So in all honesty, things are not looking to good for the Cairns Taipans.  There doesn’t seem to be another ‘White Knight’ on the scene and things are not looking to good for the Taipans.  It doesn’t seem as if they will be a part of the new league and the look out for the Taipans is pretty bleak. 

So where to for the Taipans players and staff?  Will any NBL teams want to pick up the players or will they be left doing a ‘Neil Mottram’ and find themselves good enough to play in the league but not have a job. 

Here is my opinion on if each player should get another gig in the ‘New NBL’ and a possible home for them:

Stephen Black: obviously the guy is a class player but has a huge history of having the worst back in the NBL and is very injury prone.  From all reports, the guy is extremely professional and works his arse off to keep himself on the court (his ice baths are things of legend!)  There has been some news that he is exploring Europe as a possible destination for his futre.  Should he have a gig on a NBL roster?  Hell yes!  I think that a team like Sydney (in its current form) and Wollongong (if they are in the league) would be a perfect home for him.  I would also mention the Gold Coast, but I honestly don’t think that Brendan Joyce would recruit him as he would take away time from Daniel!.

Aaron Grabu: this is an interesting one.  The guy is a rock!  He is a foundation player for the Taipans and is very solid at the defensive end.  Aaron’s career has improved in the past couple of seasons and he is in career best form.  But he isn’t a super scorer and he is not the greatest outside shooter.  Should he have a gig on a NBL roster?  I am going to say no.  I think that he is on the wrong side of 29 and doesn’t offer NBL programs more than what they already have.

Darnell Mee: another one that is interesting.  He (along with Cattalini) spent a great deal of the last season on the injured list.  He is long, a veteran and a pretty clutch player.  Should he have a gig on a NBL roster?  I am going to say yes.  He would fit in on veteran roster such as the Blaze or even an in between roster like the Wildcats.  He is versatile and can defend.  It is a huge punt but if you offered the guy a one year deal, I think that it is well worth the risk.

Scott Cook: is one of the few true PG’s in the league.  He has been extremely solid throughout this season and his game seems to be on the improve.  Cook has started some games thoughout this season and played some decent basketball.  Should he have a place in the new NBL?  I say yes.  I think that he would help the NZ Breakers as a solid back up to CJ Bruton and an upgrade on what they have there already.

Martin Cattalini: as I previously discussed in my blog entry, Martin has expressed interest in finishing his career in Perth.  He seems to be playing some solid basketball after an extremely injury prone season last year.  Should he have a place in the new NBL?  I say that if the Wildcats want to roll the dice and give him a shot, it would be awesome but it would be at the expense of a young guy.

Ian Crosswhite: my mate Grandmaster Funk from the TO fame (which we will be reviving very very soon!  Watch out for that!) absolutely pasted this guy earlier in the year.  Since his pasting, it seems as if he has pulled his finger out and found some form and even won player of the week award.  Should he have a gig on a new NBL roster?  I am going to say yes but with conditions.  He would need to play for a coach who could drive him (e.g Brian Gorijian) and get the best out of him.  He would fit in well at the Dragons and the Hawks (but I don’t think that Cooks would be a good match for him)

Garry Boodinkoff: is an outstanding player on the offensive end but apparently can’t defend at all.  He came into the league with much fanfare and had an extremely solid rookie season.  But in my opinion, it has been downhill ever since then.  Should he have a place in the new NBL?  Yes he should in a backup capacity.  He would fit in well at the Gold Coast and be able to add support to their program.

Matt Smith: in one word – no.  I don’t see Matt Smith hooking onto any NBL program.

Dwayne Vale: is another one word answer – no.  He had a solid season last year but this year has not produced the good at all.  He is not overly young and doesn’t bring things to the table that other guys on other rosters don’t.

Kerry Williams – is a local hero in Cairns.  He got a bit of notoriety earlier in the season and Andrew Gaze was mentioning him in the same breath as Patrick Mills.  Williams can not shoot the ball from the perimeter but is quick and slippery.  Should he have a place on a NBL roster?  I say no but that is just my personal opinion.

