Basketball and everything in between

Version 6 of Tuesday’s Random Rambles is here for your reading pleasure.  Hopefully you enjoy it!

- JR and DJ Rod have produced another awesome episdoe of The OT.  In this episode they have Spirit coach Rob Beveridge as their guest.  Awesome stuff!  I would have to say that if BG doesn’t want the Olympic job, he should be a shoe in for it.  After the 2012 Olympic Games, he should be the man to lead the national team for a long time to come.   My kids were actually using it the other day to slice in things for their podcasting project.  So therefore JR and DJ rod are influcing the future generations of podcasters in far western Queensland!

- How awesome was it to see the Crocs smash the Breakers on Thursday afternoon?   Grandmaster Funk was at Bollon Speech night and his wife came over to my house.  She lugged over his two children (he is a baby making machine) and I sat down on my lounge room floor (in 40 degree heat!) and played cars and turned on Fox Sports and watched the game live.  My son stopped playing with the cars and went and got an ice block.  When he returned, JR hit a three and my son pointed to the screen and started saying ‘Good boy good boy’.  When Phil Jones pushed Corey Williams in the back on the fastbreak, he pointed to the screen and said ‘Bad boy bad boy’  It was pretty funny stuff. Kirk Penney and Andrej Lemanis were obviously frustrated at the loss.  The hugest difference was that the Breakers shot 5/25 from the 3 point line and the Crocs bench had as many threes by themselves.  Trevor Gleeson was obviously very happy that his team won and they exectured his game plan.    On another point, Corey Williams looked very frustrated throughout this game.  Michael Cedar was once again fantastic and Kelvin Robertson was solid.  Maybe Cedar watched JR’s shooting instruction video!

- On another Crocs related topic, it was awesome to see that they are running a lot of Flex Offense options.  For those who don’t know what the flex offense involves, check out this Wikipedia article about it.  The Crocs are an ideal team to run this type of system as all of the players on their program have the ability to play inside / outside, slash to the basket and make descions.    Every man and his dog knows that the Melbourne Tigers run the shuffle offense to death  Continuity Offenses involve players being interchangable and being able to do multiple things.

- The Gold Coast Blaze smashed Perth 129 – 97.  In the latest episode of the OT, JR talks about the fact that if Perth lose this game, it could be the end for coach Connor Henry.  Only time will tell if this proves to be true.  Losing by 32 points can’t be good for your job security.  Remember when Cal Bruton replaced Alan Black after that shocking road double in Melbourne in 1990?  Whilst this is an entirely different time period and management team, the Wildcats fans demand excellence and they don’t seem to be getting it at the moment.  My mail tells me that Joey Wright actually had this job and declined it when the Bullets were saved.  Apparently Henry was their 2nd choice.  Maybe now that Joey is avaliable again, they might bite the bullet and pull the pin.  Gordie McLeod is another well proven coach who is currently unemployed.  Only time will tell I guess.  If the Wildcats are serious about winning a title this year, they would hire Wright straight away.  Every interview that I hear with Henry is not exactly inspiring me with confidence about his team. 

- At the other end of the coaching spectrum, Brian Goorjian is eyeing off a top two finish for the South Dragons.  If the Dragons don’t finish in the top two this season, they would have to finish off the remainder of this season pretty poorly.  I am prepared to call it now – the Dragons will be in the top two!

- Speaking of coaches, former Gold Coast and Wollongong import Andre LaFleur is continuning to flourish as an assistant coach at the University of Connecuit.  It is awesome to see that he has continued on in basketball.  I remember when the Bullets toured the USA and it was between him and Derek Rucker for the import PG spot.  Rucker obviously was the choice but LaFleur caught on with the Rollers.  I think that LaFleur played SEABL with Mt Gambier prior to playing with the Rollers.  The import pairing of Mike Mitchell and himself was a pretty handy combination.  LaFleur was more of a playmaker than Rucker.  I actually preferred him to be honest.  He was a pretty handy player back in the day!

- The NBL site has a good interview with Damien Martin.   It is a shame that he has broke his wrist and is out of action again.  The guy can go!

- Has there been any more movement on the Fox Sports $35 Million deal?  It was huge news a few weeks ago and it seems to have just gone off the radar.  If I was the NBL, I would be organising this as soon as possible in this uncertain financial times.  Get them to sign the contract Chuck!

- I think that I have stumbled upon an awesome Basketball podcasting site.  Check it out and let me know what you think!   Lots of podcasts and not enough time to check them all out.   The TO – The Official Podcast of Basketball and Everything in Between continues to grow and grow!  Over the course of our three episodes, we have had 181 downloads.  Not bad for a couple of chumps!

- The Official NBL podcast is up again and it is another professionally produced episode.  I really enjoy Nigel Purchase.  He was one of my favourite players as a youngster.  It seems that they have been listening to the TO and predicting the final make up of the play off teams etc. 

- Daniel Johnson is taking Sam McKinnon’s place on the active roster of the Tigers.  We all wish Mr Mackinnon the best and hope that he returns to the court sooner rather than later.  JR talks about taking advantage of the opportunities that life presents you.   

