Townsville Suns t-shirts

Gather round and let me tell you about a time when the NBL was booming, so much so the NBA felt threatened by its popularity! (Ok, I’m exaggerating a touch but I’ll explain shortly)

After several years of campaigning, Townsville entered th...e NBL in the ’93 season adopting the name of their state league team, the Suns.

The Suns got off to a slow start in the NBL losing their first four games and didn’t make the playoffs until they later changed their name. Despite not getting too many wins, they were fun to watch and the people of Townsville got behind the team selling out their first 69 games!

In ’98 the team was involved in a dispute with the NBA's Phoenix Suns, who held the "Suns" trademark in Australia. Faced with the prospect of paying Phoenix royalties on merchandise sales, the team changed its name to the Townsville Crocodiles.

Representing the birth of the NBL in Townsville for the Suns in our “Legends” series are Ricky “Rainman” Jones, Clarence “The Elevator” Tyson, Derek “I’ve been everywhere man” Rucker and Rimas “we’re surprised we managed to fit his name on a t-shirt” Kurtinaitis.

Townsville, its time to represent, show your support for the history of your team. Like, share and shop!

Check out our store for team six of the "Legends" range:
http://classicbasketballtees.spreadshirt.com/

 

 

Patty Mills

Thanks to the team at the Townsville Crocodiles for putting this interview on YouTube. Here's Patty Mills on Sports Tonight discussing his chances of staying with the Portland Trailblazers and also the progress of the Australian Boomers.

Andrew Bogut on the 7pm project

Thanks to DJ Rod and the Townsville Crocs Facebook page for bringing this Andrew Bogut interview to my attention.

Crocs go LARGE!

For the last couple of seasons, the knock on the Townsville Crocodiles is that they have been under-sized. They've essentially had Russell Hinder and (insert import name here) as their only bigs, surrounded by a gaggle of guards and swingmen.

After announcing they wouldn't be resigning current MVP Corey Williams, they have dramatically changed the balance and the look of their team. Firstly they announced the signing of talented youngster, Ben Allen and today the rumour from last week was confirmed when they revealed they had also signed the biggest of the big men, Luke Schenscher.

Along with Hinder, these additions give the Crocs three bigs all 208cm or taller. Expect them to cause a lot of match-up and rebounding headaches for opposing teams. Add to that front-court, gunners like Peter Crawford, Michael Cedar and maybe Brad Williamson again and the Crocs have a potent inside-out offense.

We'll see what imports they add to the mix but based on their Australian talent alone, the Crocs are definite contenders for the 2010/2011 NBL title.

Gold Coast Blaze recap

As mentioned, I made the trip down the coast for the Gold Coast Blaze's first game against the Townsville Crocodiles. I had organised a date (a girl I went out with a few times last year who lives on the coast) but she was working till later so we didn't end getting to our seats until half way through the first quarter. I haven't been late for a game since before I started working for the Brisbane Bullets and a friend and I had season tickets. We used to often rock up to games at the end of the first or start of the second quarter ... partly because the team was terrible at the time.

Anyway, here are my thoughts from the game:

• I was disappointed by the crowd numbers, the stadium was probably only 60 - 65% full
• The Brisbane Convention Centre used to be nicknamed The Library, the atmosphere at the Gold Coast Entertainment Centre would probably now have that dishonour
• I really noticed the shorter 10 minute quarters, they really seemed to fly
• James Harvey (24 points, 9 of 13 from the field) is in very good form early in the season, coming off the work he did in the off-season with Adam Darragh and Shane Heal, not to mention his time touring with the Boomers.
• Blaze import Michael Joiner did VERY little during the game
• The other Blaze import Ayinde Ubaka had a strong second-half when the Crocs contained Harvey (Ubaka finished with 19 points, 8 assists)
• The Crocs have a very balanced scoring attack and if they're hitting from downtown will trouble the opposition
• The Blaze will take time to gel and find their chemistry on-court (to be expected with so many personnel changes). They seemed out of sync on both ends of the court at times and struggled to get the ball to the right person (i.e. Harvey)

It was good to see a lot of familiar faces in the crowd. Players wise I saw Thalo Green and Stephen Broom prior to the game and ran in to Adam Darragh afterwards. The "celebrities" in the crowd were Scotty Prince from the Gold Coast Titans, Jamie Wincup (racing car driver) and Bree Amer (Big Brother).