In regards to imports Larry Abney and Dave Thomas: Obviously Thomas has returned to the Tigers and will problary stick there.  I cant believe that more teams did not pull the trigger on Abney.  I would have hoped that if the Blaze were still in the playoff hunt, they would have cut Whitehad quickly and picked up this superstar.  I personally feel that he is better than Ellis and would fit in well at the Crocs.  He would also be a nice addition for the Hawks (when Rychardt is an Aussie) and would have been a nice pick up for the Spirit but they have no money!

So there you go.  I think that the new NBL is going to leave a lot of guys without gigs especially if the whole points thing is kept.  Guys like Boodinkoff and Crosswhite could find themselves ‘out pointed’ if the new league keeps the points in tact.  I am still hoping that there is hope for the Taipans roster to stay in Cairns but if I was a betting man, I would bet most of my life savings (and Larry Abney’s non salary cap money!) on there not being a team in Cairns next year.

So the other day I was doing my usual scroll through various basketball websites and I stumbled upon this article. The basic theme of the article was the Cattalini wants to finish his career up in Perth next year and would love to be in Wildcats colours.  It is all well and good that he is feeling a bit homesick and would love to go home but the question has to be asked – Would the Wildcats want him?

Perth’s biggest strength over the past decade has been its front court strength.  Once again this year they have a wonderful 3,4 and 5 men with Redhage, Victor, Knight, Loughton and Rogers manning the fort.  Would the Cat fit into that mix?   The biggest strength of Cattallini’s game thoughout his NBL career has been taking advantage of mismatches.  If you put a small 3 on him, he posts you up on the block and uses his size.  If you put a 4 on him, he creates a mismatch by taking them to the perimeter and using his speed and athleticism to his advantage.

So if I was the owner of the Perth Wildcats for the 2009 - 10 season, would I pick him up? My answer would be yes.  I feel that he still has a lot to offer and if he is willing to take a reduced role, you would be crazy not to pick him up.  Yes he is in the twighlight of his career but he was pretty much out for all of last season and that should add another year onto his career.  He seems to still get the job done and I have noticed that he is playing with a lot of spunk this year.  Some people might say that he is taking away a job from a young guy.  That is true but until the young guy can outplay the veteran, the young guy should still miss out. 

If they added the Cat to the roster for next season and kept their exsisiting front court, I would confidently state that it would be the greatest front court ever assembled on paper in the history of the NBL.  Maybe he could help Connor Henry prepare for how to face a zone defense.  I could not believe it when he said that he did not prepare his team to play against a zone in preperation for the Taipans game.  Hello Connor!  The Taipans are undermanned and understrength.  What did you think?  Were they going to come out and press full court?

Anyway enough of my ramble.  I will be back at work in a couple of weeks and the blogs will be back with avengance. 

Hey guys.  As avid readers of Basketball and Everything in Between, you will know that I have been without net access over the last week.  I honestly have not been following much NBL over the past couple of weeks but will try and write an insightful post for you all to read!

- I am currently listening to The OT with JR and DJ Rod.  It is the episode where Larry Abney apparently unloads.  I havent heard it all yet but I am looking forward to it. 

- Once again I pose the question about the Fox Sports TV deal.  What is going on?  Is there any news yet?

- Appartenly Luke Kendall is going to be a Tiger.  I think that this is an awesome move.  I think that this is a positive move for the Tigers and also a positve move for Luke himself.  I feel that he will fit in with that team like a glove. 

- How much longer will the league take to annouce what is going on next year in regards to teams etc?  I think that it is only fair on the guys who are going to be without a program (e.g. Cairns and Wollongong) and give them a chance to negotiate with other franchises.  It is only fair to guys who are trying to earn a living. 

Well that is about it.  I am sitting in Chermside shopping centre and I just added another $1 credit to my public access internet point.  I will try and write again very very soon. 

Every Tuesday morning, the rubbish man comes to my house.  My two year old son gets very excited and wants to help me take out the rubbish.  For some reason he just knows that it is Tuesday and the rubbish has to go out.  His first words every Tuesday morning is ‘Rubbish Man…come today’ and every time I hear him say that, I think of Dusty Rychart – the import for the Wollongong Hawks who needs a new nickname.  The Garbage Man in my opinion is the worst nickname in the NBL!

