With less than a month to go until the High Stakes Hoops tournament, its time to catch up on everything that's been happening.
First, I mentioned last month that the Footlocker Elite Classic would be having an international draft. Well, the draft took place on Friday and the results are below.
Foot Locker Elite Classic – High Stakes Hoops Draft a Success « The Foot Locker Elite Classic – High Stakes Hoops
The 2010 Overseas Player Draft is complete, and the field is led by some recognisable players with strong resumes in Australian professional basketball, complimented by some young, explosive new talent. The selection pool was deep, and the Team Rights Owners we able to add athleticism and depth to their already star-studded rosters. Teams were given the opportunity to select players over three rounds. Several owners indicated a high level of confidence in their current Australian personnel by passing on picks in at least one of those rounds. A total of 14 players were drafted. Below are the results:
MONARCHS
Isiah Victor
Scott O’Gallaher
COASTERS
Mike Helms
REEF
Shane Edwards
Jelani Gardner
RUSH
Lonnie Harrell
Michael Boone
D’Lancy Carter
RAYS
Freddy Robinson
David Fisher
PYTHONS
Vernon Goodridge
CYCLONES
Terrance Woodbury
Mario Brown
FLEET
David Carson
Secondly, earlier in the week came the news that Brett Maher was almost sure he would be signing popular former Adelaide import, Willie Farley.
Finally, after the draft was completed, there came the announcement that the Pythons would sign undrafted 2009 NCAA dunk champ, Tony Danridge. Considering this tournament is an "event", its crazy to think someone wouldn't sign him just for the excitement he could bring to the games and to keep the fans entertained (even if it was just in the lay-up lines).
To keep up to date with all things about the Foot Locker Elite Classic, follow ECB on Facebook here and on Twitter here.
Showing posts with label Brett Maher. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Brett Maher. Show all posts
Sunday, March 14, 2010
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
More Foot Locker Elite Classic - High Stakes Hoops
I was down in Melbourne for the weekend so I'm just getting to catch up on things now, but on Friday afternoon Jeff Van Groningen was on Inside The Game TV with Kevin Brooks & Brett Maher.
I've been meaning to check out this show for a while now, so when JVG was the special guest and the hot topic was the Foot Locker Elite Classic - High Stakes Hoops, I made sure I didn't miss it. If you didn't catch it, check out the show here. Congratulations to Kevin & Brett, I really enjoyed the show and look forward to catching another episode again soon.
I also came across Mookie at A Stern Warning's analysis of how High Stakes Hoops will effect the NBL. As always, nice work from Mookie.
I've been meaning to check out this show for a while now, so when JVG was the special guest and the hot topic was the Foot Locker Elite Classic - High Stakes Hoops, I made sure I didn't miss it. If you didn't catch it, check out the show here. Congratulations to Kevin & Brett, I really enjoyed the show and look forward to catching another episode again soon.
I also came across Mookie at A Stern Warning's analysis of how High Stakes Hoops will effect the NBL. As always, nice work from Mookie.
Friday, January 22, 2010
The Foot Locker Elite Classic - High Stakes Hoops
After the big announcement yesterday the Australian basketball world has been a buzz! Twitter conversations were all about it yesterday, people were talking about it on message boards and everyone was wondering what was going on and how it effects the NBL and its players.
If you missed the actual announcement, here's a clip from Sports Tonight:
A lot of people jumped to conclusions one way or the other despite only limited information being released about the event. Here are the main conversations about it:
OzHoops
Hoops SA
The press conference and the announcement were covered in most papers this morning and here are some of them:
Brisbane Times
Adelaide Now
And the first comment from an NBL player:
Townsville Bulletin
Its a pity they continue to spell Corey's nickname wrong (check the title).
I've just found that Jeff Van Groningen will be on Inside The Game TV with Kevin Brooks and Team Owner Brett Maher. The show is on from 6 - 7pm (I assume SA time) and they will no doubt be discussing the event, answering some of the questions that have been raised and dispelling some of the myths that are already out there.
