The 2002/3 Sydney Kings - legendary team

Our next legendary team was the start of a three-peat dynasty, the 2002/2003 Sydney Kings.
http://classicbasketballtees.spreadshirt.com/
(See pic below, for the Kings you have the choice of the purple or gold tees)

For the 2002/03 season, Shane Heal was joined by talented imports Chris Williams and Kavossy Franklin. The team also welcomed the NBL's all-time leader in coaching victories, Brian Goorjian. The Kings finished on top of the ladder with a 22-8 record and swept the Perth Wildcats in the grand final series to claim their first-ever championship.

With Goorijan able to implement his defensive tactics which were so successful with the Magic and Titans, in addition to finally being able to purchase high quality superstar imports he was unable to attain due to financial constraints on the team in Melbourne, there seemed to be no stopping the Kings ...

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

For more information, check out the High Stakes Hoops website.

New Boomers coach named

In news just to hand, Brian Goorjian's successor to the role of Boomers coach has been named and the winner is Brett Brown. Considering Brown is an assistant coach for the San Antonio Spurs in the NBA, the announcement certainly came as a surprise to me.

Click on the title below to read the full story.

Boomers name Goorjian heir - Basketball - Fox Sports

Basketball Australia has appointed American Brett Brown to coach the Australian men's team through to the London 2012 Olympics, replacing long-serving Brian Goorjian.

BA chairman David Thodey said the board decided to go for 48-year-old Brown's 'fresh energy and new ideas'.

An assistant coach with the San Antonio Spurs in the NBA for the past six years, Brown has extensive experience with the Boomers program and the NBL.

'The Basketball Australia board is extremely proud of the performance of the Boomers in Beijing and recognises the positive building blocks that have been put in place by Brian Goorjian for the Boomers' future,' Thodey said.

'But as we have done in the past we opened the door to the possibility of change after two Olympic cycles and with our sport moving forward in an exciting new direction we decided to utilise Brett Brown's fresh energy and new ideas.'

Brett Brown in his days as coach of the Sydney Kings

NBL Grand Final fast facts

With the NBL Grand Final series getting underway tonight between the Dragons and the Tigers, i received the "fast facts" e-mail from the league office this morning.


SOUTH DRAGONS VS MELBOURNE TIGERS

Game 1 – Hisense Arena, Wednesday March 4, 7:30pm AEDT
Game 2 – State Netball Hockey Centre, Friday March 6, 7:30pm AEDT
Game 3 – Hisense Arena, Sunday March 8, 7:30pm AEDT
* Game 4 – State Netball Hockey Centre, Wednesday March 11, 7:30pm AEDT
* Game 5 – Hisense Arena, Friday March 13, 7:30pm AEDT
* = If required
All games LIVE on FOX SPORTS

All-Time Record: Dragons 4, Tigers 6

At Hisense Arena:
22/10/06 – South 108 lost to Melbourne 128
26/12/06 – South 107 defeated Melbourne 94
15/12/07 – South 88 lost to Melbourne 98
18/10/08 – South 108 defeated Melbourne 80
08/02/09 - South 93 defeated Melbourne 83
At SNHC:
10/01/07 – Melbourne 106 defeated South 94
13/10/07 – Melbourne 101 defeated South 98
09/02/08 – Melbourne 132 defeated South 104
13/12/08 – Melbourne 98 lost to South 107
26/01/09 – Melbourne 92 defeated South 86

At this venue:
This is the first ever Grand Final match played at Hisense Arena.

Previous Grand Final games at SNHC:
26/02/06 – Melbourne 103 defeated Sydney 99 (game 2 of 3)
04/03/07 – Melbourne 105 defeated Brisbane 91 (game 2 of 4)
09/03/07 – Melbourne 94 lost to Brisbane 103 (game 4 of 4)
07/03/08 – Melbourne 104 defeated Sydney 93 (game 2 0f 5)
12/03/08 – Melbourne 87 lost to Sydney 90 (game 4 of 5)

This will be the fifth time two teams from the same city have played in the decider and on all four previous occasions the series went the full distance.

Grand Final teams from the same city:
1992: South East Melbourne defeated Melbourne Tigers 2-1
1996: South East Melbourne defeated Melbourne Tigers 2-1
1997: Melbourne Tigers defeated South East Melbourne 2-1
2004: Sydney Kings defeated West Sydney Razorbacks 3-2

Coaches’ Grand Final History:
Brian Goorjian is the all-time games coached leader with 511 wins from 730 games (70%). This is his 13th trip to the Grand Final and this year will make it 6 Championship attempts in the last 7 seasons.