- Former Sydney King, Dontaye Draper, has exploded for a career high 29 points to lead Saos Hyeres to a huge comeback triumph over Keravnos in the EuroChallenge  I really enjoyed have Draper in the league last year and really think that some NBL teams could have done worse than sign him.  I love the way that he handled the ball and admired his guts when he tore his hamstring and played in the Grand Finals series.

- Luke Nevill from University of Utah is starting to put up some good numbers.  In the 95 – 81 victory of Oregon, he had 18 points and 10 rebounds.  To be honest, I haven’t heard a whole lot about this guy.  After reading his bio, I noticed that he earned honorable mention all-state and second-team all-region honors in 2003-04 while playing at Kell High School in Marietta, Ga., as an exchange student.  Just like Daniel Dillion, he went down the High School path in the USA.  It is a different path to others but the results is still the same (e.g. In the NCAA)  Hopefully this guy produces the goods.  There is some talk about him going to the NBA.  That would be awesome!

- Here is a YouTube clip of Daniel George (Geelong Supercats SEABL player) from his college career.  Daniel attended a couple of colleges in the USA and has bounced around with some NBL teams.  He is a solid player (and a Facebook friend of mine!)

- I would like to declare the BigV website the best website of all of the official sites for the leagues around Australia (including the NBL one!).  I love the player profiles and reading some obscure guys ones is pretty funny.  For example, some dude named Mark McFadden lists his career highlight as being an unsigned part time gangsta rapper.

-The 1993 Plays of the Year is awesome.  It was lots of fun to watch all of the old players from the NBL!  It is great to go down memory lane occasionally!

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

 

 

 

 

Another Saturday, another edition of Silly Sollies.  Here we go:

- Whilst I try and keep this blog purely Australian hoops related, I am not going to be tied down to that.  Once again I want to comment on the Stephon Marbury situation which is really satring to annoy me.  Dr Browntorios from The Hoop Doctors recently wrote an article titled Is Stephon Marbury of the New York Knicks the Mike Tyson of the NBA?  Whilst some readers of the article might think that it is a comparision between their awful head tatoos (I wonder if these tatts would make the list on the OT) it isn’t.In the article Dr Browntorios states:

So is Stephon Marbury now the Mike Tyson of the NBA? I’d have to say no.
Why?

Because for Marbury to be the Mike Tyson of the NBA, he would have had to at one point been the best in the game. The MVP caliber point guard, the best and brightest of the point guards in the league. Similar to a current Chris Paul, or Deron Williams. Or even in the recent past a Steve Nash or Jason Kidd. Don’t forget there once was a time when Mike Tyson was the best of the best. The youngest of champions, raw fury and power all bottled up and waiting to explode on his next opponent. He was always a little rough around the edges but no one could deny his brilliance in the ring. Then he crashed and burned. He basically imploded and fell apart as an athlete, as a person, and as a boxer.

In my opinion Marbury never achieved even the slightest level of “greatness” to be compared to the Mike Tyson’s of the world. Sure he’s a high profile athlete that ensured the implosion of his career through a series of bad choices and attitude problems. Sure he was an all-star caliber player at one point, but Marbury was never in the conversations of an MVP level player, or even a top 3 or 4 point guard in the league. So enough with the Marbury-Tyson comparisons already……

I think that I agree exactly with what Dr Browntorios states and wish that he would just get over himself and start to play.  It is purely his own fault that he has been supsended and he has nobody to blame but himself. 

- Over the past couple of weeks there has been a lot of talk about Kirk Penney and if he should be in the NBA.  The latest people to come out and say it are Brian Goorjian and Conner Henry.  Kirk Penney is an outstanding player who is well respected by the entire basketballing community in New Zealand and Australia.  Brian Goorjian even thinks that he is the best player in the league at the moment.  In my opinion he is a very very good player who it is awesome that he is in the league.  At best he would be a role player in the NBA but he could certainly fill a role.  That role would be as a shooter.  He would never be a defensive stopper or slashing two guard but he could hit the open shot pretty effectively in my opinion.

- 35 year old Martin Cattalini has done a Cher and turned back time and found some form.  It is good to see that he is getting the job done.   I have always been a huge fan of the ‘Cat’ and love the way that he attacks the basket.  He has a new role as a weapon coming off the bench and I feel that this could extend his career for an extended period.  Hopefully he can keep on keeping on.

- Chris Anstey is ready for the rowdy reception that he will receive on Saturday night when the Tigers travel to Adelaide to take on the 36ers Anstey has never been a crowd favourite in the city of churches and after the ‘Maher episode’ he is surely to be more unpopular.  Good luck Chris!

- The Bendigo Braves are currently touring the USA and seem to be having a lot of fun! I remember a few years ago when I toured the USA with the Brisbane Capitals as their assistant coach.  We played Washington, Washington State, Oregon, Portland, Portland State, Boise State and Montana in the space of around 14 days.  It was an awesome experience but a pretty bloody hard slog and a lot of travel.  The pre season tour used to be a done thing for most NBL teams but it seems to have gone from the radar due to our scheduling change.