Gold Coast Blaze - twittering

I think I've mentioned this already but I'll be at the first Gold Coast Blaze home game of the NBL season tomorrow night against the Townsville Crocodiles.

With my new iphone I'll be twittering updates from the game so if you can't make it and are interested in what's going on, jump on Twitter and follow me. I'll make sure I tweet not only about the score but how the teams and players look at this early stage, who's in shape and who isn't (Pero?), who's got potential to have a big year, etc.

Hopefully there will be a good crowd in attendance and the Blaze give them plenty to cheer about and make them want to come back again.

NBL predictions

With the NBL season kicking off tonight, its time to take that step and make predictions on the final standings of the league. There are only 8 teams in the competition so how badly can you get it wrong? (famous last words)

There's been so much change on and off-court during the off-season that its a fairly close, open competition ... or at least it would seem to be. There's no defending champions so we start this season (and the process of reform) with a relatively clean slate.

Here are the current odds fresh from Centrebet:

Championship 2009/10

MELBOURNE TIGERS 4.00
NEW ZEALAND BREAKERS 4.00
PERTH WILDCATS 5.00
TOWNSVILLE CROCODILES 5.50
ADELAIDE 36ERS 9.50
GOLD COAST BLAZE 11.00
CAIRNS TAIPANS 13.00
WOLLONGONG HAWKS 23.00

At those prices, I think the Crocs are a little over-rated and the Blaze and Hawks look good value. Sure, I don't expect the Hawks to win but I don't think they're clearly the worst.

Here's my rankings:

New Zealand Breakers
Melbourne Tigers
Perth Wildcats
Gold Coast Blaze
Townsville Crocs
Adelaide 36ers
Wollongong Hawks
Cairns Taipans

How did I go? Let me know your thoughts in the comments and what you think the final standings will look like.

NBL schedule released

First we had NBL teams signing up players and now the league has announced its game schedule. Things are finally starting to get back on track!

Looking at the schedule I'll likely be at the Blaze first home game of the season against the Crocs. It'll be disappointing and strange not to see JR playing for Townsville and it'll be even more strange to be cheering for the Blaze!

I've had a few messages with Coach Joey Wright over the last few weeks so my ties to the Bullets will have me jumping on his new team's bandwagon.

Click on the title below to read more about the upcoming season and to check out the full schedule.

NBL > News

The schedule for the 2009/10 National Basketball League season has been released, with the eight-team competition set to tip-off on Thursday September 24.

The opening game of the season will see title hopefuls the New Zealand Breakers host the resurgent Cairns Taipans at the North Shore Events Centre.

Wollongong fans won’t have to wait long to celebrate their emotional return to the court after what was thought to have been their last match ever last season. They host the Perth Wildcats on Friday 25 September.

Other opening round match-ups see a Queensland local derby at the Gold Coast Convention Centre between Gold Coast and Townsville on Friday 25 September and Cairns hosting Adelaide on Saturday 26 September.

John Rillie ... free agent

I was SHOCKED to see the news that John Rillie had been released by the Townsville Crocodiles. I first noticed something on FaceBook from JR last night and then had it confirmed on his blog.

Its sad that John won't finish his career in Townsville where his young family have seemed well suited to over the last few years. JR mentions on his site that he only wanted to play one more season and it would have been good to have him do this is as a Croc.

That said, I don't think JR will have too much trouble picking up with a new team, after all he played for Brisbane, Adelaide, West Sydney before heading up north to The 'Ville. Of the 8 teams named to the new league, I think you can really only rule out the Breakers as they have more than enough shooters. But the rest of the teams would no doubt love a veteran shooter to play 25 mins off the bench as well as bring experience to the locker room. With the Tigers back in the league, I'm sure Anstey would love a real shooter to kick out to from the double team (no offence Ebi).