Brian Goorjian: record 37 games, 17 wins, 20 losses, 5 Championships, 7 runners-up
1991 – Spectres vs Wildcats – lost game 1, won game 2, lost game 3
1992 - Magic vs Tigers – lost game 1, won game 2, won game 3
1996 – Magic vs Tigers – lost game 1, won game 2, won game 3
1997 – Magic vs Tigers – lost game 1, won game 2, lost game 3
1998 – Magic vs 36ers – lost game 1, lost game 2
1999 – Titans vs 36ers – lost game 1, won game 2, lost game 3
2000 – Titans vs Wildcats – lost game 1, lost game 2
2003 – Kings vs Wildcats – won game 1, won game 2
2004 – Kings vs Razorbacks – won game 1, lost game 2, lost game 3, won game 4, won game 5
2005 – Kings vs Hawks – won game 1, won game 2, won game 3
2006 – Kings vs Tigers – lost game 1, lost game 2, lost game 3
2008 – Kings vs Tigers – won game 1, lost game 2, lost game 3, won game 4, lost game 5

Alan Westover is the first coach in NBL history to be in the Grand Final in all of his first four years in the job.
Has a 73% winning record overall with 115 wins from 157 matches.
Alan Westover: record 12 games, 7 wins, 5 losses, 2 Championships 1 runners-up
2006: Tigers vs Kings – won game 1, won game 2, won game 3
2007: Tigers vs Bullets – lost game 1, won game 2, lost game 3, lost game 4
2008: Tigers vs Kings – lost game 1, won game 2, won game 3, lost game 4, won game 5


Consecutive seasons in Grand Finals as coach:
5 - Brian Goorjian (96-00)
4 – Brian Goorjian (03-06)
4 – Brian Kerle (84-87)
4 - Alan Westover (06-09)
2 – Brian Goorjian (08-09)
2 – Brian Goorjian (91-92)
2 - Bob Turner (83-84)
2 – Phil Smyth (98-99)
2 – Bruce Palmer (88-89)
2 – Brian Kerle (79-80)
2 – Lindsay Gaze (92-93)
2 – Lindsay Gaze (96-97)
2 – Ken Cole (85-86)
2 – Brett Brown (94-95)

Goorjian is the first and only coach to win 5 NBL Championships. Phil Smyth was the first man to get 6 Championship titles with 3 as a coach and 3 as a player. David Stiff also has 6 titles to his name – all as a player.

5 – Brian Goorjian,
4 - Brian Kerle
3 – Phil Smyth
2 – Lindsay Gaze, Bob Turner, Alan Westover
1 – Murray Arnold, Alan Black, Brett Brown, Cal Bruton, Ken Cole, Jim Ericksen, Adrian Hurley, Brendan Joyce, Jerry Lee, Bruce Palmer, Ken Richardson, Joey Wright

Most Championships: (player)
6 – David Stiff5 – Larry Sengstock4 – John Dorge, Ricky Grace, Paul Rees
3 – Gary Ball, Mark Bradtke, CJ Bruton, Martin Cattalini, James Crawford, Mark Davis, Scott Fisher, Jamie Kennedy, Leroy Loggins, Brett Maher, Herb McEachin, Dave Nelson, Scott Ninnis, Rupert Sapwell, Brad Sheridan, Robert Sibley, Phil Smyth, Andrew Vlahov, Chris Anstey, David Barlow


Winning Franchises:
This will be the 31st NBL Championship to be decided and below is a list of how many championships each team has won.

4 – Adelaide 36ers, Perth Wildcats, Melbourne Tigers
3 – Canberra Cannons, Brisbane Bullets, Sydney Kings,
2 – North Melbourne Giants, South East Melbourne Magic, St. Kilda Saints,
1 – Launceston Casino City, West Adelaide Bearcats, Wollongong Hawks,

The Dragons were the only team that Melbourne could not score 100 points against in a game this year. The Tigers averaged triple-figures against every other team this year except for South and Cairns. Against the Dragons, Melbourne averaged just 88.3 ppg and versus Cairns it was 89.7 ppg. Over the season the Tigers scored 101.6 ppg with a high of 116.3 against Wollongong.

There have been 75 Grand Final matches played in NBL history and just 11 times has a side come from behind at three-quarter time to win. Last year in Game 4 the Kings smashed the comeback record to win after trailing by 13 at the final change.

