Big V Wrap Up:
And just like that… the 2022 Big V Season has come to an end for our Melbourne University Black Angels! The first complete Big V season since 2019 proved bittersweet for our D1M and D1W teams.
Our women’s team embarked on a journey of ups and downs in 2022. Excited by the return of championship coach Grantley Bernard, our D1W were able to resign the majority of the 2021 Big V roster, as well as recruit some exciting young talent. Although the pre-season and early rounds started with promise, illness and injuries began to plague our women’s roster. Unfortunately, this hindered their ability to perform consistently, dropping a few games in the middle of the year that were certainly within reach. An impressive end of season run saw our depleted women’s team rally, demonstrating some serious grit and beating a number of finals teams. Sadly, a few losses by the narrowest of margins was the difference, ultimately leading to a final placing only one spot short of finals.
Our D1M were very privileged to welcome a new head coach in Shawn King, as well as multiple key player additions and resignings. The new look Black Angels were stacked with talent from starters to bench!
Unfortunately, our men’s team didn’t get the fairytale ending they were hoping for (and arguably deserved) with their 21-1 regular season record. They were knocked out in a gruelling 3-game semi final series by a determined and very talented Bellarine team - the only opponent to hand our Black Angels a loss in the 2022 season. Game 2 was a huge highlight at MUBC, with our men rallying from 23 points down to win in a nail-biter. The 200 strong crowd of supporters was instrumental in getting the Black Angels over the line and thereby keeping our finals chances alive. Sadly they were unable to backup their impressive performance, losing a heartbreaking game 3 the following afternoon.
Despite what may seem like a disappointing end to the season, there was plenty to be proud of from both teams. In addition to the many on-court team successes, four of our athletes (Joel Rimes, Joe Furphy, Emmie O’Nial, and Amelia Smith) as well as D1M coach Shawn King have been nominated for Big V awards in their respective categories. We wish them the best of luck and congratulate them for their recognition as top performers in their respective leagues.
We’d also like to give a shout out to Grantley Bernard as he steps down as head coach of our D1W program. We thank him for all he has given to MUBC over his many years of service, and wish him the best in his next endeavours. #turnitup
In addition to thanking our players, coaches, volunteers, and game day staff, we of course want to extend our gratitude to our wonderful fans - particularly our Big V season membership ticket holders. Without you, Big V game nights at MUBC would not be the same. Thank you so much!
As a club, we’d like to acknowledge all of our individual player and club sponsors. You make it possible to operate our program and provide representative basketball opportunities to the University of Melbourne community. We greatly appreciate your extremely generous support and hope to continue working with you in the future!
Here’s to an even bigger and better 2023 at MUBC!