who pushed them to be better, and for their Villanova brothers who have come before them and will come after them.
St Peter’s presented our biggest challenge coming into this season, a team built to challenge our style of play lead by a number of Australian representatives which proved to be match up nightmares. But walking into the change room before the game, there was a calmness in the air, as the Villanova faithful built in Goold Hall, you could sense the boys wearing Green and Gold were up for it.
In true Villanova spirit and what has become a fixture of the First V Basketball program, we got lost in the process, the grind, and the work in front of us, focusing on every next play, and never settling. Every member of our squad had an impact on winning on Saturday in Goold Hall, whether it was talking to the guys on the floor, being the first to high five the guys coming out, diving on the loose ball, making second and third efforts on rebounds, sprinting to get back on defence, making the extra pass on offense or most importantly laying their bodies on the line to take charges at critical times of the game.
Saturday was special because of the community that helped us get there, the community of Villanovans whether they be Old Boys, parents, staff or current students, all Villanovans came together to share in this moment and helped Villanova write our name in the history books. We heard you, we felt you in Goold Hall on Saturday, you were our sixth man, always there ready to go whenever we it seemed we would stumble, and we did it for you. Watching all of you celebrate, side by side with the 14 young men who suited up on Saturday made it even more special, you helped us protect the sacred parquet floor of Goold, we couldn’t have done it without you.
The First V Basketball of 2023 overcame the toughest challenge I have seen in my five years here as the Head Basketball Coach, but they are not done chasing history as we go and compete against the best basketball schools in Queensland this weekend. Villanova will again be the only AIC team in Championship division from Thursday to Sunday at Coomera Indoor Sports Centre and we encourage all our Villa community to again get behind these boys.
Thursday 14 September
9:30am v BBC
3:30pm v St James College
Friday 15 September
2pm v Matthew Flinders College
8pm v TBC
We couldn’t have done it without the families who have sacrificed themselves and helped these young men grow and develop into who they are today. My coaching staff – Mr Stephen Rouhliadeff, Mr Sam Korst, Mr Travis Warren, Mr Brad Collins, and Mr Lachlan Nuttall, some of the best basketball minds in the country and we are fortunate to have them at Villanova, turning up week in and week out. To all the boys who made teams or trialled for teams you made us all better, the coaches across the program you help teach and develop our boys to prepare them for the AIC season we cannot do it without your dedication, commitment, and expertise.
Please join me in congratulating this year’s First V Basketball have achieved the College’s first ever 3peat, three undefeated AIC Premierships.
Mr Jordan Mullan, First V Head Coach
Basketball
Congratulations to all players, coaches and supporters of the Villanova Basketball program for 2023. It was another tremendous season with so many different programs running to cater for all levels of skills and experience. We again entered the maximum number of teams available and the strength of numbers at trials again made it very difficult to select teams but also showed the strength of talent available at the school. We concluded the season with 7 premierships across Year 7-12 and another seven undefeated teams in Year 5 and 6 (full listing below). On top of those 13 teams, an honourable mention to our Fourth V, 11A, 10C, 8B and 7A teams who finished in second place on the AIC ladder.
Our First V team for 2023 have been preparing since early in Term 1, this group of young men spent many hours in the gym and on the court in preparation for the AIC season. The success for this team began in Term 2 after finding wins against a number of GPS teams in trial matches and claiming the victory against our brother school, St Augustine’s College, in an over-time thriller. The brand of basketball they played was fast and exciting with the boys running the floor so well that it was hard to look away out of fear of missing something exciting. This is a credit to First V coaching team, led by Head Coach Jordan Mullan and Assistant Coach Stephen Rouhliadeff. It was a great achievement for this group to win an undefeated Premiership for the third (yep, third) year in a row. I acknowledge and thank the departing Year 12 students for their contribution to the Villanova Basketball program over many years, with a special mention to those who have contributed to the First V success in previous years.
I would also like to take a moment to thank all coaches for their efforts throughout the season. A program as successful as this can only run on the back of coaches who are willing to put in the time and effort to coach and mentor the players. We are very fortunate with the calibre of coaches that we have, and the boys should feel privileged to have them develop their individual and team skills. We have such a strong mix of staff, outside coaches and old boys who so generously give of their time and expertise to ensure they program remains so strong.
Premiership and/or Undefeated teams
- First V
- 9B
- 9C
- 9D
- 7B
- 7C
- 7D
- 6A
- 6B
- 6D
- 5A
- 5B
- 5C
- 5D
Mr Todd Kropp, Basketball Coordinator
Tennis First IV
Taking on an undefeated St Peter’s team gunning for the First IV Premiership was always going to be a tough challenge for our very young team. This proved to be the case, with our First IV going down 7-1 at home in Morningside. Standout performers were our Captain Adam Zanatta and Rueben Wagels playing their best set of doubles for the year win our only match of the tie. While overall the result wasn’t what we were hoping for, the whole team fought incredibly hard in both singles and doubles, just as they have done all year.