Best 3/4 time deficits to win a Grand Final match:
13 – Sydney vs Melbourne Game 4 20086 – Sydney vs West Sydney Game 5 2004 – won by 11
6 – Canberra vs Brisbane (single game decider) 1984 – won by 2
5 – Melbourne vs Sydney Game 2 2006 (after overtime) – won by 4
5 – Sydney vs Perth Game 1 2003 – won by 4
4 – North Melbourne vs Canberra Game 1 1989 – won by 6
4 – Brisbane vs Melbourne Game 1 2007 – won by 3
3 – Wollongong vs Townsville Game 3 2001 – won by 3
2 – West Sydney vs Sydney Game 3 2004 (after overtime) – won by 2
1 – Sth East Melb vs Melbourne Game 2 1997 – won by 6
1 – Sydney vs Melbourne Game 1 2008 – won by 21

Only three times since the league switched to a multiple game Grand Final in 1986 has a team lost Game One and gone on to take the title. The first was Brian Goorjian’s Magic in 1992 who recovered from an 18-point loss to the Tigers in the first game to win the next two by 22 and 7. In 1995, Perth lost Game One by 7 but won the next by 9 and 20. The Magic mirrored their 1992 effort in losing the opening match to the Tigers by 11 to win the next two by 4 and 37. Last year the Kings beat the Tigers by 21 but lost the series in 5 games. That’s 23 series and just 4 recoveries from a game one loss.

This year’s playoffs have so far indicated that there is no real advantage to the team that seemed to do well against them in the regular season.

- In the Quarter Finals, Townsville knocked out Perth despite losing 3 of 4 during the season and New Zealand thrashed Adelaide, who beat them twice of three earlier on.
- In the Semis, the Crocs seemed to have an edge over the Dragons with 3 wins to show from 4 matches but were beaten in 3 playoff games and the Tigers swept the Breakers even though they lost the first 2 games of the year against NZ.

In 2006, Melbourne swept the Kings in the decider despite going down 1-2 in the regular season and last year also won the title against Sydney even though they lost all 3 games earlier on.

This will be the fifth straight Grand Final where the first ranked team at the end of the regular season will play second in the decider. Since the Grand final switched to a multiple game series in 1986, there has been just 10 times where the top two ranked teams at the end of the season has gone on to play in the Championship match and surprisingly the second ranked team has defeated the top team in six of those meetings most recently by the Tigers over the Kings last year.
Position 1 defeats position 2 – 2007, 2005, 2003, 1991,
Position 2 defeats position 1 – 2008, 2006, 1998, 1997, 1996, 1989,


Triple-doubles in the Grand Final:
22/10/1994 – Darryl McDonald for North Melbourne vs Adelaide 17 points 10 assists 10 rebounds
28/4/2001 – Robert Rose for Townsville vs Wollongong 16 points 11 assists 11 rebounds
3/4/2003 – Ricky Grace for Perth vs Sydney 15 points 10 assists 10 rebounds

Overtime games in a Grand Final:
11/10/1986 – Adelaide 122 def Brisbane 119 in Game 1 of 3 (regulation 111 all)
22/10/1994 – North Melbourne 95 def Adelaide 93 in Game 1 of 2 (regulation 84 all)
31/03/2004 – West Sydney 82 def Sydney 80 in Game 3 of 5 (regulation 66 all)
26/02/2006 – Melbourne 103 def Sydney 99 in Game 2 of 3 (regulation 94 all)



GRAND FINAL TEAM RECORDS:

Biggest Margin:
37 – 1996 Sth East Melb 107 def Melbourne 70
37 – 1997 Melbourne 111 def Sth East Melb 74
28 – 1998 Adelaide 90 def Sth East Melb 62
27 – 2005 Sydney 112 def Wollongong 85


Highest Team Score:
125 – 2002 Adelaide 125 def West Sydney 107
122 – 1986 Adelaide 122 def Brisbane119 (O/T)
121 – 1985 Brisbane 121 def Adelaide 95
120 – 1988 Canberra 120 def North Melb. 95

Lowest Team Score:
62 – 1998 Sth East Melb 62 lost to Adelaide 90
69 – 1999 Victoria 69 lost to Adelaide 80
70 – 1996 Melbourne 70 lost to Sth East Melb 107
72 – 2004 Sydney 72 lost to West Sydney 87

Highest aggregate points:
241 – 1986 Adelaide 122 def Brisbane 119 (O/T)
232 – 2002 Adelaide 125 def West Sydney 107
230 – 1993 Melbourne 117 def Perth 113
218 – 1988 North Melb 117 def Canberra 101
218 – 1990 Perth 112 def Brisbane 106




South Dragons:

1 – Adam Gibson
The only Dragons player that has previously won an NBL Championship. Won with the Bullets in 2007 when they defeated the Tigers in four games and celebrated the Bullets victory at The Cage. Has started all 33 games for the Dragons in his first year at the club and leads the team in three-point shooting at 40.2%. Scored a season high 18-points four times this year. Has hit 25 of his past 26 free-throws and against the Crocs in the Semi Finals shot the ball at 59% overall and made 9 of his 14 three-pointers (64%).

4 – Nathan Herbert
Played 32 games in his second game after 28 in his debut last year and averaged 20 minutes per game in 2009 up from 16 last year. Averaged 7 ppg in 2009 and was the team’s best free—throw shooter at 85.3%. Has taken exactly 200 shots this year – double the exact 100 he took in 2008. Known for his long range bombing, Herbert has made just 1-from-16 over his last 4 games. His father Craig was runner up in the 1982 Grand Final for Geelong against West Adelaide at Newcastle.