Keep checking in here for more announcement regarding The Foot Locker Elite Classic - High Stakes Hoops.
If you missed the actual announcement, here's a clip from Sports Tonight:
A lot of people jumped to conclusions one way or the other despite only limited information being released about the event. Here are the main conversations about it:
OzHoops
Hoops SA
The press conference and the announcement were covered in most papers this morning and here are some of them:
Brisbane Times
Adelaide Now
And the first comment from an NBL player:
Townsville Bulletin
Its a pity they continue to spell Corey's nickname wrong (check the title).
I've just found that Jeff Van Groningen will be on Inside The Game TV with Kevin Brooks and Team Owner Brett Maher. The show is on from 6 - 7pm (I assume SA time) and they will no doubt be discussing the event, answering some of the questions that have been raised and dispelling some of the myths that are already out there.
Keep checking in here for more announcement regarding The Foot Locker Elite Classic - High Stakes Hoops.
Thursday, January 21, 2010
High Stakes Hoops
Elite Classic Basketball (ECB) today announces an exciting addition to the Australian sporting calendar.
“Foot Locker Elite Classic - High Stakes Hoops”
The 'Foot Locker Elite Classic - High Stakes Hoops' will see eight teams playing for a total prize pool of $250,000 in a short, sharp and lucrative event.
Network Ten and ECB have created a partnership which results in ONE broadcasting the 'Foot Locker Elite Classic - High Stakes Hoops' in its entirety - over 37 hours of live basketball on free-to-air commercial television.
"We are delighted to partner with ECB to broadcast this exciting event. The 'Foot Locker Elite Classic - High Stakes Hoops' event fills a gap in the current Australian television landscape", Network Ten Head of Sport, David White, said today.
The Adelaide Dome has been selected as the venue for the event due to its basketball-specific facilities and capacity, combined with a strong and knowledgeable basketball fan base in the city.
The innovative format is designed to appeal to fans at the games and the wider national television audience alike, and sees eight teams owned by ‘Team Rights Owners’ who pay a fee to secure the rights to a team. While the winner takes home a majority of the prize pool, six out of the eight Team Rights Owners secure a monetary prize of at least their buy-in fee.
ECB Managing Director Jeff Van Groningen believes the business model is unique. “With six out of the eight Team Rights Owners able to re-coup their initial fee and a significant prize up for grabs this is a chance for players and Team Rights Owners alike to compete in a ‘high stakes’ environment over a short period of time”.
The ‘Foot Locker Elite Classic - High Stakes Hoops’ falls in a clear calendar window, away from regular, top-tier professional commitments for most players.
“This event recognises the global trend in which people are time-poor yet demand unique, dynamic and palatable sporting events. Combining game innovations, celebrity involvement, a prize pool and a terrific live broadcast partner in ONE, the 'Foot Locker Elite Classic - High Stakes Hoops' is the basketball event that responds to this demand”, Van Groningen said.
Foot Locker leads the corporate support for the event and provides its peerless brand strength through a Naming Rights deal for the event. Nike have partnered with Foot Locker and will reveal spectacular uniforms for each of the teams closer to the event.
Triple M has partnered with the 'Foot Locker Elite Classic - High Stakes Hoops' to become the Official Radio Partner of the event.
Iconic sports brand Spalding will be the Official Ball of the ECB. With significant game-ball experience garnered in partnership with the NBA, Spalding will soon unveil a unique ball for the event which is sure to create an impact.
Four Team Rights Owners have been announced today. All are prominent sporting personalities who share an interest in the great game of basketball.
Hawthorn AFL star Lance “Buddy” Franklin has secured the PYTHONS, Melbourne Vixen & Australian Diamond Julie Corletto takes charge of the COASTERS, former NBL great Lanard Copeland in partnership with retired 14-year NBA player Sedale Threatt (Lakers, 76rs, Sonics) direct the RUSH, and local Adelaide legend Brett Maher (18 years Adelaide 36rs and triple Olympian) will steer the FLEET.
