The Most Valuable Player Awards for the SECBL Winter Basketball Season were announced after the grand final presentations in Millicent last Wednesday night.

This season two players shared the Men’s award; Bulldogs outstanding player and leader Simon Berkefeld and Cougars up and coming star, Kane deWit. The count was extremely close, four players finishing with totals between 25 and 21.

These two, brilliant basketballers in their own right, are at contrasting stages of their sporting careers.  

Berkefeld ranks as one of the very best sportsman ever in the region. He excels in basketball and football and any other discipline to which he turns his hand.

This Basketball Mount Gambier Winter season MVP Award is his fourteenth since stepping into senior ranks in the 2005/6 summer season as he continues to rewrite the record books.

Berkefeld’s individual achievements and team successes in basketball not only embrace the South East Coast Basketball League, they include Inter-Association competitions, such as the Country Victoria League and SA Country Championships.  

While this award is deWit’s first senior accolade, it will not be his last. He has undoubted natural athletic ability and since leading the SA Country state Under 18 Men’s team in 2013 he has quickly established himself as a top class player on the local scene and at state level.

He has really blossomed in the past few months under the guidance of Pioneers’ Head Coach, Richard Hill.

Both Berkefeld and deWit had to share votes with team-mates, making these wins even more meritorious. Bulldogs’ Matt Berkefeld had 22 votes and Cougars’ Sam Stafford 21 in third and fourth places. At the halfway mark of the season Stafford had five best on courts, a total of 15 votes, followed by deWit, and the Berkefelds each on 10.

Stafford won the Bill Cook Memorial Trophy, which goes to the junior scoring most votes in the senior MVP count.

Athletic guard and prolific scorer, Brianna Walters won her third SECBL MVP award.

She was joint winner with Georgia Green in the 2013 Winter season and followed up with a second win in the 2013/14 Summer season.

Walters leads by example on court through her hard work, athletic speed and shooting skills.

Melissa Russell finished runner-up this season after leading Cougars to the preliminary final.

After Round 7 Walters and Russell were locked on 12 votes each and Junior Rachael Hines had 8. Jasmine Howe of Millicent dominated the voting in the second half of the season to finish third with 17 votes.

State junior Hines won the Sally-Jane Allen/Trisha Flett Memorial Trophy for the second consecutive season. State Under 16 player Brenna McKay scored 12 votes.

Most Valuable Player Awards in the other senior grades are as follows:

Women’s A Reserve Winner Toni Sims (Rooettes) 21 votes. Runner-up Casey Horrigan (Cougars) 16.

Men’s A Reserve. Winner Jimmy Fleming (Beagle Boys) 25 votes. Runner-up Tyson Kettle (Panthers) 23.

Men’s B Grade Blue Division. Winner Andrew Thorne (Tigers) 24 votes. Runner-up Sam Bonanno (Beagle Boys Black) 20.

Men’s B Grade Gold Division. Winner Grant White (Beagle Boys Red) 26 votes. Runner-up Travis Crowe (Clean Skins) 20.