13/11/2014: BANDITS SIGN STAR DONTE NICHOLAS
The Albury/Wodonga Commercial Club Bandits Coaching Staff and Board would like to
announce the signing Donte Nicholas as the first import player for the men’s team for the 2015
SEABL Season.
Donte is a native of Washington D.C and is an explosive and versatile 197cm (6’5”) 93 kg SF
who successfully played two years at NCAA Division II powerhouse Metro State University in
Denver and one season at Fresno Pacific University in California. As a junior at Metro State he
led the team in both scoring and rebounding, averaging 17.5 points, 6.2 rebounds, 2.5 assists
and 1.9 steals per game, while shooting 45 percent from the field. He was named NCAA
Division II Preseason All-American and First Team All-RMAC as a junior and earned team MVP,
conference tournament MVP and was a 7-time RMAC Player of the Week. In two seasons as a
starter, he was instrumental in leading Metro State to a 51-11 record and two RMAC titles and
two trips to the NCAA Tournament. After transferring to Fresno Pacific University for his senior
year he carried the program and produced excellent numbers of 19.7pts, 7.1rebs and 4.5ass
and was named 2011-12 NAIA Honourable Mention All-American, First team All-Region and
finished runner in the Conference MVP to current Cairns NBL star Cam Gliddon.
As a pro Donte has spent time with the Santa Cruz Warriors in the NBA D-League and one
season with US semi-pro team the Rockville Victors where he was an MVP candidate and
posted impressive numbers of 25ppg @60%FG, 7rebs, 4ass & 2 stls per contest.
Donte is an extremely versatile guard/forward who can play anywhere from the PG to SF
positions and is an excellent offensive threat from a multitude of positions on the floor. Most
pleasingly though is the fact that he has a very high basketball IQ, has held leadership roles
with his teams previously and is a very polished player with excellent fundamentals and a real
feel for the game. He also fits our main criteria of being a willing defensive presence who gives
us some much needed agility, size and length on the perimeter.
We see this as a great opportunity for Donte to showcase his skills at the SEABL level and help
lead our team on the court in 2015 and alongside our other key additions gives us great
flexibility in the roster.
Head Coach of the Commercial Club Bandits, Brad Chalmers welcomes the signing of Donte as
a key piece in 2015. “Donte has a fantastic pedigree coming from a winning program like Metro
State which we really liked and we feel will provide the team with another weapon in regards
to the on floor execution at both ends. From my conversations with him he seems like a fine
young man who is up for the challenge and is really hungry for a chance to show his worth”.
“He is known as a true professional in his preparation and play and the feedback from some
very astute basketball people we spoke to has been that we are getting an extremely versatile,
smart, hardworking and talented player that will be a very good player in this league”.
Donte will arrive on the Border in February to commence pre-season training with the team.
@BorderBandits
29/10/2014: BANDITS COUP - STAR DUO SIGN WITH BORDER CLUB
The Albury-Wodonga Commercial Club Bandits are excited to announce the signing of star duo Deba George and Ashton Eaton for the Men’s and Women’s programs for the 2015 SEABL season.
Deba joins the men’s program after three extremely successful SEABL seasons playing with the Hobart Chargers where he produced SEABL averages of 20ppg, 4rebs & 4ass, proving himself to be one of the best Australian players currently in the league. Deba is a dynamic and explosive talent with an elite skill set who can perform consistently at a high level and against the best in the competition. Deba has a track record of being held in high regard by all the Clubs he’s played with and well liked by his team mates. He has been a strong contributor to successful teams in the past in OABL, SEABL and NBL and this, along with his experience and talent, make him a key signing for the men’s team.
The club and the coaching staff are expecting Deba to also bring leadership, confidence, competitive fire and most importantly an ability to take games over and make the big plays when it counts. Coaches and players alike who have competed against Deba over the years fully understand these impressive qualities and that he can be a nightmare matchup on any given night. We see this as a fantastic opportunity for him to really lead our Mens team on and off the floor both in actions and in voice and we are excited to see him take this challenge on.
The Club also has great pleasure in announcing the acquisition of Ashton Eaton to our women’s team in 2015. New Lady Bandits Coach Michael Brookens was excited by todays announcement. Ashton comes to us from the Hobart Lady Chargers where she was starting point guard in a star-studded team that took home a Conference Title and played-off for the National Championship in 2014. Ashton brings fantastic experience and a winning mentality to the Lady Bandits and has seen improvement in her game each year and finished last season with averages of 8.5pts, 3rebs and 2ass per game, which is outstanding considering the breadth and depth of the Hobart team and she is expected to continue to grow as she takes on a more senior leadership role with the Lady Bandits in 2015.” Brookens said.
