They’re SEABL all-stars

By Russell Bennett
THE Knox Raiders men and women have both rounded off successful seasons with a swag of individual honours.
Import trio CJ Massingale, Lester Strong and Amy Denson have been rewarded for their stellar seasons with SEABL all-star berths.
Denson has also been named league MVP, while Massingale was named in the Raiders’ 30-year anniversary all-star team.
In winning the league MVP award, Denson becomes the first women’s player in Raiders history to do so. She received 59 of a possible 72 votes after ranking second in the league in scoring and fifth in rebounding.
She also ranked fourth in field goal percentage in helping the Raiders to a 22-2 regular season win/loss record.
“I’m excited and living off the adrenaline from season to season,” said the 27-year-old Denson.
“Making sure I take care of myself and keep my work ethic pretty consistent but mostly living off the excitement of it all.
“This is my only opportunity in my life to keep doing this so I’m just pushing through that way.”
Massingale further cemented his reputation as one of the great all-time Raiders with his prestigious 30-year all-star nod.
He arrived on Australian shores in 2005 after a stint at high-profile stints at Metro State and Washington universities in America’s NCAA college system.
He has played in almost 200 games for the Raiders in the years since, scoring over 4000 points for the team.
“I am very appreciative to be recognised as a top player in not only Knox’s, but SEABL’s proud basketball history,” said the 28-year-old.
“To be placed among such a talented group that made up the decade and 30-year anniversary teams was a very humbling experience.
“Who would have thought the little boy on the Tacoma (Washington, USA) playgrounds shooting hoops could accomplish something like this.”
For Strong, his all-star selection marked his first since joining the Raiders in 2008 after three seasons at Big-V level with Dandenong and Warrnambool.