“I’m a big basketball fan and always have been. I’m looking forward to putting a squad together to try and win this event. I like the format, it’s so unique”, Lance Franklin said today.
Four Team Rights slots are available - RAYS, REEF, CYCLONES and MONARCHS - with announcements to follow.
Several innovative rule changes will see enhanced interest in the event.
On two occasions during each game, one in each half, the coach or on-court captain of each team may opt to use a “game breaker” phase. Over the next 3 minutes of clock time every three-point shot scored will count as four points. The backboard at the team’s attacking end will be brightly lit in green LED lighting, denoting the “game breaker” phase is in effect. Strategy will develop quickly around this unique phase of play.
A further innovation will see each individual quarter scored separately from the final game score. While the winning team will always get the ‘W’ in the column, the team winning each quarter receives bonus ‘elite points’ that accumulate during the competition and are assessed when distributing prize money for those teams not making the Foot Locker Elite Classic Final Four.
Coaching legend Brian Goorjian has thrown his support behind the event. “This event is innovative and ground-breaking and has the potential to really engage fans. It’s a showcase for the sport on free-to-air television”, Goorjian said. The winner of an unprecedented 6 NBL Championships added, “I like the ingredients. Former players and coaches are involved, and new coaching strategies will be employed to maximize the benefits of the rule changes. The whole thing is dynamic. Team Rights Owners are coming into this from other sports because they believe in it and I have no doubt it will attract top players. They’ll want to be part of this”.
ONE broadcast schedule:
Tuesday 6 April & Wednesday 7 April:
12.30pm – 8.30pm AEST & Bris / 10.30am – 6.30pm Per / 12noon – 8pm Ade
Thursday 8 April:
11.30am – 7.30pm AEST & Bris / 9.30am – 5.30pm Per / 11am – 7pm Ade
Friday 9 April:
4.30pm – 8.30pm AEST & Bris / 2.30pm – 6.30pm Per / 4pm – 8pm Ade
Sunday 11 April:
FINAL: 5pm – 7.30pm AEST & Bris / 3pm – 5.30pm Per / 4.30pm – 7pm Ade
“Foot Locker Elite Classic - High Stakes Hoops”
The 'Foot Locker Elite Classic - High Stakes Hoops' will see eight teams playing for a total prize pool of $250,000 in a short, sharp and lucrative event.
Network Ten and ECB have created a partnership which results in ONE broadcasting the 'Foot Locker Elite Classic - High Stakes Hoops' in its entirety - over 37 hours of live basketball on free-to-air commercial television.
"We are delighted to partner with ECB to broadcast this exciting event. The 'Foot Locker Elite Classic - High Stakes Hoops' event fills a gap in the current Australian television landscape", Network Ten Head of Sport, David White, said today.
The Adelaide Dome has been selected as the venue for the event due to its basketball-specific facilities and capacity, combined with a strong and knowledgeable basketball fan base in the city.
The innovative format is designed to appeal to fans at the games and the wider national television audience alike, and sees eight teams owned by ‘Team Rights Owners’ who pay a fee to secure the rights to a team. While the winner takes home a majority of the prize pool, six out of the eight Team Rights Owners secure a monetary prize of at least their buy-in fee.
ECB Managing Director Jeff Van Groningen believes the business model is unique. “With six out of the eight Team Rights Owners able to re-coup their initial fee and a significant prize up for grabs this is a chance for players and Team Rights Owners alike to compete in a ‘high stakes’ environment over a short period of time”.
The ‘Foot Locker Elite Classic - High Stakes Hoops’ falls in a clear calendar window, away from regular, top-tier professional commitments for most players.
“This event recognises the global trend in which people are time-poor yet demand unique, dynamic and palatable sporting events. Combining game innovations, celebrity involvement, a prize pool and a terrific live broadcast partner in ONE, the 'Foot Locker Elite Classic - High Stakes Hoops' is the basketball event that responds to this demand”, Van Groningen said.