Reflecting on the season, every member of the First IV, Adam, Ollie, Reuben and Marcel, improved as the season progressed. Starting with a loss in a close fought tie against Ashgrove, the team bounced back excellently away against St Patrick’s with a solid win. Missing Ollie Simmons due to illness made a difficult tie against eventual second place finishers St Laurence’s College even more challenging. Luke Phillips made his First IV debut, filling in admirably in some very tough matches. Another comprehensive win at home against St Edmund’s followed, leading into what should’ve been our closest tie of the year, away against Padua. There, the First IV put together their most complete performance of the season, dominating Padua 6-2 and securing at least a fifth-place finish for the season, with two difficult ties to come against preseason favourites Iona and St Peter’s. A close loss against Iona and a difficult tie against undefeated First IV Premiers St Peter’s closed out the season.
Overall, this year was always going to be a rebuilding year for the First IV, with the team comprising of two year nine students, both of whom improved immeasurably throughout the year. This wouldn’t have been possible without the excellent leadership of our Captain, Adam Zanatta. Adam’s quiet and unassuming nature, coupled with his never say die attitude on the court made him an outstanding role model for our young team. With the crux of the team remaining for next year, we expect to continue to develop going forward and improve on our fifth-place finish next season. From a personal perspective, it has been a privilege working with this group of fine young men who are excellent ambassadors for the College, both on and off the court.
Mr Justin Musumeci, First IV Manager
Tennis
A big congratulations go to all the tennis players from Years 5-12 on such a great season. The 2023 season saw an array of tennis talent coming from all AIC schools in various age groups making the competition across the board very competitive. Being my first season as Tennis Coordinator, I was very impressed with the commitment and attitude of our players but most importantly, extremely proud of how our players and managers conducted themselves across the entire season.
As always good results don’t come easily. Our pre-season commenced way back in late March with 14 of our best players in the College invited into the “Firsts Tennis Development Program” whereby these top players would train every Wednesday evening for 12 consecutive weeks leading into the tennis season. Towards the end of Term 2 we began preparing for the AIC Season with year level trials and training beginning for the remainder of the Villa tennis players.
From the 15 teams submitted into the AIC Tennis competition, we showed that we were competitive across the season and always showed that Villanova spirit of fighting till the very end. Unfortunately, we couldn’t secure a premiership, but I’m sure that the returning players will take a lot out of the season and make sure that Villanova Tennis continues to make movement on the court for future seasons.
Overall, our First IV team came fifth, securing three wins and four losses over the season. I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate and thank our departing First IV Captain Adam Zanatta for not only his performance on court, but for being a true advocate for Villa tennis by being a superb mentor/leader while also supporting our Year 5 & 6 teams as they navigated through their season. Adam was always a pleasure to watch on the court, whether it be showing off his technical ability or grit and determination to never give up on a rally. We will also keep a careful watch on current First players Ollie Simmons, Marcel Colette and Reuben Wagels as they continue to improve their skillset, I’ve got no doubt that they will prove to be a strong force in the AIC Tennis competition in 2024.
It was another great season for our Junior School tennis players having recorded several wins on the court during the season. It was so refreshing to see the boys train hard throughout the entire season, plus come out each week and show their true passion for the game. I’d like to acknowledge Year 6 student, Jacob Aldenton on being named Junior Age Champion. Well done, Jacob!
In closing this report, I must sincerely thank all coaches and managers including Darren Blade, Justin Musumeci, Michael Mascadri, Jack Stone, Sam Simmons, Ms Amanda Waterson, Hudson Rogers, and Mrs Maria Mascadri for all their time and effort given throughout the entire season. A great group of people who did a fantastic job in looking after their respective teams, they were so supportive of the entire program, while always wanting the very best for the students. A special mention also goes Mr Damien Roberts and the entire team at Tennis Gear Morningside for their assistance in getting our Tennis program on the court.
Finally, I would like to thank the players once again for their commitment given and a special mention to all our departing Year 12 players for their commitment to the tennis community over many years. Well done on a great season, I certainly do look forward to hitting the courts again in 2024!
Mr Nathan Dufty, Tennis Coordinator
Tennis Junior Age Championships
We recently completed the 2023 Year 5 & 6 Championships and the Junior School Champion who takes the honour of the Eric Maiden Cup. It was a fantastic tournament which took place over three training sessions.
Year 5 Champion: Taj Barrett: A3
Runner Up: Chester Hession: Reserve (such an awesome effort!)
Year 6 Champion: Jacob Aldenton: A1 Runner Up: Luke Savage: A3
Junior School Champion: Jacob Aldenton
External Achievements
A big congratulations to Charlie Gordon who was recently selected in the Met East Futsal team. Charlie will compete at the State Championships in November, and we wish him all the best!
External Events
Football Goalkeeper Camps
This is the last chance to register for the Pro-Player Goal Keeper School Holiday Camps, which will take place at Perry Park between the 18 and 20 September.
FOUNDATION CAMP – Ages 8-12
https://pro-player.com.au/camps/foundation-goalkeeper-september-school-holiday-camp/
ELITE CAMP – Ages 13+
https://pro-player.com.au/camps/elite-goalkeeper-september-school-holiday-camp/
Easts Rugby Union – Junior Summer 7’s.
Address
24 Sixth Avenue, Coorparoo, Brisbane, QLD 4151 Australia
Villanova College is an independent Catholic School for boys under the care of the Augustinian Order. Striving for excellence in boys’ education as an Augustinian community one in mind and heart on the way towards God.
