It seems like only yesterday that Warrandyte Venom entered the Big V women’s competition, yet this Saturday night in Mildura the club will contest its 50th Big V game and, not surprisingly, plans for future expansion are progressing quickly.

Recently confirming they intend on applying for a Division 3 men’s team in season 2010, the Venom has already commenced its search for a coach and is confident that, like their women’s outfit, they will be competitive from day one.

It’s been a rapid rise for Warrandyte. The club has increased its junior representative program five-fold in only four years, it has won senior MMBL grand finals, forged strong links at junior level with Warrandyte Redbacks and Park Orchards Steelers, plus the senior women finished runners-up in both 2007 and 2008.

The club’s success and the hard work that has gone on behind the scenes isn’t lost on senior coach Justin Nelson, who also reaches the 50-game milestone in Mildura this week.

“Actually, it’s hard to believe 50 games has come around to quickly, it really has flown by,” says Nelson, adding, “But I guess we’ve all been too busy to think about it.”

With 33 wins from 49 games so far, Nelson credits Warrandyte’s success to a hard-working and supportive committee, a strong family culture throughout the club and what he calls a “unique community.”

“Warrandyte is such a different place, it’s a country town in suburban Melbourne,” he says with a wry grin.

“The community is so close-knit. When you play against Warrandyte in any sport, you are literally taking on the whole town. That’s the type of place it is. A lot of very proud and passionate people walk into our stadium.”

Having recruited the likes of WNBL trio Jo Metcalfe, Kate Cohen and Sally Phillips to help get the club's first Big V team up and running, Nelson says he couldn’t have asked for a better start in the Big V for the Venom.

“Jo and Kate finished up at the end of last season, yet both of them were in the stands cheering the girls on last Saturday night. That sort of commitment speaks volumes for both of them personally, and also for just how much the club means to them. They have both helped develop many of our younger players coming through.

“Sally is or captain this season and will look to build on her success from last year, while the likes of Billie Addlem and Jaz Borella also bring heaps of maturity and experience to what is now a very young group.

“The experience of some of the players we’ve had has been invaluable, but I’m really excited about the development we’ve been doing behind the scenes. We've got a number of exciting youngsters pushing through and they're finding their feet quickly," says the beaming coach.

“This year we have twelve players who have either come through our Redbacks or Venom programs, plus we have nine teenagers. That’s exciting for the team, and more importantly, it’s exciting for the club.”

Nelson believes 2009 will be a vital year for the club, a season of transition somewhat as many of his young players take big steps forward into the senior ranks. It’s a move he believes will impact on the club positively.

“Young kids are coming to the games and seeing players who are still competing in the junior programs out on the floor playing senior basketball. That’s fantastic.

“I have no doubt that we are introducing players into the Big V this season who will be a big part of our team for years to come. They have been learning and developing over the last two years and now we’re starting to see them step up.”

About his personal milestone, the 37-year old coach is quick to start talking about his players again, something he prefers to do as much as possible.

“I’m just the guy on the sidelines rotating the players,” he says with a laugh.

“This game is about the players. I don’t score goals and I don’t take rebounds or dish out assists, the girls are the ones doing the hard yards. I just try and say the right things at the right times.

“I’m a big believer that coaching is more about managing people, their expectations, emotions, confidence levels and helping them to make the right decisions at the right time. Coaches are important, but bringing a group of people together and getting them to all pull in the same direction is the real test of a coach.”

To that end, Warrandyte looks to be heading in the right direction.

“We’ve all learnt so much in the last couple of years. We’ve been fairly selective about our recruits and we haven’t been scared to make the tough decisions on players. At times that can be hard and personally I’ve lost some good friends in the process, but I guess it’s part of a club and a team finding its feet.

“But the upside is exciting. I’m like everyone else in the stand, I really enjoy sitting down and watching the players, they’ve been fantastic and always give our fans something to cheer about.”

That supporter base is growing too. Warrandyte had sold 246 membership tickets as off last week, a new club record since joining the Big V.

And, they’ve never been short on attracting some well-known guests to games.

“Our number one ticket holder this season is Glenn Archer and his family, while one of the club’s favourite sons in Clinton Grybas was our number one member in our first season, prior to his tragic passing.”

Warrandyte moved quickly to remember Clinton by naming its stand in his honour, something that still moves Nelson every time he walks in the stadium.

“Yeah, we all miss Clinton very much. He played a huge part in building Warrandyte Basketball into what it is today and none of us will ever forget that,” says Nelson.

“I knew Clinton for a number of years through working in the media and he was exactly what Warrandyte is all about. He was genuine, passionate, hard working and incredibly loyal and committed to his basketball club.”

And, with 50 games about to pass, what does the coach most remember about his team’s short, but exciting tenure in the Big V?

“Good question. We’ve celebrated great finals victories, yet haven’t quite grabbed the top prize. While that’s frustrating, I’ve enjoyed every minute of what we’ve achieved.

“I think the two wins on our home court that got us into the two grand finals are the most memorable moments. Just to have so many supporters in the stand and cheering so loudly for the team was fantastic.

“The other thing that really stands out has been our ability to develop a squad of quality individuals. It makes a real difference when you have a group of really good people working together. It’s a squad that genuinely cares about each other and that makes a difference when you hit the court together.”

Warrandyte will make a presentation to Nelson at its home game on Sunday April 26 against Craigieburn, the same day that Chelsea Ransom will become the first player to reach 50 Big V games with the Venom.