Foot Locker leads the corporate support for the event and provides its peerless brand strength through a Naming Rights deal for the event. Nike have partnered with Foot Locker and will reveal spectacular uniforms for each of the teams closer to the event.
Triple M has partnered with the 'Foot Locker Elite Classic - High Stakes Hoops' to become the Official Radio Partner of the event.
Iconic sports brand Spalding will be the Official Ball of the ECB. With significant game-ball experience garnered in partnership with the NBA, Spalding will soon unveil a unique ball for the event which is sure to create an impact.
Four Team Rights Owners have been announced today. All are prominent sporting personalities who share an interest in the great game of basketball.
Hawthorn AFL star Lance “Buddy” Franklin has secured the PYTHONS, Melbourne Vixen & Australian Diamond Julie Corletto takes charge of the COASTERS, former NBL great Lanard Copeland in partnership with retired 14-year NBA player Sedale Threatt (Lakers, 76rs, Sonics) direct the RUSH, and local Adelaide legend Brett Maher (18 years Adelaide 36rs and triple Olympian) will steer the FLEET.
“I’m a big basketball fan and always have been. I’m looking forward to putting a squad together to try and win this event. I like the format, it’s so unique”, Lance Franklin said today.
Four Team Rights slots are available - RAYS, REEF, CYCLONES and MONARCHS - with announcements to follow.
Several innovative rule changes will see enhanced interest in the event.
On two occasions during each game, one in each half, the coach or on-court captain of each team may opt to use a “game breaker” phase. Over the next 3 minutes of clock time every three-point shot scored will count as four points. The backboard at the team’s attacking end will be brightly lit in green LED lighting, denoting the “game breaker” phase is in effect. Strategy will develop quickly around this unique phase of play.
A further innovation will see each individual quarter scored separately from the final game score. While the winning team will always get the ‘W’ in the column, the team winning each quarter receives bonus ‘elite points’ that accumulate during the competition and are assessed when distributing prize money for those teams not making the Foot Locker Elite Classic Final Four.
Coaching legend Brian Goorjian has thrown his support behind the event. “This event is innovative and ground-breaking and has the potential to really engage fans. It’s a showcase for the sport on free-to-air television”, Goorjian said. The winner of an unprecedented 6 NBL Championships added, “I like the ingredients. Former players and coaches are involved, and new coaching strategies will be employed to maximize the benefits of the rule changes. The whole thing is dynamic. Team Rights Owners are coming into this from other sports because they believe in it and I have no doubt it will attract top players. They’ll want to be part of this”.
ONE broadcast schedule:
Tuesday 6 April & Wednesday 7 April:
12.30pm – 8.30pm AEST & Bris / 10.30am – 6.30pm Per / 12noon – 8pm Ade
Thursday 8 April:
11.30am – 7.30pm AEST & Bris / 9.30am – 5.30pm Per / 11am – 7pm Ade
Friday 9 April:
4.30pm – 8.30pm AEST & Bris / 2.30pm – 6.30pm Per / 4pm – 8pm Ade
Sunday 11 April:
FINAL: 5pm – 7.30pm AEST & Bris / 3pm – 5.30pm Per / 4.30pm – 7pm Ade
Monday, January 12, 2009
NBL wrap - round 17
I had a very social weekend and wasn't in front of the computer at all. It now feels strange not posting or knowing what happened in the NBA and NBL for 2 or 3 days!
Here are the numbers that matter from a full round in the NBL:
36ers 106 Hawks 99
For the 36ers:
Luke Schenscher 25 points, 13 boards
Adam Ballinger 23 points, 10 boards
Brett Maher 20 points, 4 assists
For the Hawks:
Dusty Rychart 20 points, 13 boards
Glen Saville 20 points, 8 boards, 6 assists, 4 steals
Cameron Tragardh 20 points, 5 boards
A great crowd of 6300 on hand to see Julius Hodge not turn up for the game. The 36ers bigs (Schenscher and Ballinger) dominated without him but the Hawks hung tough on the road to keep it close. 36ers had just 8 turnovers for the game and 23 offensive boards that helped get them 25 more shots than the Hawks.
