Waatu's inaugural finals campaign ends in heartbreak

It has been a great 2023 for the Waatu men’s team in their second season of the University Basketball League (UBL) with an inaugural appearance in the finals.

Waatu which means ‘coming together for a common goal’ - the meaning of Waatu in the Kaurna language won their last three matches in a row to finish the minor round in eighth spot on the ladder overall.

In 2022 they finished with a 5-5 record but missed out on the finals, this season they won their last two matches on the road which meant they completed the minor round with a 5-4 record.

Waatu faced an extremely tough challenge in their first-ever final, a sudden death match against UTS who went through the minor round with an 9-0 record.

Despite going down 88-81, Waatu were far from disgraced and put up a very brave performance against a quality opposition.

Bachelor of Criminology student Steve Parfitt who plays for the North Adelaide Rockets in the NBL1 Central had a massive game with 19 points and 20 rebounds.

Sturt Sabres NBL1 Central player and Chemical Engineering student, Harry Reemst had 25 points and 10 rebounds and Civil Engineering student Lachie Hunter who plays for the West Adelaide Bearcats in the NBL1 Central had 18 points and 11 boards.



Hunter said whilst they were disappointed to be eliminated there were a lot of positives to take out of the season.

“It was super exciting to play finals and whilst we would’ve liked the result to go the other way there is a lot to build on from this season and the program is definitely heading in the right direction,” Hunter said.

“It is also nice to know that we have some good talent in Adelaide and can contend against the best of the other states.

“The group hasn’t played a lot of basketball together and had limited trainings but the group was starting to bond and to string some wins together late and have some success was great for us.”

Hunter said it was also good to have coaches who were fellow NBL1 Central players and really helped bond the group together.

There will be some significant turnover next season with Hunter and several other senior players graduating which will make for an interesting 2024 UBL campaign.

Waatu registered their first win of the minor round in round three when they beat the Fed Falcons on the road 89-81 and then on the same road trip, they had an 87-62 win over ACU.

They then defeated the Curtin Uni Carnabys at St Clair Recreation Centre 91-78 in round six, they had a bye in round seven but finished the year in style with two wins from their two games in round eight with a 70-58 victory over Victoria University and then an 81-74 win over RMIT.

Waatu men’s coach Alex Starling was full of praise for his group and the success they had.

“I’m so proud of the boys this season, it was a pleasure to see our team progress every training, every game and play for each other, and most importantly having fun in the process,” Starling reflected.

“We got better as a group and as players individually, which lead to us making the finals.

“Let's continue to build from here and continue to have that championship mindset in any and everything you do.

“A big thank you to coach Jawan and coach Tobias for assisting me in coaching you guys, it was my honor.”

There were some significant standouts in 2023, Hunter backed up his excellent 2022 season where he averaged 16.7 points a game to finish with an average of 15.16 points per game from his six minor round games.

The athletic big man had a season best 27 points at 76% from the field in their round five 103-72 loss to UWA Maali and 17 points and 15 boards in Waatu’s round six 91-78 win over Curtin Uni Carnabys.



Parfitt was a big reason for his team making the finals this year and from his five games he averaged 11.4 points per game.

He battled injuries early in the season which limited his number of games, however when he could get on the court, he made an impact.

In the last two games of the year Parfitt had 10 points and 15 boards in the win against Victoria University and in the final game of the minor round against RMIT, Parfitt had 23 points at an incredible shooting percentage of 81% and 10 rebounds to go with it.

He was also huge in the final’s loss to the UTS with 19 points and 20 rebounds.

Reemst and fellow Sturt Sabre Toby Hunt also had terrific seasons for Waatu.

Hunt, who is studying Civil Engineering played every game in the minor round and averaged 20.7 points per game from his seven games, eclipsing his 16.8 average in 2022.

Chemical Engineering student, Reemst averaged 15.4 points per game which was slightly down on the 18.8 he averaged in 2022 but still a very solid contribution.

Reemst and Hunt both had their biggest games ironically in round three against Fed Falcons and ACU respectively.

Reemst had 20 points, 20 rebounds and seven assists and Hunt had 26 points game against the Fed Falcons in round three and Hunt had a personal season high of 30 points and Reemst a 24 point and 12 rebound game in their round three win over ACU.

UBL Program Director Raheim Brown said he was delighted with the way the men’s team played and fought all season long.

"The men's team this year in my humble opinion, was an absolute champion level caliber team,” Brown said.

“We had such a talented group of guys that came together and believed in our vision of creating a strong and competitive culture that approached the game the right way.

“I'm so proud of everyone for committing to get better each time we practiced, which translated into our games and how we played.

“I'm thankful to all the players and coaches for everything they brought to the Waatu team and I look forward to the bright futures all these guys have moving forward."