6 – Daniel Dillon
Development player who is returning from 4 years at the University of Arizona. Was All-Australian three years in a row as U18 and U16 player. Played junior basketball around Melbourne including Bulleen and Sandringham. Dragons have won all 10 games when he has made it onto the floor.

7 – Joe Ingles
Is the only man that has been there for all 97 matches the Dragons have played since their inception. Led the team in assists (3.6) and was third in scoring at 13.2 ppg. Shot a career best 81.3% from the charity stripe this year (74-from-91) but curiously has yet to get to the free-throw line at all in his 4 playoff games to date. Scored a season high 27 points twice- against Adelaide and Perth- but is still to reach or match the 29-points he debuted with against New Zealand. Will play game number 100 in the 3rd game of the series – as will his team.

10 – Tarriq Naqqash
Made his NBL debut against the Tigers in their first clash this year with 2 points. As with fellow development player Daniel Dillon, South are yet to lose when Naqqash has seen court time in his 6 games. Is playing this season in the SEABL with the Mount Gambier Pioneers.

12 – Tremell Darden
Has started every game this year after being a late call up when original Dragon signing Ebi Ere backed out and signed with the Tigers. Averaged 11 ppg with a best of 22 against the Spirit and averaged 13 against the Tigers this year. Was the 3rd best scorer and the 4th best rebounder for South this year.

14 – Mika Vukona
Led the team in field goal shooting at 57.7% but was the leagues worst free-throw shooter at 33.3% (18-from-54). Scored a season high 12-points against Adelaide. Was the only Dragons to grab more rebounds than score points. Led his team in offensive boards. Missed just one game for the year – game 2 vs the Tigers in December.

15 – Rhys Carter
Waited 6 seasons and 162 games before making his playoff debut last week. Was big in game 3 against the Crocodiles with 16 points. Scored a career best 25 points in their overtime win over the Breakers in January.

22 – Matt Burston
Has played 76 games for the Dragons – second most only behind Joe Ingles. Missed the clubs first 6 games in 2007 through injury with his first in Dragons colours also the clubs first ever win (vs Cairns). His 191 games in 9 seasons makes him the most experienced player on the South roster. Injury cost him a game in game 1 of the 2003 Championship decider and managed just 7 minutes in game 2 in a loss to the Kings while representing the Wildcats.

23 – Donta Smith
Debuted with 9 points against the Gold Coast on Boxing Day. His only double–double came in his first game against the Tigers with 10 points and 11 boards. Shot 59% from the field in the semi-final series against the Crocs averaging 15.3 ppg.

33 – Mark Worthington
Played more minutes this year than any other South player. Was the only player in the league to score double figure points in every game he played. In his 4th year, had career best numbers in points (17.3) and rebounds (7.0). His career high of 35 points came in game one of last years Grand Final against the Tigers. Averaged a team high 20.6ppg in last years Finals series for the Kings. Has a record of 2 wins and 6 losses in his 8 Grand Final matches – all have been against the Tigers.





Melbourne Tigers:

2 – Ebi Ere
Provided one of the best Grand Final highlights when he scored 8 points in a minute in the deciding game 5 in 2004 that turned the result in the Kings favour. Hit 4 triples in the final quarter and led all players in scoring for that series. Played his second season in the NBL 3 years later with Brisbane and also got his team a title. Has scored more points in the competition than any other player in the last 2 seasons.

3 – Luke Kendall
The only member of the Tigers main roster who has yet to taste Championship success. Joined the Tigers at the start of January to replace the injured Sam Mackinnon. Played his first 4 years under Brian Goorjian at Sydney. Missed being a part of the 2005 Championship due to a knee injury suffered just 12 games into his pro career. Lost to the Tigers in both 2006 and 2008 campaigns. Hit a season high 25 points in game 1 of the Semi’s against the Breakers. Plays game number 150 in the 3rdmatch of the series.

4 – Daryl Corletto
Second only to Andrew Gaze as a one club only player in the NBL for the Tigers with 216 games in 8 years. Scored a season high 17 against the Hawks and has a career best 25-points scored twice in 2006. Has played all 12 Grand Final games under Alan Westover alongside Chris Anstey, Dave Thomas and Stephen Hoare.

5 – Tommy Greer
Was thrust into the starting five when the Tigers made their roster changes at Christmas and has stayed ever since with Melbourne’s winning 11 of the 13 since. Scored a career best 13 points against the Spirit in November. Will play his 100th game in game 2 of the GF series. Suited up in 2006 but saw no time in the Grand Final. Missed 2007 through injury but played in all 5 final last year.