For those who don’t know about Dusty (and if you don’t you must have been under a very large rock for the past couple of years), he is currently an import for the Wollongong Hawks.  He has previously played for the Brisbane Bullets, Adelaide 36ers and Victoria Giants.  He is universally respected around the league for his work ethic and the little things that he brings to the teams that he is a member of.  Before coming to Australia, he attended the University of Minnesota and was a Big Ten All Conference member in 2001-02.  He has a career average of 15.6ppg, 8.7rpg and 1.6apg.

It was awesome that he (and the other guys who have done it for us) took some time to participate in this interview.  Hopefully you all enjoy it!

Firstly, the hottest topic in the NBL at the moment – The Sydney Spirit.  What is your take on the whole situation?

I think the whole state of the NBL is hurting at the moment and the Sydney Spirit are at the front of the pack. I feel for the guys on the team as they all have families and mortgages that need to be taken care of.  I wish them nothing but the best and hope they can get through the year

The second hottest topic in the NBL at the moment – The New NBL.  Do you think that the Wollongong Hawks will be a part of it?

 I really don’t know. You hear so many different things through out the year and no one really knows who will stay and who will go. I am sure the new NBL would want to keep the only foundation club in the league. 

I have been an avid reader of your site: d-rych.com since it’s inception.  What were the original thought processes behind the site? 

The whole idea was to inform mostly my family and friends of my basketball travels and life but it evolved into more than friends and family as many supporters of Minnesota Gopher Basketball follow it as does many Australian fans. I get great feedback and love the interaction but would love to get more involved with more interaction on my site with comments and recommendations.  Overall d-rych.com is something that I will look back at in 20 years and be glad that I wrote all those thoughts down.

You played your high school basketball at Grand Rapids High.  Tell us about your high schooling basketball career?  

High school basketball was great for me but coming from a hockey town many didn’t appreciate basketball. I loved it from the start and brought our team to the state tournament for the first time in 75 years which was something special and the school’s All-state first team selection.  It was one of the best times of my life for basketball and helped me get to where I am at today.

After you graduated High School, you went to the University of Minnesota and redshirted a season.  What was the reasoning behind your redshirting?

I redshirted because I was a walk-on and pretty skinny.  The redshirt year would allow me to gain experience playing against NBA playes such as Sam Jacobson, Quincy Lewis and get stronger.  It gave me a chance to adapt to the college game and adjust to life away from home for the first time in my life. I learned a lot that first year and grew from it.

After that you played four more years at UM.  You seemed to put up some pretty good numbers in your senior and junior years.  What was your college career highlight?

Definitely the 1999 NCAA Tourament game Vs. Gonzaga. It was my coming out and I made the most of starting. It was a total rush to be on the national stage like that and putting up numbers like 23-18 was awesome.  That game gave me respect and I was rewarded with a scholarship the next 3 years. 

Any thoughts of going the CBA / NBDL path in the USA at any stage?

The NBDL wasn’t around when I was leaving college but the CBA was. I never thought of playing in those leagues because there isn’t much money.  I love the game of basketball but I was going to play it for nothing I wanted to save money and prepare for after basketball with it. 

You played the first season in Australia for two franchises: Adelaide and Victoria.  Take us through your arrival in Australia and your thoughts on the old Victorian Giants.

I really didn’t know what to expect from Australia. I was so naive about the whole situation and really didn’t know there was a league down here until a week before I flew.  I was a typical American that thought that all Aussies had kangaroos for pets and there were no cities and nothing but outback. I just got on the plane and it was kind of an adventure as I didn’t have expectations. 

The old Giants were something interesting as they were low budget as you could get. Coming from a huge college where we had everything at our finger tips and everything was brand new to old school equipment was a shock.  Plus playing in front of a packed 15,500 every night in the Big Ten to barely getting 1500 was a major shock too. No one sat me down before I left and said professional life is way different than college. I wish someone would have told me all about it but I guess that I something you learn along the way and grow from it.  Then I got released a few weeks before Christmas which really hurt me because I wasn’t playing bad and they didn’t give me any excuses as to why they cut me so still today I don’t have closure on the situation. The owners and coaches both pointed the fingers at each other as who cut me.  Overall it was a blessing in disguise because Adelaide picked me up and I was aloud to play my game under Phil and the rest is history.

