Basketball Australia (BA) can confirm that four time Women’s National Basketball League (WNBL) Most Valuable Player Lauren Jackson has signed a contract with the Canberra Capitals to play out the remainder of the 2009/10 season.
The Capitals announced Jackson’s signature this morning at ActewAGL House in Canberra alongside ACT Chief Minister Jon Stanhope and ActewAGL Chairman John Mackay.
Chief Minister Stanhope and Mackay played vital roles alongside Capitals CEO Mark Cartwright in providing and generating the funds necessary to secure Jackson’s services.
Jackson became the hottest free agent in women’s basketball when she signaled her intention to opt out of a two year deal with Russian club side Spartak Moscow in the aftermath of the assassination of team owner Shabtai von Kalmanovich.
The Capitals were quick to swoop and Jackson’s international clearance to join the Capitals was received overnight, just hours before a league deadline for player registration.
Under Rule 3.3 (e) of the WNBL Operations Manual, “A club can register no further players after half the regular season games for that Club in that season has been played.” In the Capitals’ case, that “half the regular season” date is today, November 25th.
“This is terrific news for the WNBL and basketball,” BA Chief Executive Larry Sengstock said.
“It is a rare chance for basketball fans to see the best player in the world playing in our WNBL and we urge the people of Australia to take that opportunity.
“We have a number of Olympians in the league already this year and the competition has been first class but adding Lauren to the mix will undoubtedly be a huge boost.
“Spectator numbers will increase dramatically as will media interest and they are just a couple of indicative positives we’ll see from having Lauren back in the WNBL.”
Jackson has played 154 WNBL games since her rookie season with the Australian Institute of Sport in 1998/99 and has won five WNBL Championships; one with the AIS and four with Canberra.
She last played in the WNBL in the 2006 Grand Final where she led Canberra to victory and was named Most Valuable Player of the Grand Final.
The Capitals have indicated that Jackson is not expected to suit up for the Capitals this week as her rehabilitation from a back injury continues.
Her return to the WNBL is tentatively slated for Saturday December 5th, when the Bendigo Spirit hosts the Canberra Capitals at Bendigo Stadium. That clash is the ABC TV Game of the Week, televised nationally on ABC1 at 1:00pm AET.
If Jackson was not ready for action on that date her next available opportunity would be the Capitals’ round 11 clash with Perth on December 12. That would allow Jackson to play 13 games for Canberra if it makes the Grand Final.
After eight rounds of competition, Canberra is running fifth of 10 teams with a 6 win, 4 loss record.
A survey of the rosters of the eight National Basketball League teams has revealed that the current season is a record-breaker for the NBL, with Perth’s Sam Harris and Wollongong’s Zac Delaney respectively earning the mantles of the tallest and shortest players ever to compete in the league.
Wildcats’ centre Harris currently towers over everyone else in the league at an astounding 221cm and is in fact taller than any other player in NBL history. The previous mark was shared by Canberra Cannons’ centre Andy Campbell and Glen Sudhop of the St. Kilda Saints, who both measured up at 218cm.
Harris’ Wildcats teammate Luke Schenscher comes in second amongst current NBL players at 216cm while there are currently five different players who are 213cm playing in the league - Tony Rampton (Cains), Greg Vanderjagt (Gold Coast), Chris Anstey (Melbourne), Alex Pledger (New Zealand – 215cm), and Paul Rogers (Perth).
While Harris is the tallest athlete to ever play in the NBL, the 169cm Zac Delaney of the Wollongong Hawks is officially the shortest. The previous mark for the shortest player in NBL history was a three-way tie at 172cm between Wayne Larkins (St. Kilda, Westside, Eastside Geelong, Brisbane, Gold Coast), Peter Stacker (Nunawading), and Dean Draper (Launceston).
Delaney’s height is 11cm less then the next shortest player currently in the league. Townsville’s Kelvin Robertson comes in second at 180cm, while Joel Wagner (Perth) and Kerry Williams (Cairns) both measure at 181cm.
Even though the Wildcats have the tallest two players in the league, they only have the third highest average height at 199.2 cm, while the Melbourne Tigers have the tallest overall roster with an average height of 200cm. Coming in on the short end of the stick, and well below the league average of 198cm, are the Townsville Crocodiles, whose average height is 195.3cm.
Along with analysing the height of the teams, Basketball Australia also did a study of the players’ ages, with the average age in the league this season coming to 26.3 years.
The New Zealand Breakers are the veterans in the league this year with a combined average age of 28.5 years. This is mainly due to the fact that they currently roster the two oldest players in the league, in the newly-acquired John Rillie (38 years) and the league’s most experienced player ever in terms of games played, Tony Ronaldson (37 years).
A full three years younger than the Breakers are the Wollongong Hawks who are this year’s youngest team in the league with an average age of just 25.3. The gap this year between the youngest and oldest players in the league is 20 years. Michael Chitham of the Taipans is the youngest player at 18 years old. He just edges out Todd Blanchfield of the Crocs, also 18, by six months.
Full rankings are listed below, including the tallest/shortest and youngest/oldest players on each team’s roster.