- Apparently Brendan Joyce is going to apply to be the next coach of the Boomers!  I am sure that the Wollongong fans will be happy to hear about this.  I wouldn’t be betting millions on it like Gold Coast owner Owen Tomilson has on the NBL 

- It seems as though Greg Vanderjagt has landed on his feet as the development officer at Southern Districts. 

- I stumbled across this YouTube clip of the signing of Simon Kerle.  He certainly could never be accused of being a quietly spoken young man!  This got me thinking – how awesome would it be to have Simon Kerle commentating on Fox Sports or writing a column for a website (how about Basketball and Everything in Between Simon?) or making comments on the game.  He certainly was outspoken and was a character which we need in our game at the moment.   

- Whilst I am on the YouTube bandwagon, check out this clip of a 3 point shooter getting monstered on the closeout  I wonder if JR included in his shooting video how avoid getting killed as you are shooting the three ball.  Also check out this situation where a player from the University of Virgina uses the hoop to commit a hard foul on his Tenesse opponent.  Here is a highlight package of the Top Ten unsportsmanlike plays from Sportscenter, a NBA ref taking out a player, a huge no call by a ref on a charge blcok situation and a NBA player called David Wesley produces the worst lay up in the history of the game

Has there been a more up and down them throughout the season then the Wollongong Hawks?  Recently both Eric Cooks and Glen Saville came out and said that the Hawks need to step up in two main areas: rebounding and consistency.  Lets have a look at their roster and break it down player by player:

Kavossy Franklin: I remember the first time that I laid eyes on this guy and thought ”Why in the hell have the Sydney Kings recruited a midget to play beside Shane Heal?”  After watching him play a few games, I realised why they did.  Kavossy started the season off a bit inconsistently but seems to be moving in the right direction. He is a natural leader and a good choice for the hawks.

Mat Campbell: His averages are a little bit down this season (9.4ppg, 3.0rpg and 2.6apg) and he seems to have slowed down half a step.  What he does bring is solid leadership and he is pretty good at the defensive end. An increase in his 3pt percentage would help to no end.

Glen Saville: Wollongong Hawks fans were very excited when they found that he was returning from the Sydney Kings.  His numbers are significantly better this season but he is in a situation where he is the main man and not just a piece of the puzzle.   

Dusty Rychart: Dusty seems to be doing the job that he has always done for every NBL team that he has played with.  His numbers are not overly spectacular but they are pretty dam good.  He has been a super pick up for them after last years debaracle with their 2nd import spot.

Cameron Tragardh: He had a super off season in the QABL and has had a pretty good run so far.  His numbers are down on last years Most Improved Player award but his team is playing a lot better.  In his last hit out against a tough front line against the 36ers, he seemed to get the job done. 

Anthony Petrie: In my opinion, this guy is awesome for this franchise.  He seems to play the role that he is asked very well and provides good depth at both forward spots.  I loved the way that he didn’t backdown against Martin Cattalini in their game on Fox Sports last month.

Larry Davidson: Larry is a bit of an enigma.  He is super somtimes and average others.  He seems to have a tendancy to float in and out of games. 

Rhys Martin: The poor guy had his car torched earlier on in the season.  He has been taking advantage of his opportunities and seems to be making a contribution. 

Daniel Jackson: I have no clue on this guy so I won’t make a comment.

Lindsay Tait: At the beginning of the season I was really looking forward to watching Tait play and I honestly thought that he would push Matt Campbell out of his starting spot.  It seems that this hasn’t been the case and he hasn’t had a lot of opportunities to press his case.

Head coach Eric Cooks seems to have the respect of the players who play for him.  He took over the team mid season a couple of years ago in wake of the Brendan Joyce decision and has continued on with them ever since.  Since Joyce has left, Cooks has added Tragardh, Tait, Martin, Saville (lost and gained) and Petrie to the roster and lost Daniel Joyce, Casey Frank, various imports, Ben Castle and others.  To me it just seems that (and I have only watched a couple of games) the Hawks are still playing the same game style on offense that they were during the Brendan Joyce era.  Whilst I can appreciate that the playing rosters are similar in nature, towards the end of the BJ era he wasn’t winning.  Maybe the formula needs to be adjusted.

One thing that you can seem to rely upon the Hawks doing is punching above their weight.  If we honestly critique their roster, their talent from players 1 – 10 is not as great as some of the others in the league.  They seem to put in a honest effort each week but are not able to consistently get over the hump. 

