McKinnon celebrates its best at 2026 Awards Night

21 Sept

McKinnon Basketball Association celebrated the players, coaches, officials and volunteers who shaped another successful year at the 2026 McKinnon Cougars Awards Night.

General Manager Anita Ledger opened the night by celebrating a record year and recognising the people whose work and commitment continue to drive McKinnon Basketball forward.

The Association reached a record 868 domestic teams with more than 6,000 players taking the court each week. McKinnon’s Under 12 Boys won silver at the National Junior Classic while the Youth Championship Women reached the final four. The Championship Men secured back to back titles and the Championship Women won their first championship. The McKinnon community also raised more than $9,900 for FightMND and Breast Cancer Network Australia.

Coaches represented Victoria on the national stage while three long serving volunteers were recognised by Basketball Victoria for their contribution to the game.

McKinnon’s referees and scoretable officials also continued to progress through the pathway with appointments across Big V, NBL1 and National Championships. Dominic Gehrig was named Referee of the Year, highlighting a season which also saw McKinnon officials selected for the National Junior Classic, Big V Finals, VC, VC Reserve and VJL Grand Finals.

Justin Calleja was named Developing Coach of the Year. Calleja head coached the Under 16.3 Girls and served as an assistant coach with the Youth League Women.

Youth League Women head coach Ryan Potter received the Marty Handson Award. Potter guided the Cougars to the preliminary final where their season ended against the Kilsyth Cobras.

Life Member Frida Eierweis received the GM Recognition Award after 30 years of volunteer service. From welcoming families at Bentleigh to supporting domestic basketball, VJBL, All Abilities programs and Big V game days, Frida has become one of the most recognisable faces of McKinnon Basketball.

Mina Bikkemberg received the Community Athlete of the Year award, which recognises a Cougars player who gives back to the basketball community. Bikkemberg played with the Under 18.3 Girls and coaches within the Association’s Development Programs and School Holiday Camps.

Bill Runchey received the Coach of the Year award following another significant season with the Cougars. Runchey head coached the Under 12.1 Boys to a silver medal at the National Junior Classic while also serving as an assistant coach with McKinnon’s Youth League Men.

Dominic Rafton from the Under 16.1 Boys and Holly Miller from the Under 18.1 Girls claimed the night’s leading junior honours as the Male and Female Athletes of the Year. Each Athlete of the Year was selected from the players named in the respective Male and Female All Star Five.

Rafton was joined in the Male All Star Five by Louis Hall from the Under 12.1 Boys, Ikemba Akano from the Under 12.1 Boys, Jake Cooper from the Under 14.1 Boys and Charlie O’Shea from the Under 18.1 Boys.

Miller was joined in the Female All Star Five by Annabel Miller from the Under 12.1 Girls, Matilda Martin from the Under 14.1 Girls, Amelia Behrendt from the Under 16.1 Girls and Evie Haywood from the Under 18.1 Girls.

McKinnon recognised two players from every junior Cougars team. The Cougar of the Year awards celebrated players who best represented their team and the Association, while the High Performer of the Year awards recognised outstanding performances throughout the season.

The Association also celebrated the award winners from its four Big V teams following a season in which both the Championship Women and Championship Men won the 2026 Big V championships.

Thomas D’Amelio was named Youth Men Cougar of the Year, with Oliver Mann receiving High Performer of the Year. Kiera Price and Arden Bailey claimed the respective Youth Women awards.

In the senior teams, Nate Raymond received the Championship Men Cougar of the Year award and Troyce Manassa was named High Performer of the Year. Amy Baum earned the Championship Women Cougar of the Year award, while Kayce Vaile received her High Performer of the Year award via video call.

Many senior players celebrated significant milestones during the 2026 Big V season.

Mitch Barry passed 2,000 points and moved to third on McKinnon’s all time scoring list. Five players reached 1,000 points, while Oliver Mann, Zoe Johnson, Maigan Hedge and Amy Baum joined the 500 Club for points, rebounds or assists.

Romy Price became McKinnon’s All Time Leader in Blocks, Eloise Leonard became the All Time Leader in Steals and Mitch Barry became the club’s All Time Leader in Three Pointers Made.

The Association also acknowledged departing Director of Coach Education Darren Anderson following seven seasons of service to McKinnon Basketball. Darren played an important role in developing coaches across the domestic and representative programs and will continue to share his expertise through Forward Pivot and, where possible, behind the microphone at Big V games.

Stefanie Georgiou was voted the Moment of the Year award winner after her half court buzzer beater.

2026 McKinnon Cougars award winners

GM Recognition Award: Frida Eierweis

Developing Coach of the Year: Justin Calleja

Coach of the Year: Bill Runchey

Marty Handson Award: Ryan Potter

Community Athlete of the Year: Mina Bikkemberg

Male Athlete of the Year: Dominic Rafton (Under 16.1 Boys)

Female Athlete of the Year: Holly Miller (Under 18.1 Girls & Youth Women)

Male All Star Five:

Louis Hall (Under 12.1 Boys)
Ikemba Akano (Under 12.1 Boys)
Jake Cooper (Under 14.1 Boys)
Dominic Rafton (Under 16.1 Boys)
Charlie O’Shea (Under 18.1 Boys)

Female All Star Five

Annabel Miller (Under 12.1 Girls)
Matilda Martin (Under 14.1 Girls)
Amelia Behrendt (Under 16.1 Girls)
Holly Miller (Under 18.1 Girls)
Evie Haywood (Under 18.1 Girls)

