Neekball

It is nothing short of selfless for my first story to be about my own basketball team, LeNeeks.

Originally helping the team as a fill-in at the start of Season 2023, it was not long before I paid my overpriced Waverley fees and officially donned the blue and white. Despite being comprised of my old high-school mates, our chemistry (along with our ball skills) was never quite there. Indeed, it took a wooden spoon for us to grow up (Damien Hardwick style), and get real about how we wanted to compete for Season 2024. Over the summer, our General Manager got busy in the trade window, acquiring a 6’7 monster and versatile point guard. This, alongside a burning desire to be better, helped us start the season strong with a 4-1 record.

But, as all teams eventually go through a slump, loss after loss saw us dropping to the bottom half of the ladder. Coming into the half-way point of the season, we had a match against our chirpy rivals, the Boorondara Bisons. Sometimes things just click, and they did. That win ultimately began what turned out to be a 10-0 run in the back-half of the season to get us into the granny. The Grand Final itself was a game full of drama, lead changes and excessive lip which culminated in a 1-point Neek victory, crowning us Division 7 Champions.

An off-court highlight was the season after-party, which was fully funded by the team’s airballs, tech fouls and failed highlights; something I very much enjoyed as the group’s Fines Master.

While we aren’t elite athletes or in Division 1, this is a story of 8 unusual teammates that pulled through when they needed to. The season saw body-on-the-line broken collarbones. It saw some Neeks displaced overseas or in the outback, driving back 3 hours for the granny. And at times it saw a few too many beers. Ultimately, I couldn’t be prouder of the Neeks story and am excited for what Division 6 has in store for us!

#bleedblueandwhite