The 2022 1st V Basketball squad will be forever etched in the pages of Toowoomba Grammar School history as the first TGS team to win a GPS Basketball Premiership since the competition commenced in 1984.
Head of Basketball, and 1st V Coach, Mr Kabe Cicolini has been instrumental in the growth and success of not just our leading team, but of the TGS Basketball Program as a whole.
Kabe has come from a background of playing GPS sport – cricket, rugby and basketball as a student at Ipswich Grammar School (IGS).
“I’ve had a similar background to most of the boys here,” stated Kabe.
“Sport was everything to me and going to a Grammar School was everything to me, taking advantage of the opportunities given to me.”
His basketball coach was a huge mentor to him, igniting Kabe’s desire to coach and he took up the role at IGS straight out of school before coming to TGS in 2011 as the Sports Officer and running the Basketball Program. A year later he went to Canada to coach College basketball there. Kabe returned to TGS in 2017 as the 1st V Coach and then the Head of Basketball in 2018. He has been steadily building the TGS Basketball Program for the past five years and this year’s GPS Premiership is a culmination of that hard work.
“I am really excited for the boys to get this first Premiership,” said Kabe.
“For me personally, it’s a weird sense of accomplishment and relief; we’ve been toiling away quietly for a long time so it’s great to see the hard work come to fruition.”
Kabe said the TGS team was not the most talented in the GPS competition, but they had common values and expectations; they focussed on a game-by-game scenario rather than becoming overwhelmed by their good results or looking too far ahead.
“We weren’t expecting to achieve as well as we did each week, but the boys kept growing, and as a result we could keep going without putting too much pressure on ourselves,” said Kabe.
“Also, central to winning this Premiership was the fact that this was the first group of boys who have genuinely grown up playing TGS Basketball, with our culture, values and style of play – even though this was the first year these boys had actually played together as a team.”
The Premiership winning match against Gregory Terrace was a nail biter. TGS had a comfortable 14-point lead going into half time (45-31) and were 59-48 coming into the third quarter but GT turned it on with the score 63 all with two minutes remaining and 65 all with two seconds on the clock. Year 10 student, Samuel Geu then had a moment that dreams are made of - he hit the winning shot with just 1.4 seconds remaining!
“I’m immensely proud of the boys,” said Kabe.
“We are so young, so I’m proud of their resilience and ability to achieve what they have already.
“I’m excited for next year too, as we have the same group, so I’m content with what they’ve achieved and I’m ready to move on to the next challenge.”
Kabe loves the fast, dynamic competitiveness of the game, but said the truly unique aspect of coaching GPS Basketball is the “revolving door of boys who you can have an impact on, the chance to shape them into good men.”
“We just get to help kids keep growing and building and achieve their goals – whatever they may be.”
Latest Blog
TGS Boarding - A Safe, Welcoming and Joyous Community
“From a boarding perspective, enabling young boys to flourish is only achieved within a community that is safe, welcoming, and joyous. These three aspects are at the core of my boarding philosophy and are closely aligned with my fundamental values as a boarding Head of House – acceptance, resilience, and fun,” explains Mr Henry White, Head of Corfe House. Corfe House serves as the entry point for Toowoomba Grammar School’s youngest boarders (Years 5 to 7) and the skills, relationships, and…
Transitioning to Year 7 at TGS
Can you remember your first day in secondary school? It can be a time of mixed feelings - very exciting, but also quite daunting and challenging. Irrespective of whether your son is joining us from the TGS Junior School, or if they are just starting at Toowoomba Grammar School, it can appear to be the start of a long journey. It is a rite of passage in many respects but with this comes increased emotions in response to transition. The boys have a lot to digest with a new, possibly larger campus…
The Boarding Journey
Every parent will have a unique journey with their son whilst he is boarding at Toowoomba Grammar School. I’m Kym Wright, mother of Clancy, who is in Year 12 and this is my journey…. From my very first experience with Toowoomba Grammar School Boarding ten years ago, I had a good feeling straight away that TGS would be the perfect fit for my son. I was picking up my nephew for lunch. He had started boarding at TGS just six weeks prior. It was pouring rain and there were boys enthusiastically…
Building Self-Confidence and Resilience in Year 7s
As your child enters the new and unknown world of secondary school, it is a very important time to nurture the confidence and self-esteem of your son. Adolescence can also be a time of bewildering physical changes and strong emotions, opinions and increasing independence. Nurturing their confidence, self-esteem and assertiveness will go a long way to helping them to have the self-belief to tackle difficult new academic challenges, to developing new friendships and social skills, and…
Introducing our new Head of Year 7 - Jodi Blades
My family moved from Brisbane to Toowoomba when I was ten years of age. I’ve lived here for most of my life, other than to study and begin my teaching career in Brisbane. I lived and worked in London for 18 months before returning to Toowoomba in 2001. With over 20 years’ experience teaching and leading pastoral care programs within independent day and boarding schools, I am dedicated to developing students holistically; the academic, social, emotional, cultural, and physical development of…
Holiday Reading Recommendations
Here is a snapshot; three titles from each year level, and from Head of Library and Information Services, Mr Dan Crook to inspire your choices for holiday reading: Year 7: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - The last Ronin. Hatchet - Gary Paulsen Billy Slaters autobiography - Billy Slater Year 8: The dead of the night (Tomorrow series) - James Marsden Rangers Apprentice The ruins of Gorlan - John Flannagan The Hunger games. -Suzanne Collins Year 9: Back to the Pillaga - Tony Parsons Deadpool Samurai…
Life After School
As children grow and develop, they participate in a range of new experiences, with the “journey” from birth to adulthood being shaped by several awaited and expected transitions. These transitions occur across a range of context and help us to evolve in new environments. It is important to note that transition is associated with a change, which is something that happens for all of us. The concept of transition involves how we process, manage, and respond to the change. As adults, we work hard…
TGS Artist in Residence - Ben Tupas
I’ve been following Toowoomba Grammar School’s exciting Artist-in-residence program for several years. After seeing fellow Toowoomba artists such as Catherine Parker, Alice Weinthal and Vincent Parisi taking up the opportunity and engaging in the program, I decided to apply in 2022 to continue the momentum of my own artist practice. With the four-week residency wrapping up at the end of October, and some time to reflect on the experience I can write that the experience was a valuable…
The Transition to Secondary School
Research shows us that the move from a primary school to a secondary school is one of the most significant life changes that our young men will face. You can help make the transition to Senior School smoother by ensuring that the boys attend the orientation days, practice packing their bags and getting their sports, music, and activities equipment ready. When asked about tips for the boys coming into Year 7, current Year 7 dayboy, Ollie Wells suggests boys should “Be organised. Pack the night…