Commercial Club Bandits Men’s Head Coach Brad Chalmers was equally thrilled “Having both Players agree to sign is fantastic news and they were very committed to the plan we presented to them from the first time we spoke. They were really excited about the direction, energy and professionalism of the Bandits programs, along with the challenges and expectations that will face them in 2015. I know both Deba and Ashton are really looking forward to a new start and the opportunity of playing key roles in the future of our teams. At the end of the day, both individuals really wanted to come to the club and help push the teams towards successful seasons in 2015.” Chalmers said.
Bandits President Michael Mack said that the Club is delighted that players of the calibre of Deba George and Ashton Eaton recognise the professionalism and motivation of the Club. It’s a significant decision for players to pick up their lives and move to another region to play basketball, but in the end we were bold enough to approach them and sell the Albury-Wodonga region and vision we have for our teams.
The players are both very keen to get into preseason training with their new team mates and will likely arrive on the Border sometime in January.
Deba joins the men’s program after three extremely successful SEABL seasons playing with the Hobart Chargers where he produced SEABL averages of 20ppg, 4rebs & 4ass, proving himself to be one of the best Australian players currently in the league. Deba is a dynamic and explosive talent with an elite skill set who can perform consistently at a high level and against the best in the competition. Deba has a track record of being held in high regard by all the Clubs he’s played with and well liked by his team mates. He has been a strong contributor to successful teams in the past in OABL, SEABL and NBL and this, along with his experience and talent, make him a key signing for the men’s team.
The club and the coaching staff are expecting Deba to also bring leadership, confidence, competitive fire and most importantly an ability to take games over and make the big plays when it counts. Coaches and players alike who have competed against Deba over the years fully understand these impressive qualities and that he can be a nightmare matchup on any given night. We see this as a fantastic opportunity for him to really lead our Mens team on and off the floor both in actions and in voice and we are excited to see him take this challenge on.
The Club also has great pleasure in announcing the acquisition of Ashton Eaton to our women’s team in 2015. New Lady Bandits Coach Michael Brookens was excited by todays announcement. Ashton comes to us from the Hobart Lady Chargers where she was starting point guard in a star-studded team that took home a Conference Title and played-off for the National Championship in 2014. Ashton brings fantastic experience and a winning mentality to the Lady Bandits and has seen improvement in her game each year and finished last season with averages of 8.5pts, 3rebs and 2ass per game, which is outstanding considering the breadth and depth of the Hobart team and she is expected to continue to grow as she takes on a more senior leadership role with the Lady Bandits in 2015.” Brookens said.
Commercial Club Bandits Men’s Head Coach Brad Chalmers was equally thrilled “Having both Players agree to sign is fantastic news and they were very committed to the plan we presented to them from the first time we spoke. They were really excited about the direction, energy and professionalism of the Bandits programs, along with the challenges and expectations that will face them in 2015. I know both Deba and Ashton are really looking forward to a new start and the opportunity of playing key roles in the future of our teams. At the end of the day, both individuals really wanted to come to the club and help push the teams towards successful seasons in 2015.” Chalmers said.
Bandits President Michael Mack said that the Club is delighted that players of the calibre of Deba George and Ashton Eaton recognise the professionalism and motivation of the Club. It’s a significant decision for players to pick up their lives and move to another region to play basketball, but in the end we were bold enough to approach them and sell the Albury-Wodonga region and vision we have for our teams.
The players are both very keen to get into preseason training with their new team mates and will likely arrive on the Border sometime in January.
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10/10/2014: MEDIA RELEASE New Lady Bandits Head Coach announced
The Commercial Club Bandits Board is pleased to confirm the signing of the new Head Coach of the Lady Bandits for season 2015 and beyond.
The Board interviewed several candidates for the position of Head Coach.
‘In total we received 7 applications for the position but the final decision was made easy given the quality of the successful candidate. We are delighted to announce the appointment of Michael Brookens as the new Head Coach of the Lady Bandits’, President Michael Mack said today.
‘Michael is currently an Assistant Coach with the WNBL Dandenong Rangers; he is originally from the US but has spent several years in Australia in coaching roles most recently with successful programs Dandenong and Nunawading. In fact, Michael was an assistant coach to the Dandenong Men’s team in 2012 when the Bandits defeated the Rangers for the National Championship.
‘Michael has over 24 years experience as a head coach and player at all levels including High Performance at a Div II University in the US. He is a member of the American Basketball Coaches Association and also has coaching experience throughout the US and Japan.
‘With 4 years experience as a volunteer with the US high performance selection trials, together with his studies of biomechanics and Level IV Master Trainer certification, Michael brings abundant knowledge and experience to our program,’ Mack added.
Brookens was excited to be making the move to Albury-Wodonga. “As Head Coach my success depends on results. I have been a coach most of my life as well as an athlete, so I understand pressure and I understand that there are levels of accountability that have to be met on and off the court. My professionalism, ability to prioritise, organise and make sure things are done correctly, completely and with high quality keeps me in a position to always succeed no matter how high the demands of the position”, Michael Brookens said today.