McKinnon Cougars Team Awards

Under 12.1 Boys: Cougar of the Year: Jack Lalor & High Performer of the Year: Louis Hall
Under 12.2 Boys: Cougar of the Year: Luka Dong & High Performer of the Year: Cooper Varellas
Under 12.3 Boys: Cougar of the Year: Ashton Malkin & High Performer of the Year: Jack Burgess
Under 12.4 Boys: Cougar of the Year: Eddie Williams & High Performer of the Year: Brody Joffe
Under 12.5 Boys: Cougar of the Year: Abel Brindley & High Performer of the Year: Parker Majman
Under 12.6 Boys: Cougar of the Year: Lucas Nguyen & High Performer of the Year: Archie Stone
Under 12.7 Boys: Cougar of the Year: Oliver Setchin & High Performer of the Year: Zephan George
Under 12.8 Boys: Cougar of the Year: Mitchell Jeans & High Performer of the Year: Kallum Welcome
Under 12.1 Girls: Cougar of the Year: Violet Ball & High Performer of the Year: Annabel Miller
Under 12.2 Girls: Cougar of the Year: Hazel Hunt & High Performer of the Year: Alison McCallum
Under 12.3 Girls: Cougar of the Year: Hailey Kubay & High Performer of the Year: Zendaya Torcasio
Under 12.4 Girls: Cougar of the Year: Alexa Wilson & High Performer of the Year: Matilda Kates
Under 12.5 Girls: Cougar of the Year: Madeline Kent & High Performer of the Year: Ella Somerville
Under 12.6 Girls: Cougar of the Year: Olivia Zeng & High Performer of the Year: Molly Ford
Under 12.7 Girls: Cougar of the Year: Juliette Ricard-Oshry & High Performer of the Year: Renee Gorozidis
Under 14.1 Boys: Cougar of the Year: George Rafton & High Performer of the Year: Jake Cooper
Under 14.2 Boys: Cougar of the Year: Sam Ford & High Performer of the Year: Ben Kato
Under 14.3 Boys: Cougar of the Year: Archer Murali & High Performer of the Year: Mateo Jakovlev
Under 14.4 Boys: Cougar of the Year: Jack O’Brien & High Performer of the Year: Oliver McArthur
Under 14.5 Boys: Cougar of the Year: Zac Burns & High Performer of the Year: Josh Reiner
Under 14.6 Boys: Cougar of the Year: Ari Johnson & High Performer of the Year: Dion Dimopoulos
Under 14.7 Boys: Cougar of the Year: Benjamin Profus & High Performer of the Year: Yohan Mehta
Under 14.1 Girls: Cougar of the Year: Sophie Elix & High Performer of the Year: Matilda Martin
Under 14.2 Girls: Cougar of the Year: Paige Reneaux & High Performer of the Year: Olivia Lieberthal
Under 14.3 Girls: Cougar of the Year: Milla Perkovic & High Performer of the Year: Lucy Couston
Under 14.4 Girls: Cougar of the Year: Alana Collard & High Performer of the Year: Olivia Dowlan
Under 14.5 Girls: Cougar of the Year: Cleo Cran & High Performer of the Year: Megan Major
Under 14.6 Girls: Cougar of the Year: Giselle Deville & High Performer of the Year: Mia Hanic
Under 14.7 Girls: Cougar of the Year: Roxanne Handel & High Performer of the Year: Lucy Stone
Under 16.1 Boys: Cougar of the Year: Owen Goodwin & High Performer of the Year: Dominic Rafton
Under 16.2 Boys: Cougar of the Year: Eli Batrouney & High Performer of the Year: Montague Pitts
Under 16.3 Boys: Cougar of the Year: Jake Reiner & High Performer of the Year: William Smeaton
Under 16.4 Boys: Cougar of the Year: Isaac Tay & High Performer of the Year: Jake Lam
Under 16.5 Boys: Cougar of the Year: Joshua Bautistia & High Performer of the Year: Felix Wilkins
Under 16.1 Girls: Cougar of the Year: Chelsea Reneaux & High Performer of the Year: Bella Turkuile
Under 16.2 Girls: Cougar of the Year: Jessie Liu & High Performer of the Year: Yolanda O’Sullivan
Under 16.3 Girls: Cougar of the Year: Charlotte McDonald & High Performer of the Year: Arielle Dekterev
Under 16.4 Girls: Cougar of the Year: Olivia Beilin & High Performer of the Year: Abigail Wang-Ward
Under 16.5 Girls: Cougar of the Year: Olivia Deville & High Performer of the Year: Ayla O’Neill
Under 18.1 Boys: Cougar of the Year: Jake Briguglio & High Performer of the Year: Charlie O’Shea
Under 18.2 Boys: Cougar of the Year: William Tull & High Performer of the Year: Nathan Tan
Under 18.3 Boys: Cougar of the Year: Henry Bath & High Performer of the Year: Samuel Keys
Under 18.1 Girls: Cougar of the Year: Isabella Shepard & High Performer of the Year: Holly Miller
Under 18.2 Girls: Cougar of the Year: Hannah Lentine & High Performer of the Year: Sophie Lee
Under 18.3 Girls: Cougar of the Year: Ruby Wilson & High Performer of the Year: Eliza Marshall
Under 20.1 Boys: Cougar of the Year: Max Armstrong & High Performer of the Year: Joshua Blaikie
Under 20.1 Girls: Cougar of the Year: Jada Hersz & High Performer of the Year: Susana O’Leary
Youth Men: Cougar of the Year: Thomas D’Amelio & High Performer of the Year: Oliver Mann
Youth Women: Cougar of the Year: Kiera Price & High Performer of the Year: Arden Bailey
Championship Men: Cougar of the Year: Nate Raymond & High Performer of the Year: Troyce Manassa
Championship Women: Cougar of the Year: Amy Baum & High Performer of the Year: Kayce Vaile