11 – David Thomas
Scored the last 7 points for the Tigers in game 5 of last years Championship series and recorded his only 20/10 game of the year (21 points, 12 rebounds). One of a few players that have a better scoring average in the playoffs than the regular season. Played the first 16 games of the year with Cairns before re-joining the Tigers.

12 – Daniel Johnson
A development player in his first season in the NBL. Became a starter in the final 2 games of the season when Chris Anstey was rested. Posted the 2 highest scores of his year in those games – 10 vs the Crocs and 8 against Perth. The Dragons and the Taipans are the only teams Johnson has not yet scored a field goal against.

13 – Chris Anstey
Was voted the Larry Sengstock medallist for best player in the Grand Final Series in both of the Tigers victories in 2006 and 2008. Has been the leagues most prolific scorer and rebounder in the 4 years since his return from overseas in 2006 averaging 20.6 points and 10.4 rebounds in 142 matches. Scored a season high 32 against the Breakers back in September.

15 – Adrien Sturt
Played 17 games in his second season with the club with a career high 6 points against the Hawks. Scored 18 points during the year. A Melbourne Tiger junior.

20 – David Barlow
This is Barlow’s 6th season in the NBL and his 5th time in the Grand Final. His only miss was 2007 where he sat out the final 22 games due to a knee injury. Has a career winning percentage of 73% which actually is increased to 75% in playoffs. With Ebi Ere, has won a championship under both Alan Westover and Brian Goorjian. Fouled out 3 times this year – only Ere and Anstey once each were Melbourne’s only other foul outs this year.

23 – Nathan Crosswell
Started the last 13 games for the Tigers since their mid-season shake up. Also started the first part of last season off the bench but became a starter for the run home and helped lead Melbourne to his first Championship. Played under Brian Goorjian at Victoria in 2002.

33 – Stephen Hoare
The sixth most experienced Tiger ever and currently the longest serving player at the club and has played in 303 games of the clubs 311 since joining them in 2001. Has shot over 54% from the field for the 3rd straight year. Scored a season high 22-points against the Wildcats in November.

41 – Bo Westover
Development player who had minimum minutes in 9 games this year and is yet to hit a field goal in his career. His only score to date has been a made free-throw against the Hawks at The Cage.

NBL quarter-final facts

Thanks to Marc Howard from the NBL for sending through these historic numbers regarding quarter-final match-ups. With the Crocs playing in Perth tonight, hopefully they can buck the trend and advance to the next round.

NBL Fast Facts - Quarter Finals

There have been five previous seasons where the finals format has included sudden death Quarter Finals and no team has ever made it through them to win the Championship. The closest anyone has gotten was the West Sydney Razorbacks in 2004 – the first year of sudden death - and they made it to the Grand Final after finishing third, only to lose to the Kings in the first ever five-game Grand Final series.

15 of the 20 sudden death Quarter Finals under the current format have been won by the home team.

Last season, New Zealand was the only road team to win a Quarter Finals match when they defeated the Taipans in Cairns by 22. In 2007, every home team won the four knockout matches.

The first and second ranked teams have ended up playing off in the past four Grand Final series. In the 30 Championships that have been decided already, first and second seeded teams have taken the title 24 times with only one team ever winning the Championship from outside the top four. That was the Perth Wildcats who came from fifth to take the title in 1990 and win the club’s first ever Championship.

Ladder positions to end up Champion:
First – 13 times
Second – 11 times
Third – 3 times
Fourth – 2 times
Fifth – 1 time

Perth’s Conner Henry and Adelaide’s Scott Ninnis have both qualified for the playoffs in their debut seasons as coach in the NBL. Surprisingly, the last time the league had two rookie coaches make their playoff debuts in the same year was way back in 1993 when Don Monson was in charge at the Adelaide 36ers and Brett Brown coached North Melbourne, with both losing in the first round of finals.

Coaching playoff experience:
Brian Goorjian (Kings) 107 games, won 63, lost 44
Alan Westover (Tigers) 18 games, won 13, lost 5
Trevor Gleeson (Crocs) 4 games, won 2, lost 2
Andrej Lemanis (Breakers) 2 games, won 1, lost 1
Scott Ninnis (36ers) Debut season
Conner Henry (Wildcats) Debut season

Adelaide’s Brad Davidson is the most experienced player in this year’s finals that is yet to win a Championship with 392 games under his belt. Maybe his 13th season will be lucky for him. In 2009, the Gold Coast’s Scott McGregor was the active player with the most games without playing in a title winning team (413) with both players now in reach of the all-time league record holder in that category - 15-year veteran Andrew Goodwin on 431 matches. Davidson has played 245 matches since his Crocs lost the Grand Final to the Hawks in 2001 with just one playoff win in that time – a home win by his Taipans over the Wildcats in 2004.