So will they make the playoffs?  Once you get past New Zealand, South Dragons, Melbourne Tigers and Perth Wildcats, it is an open race in my opinion.  I am prepared to say that the Gold Coast Blaze are done for the year and I am almost ready to put the nail in the coffin for the Cairns Taipans.  So that leaves Adelaide, Wollongong, Sydney and Townsville competing for play off spots.  Their remaining draw for the year is:

Dragons vs. Hawks Hisense Arena Sat, Dec 6 7:30 PM AEDT
Crocodiles vs. Hawks Townsville Entertainment & Convention Centre Sat, Dec 13 7:30 PM
Blaze vs. Hawks Gold Coast Convention Centre Wed, Dec 17 7:30 PM AEST
Tigers vs. Hawks State Netball Hockey Centre Sat, Dec 20 7:30 PM AEDT
Hawks vs. Spirit Wollongong Entertainment Centre Sat, Dec 27 7:30 PM AEDT
Taipans vs. Hawks Cairns Convention Centre Wed, Dec 31 7:30 PM AEST
Hawks vs. Breakers Wollongong Entertainment Centre Fri, Jan 2 7:30 PM AEDT
36ers vs. Hawks Distinctive Homes Dome Wed, Jan 7 7:00 PM ACT
Spirit vs. Hawks Sydney Olympic Park Sports Centre Sat, Jan 10 7:30 PM AEDT
Hawks vs. Tigers Wollongong Entertainment Centre Sat, Jan 17 7:30 PM AEDT
Hawks vs. Crocodiles Wollongong Entertainment Centre Sat, Jan 24 7:30 PM AEDT
Hawks vs. Tigers Wollongong Entertainment Centre Fri, Jan 30 7:30 PM AEDT
Hawks vs. Breakers Wollongong Entertainment Centre Fri, Feb 6 7:30 PM AEDT
Hawks vs. 36ers Wollongong Entertainment Centre Fri, Feb 13 7:30 PM AEDT
Blaze vs. Hawks Gold Coast Convention Centre Sat, Feb 14 7:30 PM AEST

They have seven home games remaining with a run of five starting January 17.  The Hawks always play better at home than they do on the road.  Out of those seven home games, I think that they will win 3 or 4 of those games.  On the road, I think that they will win 3 of their remaining 7 games which will leave them with a 14 wins and 14 losses.  Without studying the other contendors remaining games, a 50% win loss record usually gets you into the playoffs.

In answer to my original question: Yes I think that they will get there in the end!

PS…..I just finished watching the replay of the pumping that was the South Dragons game.  I was horrified in how the Hawks played.  They have to many role players and not enough superstars.  I am going to write a big blog entry about the role of the role player but that was an awful performance from the Hawks.  I honestly don’t know if they can make the playoffs!

I am the first to admit that when Joe Ingles first entered the NBL, I wasn’t the biggest fan of his.  He came in with huge wraps and I thought that some of them were a little bit underserved.  That impression lasted all of about 10 days. 

Joe is currently in his third season in the NBL and has seen his team go through a lot of ups and downs.  He saw his superstar player turned coach (Mark Price) get the sack early in his rookie season, to be taken over by a player coach (Shane Heal) for about almost one and a half seasons, have an interm head coach (Guy Malloy) for around half a season and now have a new head coach this season (Brian Goorjian).  All of these coaching changes have had Joe playing different roles and it is a credit to him that he was able to adjust to each scenario. 

When Joe was a rookie in the league, he was a very good player but did not have an overall complete and polished game.  Whilst his game is far form polished now, it is much improved from his rookie season.  His descion making with the ball is fantastic and he can be relied upon to handle the ball against pressure effectively. 

I actually thought last year for a while that his game was going a little bit backwards and he was not progressing as most NBL fans would have liked.  I came to the conclusion that the reason I was feeling this way was that he was playing more of a 1/2 guard with Shane Heal as the coach and asked to play a little bit more with the ball in his hands and get shots for others.  Last season his asssits jumped to 4.9 per game as opposed to 3.0 the season before.  I have to admit that I wasn’t a huge fan of ‘this Joe Ingles’ and was a little bit perplexed about the whole scenario.

The best thing that could have happened to Joe was the fact that he won a spot on the Olympic team.  He spent the entire off season playing and preparing for the Olympic games.  Whilst he wasn’t a huge contributor, he certainly seemed to enjoy the experience of going hard against the guys at practice each day and competing at that level.  He was left off the roster after the off season tour a couple of years ago.  It was good to see him recover and make the final roster.  He pulled his name out of the draft last year and that was a good thing in my opinion. 

He has certainly had some good numbers this year.  His game seems to have gone to a different level playing for Brian Goorjian.  As every basketball pundit is aware, Brian Goorjian coached teams: a) play defense and b) shoot the 3 ball.  He seems to be extremely confident in his own abilities and is playing the game at a different level than what he used to.

So what will a NBA team get if they draft him?  They will get an athletic 2/3 man who has good size and a good feel for the game.  He is a pretty good ball handler, makes good decisions and seems to have an awesome attitude.  What will they not get if they draft him?  They won’t get a lock down defender who will flat out be able to stop people.  Lets not forget people that he is 6″8′ in the USA scale.  That is pretty tough.

