The first complete season of Big V Basketball since the beginning of the pandemic proved to

be a prodigious year for the Melbourne University Basketball Club; our Women’s team

fought through an impressive campaign for playoff selection, and despite falling just short,

gave a well-deserved send-off to several key team members; Head Coach Grantley Bernard

announced he was departing the Club, Kylie Turnley recorded her 300th Big V game in her

final season, and Club MVP and League All-Star 5 nominee Emmie O’Nial made her return

only six weeks after the birth of her baby Austin early in the year to dominate the rest of the

competition in what was a remarkable final Big V season.

After a monstrous off-season that saw the Men’s team gain the return of Club alumnus

Nicholas Masunda and Stefan Pomasan, accompanied by University of Melbourne graduates

Stefan Uzelac and Joel Rimes, the men were poised for a redemptive 2022 season. First-year

Head Coach Shawn King led the team to a 21-1 record, earning a promotion to the Big V

Championship Division for 2023.

Looking forward to 2023, MUBC is aiming to capitalize on 2022’s momentum and further

establish the Club as a competitive force across Big V basketball. Excitingly, the Club will be

entering a Men’s Youth League team for the first time. The program will strengthen the

pathway for club members to transition from MUBC’s domestic program to the Club’s

representative competitions, allowing high-performing domestic members to represent the

Club throughout Victoria. This addition to the Club’s program offering will also improve

player development, helping to foster talent for our Men’s Championship team internally.

Tim Bamford, assistant coach for the 2022 Men’s Big V team, will be coaching the youth

team in 2023;

“ I’m thrilled to be extending my role within the University of Melbourne Sport and furthering

the Club’s providence of elite basketball pathways for our students and community”.

Currently a Juris Doctor student at the University, Tim brings extensive coaching experience

to the program, including his role as an assistant coach in the 2019 NBL1 Championship winning

Nunawading Spectres team. More recently, Tim was integral to the MUBC men’s success

last season, bringing impressive analytical insight and background in player development,

leaving the Club’s youth team well-positioned for a dominant debut season in the league.

Shawn King is returning as Head Coach for the Men’s team as they enter the Championship

Division. Having coached at the Champ level previously, Shawn is eager to again face off

against the State’s top talent. “I am very excited to be back at MUBC this year, and the

opportunity to compete in the Championship Division and face the challenges that league

presents is something I’m avid to take on”.

The Club is also welcoming Keith Noack as the Big V Women’s Coach for 2023. Keith gave

insight into the coaching philosophy he is bringing to MUBC and how he hopes to further not

only the team, but each team member as an individual player.

 

“Confidence is built through rigorous and disciplined practice. I want to help everyone

become the best player possible. That is my measure of success. I treat all players equally

but differently”.

Keith will be heading up a refreshed roster, with a number of last year’s players having

retired or facing injuries that will persist into the 2023 season. Albeit, Keith is confident his

coaching style and approach to the game is a perfect fit for those challenges; “paying

attention to each player and discussing their role helps build an attacking, risk-taking,

enthusiastic team”. To Keith, it’s this individualized perspective that will prove vital to the

team’s success next season, although winning isn’t necessarily his immediate objective;

“Teams win because they are having fun, not the reverse”.