Mark Wright – were you a fan?

HELL NO!  Not that much of a fan. I wasn’t the only one that had a problem but I should thank him for letting me go so I could play on in Adelaide. Thanks Mark

You had three and a half good seasons in Adelaide.  What are the Adelaide fans like?

The fans in Adelaide are the best in Australia.  You just get this buzz before home games and when you get 5000+ in the Dome and rolling the atmosphere is electrifying! Wish it was like that everywhere in Australia.

What was your favourite memory during the Adelaide years?  Who were you favourite team mates?

The one thing that sticks out in Adelaide was the game winning shot in Carins and we ran straight from the court to the vans to the hotel and Carins stayed around thinking the game wasn’t over.  I still laugh about that and our Asst coach SJ telling us to hurry out! Haha 

I loved the guys that I played with at Adelaide and keep in touch with most. Guys like Brett Maher, Willie farely, Charles Thomas, Cooper, Oscar Foreman, Justin Wilky, Nick Hambour, Ninja, Paul Rees, Phil and SJ. Great teammates.

After plying your trade with the 36ers, you ended up at the Brisbane Bullets.  How did this come about?

The 36er’s were in financial trouble and only could offer a one year deal and then Brisbane saw that I was on the market and put forth a deal that was too good to refuse and 3 years so it was a no brainer.  It was a move that I don’t regret as I got to win a championship and be part of a team that is arguably the best ever.

In your first season with the Bullets, you won a championship.  What would you say that was the key reason that the Bullets were successful that year?

It was because of great team chemistry. That team had something about it that I can’t explain. The G-Unit which was our bench played a huge role in getting us the ring that year. They came out and won many games for us and challenged us every practice. 

 We have all heard the story about the Bullets going under last year.  When did you find out what was going on and what was your initial reaction?

We were all sitting around in Melbourne for breakfast right before our playoff game vs. Tigers and it was all over the front page of the paper.  As I walked down to breakfast guys looked as if someone died and everyone had a paper and you could say we all had a piece of us die that day.

You played a handful of games for the Brisbane Capitals last year in the QABL.  How was that as an experience playing under Bruce Palmer?

Bruce is a great basketball mind and says some funny stuff.  It was great just to play and get into shape before the NBL. At the time I still didn’t have a team in the NBL to play for so it was kind of a way to stay on the radar of NBL teams

Then all of a sudden you end up in Wollongong.  How did come about?

The Hawks were the only team that were interested in me after the Bullets went under.  So I had no other choice but to play but was happy to be somewhere since 3 teams have went out of the league. 

Wollongong went through a number of imports last season.  What do you think that you bring to the table for the Hawks?

I just bring what I usually bring. Hard work and hustle and if given the opportunity I will produce. 

What are the differences between Joey Wright and Eric Cooks as coaches?

Joey is more intense and in your face than Cookie. Every coach is different but Cookie loves Hawks basketball and the players.  Both are good coaches in their own right.

What are the teams goals for the remainder of the season?

I think the goal is to make the playoffs and stay in the league next season 

I read with interest that you may be becoming an Australian citizen.  Any movement on that issue?

If all goes to plan it should fall into place march 2009 which will be good and allow me to play for a few more years longer than I would if I was an import.

Who would win a 3 point shooting contest – Ron Ratliff or Kevin Brooks?

That is a tough one. I know rat can stroke it but KB was a game winner so I would have to say game winner would be KB but a game of horse would be Rat.

What are your thoughts on the return of a Brisbane franchise to the NBL?

I don’t know. The fans never really got behind us up there until we made the run to the Championship and it just seems as if they aren’t interested up there. Just my thoughts but Brisbane is a great place to live so I would love to see them in the league again.

Is Big Joe as good as he is cracked up to be as a team manager?

Overrated…lol  but the big man is a legend in the league. Everyone knows who he is. He always manages to get on FOX with his subway and Casey and Carfino love talking about the big fella.  Heard he has had some tough times overseas managing and is looking to come back so I am sure someone will demand is services in one way or another.