I was talking to my friend and fellow co host of the TO Grandmaster Funk the other day about this scenario: Can you imagine if Joe Ingles was at St Marys or any other college and the damage that he would do to opontents?   Whilst Mills is outstanding (and nobody can doubt this) Ingles is larger, more athletic and more of an NBA body.  I am a fan of Brad Newley and thought that he had a good Olympic campagain.  I just think in the long run, Ingles has more to offer than Newley.

So NBA pretendor?  Certianly not!  NBA contendor?  I will say yes but like all things NBA draftish, it all depends on where he is drafted.  If he can get a 1st round pick, I think that he is in for good things.  If he goes in the 2nd round, it could get a little messy!  Only time will tell I guess!

 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. 

Hello all and welcome back to another version of Tuesday’s Random Rambles.  This is the 5th version of this and once again I will attempt to give my opinion on all things in basketball.  My photo is dedicated to the Sydney Spirit.  They have escaped from extinction but still have a challenge to face.

- A lot has been made over the comments made at the post game press conference in the Melbourne Tigers vs Townsville Crocs game from last Wedneday night.  If you haven’t seen or heard it, click here to find out what I am talking about.  My issue is the attitude of a certain Melbourne import.  He certainly had some things to say and rubbed up some Crocs fans the wrong way. 

- Sydney Spirit Captain Jason Smith has implored on the fans of basketball in Sydney to come to the games.   I truly believe that Sydney is not a dead duck and if we don’t have a solid vibrant franchise in the harbour city, our sport in Australia is doomed?  Whilst it is great that they had a good win against the Dragons on Saturday night, they need to keep the momentum rolling.  I am not sure about how I feel about Julian Khazzuah (wrong spelling) and Derek Low leaving.  I can appreciate that people need to get paid to earn a living but this is a special scenario.  Some fans are calling on Rob Beverdige to replace Low and Khazzuah as soon as possible.    I can appreciate the whole insurance thing but …. I just don’t know!  The guys at asaspace.com have an awesome photo story of the game I especially loved the photo of Dean Uthoff.  That’s Gold!

- I say this is all seriousness: has anybody approached Mark Cuban and asked him if he would like to own the Spirit franchise?  I am deadly serious!  He has money to burn and seems to be really passionate about the sport.  LIke him or hate him, you can not say that he is not a character and the NBL certainly needs them at the moment.  He has recently had some problems with Insider Trading allegations and a failed attempt at taking over ownership of the Chicago Cubs so the time could be right.  Could you imagine Mark Cuban owning the Spirit and they get screwed on a last second call in a game.  He would walk into ’Super Chucks’ office, put his feet up on the desk, write out a check for $1 000 000 and start firing off media reports at a rapid rate!  It is times like these that we have to think outside of the box!  His blog is banned at my work people.  Maybe we should start a campagin to try and get in contact with him and see if he is interested?

- So it looks as though Sam Mackinnon’s season is over due to blood clots on his lungs.  There is also talk that this may be the end of his career.  If this is the case, that is awful and it sucks big time for him.  Unfortunately Sam has been a bit injury prone throughout his career and missed a significant amount of time due to various injuries.  Whilst I think that the Tigers are deep enough to cover this loss, it still doesn’t help them at the PG position.  Mackinnon is a decent ball handler who helps them initate their offense (along with Barlow)  He surely will be missed.

- Rillie still rolling is an article that is currently on the NBL site.  The following is a direct quote from that article:

John Rillie buried rumours of his basketballing demise as he lifted the Townsville Crocs to a come-from-behind 94-90 win over the Taipans in Cairns on Saturday night.

Rillie rattled out 14 final term points including four triples and a field goal in a whirlwind four minute blitz that saw the Crocs blast past the Taipans with a 32-19 final quarter.

 Whilst I don’t necessarily agree that there were rumours of his basketballing demise, it is great to see that the ‘Self Confessed Blogger of the Year’ is running into some form.  JR thinks that his form has turned around because he has gone back to weraing a jockstrap.  Whatever gets the job done will work for me!

-   The next episode of the TO should be out on Wednesday this week.  Some people have seemed to enjoy it, whilst others have hated it!  Our whole purpose for doing it is to spread the message about the NBL and provide more content for people to listen to.  Anyway, hopefully you all enjoy the next one.  Watch out for it people!

- It is great to see Brett Maher putting up some good numbers.  In the game against the Hawks on the weekend, he produced some good stuff.  In the same game, you have got to question Aaron Bruce’s production.  I know that I have done this in the past (and I am sure that I will get a message from a relative about it again!) but apart from his assists, he didn’t (just by looking at the boxscore) seem to have much of an impact on the game.  I am sure that therre is a lot of pressure on him (being a rookie and starting in the NBL) but the 36ers need to start winning some games consistenly and he needs to be a major contributor. 

- St Marys has returned to form with a 79-54 victory of Cal State Fullerton  Whilst this win is defintely expected, it is good to see them back in some form.  Patrick Mills had 21 points which is always pleasing to see. 

