By JARROD POTTER
CASEY Cavaliers coaches Stewart Baird and Phil Thomas are leading the cavalry in May’s Big V awards as the tandem earned coach of the month accolades.
May was a blistering month for Casey men’s basketball – with the Big V Division 1 men and Youth League 2 men going undefeated across their respective competitions, and both coaches have been duly rewarded for their winning ways.
The Cavaliers haven’t been bested since April and Baird proved the only rational choice for the award as his side rose rapidly up the Watson Conference ladder.
The Cavaliers Division 1 men have flown to the top of the table with an eight-game winning streak – having recently knocked off strong sides Chelsea, Warrnambool and Warrandyte.
Six-for-six in May, Baird was thrilled to see the side up and flying after an impressive month, taking wins however they might come.
“We just keep grinding them out and we’re very happy,” Baird said on Saturday night after the win over Chelsea.
“The old saying – if good teams win ugly, then I think we’ve just announced ourselves as a good team.
“It’s a great streak and the last two weeks we’ve beaten really quality teams in Warrnambool and Chelsea.”
Phil Thomas – Casey’s Youth Men’s coach – has also been at the helm of a monstrously successful Cavaliers side in 2015 as he proved the best choice for the May award.
After getting edged out in last year’s Youth Men 2 preliminary final by eventual champions Keysborough, the Cavaliers have returned bigger and stronger this year.
Piling on nine wins on the trot – with an average winning margin approaching 30 points per game – Thomas was proud to see his charges excel and was thankful for the support of everyone associated with the side.
“I’m appreciative of the award, more so for the players and how they’ve improved over the past couple of months,” Thomas said.
“We’re nine wins in a row and working really well as we move into the second half of the season.
“I think the award also recognises the tireless work of my assistant Dean Carl, who has taken a few trainings and coached a winning game in my absence against an ex-NBL coach, Al Westover.”
Both Casey men’s sides head to Mildura next Saturday to face the Heat.