So there you go.  Hopefully he gets Australian citizenship and is here for years to come

 The TO has returned for its third episode.  In this episode a lot of ground is covered about a lot of issues.  We predict the rounds games and the winners of the games.  In a segement we also make some predictions about the future of some of the coaches in the NBL.  Everybody’s favourite topic – the future of the Sydney Spirit is also discussed in depth and a possible saviour is named. 

Listen to Episode 3 of the TO here

If you are having trouble with it, could you please email me at ashleyproud@gmail.com so that I can attempt to fix the technical issues. 

(As you can see, I have changed the theme of my blog.  Let me know what you think of it by leaving a comment at the bottom of this post or email me at ashleyproud@gmail.com )

Every NBL fan (and non NBL fan) knows that the NBL has very poor TV coverage.  At the moment, we are lucky to get one game a week on Fox Sports.  Last week we were so lucky to get two games due to the fact that Maroi TV from New Zealand covered the Breakers vs Dragons game and it was played on delay late Thursday night on Fox Sports.  But apart from that, there is no games on Free to Air TV.  Last year we had a replay on Sunday morning on Channel 9 but I don’t think that this exsists anymore (I live in a part of Australia that does not get Channel 9 – we get Imparja!)

Michael from Shibz’s Spiel recently wrote an article entitled: Television Coverage A Must In Today’s Digital Age.  In this post he talks about the importance of having television coverage in this day and age and how it is impartive to get.  My friend (and co host of the TO) Grandmaster Funk and I were talking about this just the other day.  I then stumbled across Hoops TV – Episode V.  In it the guys interview Boti Nagy and he talks about the importance of even getting local TV coverage for home centres (e.g. Channel 7 in Adelaide covering 36ers games etc)  I think that this is an awesome idea but I am unsure if the networks would grab onto it.

I am also an avid listender of OH-FM (which seems to have disappeared from the radar) and I remember in this episode, Derek talking about something called BitTorrent  I had absolutley no clue what it was so I went and did some research and found out that it was a free, open source file-sharing application effective for distributing very large software and media files.  His plan was that the NBL would upload the games to a certain site and we could access it from here (I think that was his idea)  He talked about the legal issues and apparently this was a bit dicey.

An idea that the NBL seriously should consider is broadcasting the games over the internet.  The D League in the USA, apparently does this to great success.  Therefore fans (and I wouldn’t be one for two reasons: 1. I only have crappy dial up internet at home and 2. Even if we had broadband, my wife is the boss and she would say no!) could pay a subscription fee and access all of the games over the net.  There would be costs to the NBL.  They would need to provide:

1. Provide at least 3 cameras for each game (estimate….I have no clue $3 000 ??)
2. Two local callers ($800 all up for the night)
3. An ICT guy ($300 for the night)
4. 3 camera men  ($750 all up)
5. Stats people (should be $0 as they should be able to use the exsisting system)

So by my maths, I estimate that it would cost the NBL each night $1 850 for each game.  If the NBL charged $200 per season for each person to subscribe for the year, it should almost be cost netural.  There would be some start up costs for the NBL to buy the cameras but they could be shared amongst the teams. 

So there you go.  Hopefully the NBL does something soon about the TV coverage soon, but I am sure that saving the Sydney Spirit is higher on their agenda!

Hello and welcome to another edition of Tuesday’s Random Rambles.  I am thinking about changing the theme of my blog as it seems that I have lost my ’side bar’ from the right hand side.  It is at the bottom of the page and I am finding that really really annoying.  If you have any thoughts on this, leave a comment at the end of this post or email me at ashleyproud@gmail.com  Anyway here we go:

- It seems as though some people are actually reading my blog.  My Google Analytics account tells me that I have had 1 084 visits!  Thanks for reading my blog.  At the end of this post I have a big rant and a challenge for you. 

- The first episode of the TO was reasonably well received by people and lots of fun to do.  We are going to try and make it a weekly thing and if I can get my head around the technology side, have some guests ring in and do interviews. 

- Speaking of Podcasts, I really enjoyed the latest edition of The OT with Kirk Penney.  He seems like a really humble guy and really down to earth.  I know that DJ Rod was a huge fan of him and said that he was a great guy.