We wish Rillie the best of luck in his next/final chapter and you can of course follow along as it all happens at JR, On Fire.

Townsville Crocodiles > News

Rillie & Egan released

Thursday, 28 May 2009

The Townsville McDonald’s Crocodiles today announced that they would not be looking at this stage to re-sign Daniel Egan and John Rillie for the 2009/2010 NBL season. Both players met with club officials today and were advised of the decision.

“Given the announcement today that Melbourne would be fielding a team and that there is now 8 teams ready to play next season, we believed it was important that we gave both John and Daniel the best opportunity to talk with the other clubs about contracts for the coming season,” Chief Executive Officer Ian Smythe said.

“Clubs will be able to register player contracts commencing next week and it would be unfair of us not to advise the players at the first opportunity of our intentions.” Smythe added. “Up until today there were some uncertainties that prevented me from advising the players of our intentions,” Smythe said. “I am sorry that I was unable to do so beforehand but the circumstances were unavoidable, given the long and protracted process involved with the new league.

Ian Smythe acknowledged that the decision to go down this path was not taken lightly and was one of the most difficult decisions the club had had to make. “Both Daniel and John have been an integral part of our program over the past seasons” Smythe stated, “but with the changes in the NBL, we have made the decision to take the club in a different direction for the future.”

“John has been one of the games greatest players and showed last year that he still has a lot to offer the game and the league” Smythe said “but looking to the future we need to give some of our younger players the opportunity to develop.”

“Daniel has also been a great contributor to the game and the league over all of his years in the NBL “Smythe added. “ When Daniel arrived here from Brisbane he had a lot to prove and he has not let the fans down,” Smythe said.

“I would likely to publicly acknowledge the great work that both these players have done for the Crocs and as ambassadors for the game and wish them all the success in the future,” Smythe said.

“It is never easy to let players go that have contributed to the club in so many ways,” Smythe went onto say “but we have to look to the future and making the hard decisions is part of that process.” “We have said from the beginning that we expected to be a part of the National League for many years to come and building a competitive side is a key component for this to occur.”

NBL quarter finals set

With the final round of the NBL regular season run and done, the quarter-final match-ups have now been set.

Game 1 sees the inconsistent Perth Wildcats host the streaky Townsville Crocodiles. Perth have the home-court advantage which is a big plus in this contest. The Crocs aren't great on the road (5 - 10) and give up a lot of size to the likes of Loughton, Victor, Knight and Redhage. If the Crocs are to win they will need their bigs (Ellis and Hinder) to hold their own while their guards (Rillie, Williamson, Cedar) need to be hitting their shots.

In the second game, the Sixers travel across the ditch to take on the Breakers. This is another great game that either team could win but again the likely result sees the home-team getting the W. With Kirk Penney back in the line-up and CJ Bruton finding form after his stint on the IL, the Breakers should have too many guns for the Adelaide team. Adam Ballinger and Luke Schenscher will need to dominate the paint to keep their side in the game.

Both should be great match-ups so check them out on Fox, details below.

NBL > News

The schedule for the National Basketball League Quarter Finals has been set following the completion of the NBL regular season on Saturday night.

The Perth Wildcats secured fourth position on the ladder after their 101-86 win over the Melbourne Tigers in the final game of the regular season. The victory also secured a crucial home Quarter Final for the Wildcats, relegating their first round opponents, the Townsville Crocodiles, to fifth position and the role of visitors.

The Wildcats will now host the Crocs in the fourth versus fifth Quarter Final on Wednesday 18 February at Challenge Stadium at 6:30pm local time.

The New Zealand Breakers, who finished in third position on the ladder, will play their historic first-ever home Finals game when they host the sixth-seeded Adelaide 36ers at the North Shore Events Centre on Thursday 19 February. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30pm local time.

Both games are sudden-death elimination, with the winning teams advancing to the Semi-Finals series.