- I was thinking about Joe Ingles the other day and how outstanding of a player he is.  There is a lot of well deserved hype out there about Patrick Mills, but my question is this: If Joe Ingles went down the college route, would have have the same hype that Mills has?  I think that might be a blog entry for later on in the week!

- Google Analytics is an amazing thing!  My account tells me that I have had 1 491 visits to this site.  1 322 are from Australia, 65 from the USA, 33 from the UK, 21 from NZ, 16 from Singapore, 6 from Japan, 5 from Canada, 2 from Thailand, South Korea, Ukraine and France and 1 from Malaysia, Tonga, Cayman Islands, Brunei, Portugal and Norway!  From there it also breaks down from each city around the world.  I won’t bore you with that, but I found it bloody interesting.  Thanks again people for joining the revolution to improve coverage of Australian basketball!

I recently stumbled across Darren Ng’s basketball blog and have been an avid reader ever since I found it.  During the last off season, Darren signed with the Singapore Slingers after his most productive NBL season.  Singapore are obviously no longer part of the league and Darren has stuck with the Slingers and played some fantastic basketball and had some great times.  I recently took a punt and asked Darren for an interview and he agreeded.  Enjoy!

Hi Darren.  Thank you for joining us at Basketball and Everything in Between.  How is life treating you in Singapore?

 

Life is good. The city is great, the people are great and I’ve had no trouble settling in. Admittedly, there have been some ups and downs since I’ve been here, but overall it has been a new experience that has opened up new opportunities for me.

 

You had a great season last year with the 36ers.  How did you end up in Singapore?

 

I was pretty happy with my season last year (actually around the time Julius came in I started playing well – I see he’s back!) and Singapore had been trying to get me to come over and play for them. It was a combination of something different for me and having a new experience in my basketball career. I always enjoy challenging myself and this was a new challenge in my life.

 

The Slingers are playing a series of exhibition games against different Asian teams.  How difficult is it to get yourself up for each game when there is no season and finals series?

 

There is obviously no playoffs to look forward to at the end of the season, but for me, and I suppose everyone on the team, when you go to play a game no matter what for, the competitive spirit comes out. Then there’s the fans that come out to watch every game and of course the special games where there are 6000+ people in the stadium. There’s also the opportunity every game to showcase what I can do and that in itself also generates interest in the region.

What was your feelings when you found out that the Slingers would not be playing in the NBL?

 

I was pretty shocked to begin with, of course. None of us had seen it coming. But if you looked at it objectively and did the sums, it was the logical thing to do. I’ve written about it extensively in a post on my blog and you can read more about it there.

 

I read with interest that Gordie McLeod left the team mid season.  Can you shed any light on that situation and how it occurred?  How did the team feel about him leaving?

 

Gordie was having some issues with his contract, so chose not to go on. It is tough having him leave as he is such a great coach, one that is highly respected in Australian basketball. But we have a great replacement in Frank Arsego and the team is now moving on.

You had some great games for the 36ers last season (including a career high of 30 points against Wollongong) but the 36ers came up short and missed the play offs.  What was your take on the whole season?

 

Its probably been talked about a fair bit already – we started slow and probably had a few injuries that cost us at the start. Obviously, when Julius came in we kicked up a gear and about that time I started to play well and find my niche in the team. We were one game away from the playoffs and finishing the season strong so it was a pity we didn’t quite get there.

Who is the best import that you have ever played with?

 

Julius Hodge.

 

Obviously playing for Phil Smyth had a great influence on your career.  How was he as a coach?

 

Phil was one of those coaches who not only coached, but knew how to manage a team. I think he and Steve Breheny complemented each other really well and that is clear from their success. I am indebted to both Phil and Steve for allowing me to play as well as complete my Medical degree – not many others would have been as accommodating. Not only was I able to become a doctor, but at the same time I was able to improve my game to the level it is now.

 

You took the 2005-06 season off to complete your medical studies.  What strand of medicine are you hoping to practice in at the conclusion of your basketballing career?

 

I am still considering which path in Medicine I want to take. I would like to play basketball professionally until the stage I feel I have competed at the highest level I can, or feel that I am not competitive anymore. So, I guess the medicine is going to fit around that for a few more years. I’m sure that when my playing days are over I’ll be in for a challenging career in Medicine, as that is just part of my character.

 

What are your thoughts on the demise of the NBL?  How can it return to its glory days of the past?

 

I’ve seen the NBL slowly head south since I started playing in the league. I came in at a time where it had peaked and support (particularly in Adelaide) was at a high. It is a shame that this has happened and I think some of the onus has to be put on the people running the league. Some teams have profited, while others have been left behind. When this happens, those struggling teams try to spend over their limits to compete and that’s where problems arise. Three teams fell out of the NBL in the past off season and I know that for a fact Singapore would still be in the league if they had just given us a few allowances, like better scheduling of games (something simple, but they still couldn’t do it). I suspect Sydney and Brisbane could have been saved if the NBL and other teams really wanted. ABC learning was obviously a great supporter of the league and it was unfortunate what happened there and nobody could have seen that coming. That probably kicked things into panic mode a little more. Hopefully this new review has some ideas, but at this stage it is hard to tell. I see that they would like to play in Asia, but their foothold (Slingers) is gone and we are looking towards an ASEAN league in the near future. I really do hope the NBL gets back as there are many great players in Australia and it would be a shame to lose them.