The Board’s decision to appoint a new coach followed a mutual decision with James Ballinger to part ways, given the program was not progressing as we had hoped.
“James understands the Club’s position and is supportive of what we are trying to do. He will be staying in the area and is heavily involved in coaching in junior representative programs, which is great. We thank James for his contribution to the program over the last two years’ Mack said.
Mack acknowledged that there was a lot of hard work to be done to make the program a more competitive force in the League, but felt strongly that the appointment of Michael Brookens was a positive step.
Ends 10 October 2014 Further information Contact: Michael Brookens 0488 007 911
The Commercial Club Bandits Board is pleased to confirm the signing of the new Head Coach of the Lady Bandits for season 2015 and beyond.
The Board interviewed several candidates for the position of Head Coach.
‘In total we received 7 applications for the position but the final decision was made easy given the quality of the successful candidate. We are delighted to announce the appointment of Michael Brookens as the new Head Coach of the Lady Bandits’, President Michael Mack said today.
‘Michael is currently an Assistant Coach with the WNBL Dandenong Rangers; he is originally from the US but has spent several years in Australia in coaching roles most recently with successful programs Dandenong and Nunawading. In fact, Michael was an assistant coach to the Dandenong Men’s team in 2012 when the Bandits defeated the Rangers for the National Championship.
‘Michael has over 24 years experience as a head coach and player at all levels including High Performance at a Div II University in the US. He is a member of the American Basketball Coaches Association and also has coaching experience throughout the US and Japan.
‘With 4 years experience as a volunteer with the US high performance selection trials, together with his studies of biomechanics and Level IV Master Trainer certification, Michael brings abundant knowledge and experience to our program,’ Mack added.
Brookens was excited to be making the move to Albury-Wodonga. “As Head Coach my success depends on results. I have been a coach most of my life as well as an athlete, so I understand pressure and I understand that there are levels of accountability that have to be met on and off the court. My professionalism, ability to prioritise, organise and make sure things are done correctly, completely and with high quality keeps me in a position to always succeed no matter how high the demands of the position”, Michael Brookens said today.
The Board’s decision to appoint a new coach followed a mutual decision with James Ballinger to part ways, given the program was not progressing as we had hoped.
“James understands the Club’s position and is supportive of what we are trying to do. He will be staying in the area and is heavily involved in coaching in junior representative programs, which is great. We thank James for his contribution to the program over the last two years’ Mack said.
Mack acknowledged that there was a lot of hard work to be done to make the program a more competitive force in the League, but felt strongly that the appointment of Michael Brookens was a positive step.
Ends 10 October 2014 Further information Contact: Michael Brookens 0488 007 911
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Bandits take out SEABL NATIONAL Title 2012
After a sensational defensive battle with Dandenong Rangers, the Bandits have taken out the SEABL Title for 2012. An amazing achievement on top of their Conference Final one week earlier...........a fairytale in fact. Go to the SEABL link by clicking here. Well done to Brad Chalmers and his playing group and to the supporters who stood by us for the journey. On September 28th, Albury City Council held a Civic Reception to celebrate the achievements of high profile sporting groups including the Bandits. Click the image below to view the presentation courtesy Prime News. |
Bandits win South SEABL Conference Final!
Bandits win South SEABL Conference Final!hat a night for Bandits fans! A capacity crowd at the Lauren Jackson Sports Centre watched anxiously as the Bandits started out of the blocks slowly, struggling to make an early shot, and at the 6-minute mark of the first quarter they were looking down the barrel with the scores at 16-4. The Bandits kept working hard and a Jazz Ferguson 3 pointer on the buzzer saw Knox’s lead narrowed to just 3, with the scores sitting at 23-20 at the first break.
The Bandits started to find their rhythm early in the second quarter and at the 5-minute mark, they hit the lead with a 2-point shot from Momo, a lead which they never surrendered. Up at the long break by 4 pts, Momo had already stamped his mark on the game sending a clear message to Raiders big man Lester Strong that he meant business. Ex Bandit Mick Hill battled gallantly all game leading Knox’s scorers with 26 pts and 3 rebs. A great defensive effort by the Bandits saw the Knox import duo held to 18 pts between them. A sensational game by Momo Ntumba with 22 pts and a massive 17 rebs, Jazz with 23 pts, 7 reb 4 assists and Captain Nick Payne, with 15 pts 10 reb saw the Bandits eventual winners 77-69. The Bandits now play the Dandenong Rangers in the National Final at the State Basketball Centre in Melbourne looking to go one better than 2001 for the title of national champions. Nick Payne now becomes one of the most decorated players in the League having won 2 championships with Knox Raiders and 2 with the Bandits. |