Taipans 81 Wildcats 77
For the Taipans:
Darnell Mee 15 points, 3 assists, 3 steals
Gary Boodnikoff 13 points, 6 boards
Ian Crosswhite 11 points, 9 boards
For the Wildcats:
Shawn Redhage 26 points, 7 boards
Peter Crawford 15 points, 7 assists, 5 boards
Isiah Victor 12 points, 9 boards
Ugly game on paper, which obviously suits the Taipans more. Cairns shot 36% from the field, Perth shot 35%. They won without many decent individual numbers. Hinson stunk it up going 1 of 13 from the field with 4 turnovers ... looking good for the Vlade Divac Flop of the Week! Wildcats are like the Crocs ... sometimes they're good, sometimes they're far from it.
36ers 107 Taipans 86
For the 36ers:
Luke Schenscher 24 points, 16 boards
Aaron Bruce 12 points, 8 assists, 5 boards, 4 steals
Adam Ballinger 11 points, 7 boards
For the Taipans:
Aaron Grabeau 16 points, 9 boards
Martin Cattalini 10 points, 7 boards
Balanced effort from the 36ers with 7 players scoring in double figures. Schenscher is putting up (Chris) Anstey style numbers! Tough for the Taipans to back up after their surprising win the night before against the Wildcats.
Spirit 88 Hawks 79
For the Spirit:
David Gruber 26 points
Matthew Knight 20 points, 10 boards
For the Hawks:
Dusty Rychart 21 points
Kavossy Franklin 19 points
Issues with the NBL boxscore link
Dragons 115 Breakers 112 in OT
For the Dragons:
Mark Worthington 27 points, 6 boards
Rhys Carter 25 points (including 6 triples), 4 assists
Adam Gibson 18 points (6 of 7 from the field), 3 boards
For the Breakers:
Kirk Penney 32 points (including 6 triples), 6 assists, 6 boards
Oscar Forman 20 points (including 6 triples), 8 boards
Rick Rickert 12 points, 10 boards
This was the blockbuster that everyone hoped for last time these two teams met. CJ Bruton returned to the line-up but obviously wasn't 100% playing just 19 minutes. Rhys Carter was the surprise hero for the Dragons ... before this game I couldn't tell you how he was still in the league! Full credit to coach Brian Goorjian, he's very good with young talent. Speaking of which, another no-show from Joe Ingles (5 points, 5 boards). Dragons had just 8 turnovers, Breakers had 22.
Crocs 115 Blaze 92
For the Crocs:
Corey Williams 25 points (8 of 10 from the field, 9 of 10 from the line)
Michael Cedar 22 points (including 5 triples), 5 assists, 5 boards
John Rillie 17 points (6 of 8 from the field, 5 of 7 from downtown), 6 boards
For the Blaze:
Luke Whitehead 30 points, 10 boards
James Harvey 18 points, 7 boards
The Crocs started the game with an incredible 19 - 0 run. Townsville won the boards (which is rare for them due to their lack of height) 45 - 29. Justin Bowen for the Blaze was playing ill and was a non-factor playing very limited minutes.
Tigers 108 Wildcats 81
For the Tigers:
Ebi Ere 32 points, 5 boards, 3 assists, 3 steals
Chris Anstey 16 points, 7 boards, 4 steals
Luke Kendall 16 points (5 of 7 shooting)
For the Wildcats:
Alex Loughton 21 points, 4 boards
Paul Rogers 18 points, 7 boards
Shawn Redhage 13 points, 6 boards
The Tigers won the boards 50 - 39 and the turnovers 13 - 25. The Wildcats were held to just 36% from the field (Tigers 49%). Melbourne dominated the final term 32 - 13.
