By Jonty Ralphsmith
The Pakenham Warriors men’s side have had an undefeated start to the Country Basketball League (CBL) Gippsland Men’s season.
The Warriors sit on top of the ladder five rounds in to the 10-game season, defeating Warragul, Moe, Lakes Entrance, Korumburra, Wonthaggi and Bairnsdale so far.
Big V Senior Championship big man Matt Berkec and Youth League duo Luke Rawiri and Aaron Small all sit in the top-10 points scorers in the competition, with the latter leading the way for three-point shots made.
Coach Braden Venning said the competition offered a different challenge, given there is no vision of opponents available to study, which alters preparation for a group of players accustomed to Big V basketball.
“Coaching on the fly is pretty exciting and having some teenagers mixed in with some other guys shows the talent we have across the program,” Venning said.
“It’s good to see some of the older guys like Matt Berkec and Luke Rawiri take on leadership roles and help develop the younger guys under them and Jackson Grey has been helping me on the bench.”
The coach also highlighted the development of teenager Linden Moon, who is averaging 13 points this season.
“Linden Moon has been killing it,” Venning said.
“He’s a really exciting guard, very shifty.
“He can hit a three, can attack the rim and has great body control in the air.”
Other youngsters to have caught the eye include 15-year-old Francis Farrell who has shown promising signs in his first season of senior basketball and Jack Dawson who has played significant minutes.
After a bye this weekend, the Warriors will face fellow top four sides Traralgon and Maffra next weekend.
