News

After a basketball season to remember, Camberwell Dragons are proud to recognise the winners of our 2025 Club Awards.

Ben Jago Award – Oliver Hughes

Ollie is a fantastic club person who always commits to additional programs to improve his basketball. Ollie helped out numerous times as a fill-in on Friday nights for Dragons Under 18 teams that were short of players and is a fantastic teammate. Ollie is also a constant supporter of the Big V program.

Ben Jago Award – Jessica Maycock

Jess has attended everything that has been offered to her this year, constantly looking to improve her game. She accepted every opportunity to be part of the Dragons High Performance Program, signed up to Ben Crowe’s Monday Night Development Sessions and has been looking into adding some strength and conditioning components to her game. Jess is also a regular supporter at Big V games.

– Ben Jago, who played for our club, died after a tragic accident in 2013. This award is recognition for a player from our Boys and Girls program who works hard, goes above and beyond with extra training, displays great teamwork, is a kind teammate and shows great respect for all coaches.

Julian Fields Award – Lucas Chan

Lucas assisted across the Big V season in multiple roles, including court announcing, stats and scoretable. Lucas often had to shuffle around his other Saturday commitments to accommodate helping at Big V games and was always willing to assist set-up and pack-up.

– The Julian Fields Award recognises a person who has made an outstanding contribution to the Senior Program (Big V) at Camberwell Dragons.

Gary Stephens Award – Conor Mathews

Conor is a worthy recipient of our Gary Stephens Award this year. Conor has contributed to all facets of the association, willing to put his hand up to help in any area that needs to be done. This year Conor helped drive the introduction of the Dragons High Performance Program as an alternative for those kids who missed SDP opportunities. Using this program and others, Conor continued to mentor other coaches on his learnings, taking his leadership across our program to the next level.

While those coaching focuses would’ve been enough to warrant recognition, he also acted as commentary at Big V games, an assistant coach for our Youth League Men, communications with members and even assisting with cleaning venues after sessions. Well done, Conor, and thank you from everybody at Camberwell.

– The Gary Stephens Award is presented as recognition for a person who has made an outstanding contribution to the Camberwell Dragons program as a whole.

Dale & Doug Helms Award – Brooke O'Keefe

Brooke has been a team. manager many times, and is also the team manager for one of our 3x3 tour teams. Brooke provided feedback for the tour that we could send back to VJBL. Brooke volunteers every season to help at the sign-in desk for tryouts and regularly volunteers for anything else that needs doing around the club.

Brooke stepped up to be an assistant coach this season and head coach Molly had this to say about Brooke: "Brooke is an absolute gem of a human. She is the most quiet and understated individual you will ever meet. Her assistant coaching this season has not only taken some work off my plate but has provided so much calm on the bench. Brooke also organised for every game to be videoed by her husband and then shared with everyone each Friday night.

"Brooke also organised a games night for the girls. Her efforts have not gone unnoticed and I have been so grateful for her over the season with the support she has provided. Overall, her contribution has bettered all of those who have come across her as she shows each and every person the utmost respect and for the girls in particular, she wants each and every one of them to improve and be their best self."

– The Dale & Doug Helms Awards is presented as recognition for someone who has made an outstanding contribution to the Junior Program (VJBL) at Camberwell Dragons.

VJBL Coach of the Year (Boys) – Brendan Jao

The Dragons are proud to announce Brendan Jao as the Boys Coach of the Year. Brendan led the 14.5 Boys team to an impressive season.

Brendan’s commitment to player development and his own growth as a coach was a standout feature of the season. He consistently leads by example, bringing energy, discipline, and a passion for the game to every training session and match. Under Brendan’s guidance, the team achieved on-court success and showed significant individual and collective improvement. His impact on the players and the program reflects his strong leadership and coaching excellence.

Congratulations, Brendan, on this well-deserved recognition.

VJBL Coach of the Year (Girls) – Mark Jeffers

Mark has brought a dynamic energy to his leadership of the girls Under 16 program, which has been contagious across all the teams. He navigated many challenges to establish a strong presence in the elite competition, securing qualification to the National Classic, where the team performed admirably in the toughest tournament in Australia. Through his dedication, experienced tuition and concise delivery, Mark embodies the best elements of what the Camberwell Dragons club seeks from our coaches.