At the end of round 17, the Dragons have moved clear of the Breakers (on a 3 game losing streak) in 2nd. The Melbourne Tigers are 3rd and the Crocs move in to 4th on the back of a 3 game winning streak. The Blaze are still in last place with the Taipans 3 wins in front of them.
Here are the numbers that matter from a full round in the NBL:
36ers 106 Hawks 99
For the 36ers:
Luke Schenscher 25 points, 13 boards
Adam Ballinger 23 points, 10 boards
Brett Maher 20 points, 4 assists
For the Hawks:
Dusty Rychart 20 points, 13 boards
Glen Saville 20 points, 8 boards, 6 assists, 4 steals
Cameron Tragardh 20 points, 5 boards
A great crowd of 6300 on hand to see Julius Hodge not turn up for the game. The 36ers bigs (Schenscher and Ballinger) dominated without him but the Hawks hung tough on the road to keep it close. 36ers had just 8 turnovers for the game and 23 offensive boards that helped get them 25 more shots than the Hawks.
Taipans 81 Wildcats 77
For the Taipans:
Darnell Mee 15 points, 3 assists, 3 steals
Gary Boodnikoff 13 points, 6 boards
Ian Crosswhite 11 points, 9 boards
For the Wildcats:
Shawn Redhage 26 points, 7 boards
Peter Crawford 15 points, 7 assists, 5 boards
Isiah Victor 12 points, 9 boards
Ugly game on paper, which obviously suits the Taipans more. Cairns shot 36% from the field, Perth shot 35%. They won without many decent individual numbers. Hinson stunk it up going 1 of 13 from the field with 4 turnovers ... looking good for the Vlade Divac Flop of the Week! Wildcats are like the Crocs ... sometimes they're good, sometimes they're far from it.
36ers 107 Taipans 86
For the 36ers:
Luke Schenscher 24 points, 16 boards
Aaron Bruce 12 points, 8 assists, 5 boards, 4 steals
Adam Ballinger 11 points, 7 boards
For the Taipans:
Aaron Grabeau 16 points, 9 boards
Martin Cattalini 10 points, 7 boards
Balanced effort from the 36ers with 7 players scoring in double figures. Schenscher is putting up (Chris) Anstey style numbers! Tough for the Taipans to back up after their surprising win the night before against the Wildcats.
Spirit 88 Hawks 79
For the Spirit:
David Gruber 26 points
Matthew Knight 20 points, 10 boards
For the Hawks:
Dusty Rychart 21 points
Kavossy Franklin 19 points
Issues with the NBL boxscore link
Dragons 115 Breakers 112 in OT
For the Dragons:
Mark Worthington 27 points, 6 boards
Rhys Carter 25 points (including 6 triples), 4 assists
Adam Gibson 18 points (6 of 7 from the field), 3 boards
For the Breakers:
Kirk Penney 32 points (including 6 triples), 6 assists, 6 boards
Oscar Forman 20 points (including 6 triples), 8 boards
Rick Rickert 12 points, 10 boards
This was the blockbuster that everyone hoped for last time these two teams met. CJ Bruton returned to the line-up but obviously wasn't 100% playing just 19 minutes. Rhys Carter was the surprise hero for the Dragons ... before this game I couldn't tell you how he was still in the league! Full credit to coach Brian Goorjian, he's very good with young talent. Speaking of which, another no-show from Joe Ingles (5 points, 5 boards). Dragons had just 8 turnovers, Breakers had 22.
Crocs 115 Blaze 92
For the Crocs:
Corey Williams 25 points (8 of 10 from the field, 9 of 10 from the line)
Michael Cedar 22 points (including 5 triples), 5 assists, 5 boards
John Rillie 17 points (6 of 8 from the field, 5 of 7 from downtown), 6 boards
For the Blaze:
Luke Whitehead 30 points, 10 boards
James Harvey 18 points, 7 boards
The Crocs started the game with an incredible 19 - 0 run. Townsville won the boards (which is rare for them due to their lack of height) 45 - 29. Justin Bowen for the Blaze was playing ill and was a non-factor playing very limited minutes.