 

Favourite team mate of all time?

 

Brett Maher – a great guy, great player and someone I’ve looked up to my whole career. It was a privilege to have played with him.

 

I am sure that you have heard about the whole Ben Cousins returning to the AFL drama.  What are your thoughts on this?  Should he be allowed to play again?

 

That’s a hard one. It probably leaves the door open to superstar players thinking they can get away with whatever they like. However, Ben is such a talented player that clubs are willing to take a risk with him. And if he has gotten his life back in order, then good on him. I’m not really sure about this one. I don’t like seeing drugs in sport (or recreational drugs in life in general), so I’m probably just on the ‘not allowing him to play’ side. But it’s tough.

 

Last question – will we ever see you back in the NBL again?

 

I guess we’ll see in the future if I’ll be back. Having been up here in Singapore has opened up opportunities that I would have never have imagined possible, so time will tell where my next challenge takes me. If it is the NBL, then I’d be happy to be back.

 

So there you go.  I personally think that league is worse off without guys like Darren and the other guys who are with the Slingers.  I am glad that they are getting an opportunity to play and get paid but it is not for the best for basketball in Australia.  But it was awesome that he took the time to do this interview.  Check out this YouTube mix of Darren’s highlights with the Slingers and this one from his time with the 36ers and of course visit his blog to keep up to date with the things that are happening with him and the Slingers. 

 

 

Tim Dillon was one of my favourite imports to ever grace a NBL floor.  I know that I seem to say that  a fair bit, but this guy was the real deal and could flat out get it done.  If you read my article on Brian Goorjian, you will know that I was a huge North Melbourne Giants fan who turned to the darkside when the Magic was formed.  I loved the Giants and one of the main reasons was this guy.  When I was a youngster, his brother Mike, played for the Dandenong Rangers in the SEABL (or whatever it was called then) and he held a clinic.  Both Tim and Scott Fisher turned up and this was the highlight of my week for around 6 weeks. 

A bit of background information – Tim only played two years in the NBL for the Giants.  In those two years he averaged 31.08ppg, 10.47rpg, 2.36apg and 1.47spg.  He shot 55% from the field, 34% from the 3 point line and a suprisingly low 69% from the Free Throw line.  But for me it was more than his numbers.  It was the way that he got his numbers.  He was listed at 203cms and I remember in the 1988 season, both he and Scott Fisher were the starting 4 and 5 men for the Giants.  In 1989, Ray Borner joined the Giants program and he was allowed to play more of his natural game which allowed him to step out to the perimeter sometimes.  Prior to that, Tim attended the Northen Illinois Unversity and was drafted with pick 49 by Chicago in the 1984 NBA Draft (the same draft as Jordan and Hakeem)  In this article, Adam Ballinger is compared to Tim Dillion which I think it a pretty fair comparison.  I think that Tim could get it done more off the dribble than Ballinger but both have good size and good shooting touch.   

I searched and searched Google for some images of him as a player, but I couldn’t find a single one.  Don’t ask me what the above image has to do with him.  I guess he was in the NBA draft but not in the lottery!    In the latest edition of The OT with DJ Rod and JR, they discuss imports from the past and how they would have went in the modern game.  I think that he would be tough as in the 2008-09 NBL season.  In my opinion, Adam Ballinger is a very good import and in his prime, Tim Dillion was better. 

Got to love the memories!  It was sad that he only played two seasons in our league.  I can’t remember the reasons why.  I had a conversation with Bruce Palmer about this once but I just can’t put my finger on the reason that he was only here for a short time.  So there you go!  Hopefully others have just as fond memories of Tim Dillion as I do!

Welcome to another edition of Saturday’s Silly Sollies.  I would like to dedicate this edition to the Australian Acquastion of the Year Russell Hinder.  Hopefully you will get your starting spot back soon Rusty!  So lets go.  There is a lot of stuff going on in the basketball world.

- Townsville upset the Melbourne Tigers on Wednesday night.  I was sitting there after watching the debarcle that was South Dragons vs Cairns and the score came up on the screen on Fox Sports news after the game.  I have to admit that I did a double take and was amazed to see that the Crocs had knocked off the Tigers.  Good on them for getting it done.  It sounds like it was an awesome game and Michael Cedar got the job done.  It looked like that the Crocs got it done with a lot of guys contributing. 

- On the same night, I had the displeasure of watching the Dragons rip apart the Taipans.  I knew that the Taipans were in for a long night when Darnell Mee was injured to start and didn’t even suit up.  Scott Cook looked reasonably composed against the pressure of the Dragons but Kerry Williams did not.  The Taipans seemed to run through their offensive sets but weren’t getting anything out of it.  There is a lot of pressure of Alan Black.  I think that he deserves to see out the season as he is a good coach and has a proven track record at a number of locations.  I read with interest that the Cairns Convention Centre is still throwing mud around the lease etc.  It will be interesting to see how that pans out.

