Gold Coast Blaze load up

The other big mover and shaker so far this NBL off-season has been the Gold Coast Blaze. They took huge strides forward last season but weren't content with their semi-final finish and have definitely shaken things up again.

(Click on the links below to read the full story on each signing)

1. First they signed veteran forward Stephen Hoare.
   
2. They then brought in some youth and rebounding with Tom Garlepp.
3. Their biggest move was bringing in former Breakers centre Rick Rickert as a naturalised Kiwi so he will no longer be classed as an import.
   
4. They then signed Bennett Davison, former Tigers import who was a stand-out at the High Stakes Hoops tournament.
5. And finally (for now), they signed future star Jason Cadee.
   

The 2010/2011 NBL season is still a number of months away but the Gold Coast Blaze are showing they're serious about making a run at the title. It'll be interesting to see what other moves they make and what type of player they bring in as their second import.

Countdown to High Stakes Hoops

Its Saturday night and not long to go before the Footlocker Elite Classic - High Stakes Hoops which begins on Tuesday.

I booked my flights last week and I arrive in Adelaide early on Monday morning and fly back the following Monday night. My role for the week is basically Jeff Van Groningen's right hand man ... what exactly that involves is really anyone's guess right now! Basically, I'll be helping Jeff take care of business and no doubt doing a lot of the running around and organising that he won't have time for.

I'll take the video camera down with me and try to do a few player interviews and give a behind the scenes look at the tournament and everything that's going on. I'll do my best to regularly blog about what's happening and you can follow me on Twitter here.

I cannot wait!!

Foot Locker Elite Classic – High Stakes Hoops

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.

The Foot Locker Elite Classic - Overseas Player Draft

Just announced at the Adelaide Dome:

‘Foot Locker Elite Classic – High Stakes Hoops’ Set To Attract Overseas Stars

Revolutionary ‘Overseas Player Draft’ Unveiled

Elite Classic Basketball (ECB) today unveiled a revolutionary ‘Overseas Player Draft’ which will see up to twenty-four high-calibre international players join the ranks of the ‘Foot Locker Elite Classic – High Stakes Hoops’.

‘The Foot Locker Elite Classic – High Stakes Hoops’, airing on ONE and running from April 6th to 11th at the Adelaide Dome, has already secured a star-studded cast of Team Rights Owners, Coaches, and committed players.

The Overseas Player Draft (OPD), though, is ECB’s most unique announcement yet.

The three-round OPD will see each of the 8 ECB Teams eligible to choose three players – one selection per round. Players will be flown in from international destinations, with most expected to come from the game’s spiritual home, the United States.

The first eight picks in the OPD will be determined by random chance, while the two following rounds will be determined based on the first round, giving each ECB team roughly the same quality of choice over the three rounds. Team Rights Owners will watch a simulated ‘ball drop’ program on March 3rd and make their selections once the order is decided.

Players will nominate by contacting ECB officials at info@eliteclassicbasketball.com. Any interested professional international player is eligible to nominate, and the nominated players will be listed on the highstakeshoops.com website as their nominations are approved. Players must be at least 18 years of age, must have a valid passport, and have no pre-existing injuries or immigration complications in order to nominate. Players can nominate from today until midnight March 2nd.

Nominating players must be able to travel from the United States on April 2nd arriving in Adelaide on April 4th. They will return on April 12th. Players from non-US destinations will be consulted regarding alternative plans if drafted.

“This Overseas Player Draft announcement is amazingly unique. Over the last month we have been approached by a large number of overseas players looking to be involved in the Foot Locker Elite Classic event. The OPD will ensure that the spread of this international playing talent is systematic” ECB Managing Director Jeff Van Groningen said today. “With each team able to claim up to three players in the Draft, rosters will start to take on a very international, exciting feel”, Van Groningen added.

NBL Hall-of-Famer Cal Bruton, involved in the ‘Foot Locker Elite Classic – High Stakes Hoops’, has spent recent weeks ascertaining potential interest from international players. “There are players who have played here in Australia before who would love to be a part of this. Then there are players who have heard so much about Australia who will nominate. There are recently graduated college players at that time of year, some of whom will be very, very good. And of course there will be seasoned professionals that just want to be a part of this event. Players know that this is a great concept – it’s only a week of their lives, its great television exposure on ONE, and they come and join one of the eight teams, stay at the Stamford Plaza, and have a chance to help their team win the money. What’s not to like?” Bruton stated.

‘The Foot Locker Elite Classic – High Stakes Hoops’ continues to innovate, and has gained the support of major names in the sport.

Australian coaching legend Brian Goorjian, currently coaching in China, is one who has offered his support of the event and is impressed by today’s announcement. “The depth of talent is out there, there are just so many good players looking for an involvement at that time of the year, particularly out of the U.S. This event has captured players’ imaginations, both here and overseas, and the crowds are going to benefit. They’ll see stars they‘re familiar with, players they’ve never seen, big names, new names. I’ve said before, I really like this format”, Goorjian said today. “I’m sure Australian players want to be a part of this. International guys do too, and the Draft is a nice way to ensure a good spread of those overseas guys across the teams”, Goorjian added.

ECB - $10,000 Game Breaker Challenge

ECB Announcement - For Immediate Release:


‘The $10,000 Game Breaker Challenge’

ECB officials are proud to announce the first annual ‘$10,000 Game Breaker Challenge’ that will be held during the Foot Locker Elite Classic – High Stakes Hoops event broadcast live on ONE from 6-11 April, 2010.

The ‘$10,000 Game Breaker Challenge’ is a three-point-shooting competition that will be conducted throughout the Foot Locker Elite Classic – High Stakes Hoops, resulting in the winner taking home a cheque for $10,000. Heats will be held during the first three days of pool play to determine the finalists, who will compete at halftime of the Grand Final on Sunday 11 April.

The preliminary rounds will consist of each player shooting four Spalding basketballs from three racks located outside the three point line on the Brett Maher Court in the Adelaide Dome. The final round will consist of each qualifying player shooting four Spalding basketballs from five racks. Three of the four Spalding basketballs on each rack will count for three points when successfully scored. The fourth Spalding basketball on each rack will be designated as the ‘Game Breaker’ ball and will be worth four points, in line with the ‘Game Breaker’ rules in the Foot Locker Elite Classic – High Stakes Hoops.

All players who are part of a Foot Locker Elite Classic – High Stakes Hoops roster are automatically eligible to compete in the ‘$10,000 Game Breaker Challenge’.

The Foot Locker Elite Classic – High Stakes Hoops event continues to build momentum with today’s news, the first of several key announcements that will be rolled out regarding this creative basketball entertainment event. “We want each player at the Foot Locker Elite Classic – High Stakes Hoops event to have a great, entertaining week. For many, it will also be a lucrative time. We have the $250,000 prize pool of course, but there are other ‘games within the game’ that will be part of the event” ECB Managing Director Jeff Van Groningen said today. “The $10,000 Game Breaker Challenge is a great example of this. The ‘Game Breaker’ rule is creating a lot of interest and discussion, and this $10,000 contest based around that rule is going to be great for the fans at the event, as well as those viewing it on ONE.”

A further announcement, which Van Groningen will only describe as “major” will be made in the course of the next week.

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.

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.

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.