Tigers 108 Wildcats 81
For the Tigers:
Ebi Ere 32 points, 5 boards, 3 assists, 3 steals
Chris Anstey 16 points, 7 boards, 4 steals
Luke Kendall 16 points (5 of 7 shooting)
For the Wildcats:
Alex Loughton 21 points, 4 boards
Paul Rogers 18 points, 7 boards
Shawn Redhage 13 points, 6 boards
The Tigers won the boards 50 - 39 and the turnovers 13 - 25. The Wildcats were held to just 36% from the field (Tigers 49%). Melbourne dominated the final term 32 - 13.
At the end of round 17, the Dragons have moved clear of the Breakers (on a 3 game losing streak) in 2nd. The Melbourne Tigers are 3rd and the Crocs move in to 4th on the back of a 3 game winning streak. The Blaze are still in last place with the Taipans 3 wins in front of them.
In news just to hand, Luke Schenscher has been named the NBL Player of the Week. Big Red had two big double-doubles this week ... 25 and 13 against the Hawks and 24 and 16 against the Taipans. JR will appreciate him delivering in two wins (albeit not against strong opposition) and I'm just pleased that the NBL have spelt his name right this week!
Now, to the Vlade Divac Flop of the Week. The runner up is Taipan Ian Crosswhite for his 3/15 from the field, 3 of 6 from the line and 3 turnovers performance against the 36ers. Crosswhite has had some big games this season but this wasn't one and he has been quite inconsistent. The hands-down winner/loser of the award this week is Darnell Hinson from the Perth Wildcats who shot 1 of 13 from the field and had 4 turnovers in a surprising loss to the lowly Taipa
ns. 1 of 13 ... Darnell should've taken his finger off the trigger long before he got to double figure attempts!
ns. 1 of 13 ... Darnell should've taken his finger off the trigger long before he got to double figure attempts!Our Shooter of the Week as always is brought to you by Shooting Basketball Tips. We didn't give the award out last week because there weren't any outstanding performances, this week there were plenty. Nominations were Adam Gibson from the Dragons (6 of 7 from the field, 2 of 2 from downtown and 4 of 4 from the line in a win against the Breakers), Oscar Forman from the Breakers (7 of 12 from the line, 6 of 9 from downtown in a loss to the Dragons), Kirk Penney from the Breakers (32 points including 6 triples in a loss to the Dragons) and last but not least John Rillie from the Crocs (6 of 8 from the field, 5 of 7 from downtown in a win against the Blaze). The winner this week tho is Rhys Carter (pictured right) from the Dragons for his 25 points (in just 24 minutes), 8 of 13 from the field, 6 of 10 from downtown including the match-winner in overtime in the blockbuster against the Breakers. I'm not a fan of Rhys because he usually does very little and in the past has taken court-time off a few players I like and rate much higher than him. For his basketball shooting performance on the "big stage" against the Breakers tho, credit where credit is due. Nice shooting! If, like most, you've never heard of Rhys and want to find out more, click here.
Thursday, October 16, 2008
NBL coverage on Fox Sports
I just received the press release from the NBL with the announcement of the upcoming coverage of games on Fox Sports.
I know we really can't complain too much because some coverage is better than none ... but ... the games they'll be "showcasing" aren't pretty. I'm not sure why, but there seems to be WAY too many Wollongong Hawks games. I hope Brett Maher finds his touch soon because there are also a number of Sixers games being televised.
Game 1 is the Townsville Crocodiles hosting the Sydney Spirit on October 22. It'll be good to see John Rillie and the Crocs in action ... but I doubt it'll be close no matter how well the Spirit played last week. Next game after that, Hawks vs Cairns in the 'gong ... yawn.