Current most games without a Championship amongst players in this year’s Finals:
392 – Brad Davidson (Adelaide)
312 – Peter Crawford (Perth)
264 – David Cooper (Adelaide)
231 – Russell Hinder (Townsville)
188 – Matt Burston (South)
185 – Paul Henare (New Zealand)
162 – Rhys Carter (South)
159 – Adam Caporn (Perth)
147 – Shawn Redhage (Perth)
146 – Luke Kendall (Melbourne)

Tony Ronaldson begins his 19th post season as the second-oldest player in the NBL Finals and he hopes to celebrate with a trip to the Semi-Finals, which begin on his 37th birthday next Wednesday night.

Oldest players still in finals: (as at Feb 18)
37 years 3 months – John Rillie (Crocs)
36 years 11 months – Tony Ronaldson (Breakers)
35 years 10 months – Brett Maher (Sixers)
35 years 0 months – Phill Jones (Breakers)
34 years 9 months – Brad Davidson (Sixers)
34 years 1 month – Chris Anstey (Tigers)
33 years 11 months – Rosell Ellis (Crocs)
33 years 3 months – Stephen Hoare (Tigers)



PERTH WILDCATS VS TOWNSVILLE CROCODILES
Challenge Stadium
Wednesday February 18

All-Time: Wildcats 33, Crocs 17.
In Perth: Wildcats 19, Crocs 6
Perth have won their past six home games against Townsville dating back to 18/9/05

2009 meetings:
Round 3: 4/10/08 – Crocs 97 def Wildcats 80 at Townsville
Round 5: 17/10/08 – Wildcats 107 def Crocs 93 at Townsville
Round 8: 8/11/08 – Wildcats 115 def Crocs 78 at Perth
Round 15: 27/12/08 – Wildcats 97 def Crocs 76 at Perth

Previous finals meetings:
24/3/00 – Semi Final game 1 – Perth 104 def Townsville 101 at Challenge Stadium
31/3/00 – Semi Final game 2 – Townsville 101 def Perth 78 at the Swamp
2/4/00 – Semi Final game 3 – Perth 104 def Townsville 84 at the Swamp
22/2/08 – Quarter Finals – Perth 96 def Townsville 78 at Challenge Stadium

The Crocs have finished fifth for the third straight season under Trevor Gleeson with a record of 19-14 in 2007 and an identical 17-13 the past two years. In the past two seasons, Townsville have been eliminated on the road in the Quarter Finals. In 2000, Townsville made the playoffs for the first ever time and Perth were their opponents in the Semi-Finals after the Crocs automatically made it after finishing the year second. That year, three teams were equal on top of the ladder with 22-6 records. Townsville have qualified for the playoffs in seven of the last 10 years since.

Perth are the league’s most experienced playoff teams with this being their 23rd straight season in the finals. The Wildcats have played 95 finals, which is well ahead of Melbourne (84), Adelaide (72) and Brisbane (66). They have played five years without making the Grand Final which is nothing out of the ordinary for most clubs, but the worst run for Perth since their first five years in the competition. They have never had six straight years without playing in a Grand Final.

Townsville have a poor record away from ‘The Swamp’ in playoff games. In the last nine seasons since their playoff debut in 2000, the Crocs have played in 10 ‘away’ games for just the one victory. That was when they evened the 2003 Semi-Finals against the Kings 1-1 in Sydney, winning by a whopping 22 points (113-91).

There was a dramatic difference in the free-throw shooting for Perth in their series against the Crocs. In the first two games at The Swamp, the Wildcats had 17 and 16 attempts (average: 16.5), but back at Challenge Stadium they had their two games with the most trip to the charity stripe – 41 in game three and 46 in game four (average 43.5).

For the second year in a row, Crocs guard Corey Williams has led the league in free-throw attempts with 201 this year, just ahead of ‘Cats forward Shawn Redhage (197). Williams’ percentages from the stripe took a tumble at just 62.6% following 71.8% last year. Redhage on the other hand connected on 84.7% of his attempts, an improvement on the career 74.5% he started the year on.

Perth finished the year as the league’s best free-throw shooting team at 76.1% while Townsville were the league’s worst at 62.8%.

Townsville averaged 98.5 ppg over the season and scored 100 points or more in 14 of their 30 games but there was only one team they couldn’t score triple-figures against all year long – Perth. The Wildcats restricted the Crocs to just 86 ppg in their four meetings with only Wollongong (84.7) and Cairns (81.3) scoring less against the Westerners.

Despite playing four times this year, Perth only had one 20-point scorer against the Crocs this year, with Isiah Victor posting 23 in their final meeting. The Wildcats had six players average double-figures against the Crocs with Shawn Redhage the team leader at 15.5 ppg and Victor next highest on 14.8 ppg. Rosell Ellis was the best for the Crocs against Perth at 16.3 per game with Corey Williams averaging 13.8 ppg. Kelvin Robertson scored 27 for the Crocs in game one of the series but his season is unfortunately now over due to a knee injury.