- Thursday night saw the NZ Breakers give the Perth Wildcats a bit of a basketball lesson. I watched the majority of this game (my wife rang her mother and Grandmaster Funk came over for me to sign some mortgage documents) and to me the most pleasing thing for Breakers fans must be the fact that Kirk Penney was pretty well contained and wasn’t a huge contributer.  I really enjoyed watching Dillion Boucher.  I am the first to admit that I have never been a huge fan of his, but he is the perfect player for this team.  He is a pretty good ball handler, has some basketball smarts and plays a good team game.  I think that the Breakers are defintely now the real deal.  I was pretty amazed to hear the interview with Connor Henery after the game where he criticised CJ Bruton for standing at half court and playing it up to the crowd.  Get over it Connor!  He was trying to get the fans excited (which they should be) and create some atmosphere.  This seems to be an interesting rivilary brewing between these two teams.  When will teams learn not to press the Breakers?  Hopefully soon for them! Shawn Redhage’s best friend Phil Jones was also pretty good during this game. 

- In the latest edition of the OT, JR and DJ Rod discussed all things NBL with Russell Hinder and Crocs Marketing, Media & Communications Manager Mili Simic.  It was different to the usual format of the show and I really enjoyed it.  They were talking about some ideas to increase the popularity of the NBL and one idea floated around was the ‘Bonus Point’.  When the bonus point was introduced into Super 14 Rugby, some people were against the idea but it has proven to be successful.  I am not overly sure about Rusty’s idea about if you get 10 dunks and 10 threes in a game, you get the bonus, but it would sure make for some interesting times.  Thanks again to Russell Hinder for nominating this site as his favourite basketball site.  There is a lot of love here for you!

- Darren Ng has wrote an article about the Slingers latest series of games in Indonesia.  Whilst I can’t exactly imagine basketball being overly competive in Indonesia, good on the Slingers for promoting the game in Asia.  Look out for a Q & A that Darren has done for us that will be published next week (Monday maybe)  It is a great read and he is very articulate (which I am not and I am not even sure if I spelt it correctly!) and you can tell that he is a doctor!!

- Boomers 2010 is the latest entry on JR’s blog.  In his blog, he discusses the team that will represent Australia at the 2010 World Championships in Turkey.  I agree with his assessment on the automatic selections (Andrew Bogut, Brad Newley, Matt Neilsen, David Andersen, CJ Bruton and Pat Mills) and also the guys who should make the cut pretty easily (Mark Worthington, Joe Ingles and David Barlow)  So that is nine guys, which leaves three roster spots avaliable.  There are a lot of guys up for those three spots.  I am not overly sure about who could fill those three spots but I wil have a think about it and blog it soon. 

- Ross Lewis from the Western Australian has wrote an article about Australian basketball’s new head honcho will need to keep a cake of soap in his office. In the article he talks about how Perth Wildcats CEO Nick Marvin has had enough of the swearing of NBL players and coaches and he wants action taken.  I am a bit of a fence sitter on this point.  I can understand that sometimes people become caught up in the moment and can drop the occassional ‘F Bomb’ and the ‘S Word’.  I have never heard anybody say the ‘C word’ that rhymes with runt.  I can also understand that the players and coaches have a responsibility to promote the sport in a positive light. 

- This Greg Evans character is really starting to annoy me now.  It has been revealed that the Sydney players have not been paid for over a month.  I don’t want to blog heaps about it but I will say that I hope that they see out the season and make a deep play off run.  

- Andrew Bogut has a new blog entry up entitled ‘When it Rains, It Pours’   He talks about his injury at the moment and how the whole Sydney Spirit stuff is affected people that he knows and cares about.  I remember reading an interview somewhere where he talked about that one day in the future he wanted to own a NBL franchise but he didn’t want to go in half arsed. 

- In honour of the whole Movember thing, check out this article about the Great Mustaches in NBA history.  My personal favourites are Connie Hawkins and James Edwards. 

- The people out there are really enjoying listening to The TO – The official podcast of Basketball and Everything in Between.  There are some haters out there but generally speaking most people are appreciating our crappy effort to making a contribution to the Australian Basketballing Community.  We enjoy doing it and hopefully get better each week.   Speaking of podcasting, it has become a bit of an obsesison of mine over the past couple of weeks.  Obviously there is The OT and The Official NBL Podcast each week.  Is there any other NBL podcasts out there?  If there are, could you leave a comment at the bottom of this post or email me at ashleyproud@gmail.com  I am sure that you will all appreciate this non basketball related podcast.  

- This is a pretty good interview with Adam Ballinger It is interesting to see how much he loves Larry Bird.  The more I think about his game, the more he is a poor mans Larry Bird. 

- Congratulaitons to the Melbourne Tigers for allowing Bo’s Blog to return.