Basketball
BALLARAT Miners import Tim Coenraad has received all-star honours.
Coenraad was one of three Australian players named in the South East Australian Basketball League’s 10-man all-star team for the 2012 season.
SEABL unveiled the prestigious line-up at the league’s most valuable player presentation night at Caulfield Racecourse following the men’s and women’s championship games at the State Basketball Centre on Saturday night.
Coenraad arrived at the Minerdome in mid-April from National Basketball League club Wollongong Hawks to help bolster the Ballarat Holden Miners’ roster.
The Miners lost their two initial American imports, who walked on the eve of the SEABL season.
Coenraad quickly became a pivotal player, averaging 20.8 points per game including a 37-point season high against Nunawading, 8.5 rebounds and 2.6 assists in 23 matches.
He ranked as the league’s fifth highest scorer in 2012 and topped the league in free throw accuracy at 90.3 per cent.
Coenraad’s experience proved crucial in big games towards the season’s end as the Miners hunted a finals spot.
Most notably, Coenraad played the last four weeks of the regular season in a protective face mask after his nose was broken in action against Geelong.
Coenraad has returned to Wollongong where he is deep in pre-season training with the Hawks.
Ballarat Rush captain Kate Willey has also been recognised in SEABL awards.
Willey was named the SEABL people’s choice award winner as voted by fans.
In her second season with Auslec Rush, Willey was the team’s strongest rebounder, averaging 7.8 rebounds per game, and key scorer.
Willey was a convincing people’s choice winner, breezing through early rounds against all-stars Renae Camino (Bendigo) and Amy Denson (Knox) before winning the final round against Kilsyth’s Kristen Barnes by more than 100 votes.
Coenraad and Willey were each named most valuable players for their teams at the Ballarat Basketball Club awards last month.
SEABL MEN’S ALL-STAR TEAM: Jazz Ferguson (Albury-Wodonga), Shane McDonald (Nunawading), Andrew Harmes (Dandenong), CJ Messingale (Knox), Kimmani Barrett (Geelong), Tim Coenraad (Ballarat), Tony Lewis (Dandenong), Deilviz Yearby (Bendigo), Brandon Polk (Hobart), Mohamed Ntumba (Albury-Wodonga).
melanie.whelan@thecourier.com.au