Matt Roseby; 16 June
University spirit was abundant last month as a packed-out stadium filled with cheering students, staff, and community members saw the women’s and men’s University Basketball Leagues (UBL) teams reach finals for the first time since the competition’s inception in 2021.
While the women bowed out against eventual winners Latrobe in the semis, our men’s team claimed the Championship trophy, convincingly taking down the previously unbeaten UTS team.
The end of the 2023 UBL competition brings to close the University of Melbourne’s most successful season to date; home-game partnerships with Red Bull Racing saw record spectatorship, while refreshed rosters for both our men’s and women’s teams helped establish the University as one of the League’s strongest programs.
Women’s Captain Ariyel Edwards (Bachelor of Science) remarked on the “massive strides forward the team made from the previous season”, delighted with her squads' exceptional results in the prestigious National University competition.
“Although falling just short of the Grand Final I’m very proud of what the team achieved this season… we proved we could be competitive with the top sides and will look to next season to claim our first championship”.
With new Coach Keith Noack at the helm, the Women’s team improved tremendously during the season, thanks in part to newcomers to the team, adding much-needed depth to the squad. WNBL player Lana Hollingsworth (Master of Public Health) added a touch of class and rookie Laura Hamilton (Bachelor of Arts) led the way on the scoreboard with 19.4 and 15.4 points scored per game respectively. Meera Coburn (Bachelor of Commerce) proved to be a defensive star, racking up a league record 90 defensive rebounds over the season.
Men's coach Shawn King predicted that the calibre of Melbourne's returning players would set them apart this season. The starting five for the team dominated, with three of the starters ending the season in the top five for points scored across the entire National League. (Joel Rimes, Doctor of Philosophy, Matt Roseby, Bachelor of Commerce and Dihan Wiggett, Bachelor of Commerce)
Playing in his last season, Captain Joel Rimes could not have been happier with how the team performed with the group going from strength to strength throughout the competition.
“We have focused hard in the off season to improve our training schedule, and we have now seen the fruits of our work. Our semi-final was played in front of a packed Melbourne crowd, which made the atmosphere great.”
Fan engagement for the two Melbourne teams was off the charts in 2023 with both teams performing in front of packed stadiums at the Nona Lee Sport centre filled with fans from all over the world. International student Ming Lun Li and men's star player Dihan Wiggett melted the hearts of the assembled screaming fans week on week as the men’s team finished with an exceptional 8-1 record in the minor season before taking out the top prize.
Super fan Qianqiam Cong (Cheryl) attended every home game for the men and women, leading the crowds of students, staff and community members cheering on the Winged Victory teams. Cheryl solidified her spot as the team’s number one supporter with her unbroken finals attendance even flying out to Sydney to support the men's team from the front row of the UTS stadium in the Grand Final.
“I will try my best to make noise for our team” Cheryl promised before flying out.
While trophies and scoreboards often dictate the memories in sporting competitions, Rod Warneke (Sport Development Manager at University of Melbourne) commented that it was the feeling of community and school spirit that really characterised the 2023 UBL season for him.
“Never before have we seen the sheer number of people at our games. The atmosphere was electric each week in the stadium and the banter and commentary happening online was next level. I have been at the University of Melbourne for over 20 years and was ecstatic to see so much support for our players and the overwhelming pride the crowds had for our school. It really felt like a connected community.”
As the championship winners the men’s team are now invited to tour Chinese Taipei for a series of exhibition matches against local universities later in the year. The question on everyone's lips is - will super fan Cheryl make the international trip as well?
Make sure you keep following the MU Sport social media channels for further updates on our teams' movements in the coming months. You can also read through the complete Round-by-Round break down on the Melbourne University UBL page.