On a more positive note, the real night for NBL action will be Thursdays (from November 20 onwards) when Fox start televising the NZ Breakers game. It should be fun to watch the current highest scoring team in the league run'n gun like their name was the Suns (Phoenix). This year's version of the Breakers with CJ at the point (rather than Henare) feeding Kirk Penney & co on the wings should provide some quality viewing. Their first 3 televised games are against the Dragons, Wildcats and Crocs ... all good.
For more details about the coverage, check out the NBL website (soon, its not there yet).
I know we really can't complain too much because some coverage is better than none ... but ... the games they'll be "showcasing" aren't pretty. I'm not sure why, but there seems to be WAY too many Wollongong Hawks games. I hope Brett Maher finds his touch soon because there are also a number of Sixers games being televised.
Game 1 is the Townsville Crocodiles hosting the Sydney Spirit on October 22. It'll be good to see John Rillie and the Crocs in action ... but I doubt it'll be close no matter how well the Spirit played last week. Next game after that, Hawks vs Cairns in the 'gong ... yawn.
On a more positive note, the real night for NBL action will be Thursdays (from November 20 onwards) when Fox start televising the NZ Breakers game. It should be fun to watch the current highest scoring team in the league run'n gun like their name was the Suns (Phoenix). This year's version of the Breakers with CJ at the point (rather than Henare) feeding Kirk Penney & co on the wings should provide some quality viewing. Their first 3 televised games are against the Dragons, Wildcats and Crocs ... all good.
For more details about the coverage, check out the NBL website (soon, its not there yet).
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Get the ball to Brett (Maher)
It must be the day for pointing out NBL great's slow starts, this article (below) is about Adelaide veteran star Brett Maher. Another great shooter whose numbers have been down to start this season. Unlike John Rillie the ironman (how many consecutive games played now?) in my last post ... Maher is often injured so I had just put his less than stellar numbers so far this season down to that. Lanard Copeland thinks differently ... click on the title below to read the full article.
AdelaideNow... Get the ball to Brett
Get the ball to Brett
Article from: The Advertiser
BOTI NAGY, BASKETBALL WRITER
October 14, 2008 11:31am
UNTIL Adelaide consistently gets the ball into Brett Maher's hands, it will continue to struggle, according to legendary future NBL Hall of Fame guard Lanard Copeland.
The MVP of Melbourne's 1993 NBL championship, 'Copes' played the last 56 of his 532 career games (20.2 points average) with the 36ers before retiring after the 2007-08 season. An interested spectator on Saturday at The Cage where his Tigers - who retired his famous No. 21 uniform last season - belted his 36ers 119-91, he said Maher was the key to an Adelaide revival.
'I think Aaron Bruce can play,' he said of the Sixers' dynamic new young playmaker. 'But when Brad Davidson was on, he looked to get Brett more involved.
'Brad knows it only takes a couple of jump shots to get Brett going. He is a match-winner but you have to get the ball to him.
'I didn't think Brett was used effectively at all. With him not having any first-half impact, that's when the Tigers won the game.
AdelaideNow... Get the ball to Brett
Get the ball to Brett
Article from: The Advertiser
BOTI NAGY, BASKETBALL WRITER
October 14, 2008 11:31am
UNTIL Adelaide consistently gets the ball into Brett Maher's hands, it will continue to struggle, according to legendary future NBL Hall of Fame guard Lanard Copeland.
The MVP of Melbourne's 1993 NBL championship, 'Copes' played the last 56 of his 532 career games (20.2 points average) with the 36ers before retiring after the 2007-08 season. An interested spectator on Saturday at The Cage where his Tigers - who retired his famous No. 21 uniform last season - belted his 36ers 119-91, he said Maher was the key to an Adelaide revival.
'I think Aaron Bruce can play,' he said of the Sixers' dynamic new young playmaker. 'But when Brad Davidson was on, he looked to get Brett more involved.
'Brad knows it only takes a couple of jump shots to get Brett going. He is a match-winner but you have to get the ball to him.
'I didn't think Brett was used effectively at all. With him not having any first-half impact, that's when the Tigers won the game.
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