Bellarine Storm held its awards presentation recently, capping off a very successful season.
Highlights were the continued development of the Storm’s Youth League Men and State Championship Men, the State Championship Women jumping from Division 1 last season, where they were runners up and reached a preliminary final at their first attempt and the Youth League 2 Women breaking through to become the first Women’s Championship.
Youth League 2 Men
MVP – Mitch Smith
Most improved – Ashton Lantzke
Coaches award – Levi Rickard
Mitch Smith was the backbone and key playmaker for the Youth League 2 Men. He was the number one scorer for the team averaging 17.63ppg at a shooting percentage of 46 percent and also averaged 5.16 rebounds per game. Those numbers saw him finish just one spot out of the top 10 for the League in 2024.
Youth League 2 Women – 2024 Championship Winners
MVP – Lucy Howard
Most improved – Sophie Tattersall
Coaches award – Sienna Quinlan
A local product, Lucy Howard is a rising star of the Storm, having spent time in both the Youth League 2 Women and State Championship Women across the season. Numbers wise, Lucy was a vital cog in the Championship winning Youth League 2 Women’s team. Across 2024, she averaged 17.47ppg at 44.12 percent and averaged 9.63 rebounds per game and proved her value in the Championship game, setting the tone in the first term with 13 points and being awarded the MVP of the Championship game.
State Championship Women
MVP – Bridgette Rettstatt
Most improved – Olivia Virt
Coaches award – Charlotte Armstrong
Bridgette Rettstatt has been a major addition to the Storm State Championship Women’s roster. In terms of stats, Bridgette averaged 17.36ppg at a very nice 51.94 percent shooting and dominated the rebounding, averaging 13 per game and is one of three Storm Women in the running for League MVP honours on September 14.
State Championship Men
MVP – Kavione Green
Most improved – Nathan Gronbeck
Coaches award – Max Kos
Kavione Green or KG as he’s more affectionately known, had an outstanding campaign, posting big scoring and rebounding numbers almost every week and broke several Storm scoring and rebounding records in the course of the year.
KG’s numbers for 2024 make impressive reading with 24.18ppg at a shooting clip of 48.71 percent, whilst he was everywhere on the boards, averaging 12.82 rebounds per game. He is also among the nominees for the State Championship Men League MVP Award for 2024.