- The Townsville Crocs have seemed to have snapped their lossing streak with a win over the Hawks.  In his post game interview coach Trevor Gleeson talks about how hard it was to bench Corey Williams, Russell Hinder and John Rillie from the starting five.  It was a pretty gutsy thing to do but they got the job done.  Williams still played 29 minutes, Hinder played 21 minutes and Rillie played 26 minutes.  It will be interesting to see if Trevor Gleeson sticks with this for the remainder of the season.  I think that he really needs to play those three guys more for them to be successful against the power teams in the league (Breakers, Dragons and Tigers) but good on the Crocs for getting the job done.  It was extremely pleasing to see Daniel Egan put up some great numbers.  9 from 10 from the field and 3 from 3 from the 3 point line certainly helps my FNBL team.  Thanks Daniel!  Once again, I forgot to activate Brad Williamson and it turned around to hurt me.  It seems that Corey Williams is not overly happy with his benching. 

- It seems as though my post on the NZ Breakers has proven to be correct.  If you are not a believer by now, you are an idiot.  The Breakers are going to make a deep run into the playoffs this season.  If they can get home court advantage, they should be in fantastic shape. 

- Michael Scibilia has wrote an interesting article titled ‘Smoke, Mirrors and a Salary Cap’. I really enjoy reading his blog and wish that he would write more often.  Anyway, in this article he discusses the possiblity of the ‘New NBL’ (we need an awesome name!) doing away with the Salary Cap.  He feels that this idea is shocking and I would have to say that I agree with him.  This is not the English Premier League where Russian Maffia families own teams and have an unlimited supply of money. 

- Ryan Mobillia has some interesting thoughts on how Zac Efron could svae the sport in our country.  I stumbled across his blog as well (it was linked to JR’s) and it is another good read.  He should write more often as well. 

- Whilst I like to keep this blog Australian related, I have to ask this question: What the hell is going on with Stephon Marbury?  In the game against the Bucks, he dressed but refused to play.  Is this guy serious?  I understand that he is not happy with the situation but there are twenty million basketballers around the world who would love to even put a NBA uniform on and he is refusing to play.  This just blows my mind.  Come on Stephon!  Pick up your game!

- It seems as though St Marys has taken over the mantle from Metro State as the production factory for young Australians playing college basketball.  I really enjoyed watching their game against Freno State last week on ESPN and loved the style of game that they play (e.g pushing the ball at every opportunity)  Their coach seems to have a firm handle on the Australian basketball scene.  Having David Patrick (who I played against at the Australian Schoolboys Titles in Newcaste in 1994) also helps as well.  I read with interest that they have signed three more Australians to their roster next year – Jorden Page, Matthew Dellavedova and Mitchell Young 

- The NBL is fuming that the AAP has cut its regular coverage of mathces as of next round and so they bloody well should be.  This is a disgrace and should not happen.  We are fighting hard to keep our sport above water in this country and this crap happens.  Boo to AAP!

I would like to personally challenge every blogger out there to put out more NBL coverage.  We need to ban together as a basketballing community and keep the information flowing about this league.  If the whole ‘New NBL’ thing is going to happen next season, that is great,  but lets enter the season with a bit of momentum.  It seems as though some people in power are just resting and doing nothing to promote the game in our country.  More needs to be done people.  Individual sites for each NBL club should have features on players etc.  They are not hard to do.  I have sent out a whole bunch of requests to certain players for interviews for my little site and I have already done one and have another two defintely ready to go.  If I can do it, why can’t others?  Come on offical NBL sites.  Have some interviews with players or something.  Get it done!

End of my rant!

Episode One – The official podcast of Basketball and Everything in Between

This is the first ever episode of The TO – The official podcast of Basketball and Everything in Between.  This has been inspired by The OT with JR and DJ Rod.  We are nothing compared to them but we are attempting to make our contribution to the NBL community.  Hopefully you all enjoy.  I am not sure about the site that it is hosting it yet but we will see how it goes. 

And then I saw her face
Now I’m a believer
Not a trace
Of doubt in my mind
I’m in love
I’m a believer
I couldn’t leave her
If I tried

I think that it is finally safe to say that the NZ Breakers are certainly the real deal.  One of the major hurdles that basketball people wanted to see them overcome is if they could win in Australia.  They are currently sitting 2nd on the ladder with a 10-3 win/loss ratio.  Out of the 9 players of the week that the NBL has awarded, they have won 3 (two for Kirk Penney and one for Rick Rickert) and they seem to be playing a very team orientated style of basketball.