The winner of the New Zealand – Adelaide Quarter Final will face the second-seeded Melbourne Tigers, with the best-of-three series opening at the State Netball Hockey Centre on 25 February.

The winner of the Perth-Townsville Quarter Final will advance to face minor premiers, the South Dragons, with Game One scheduled for 24 February at Hisense Arena.

All NBL Finals games will be broadcast live on FOX SPORTS.

Schedule (all times local)

Quarter Finals (single game elimination)

Game 1 – 4th vs. 5th
Wed. 18 Feb.
6:30pm WDT
Perth Wildcats vs. Townsville Crocodiles
Challenge Stadium

Game 2 – 3rd vs. 6th
Thurs. 19 Feb.
7:30pm NZDT
NZ Breakers vs. Adelaide 36ers
North Shore Events Centre

Corey Williams speaks out ... fancy that!

Here's an excerpt of an article/interview with Corey Williams in the lead up to the possibly last game between FNQ rivals the Cairns Taipans and the Townsville Crocodiles. As usual, Corey Williams was not afraid to speak his mind and talk some trash. Funny stuff ... and this is just what the NBL need more of, the "conversation" between the two teams in the media before the game should lead to an entertaining contest on the court.

PS. Corey ... thanks for the explaination of 187 ... anyone that listened to a 90's rap album knew exactly what you were talking about. But, almost a good plug for your shoes!

Click on the title below to read the full article.

Townsville Crocs ready for bloodbath | Townsville Bulletin Sport

But he warned the Taipans they had better not drop their game against the Crocs or they would be on the end of some serious punishment.

'Cairns better come with it, because we ain't playin' no game, we ready,' Williams said.

'This just might be the last time we play, so we are going to go out in style.'

Williams said he was prepared to back up his words if need be.

'If they want to fight we can fight too, however they want to do it, I'm here,' he said.

And who wouldn't expect him to? The New York streetball legend is nicknamed `Homicide', after all.

'It's going to be a 187 Saturday. That's the police code for murder,' Williams said.

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).

Townsville Crocodiles - Doing it for the kids

With the NBL in a "transitional" phase this season, many have commented that part of the problem over the last few years is that the league has lost touch with its grass roots. I read an article (I think by Tim Morrissey) about the death of the Sydney Kings and it mentioned the team no longer did school visits and over recent seasons they had little to do with the local community.

So, when I dropped in on the Townsville Crocodiles training session yesterday it was refreshing to see that this was not infact a league-wide trend. After the team had a full practice session, the whole organisation (all the players and the front office including the CEO) spent another two hours running a "Rookie Club" camp with about 30 local youngsters. The team played games with the kids, signed autographs and did pretty much anything that was needed to keep the kids interested and entertained.

In other notes from Crocs training session:

• Recent 200 gamer Kelvin Robertson may be short but he is a UNIT! It looks like he spent much of the off-season in the gym and has the AFL arms/guns to show for it.
• Michael Cedar may not see much court-time in games but continues to show flashes of brilliance
• Rosell Ellis plays WELL above his height
• New Croc, Brad Williamson seems to be paying hommage to John Rillie with his new buzz-cut hair style (quite different from what we were used to from Brad in Brisbane)

Thank you to the Townsville Crocodiles coaching staff (Trevor and Lyndon) and the organisation for allowing me to sit in during their practice.

Just two days to go

Only 2 days left now until the NBL (Australian basketball league) season gets underway. After 5 years working with the Brisbane Bullets its going to be a very strange season without them in the league ... or the Sydney Kings.

Without a home team to support, I'll likely jump on-board the Townsville Crocodiles band wagon. After all, they have my favourite NBL player (John Rillie) not to mention 5 or 6 others that have played for the Bullets.

The favourites going in to the season are definitely the defending champion Melbourne Tigers. They lost a couple of players but recruited/bought extremely well and could be even better than the squad they had on the floor last year. Its hard to go past a team with Anstey, Ere, Mackinnon, Barlow, Gizzard and Hoare.