The University Basketball League 2023 season has officially come to an end.
After nine rounds, three interstate flights and five home games, the Carnabys men’s side finished 11th on the ladder. They had two wins and seven losses. The women’s side finished ninth with three wins and six losses.
Despite the Carnabys’ placings on the ladder, Curtin Stadium held an intimate event to celebrate the season that was. The Carnaby Count: UBL Awards took place earlier this month and allowed the coaches, the Carnabys, and number-one ticketholder Ben Johnson to come together.
This year’s coaches Lizel Buckley and Ricky Grace both shared their thoughts on the 2023 season.
Former NBL1 player and assistant coach for the Perth Redbacks, Lizel Buckley, joined this year as the Women’s Head Coach.
Lizel looked back on the season with a sense of humility and pride. While it wasn’t the season she hoped for, she expressed her gratitude to the team for bringing everything they had to the court and allowing her to be their coach.
Back for his second year as Men’s Head Coach was Perth Wildcats legend Ricky ‘Amazing’ Grace.
The Australian Basketball Hall of Fame inductee said it was his dream to coach university basketball and graciously commended the Carnabys for trusting in his leadership once again.
Ricky spoke about the importance and joys of being part of a team and how there’s so much more to it than winning games. He said that while “we all like to win”, we still won in a lot of ways.”
Even though they didn’t claim as many wins as they hoped for, the Carnabys displayed outstanding qualities both as players and as people. In recognition of these qualities, Curtin Stadium and the Carnabys coaches handed out four special awards to the men’s and women’s sides.
Most improved
Zachary Harris (#21)
Studying Chemical Engineering, Zach Harris joined the Carnabys for his first season this year. He plays in the Forward position.
Zach’s stats:
- Total field goals made-attempted: 21 – 43
- Field goal percentage: 48.84%
- Total free throws made-attempted: 8 – 17
- Free throw percentage: 47.06%
- Averaged 3.14 rebounds
- Averaged 1.71 assists
- Averaged 7.14 points per game
- Total minutes played: 176
In total, Zach had 50 match points and 22 total rebounds against his name over the seven games he played.
Jemma Gartrell (#6)
Jemma is studying Exercise and Sports Science at Curtin, and, like Zach, this was her first season playing in the UBL.
Jemma’s stats:
- Total field goals made-attempted: 12 – 46
- Field goal percentage: 26.09%
- Total free throws made-attempted: 5 – 6
- Free throw percentage: 83.33%
- Averaged 2.75 rebounds
- Averaged 1.25 assists
- Averaged 4.25 points per game
- Total minutes played: 163
In total, Jemma scored 34 points and had 22 rebounds over eight games this season.
Defensive Player of the Year
Aleka Kabugua (#8)
Studying a double degree in Commerce and Arts (majoring in Journalism), Aleka joined the Carnabys in 2023 as a Point Guard/Shooting Guard.
Aleka’s stats:
- Total field goals made-attempted: 30 – 87
- Field goal percentage: 34.48%
- Total free throws made-attempted: 18 – 23
- Free throw percentage: 78.26%
- Averaged 7 rebounds
- Averaged 2.5 assists
- Averaged 10.25 points per game
- Total minutes played: 180
In total, Aleka scored 82 points and had 56 rebounds over eight games. She certainly proved herself to be a dynamic force on the court.
Husam Roamer (#9)
Husam is a Commerce student who played for the Carnabys in both the 2022 and 2023 seasons. He plays in the Point Guard position.
Husam’s stats:
- Total field goals made-attempted: 8 – 27
- Field goal percentage: 29.63%
- Total free throws made-attempted: 1 – 6
- Free throw percentage: 16.67%
- Averaged 3.11 rebounds
- Averaged 1.89 assists
- Averaged 2 points per game
- Total minutes played: 147
In total, Husam scored 18 points and had 28 rebounds over nine games and has truly been a key defensive asset for the Curtin Carnabys.
Most Valuable Players (MVPs)
Eloise Farrington (#16)
Eloise is studying Occupational Therapy at Curtin and played as a Guard in her second season as a Carnaby.
Eloise’s stats:
- Total field goals made-attempted: 19 – 52
- Field goal percentage: 36.54%
- Total free throws made-attempted: 2 – 6
- Free throw percentage: 33.33%
- Averaged 8 rebounds
- Averaged 2 assists
- Averaged 8.4 points per game
- Total minutes played: 131
Eloise scored 46 points in total and had 40 rebounds over five games. Unfortunately, her season was cut short due to an injury
Eloise expressed her gratitude to the team and that she enjoyed playing this season. She also said that despite not getting the desired results, she feels the women’s team learnt a lot from each other on and off the court.
Ali Rammal (#29)
Ali is studying Mining Engineering at the Curtin Kalgoorlie Campus. This was his second season playing for the Carnabys, and he plays in the Power Forward and Shooting Forward positions.
Ali’s stats:
- Total field goals made-attempted: 42 – 97
- Total free throws made-attempted: 3 – 13
- Averaged 6.5 rebounds
- Averaged 3.66 assists
- Averaged 15 points per game
- Total minutes played: 177
In total, Ali scored 90 points and had 39 rebounds over six games. He was an outstanding player and a key asset to the Carnabys this season
When accepting his MVP award, Ali said he also owes it to the team. He said he feels that he couldn’t be the player he was if it wasn’t for the men’s team.
Carnaby Culture Award
Ali Rammal (#29)
Ali Rammal also received the Carnaby Culture Award, which is a true testament to his character, in addition to his basketball-playing skills.
The Carnaby Culture Award is given to the person whose actions truly reflect the integrity of the UBL program.
Ali’s teammates believed that he inspired them to give their all and live up to their potential over the season.
Ali also made the effort to engage and communicate with staff, people that worked behind the scenes, and with this season’s ticketholder, Ben Johnson.
“Ali demonstrated himself as an ambassador for the program through his actions and behaviour.”