So why are they being successful?  Last season, they started off fantastic and were going great guns.  We were all happy to finally see Kirk Penney in the league after so many years of hype.  They lost Wayne Turner early to injury (which was a big loss) but the bigger loss was when Rick Rickert went down with his back injury.  Orien Green came in to a lot of hype and was pretty good and Derek Alston  was a servicable mid season acquisation.  But come playoff time, the wheels seemed to fall off a little bit and they just couldn’t get over the line.

The biggest adjustment they made this season was the return of Rick Rickert and the recruitement of CJ Bruton.  We are all aware of how CJ got a release from the old Bullets, said he was going to Europe and then ends up with the Breakers.  From the Breakers point of view they attained one of (if not) the premier PG in the competition who has been around for ages and knows how to win.  Due to the points system, they are only running with one import and it seems to be going great guns for them.  After looking at various boxscores from their games, the minutes and points production seems to be shared around.  Yes Kirk Penney is leading the league in scoring but after that CJ, Ronaldson, Rickert, Forman and Jones are all scoring. 

Head coach Andrej Lemanis seems to be a pretty level headed guy and not a lot seems to phase him.  In this interview after the Crocs game he is pretty philosphocial about things and this seems to be helping his team.  The group that he has is a veteran group who all know how to play the game.  Another thing that I enjoy is the fact that their official website is always kept up to date (which some franchises do not!) and it is easy to read.  The NBL site has a great interview with CJ Bruton and it gets his thoughts on his teams progress. 

So can the Breakers continue to challenge and make a solid playoff run this year?  I think that if they stay healthy, they should!  Are we believers?  Well this guy certainly is and whilst he isn’t the most attractive man on the planet, I guess I will join him and say that I am as well!  But I am not in love with them and I could leave them if I tried! 

When I was doing my research for my post on the influence of college basketball on the NBL I went to each teams website and looked at the player lists and noted some of the obvious ones that I defintely knew (e.g Mark Worthington, Luke Kendall etc) and then went through the rest of the players one by one and checked if their biographies listed college experience.  When I got to the South Dragons list I noticed that there was a player on that list by the name of Daniel Dillon . I had absolutley no clue who this guy was, so I clicked on his biography and I was amazed to find out that he was:

1. A young Australian
2. Attended the University of Arizona for 4 years!

Anybody who knows anything about college basketball knows about the University of Arizona as they toured Australia a lot.  I remeber as a young lad of 14 or 15 sitting at the Auchenflower Basketball Stadium in Brisbane and watching Derek Rucker, Leroy Loggins and Andre Moore take on an Arizona squad featuring Damon Studimore and Khalid Reeves.  In short, Arizona is a powerhouse!

So I did a google search on Daniel Dillon and came up with some interesting stuff.  My google search came up with an article on his arrest for suspected DUI in 2007. I also found out that he was a member of Australian Mens World University Games team in 2005. After going to his profile at yahoo I was very interested to see that during his senior year at Arizona, he averaged 14.4 minutes per game.  So this guy wasn’t just a scrubber who sat on the bench.  He actually played minutes!

So last Wednesday night, I thought that I might have a chance to see this guy play some minutes.  As we are all aware, the Dragons blew the 36ers off the court and he saw some of his first court time for the year.  I have seen some snapshots on ESPN and Fox Sports of the Dragons training.  I saw this young guy running around with ‘Yannick Noah’ hair and it turned out to be Daniel. 

After perusing Daniel Dillon profile again, I noticed that he actually went to North Laurel High School in London, Kentucky in Year 12.  This is an interesting route that not a lot of young Australian’s go down.  Also according to his profile, he was a three time All Australian from under 16’s to under 18’s. The other thing that I noticed on his profile was his tough pose that all of the Dragons players did on their profiles.  He also has good size for a guard and seems to have reasonably quick.

So it will be interesting to see how this guy goes.  He certainly seems to have a good pedigree and will fit into the Brian Gorjian mold of player (e.g get after it defensively).  I wonder how much influence his assistant coach at Arizona Mike Dunlap had over his signing with the Dragons.  Not much I think!