On the back of winning two Big V titles and with 14 Venom junior teams in finals, plus more than 30 Redbacks teams in finals, Warrandyte Basketball is pleased to announce three key recruitments.

Following the recent decision by Justin Nelson to pursue other opportunities, the executive committee has focused on ensuring the club’s administration continues to thrive and provide exceptional service to all players and families. With that in mind, the club is delighted to announce that Di Trenfield will start on Monday September 2 as Administration Manager.

Having been a part of Warrandyte Basketball since 1996, Trenfield has a long association with all parts of the program, is a qualified referee, a former committee member and a tireless worker across many areas of the club’s operations.

“Di has all the professional qualities to play a valuable and vital role at the club,” said president Richard Cookes, adding “Additionally, Di has a thorough understanding of all programs at the club, she is well respected in the community and above all she well known at the club.”

The club has also recently gone through the process of interviewing and appointing Coaching Directors in the Venom program for season 2013/14.

Following three successful seasons in the roles, both Gerard Leonard and Tiff Hodgson have decided not to re-apply.  “These roles require a lot of hours outside of one’s normal working life, it’s not something you can do lightly and the job both Gerard and Tiff have done comes with much dedication and we thank them for that,” added Cookes. “I would also like to this opportunity congratulate Tiff on being part of D1W winning team over the weekend, this is the culmination of a number of years hard work. In addition I want to wish Gerard the best in completing his teacher training this year.”

Moving forward, the club is pleased to announce Nicole Howard (girls) and Ross Charles (boys) as the Venom Coaching Directors for the coming 2013-14 season.

Howard steps into the role with years of experience behind her at the club in the girls and women’s program. Having just won a Big V championship as coach of the Youth Women, Howard will now couple this new role with her senior coaching, an appointment that Cookes believes is an ideal choice that further ties the junior and senior pathway together.

“Nicole is a highly respected coach, she knows every part of the junior program and is constantly working with and looking at our junior girls. Her communication skills, ability to develop players and work with coaches is exceptional. We are very pleased to see Nicole move into this important role and look forward to the continued success that will come with her appointment,” said Cookes.

Charles joins the club after a successful career as a player, a Big V coach and previous experience as a Coaching Director. His work with Ringwood’s Youth Men in the Big V for the best part of a decade yielded much success and has seen him become a sought-after coach, his last stint being with Mornington’s senior men in the Big V (2012).

“Ross has enjoyed a fantastic playing and coaching career, he is very easy to talk to, has a real passion for basketball and a proven track record as a coaching director in representative basketball. Ross isn’t new to Venom, his son Brenton plays in the senior men’s team, so we are really excited to now bring Ross into the club in an official role,” said Cookes.

Both Howard and Charles will start in their new roles from Monday September 2 and work quickly to finalise the Venom’s junior coaching line-up for season 2013/14 ahead of team tryouts starting on Sunday October 6.