The Crocodiles’ biggest loss of the year came against the Wildcats in Perth in Round 8 and strangely the four biggest defeats by Townsville came in their four trips West. Their biggest home loss of the year also came against Perth back in Round 5.

Crocs biggest losses in 2009:
37* – at Wildcats Round 8
27 – at Adelaide Round 1
21 – at Perth Round 15
21 – at Adelaide Round 13
16 – at Melbourne Round 22
14 – vs Perth Round 5

* Also Perth’s biggest win of the year



NEW ZEALAND BREAKERS VS ADELAIDE 36ERS
North Shore Events Centre
Thursday February 19

All-Time: Breakers 6, Sixers 11.
In Auckland: Breakers 5, Sixers 4

New Zealand have won 56% of their home games against Adelaide (5-from-9) while Adelaide have won 87.5% of their home games against New Zealand (7-from-8). The home team has won seven of the last eight games played between these teams, the only exception being the Sixers’ 10-point win in Round 8.

2009 meetings:
Round 3: 2/10/08 – Breakers 118 def Sixers 80 at Auckland
Round 8: 6/11/08 – Sixers 96 def Breakers 86 at Auckland
Round 21: 7/2/09 – Sixers 102 def Breakers 91 at Adelaide

These teams have struggled to have consistent line-ups this season with key players missing in each of the three contests. The Sixers also had import Mark Tyndale for the first two clashes and Rod Grizzard for the third. (Julius Hodge never played against the Breakers in his time with the 36ers).
Absent from 1st match: Adelaide: Adam Ballinger, Aaron Bruce New Zealand: Paul Henare
Absent from 2nd match: Adelaide: Brad Davidson, Brett Maher New Zealand: CJ Bruton, Phill Jones
Absent from 3rd match: New Zealand: Kirk Penney


This is the first time in NBL playoff history that two players that were teammates on a Championship winning team have coached against each other in a finals match. Both Andrej Lemanis and Scott Ninnis were a part of Brian Goorjian’s South East Melbourne Magic team in 1992 that won the title in the franchise’s first season. There have been just seven men in the history of the competition that have won a title as a player and come back to coach a winning playoff game, with Lemanis last year being the most recent.

To make this equation all the more historic (and complicated), it is also the first time two playoff coaches will have a player on their roster that they shared a Championship with as a player. Lemanis (and Ninnis) celebrated with Tony Ronaldson in the South East Melbourne Magic’s Championship season in 1992 and Ninnis was also a teammate of Brett Maher’s when they shared a title for the Sixers in 1998 in Ninnis’ last match of his 318-game playing career.
There have just been a handful of occasions this has happened to one team in a finals match with Shane Heal coaching Kavossy Franklin for the Dragons in 2007, Scott Fisher leading Ricky Grace for Perth in 2005 and then it goes back to Andy Campbell in 1989 and Jerry Lee in 1987, who both coached a long list of ex-Cannons from their 1983 and 1984 Championship years.

Kirk Penney played just twice against Adelaide this year and scored 34 and 24 points. Spirit import Derrick Low was the only other player to score more than 24 twice this year against the Sixers. Penney’s 29-point average against Adelaide was the second-best scoring average by any player this year, only topped by his 35.5 against the Hawks.

Best season averages by a player against another team:
35.5 ppg – Kirk Penney (Breakers) vs Wollongong - 2 games
29.0 ppg – Kirk Penney (Breakers) vs Adelaide - 2 games
29.0 ppg – Ebi Ere (Tigers) vs Wollongong - 3 games
27.5 ppg – Justin Bowen (Blaze) vs Perth - 2 games
27.0 ppg – James Harvey (Blaze) vs Sydney - 3 games
26.7 ppg – Shawn Redhage (Wildcats) vs Wollongong - 3 games
26.5 ppg – Kirk Penney (Breakers) vs Townsville - 4 games
26.5 ppg – Adam Ballinger (36ers) vs Perth - 2 games
26.0 ppg – Ebi Ere (Tigers) vs Townsville - 3 games
25.3 ppg – Kirk Penney (Breakers) vs Dragons - 3 games

Kirk Penney’s 24.2 ppg was good enough to lead the league in scoring and he becomes the second Breaker to do that after Carlos Powell averaged 28.2 in 2007. Only once in the last nine years has the team of the league’s highest scorer won a playoff series in the same season and that was Matthew Neilsen’s Sydney Kings, who went on to win the Championship in 2004. Last year Penney took 508 shots in the regular season – it was 507 this year – and shot the ball at 47.2% in 2008 compared to 45.5% this year.

Adelaide have lost their past four playoff matches, which is the worst ever run in their 28th season in the NBL. They have been knocked out in sudden death in 2004 (at Melbourne 107-103), 2005 (vs Brisbane 110-125) and 2006 (vs Cairns 103-106 in overtime).

The Sixers last won a playoff game in March 2003 but it was a famous one. After losing 116-119 to the Wildcats at home in the best-of-three series, Adelaide looked certain to be heading home when they trailed 54-80 at three-quarter time, but outscored the home team 45–11 in the final quarter to win 99-91 and set a new league record with the 26-point comeback. Perth did however recover to win Game Three at home 107-99. That comeback win remains the only winning finals match that Adelaide’s Jacob Holmes has played in during his 244-game career.

This will be the first-ever NBL finals match played in Auckland and is probably the most important game played in New Zealand since the Breakers debut game in October 2003, which was also against the Adelaide 36ers. That match was won by the Breakers 111-110 and featured four players for the home side that will be playing in this match in Phill Jones, Paul Henare, Dillon Boucher and Paora Winitana (who will be wearing the opposition colours this time around as a member of the 36ers). Brett Maher and Jacob Holes represented Adelaide that night with another man that has since switched clubs in Oscar Forman.

Paora Winitana is featuring strongly in the milestone games with his debut for the Breakers in their first-ever game against Adelaide and last year he was a part of New Zealand’s first ever team in the NBL playoffs when they were eliminated by the Bullets in Brisbane. This year he will feature in the Breakers first ever home playoff game but in the role of the spoiler. Winitana did not suit up in their first game in Auckland but played 18 minutes in the return clash which was won by the Sixers.

Tony Ronaldson is completing his 20th season in the NBL and has the unbelievable record of his teams never having missed the playoffs in his career. Ronaldson chose to miss the 1991 finals for the Eastside Spectres to attend college at Arizona State but has never missed a post-season since his return the following year. This will be his 13th campaign since his last taste of a Championship for the Magic back in 1996.

NBL blockbuster

Here's a preview of the big NBL game this week. The league leading Dragons vs the second placed Breakers. Who will win? I'll be going for Kirk Penney (and CJ of course) and the Breakers! Click on the title below to read the full story.

NBL > News

Clash of the giants looms for Breakers
By Marc Hinton - Fairfax Media

Beware the Goorjian factor. That's the strong message the on-fire New Zealand Breakers will be carrying with them into Thursday night's NBL showstopper against the South Dragons on the North Shore.

Not only do the Melbourne-based Dragons come to the Breakers' house with the competition's best record (10-2), and on an eight-game winning streak that has established them as early title favourites, but they arrive with their new coach Brian Goorjian having picked up right where he left off at his last stop

Goorjian was a master motivator at the Sydney Kings where his crafty coaching and inspirational urgings always had them in the title picture (grabbing a threepeat of titles from 2003-05). And it has taken him no time to guide his new club, the Dragons, up to the same level.

It's a factor the Breakers are wide awake to as they contemplate a seismic clash between the competition's two hottest teams. The New Zealanders, with a 10-3 record themselves, can leapfrog the Dragons into top spot with a victory at the NSEC. But to do so they know they're going to have to answer the challenge by the man rated a coaching legend across the Tasman.

Breakers and Boomers guard CJ Bruton has a better handle than most on the qualities Goorjian brings to any team he coaches. The sharpshooter ran the show for Goorjian at the Kings from 2004-06 and has also been his premier point man for the Boomers in recent years.

Leave a comment ... who do you think will win?

NBL Player & Coach of the Month

It seems the league office is taking note of my blog as in news just to hand from the NBL, Kirk Penney has been named Player of the Month for October. I've been talking Penney up for the last 5 or 6 weeks and gave him the nod as our Shooter of the Month for October. Check the article below (click on the title) for his stats and why he won. My question tho is since when is a basketball player described as a "spitfire", what the??

For turning the struggling Dragons franchise around (they finished last season 5 - 25), super-coach Brian Goorjian received the award for Coach of the Month. As mentioned in my NBL wrap of round 7 yesterday the Dragons currently lead the league with 8 wins and 2 losses. Click on the title below for the full story.

NBL > News

The National Basketball League has announced that New Zealand Breakers shooting star Kirk Penney, and South Dragons coach, Brian Goorjian, have won the Player and Coach of the Month awards respectively for September/October.

Penney was a spitfire for the Breakers between Rounds One and Seven, averaging 26.7 points, 4.3 rebounds, 3.3 assist and 1.0 steal per game for the month. The former NBA player shot the ball at 49 percent from the field, a sizzling 37 percent from beyond the three-point line, and made an impressive 87 percent of his foul shots. His efforts also saw him pick up Player of the Week honours in Rounds One and Eight along the way, as his team started the season at club record clip with a 7-2 win-loss record.

It seems Kirk and I concentrate the same way ... tongue out