Yep, I'm a little behind as usual but here are a few things to start getting me caught up. Firstly here is a continuation of my NCAA look at Conferences.
ACC Still Gold Standard of NCAA Hoops
Entering the 2009-2010 NCAA season, the ACC once again hosts the defending national champions, the North Carolina Tarheels. While the Heels lost a lot of talent from last years squad, the cupboards are not bare by any means. Don’t be surprised by a return to the Final Four by the Roy Williams coached outfit. Duke returns a solid nucleus and should also contend. Clemson, Maryland and WakeForest will be dangerous both in and out of conference play as will Georgia Tech and FloridaState.
Here is a rundown of the teams:
First we go to Chapel Hill for a look at the North Carolina Tarheelswho are looking to defend their NCAA crown. Returning forward Ed Davis is seen as a lock for the NBA Lottery once he decides to leave or graduate from UNC. This season he looks to become more aggressive in the Tarheel attack along with continued hard work on the glass. Marcus Ginyard returns for his senior season after being declared a medical redshirt last season. He will provide leadership and toughness for this bunch of young players with the support of Deon Thompson. The team also hopes for continued improvement from center Ty Zeller.
The team got off to a three win start where they were hardly troubled before heading to New York for the Semi Finals of the Coaches versus Cancer Classic where they survived a close one 77-73 over Ohio State before being overwhelmed by a stifling Syracuse zone defense in an 88-71 loss. The Orangemen used a 22-1 start to the second half to turn the game around against the young squad. Overall look for the Heels to be near the Final Four again this year. They will be tested in the first week of December with games against MichiganState and Kentucky.
Down the road in Durham, the Duke Blue Devilsare looking to go farther into the post season and improve on last seasons 30-7 record. After the early departure of Gerald Henderson to the NBA and surprising transfer of Elliot Williams left the Blue Devils thin in the back court but all everything forward Kyle Singler returns for his junior season raring to go.
Duke is hungry to return to the upper echelon of the NCAA and tired of hearing it from Tarheel fans as UNC has won two titles since Duke’s last visit to the Final Four in 2004. The team has been rarely troubled in winning its first four games of the season with Nolan Smith, Singler and Miles Plumlee leading the way. Additional help has come from shooting guard Jon Sheyer and improving freshman Andre Dawkins. On the horizon for the Blue Devils is ArizonaState in the semi finals of the NIT Tip-Off tourney with a matchup against either UConn or LSU after that. From there the team will travel to Madison to face always tough Wisconsin in the Big 10 – ACC Challenge.
This team has most of the pieces in place to go far into the post season but will need to get solid play at the point guard spot as the season progresses.
Now, we will stay in the Carolina’s but venture to South Carolina for a look at the Clemson Tigerswho are coming off of a 23-9 season but hungry after a bitter first round NCAA loss to Michigan. The Tigers will look to further their school record streak of three straight twenty win seasons and set a new school record for consecutive NCAA trips at four. The team returns workhorse forward Trevor Booker and add highly touted freshman Milton Jennings to the mix.
Thus far, the Tigers are off to a roaring start with easy wins in their first four outings. The team heads to California for the 76 Classic this week with a first round meeting with Texas A&M followed by a matchup with either Long Beach St. or West Virginia. After the trip, Clemson returns home to face Illinois and state rival South Carolina in the first week of December.
You can safely expect another twenty win year from Clemson and the complimentary NCAA bid where the team hopes to advance through the first round at the least.
Going back into North Carolina, we head to Winston-Salem where WakeForestis also looking for redemption for last seasons early exit from the NCAA tourney at the hands of ClevelandState. The Deacs were 24-7 for the season last year and briefly held the top spot in the national rankings. The team lost two Top 20 NBA picks from last years roster but the cupboards are far from bare as forward Al-Farouq Aminu returns along with incoming freshman Ari Stewart who has been compared favorably to former Deac Josh Howard.
Currently the Deacs sit at 3-0 for the season after easy wins. On the horizon looms a tough Purdue team along with a visit to Gonzaga. At the end of December is a test against a tricky Richmond team before starting the New Year with a game against the always rugged Xavier-Ohio team.
The Deacons will have their moments of inexperience but come March, they should be dancing.
First up in my look through the NCAA Division 1 Conferences and teams is the America East Conference. The Conference is host to nine teams. Last season the Binghampton Bearcats ran the table and garnered the NCAA bid for the league but were overmatched in the first round of the NCAA tourney by ACC outfit Duke. The offseason for Binghamton has been tumultuous with six players being dismissed from the squad in September. The team opened the season with a 71-46 defeat at the hands of Pittsburgh. Kyrie Sutton was the lone bright spot in an otherwise dismal performance.
Boston Universitycomes into the 2009-2010 campaign with an experienced squad that features four returning starters and nine seniors. The Terriers will be looking to better last seasons 17-13 record and finish near the top of the conference. Top returning players include John Holland and Corey Lowe. Thus far the team has failed to impress losing at Iona 82-73 and dropping their home opener to George Washington 69-59. Looming on the schedule after a trip to the O'Reilly Auto Parts Puerto Rico Tip-Offis the local derby with Harvard.
Next we travel to Vermont, the home of the Catamounts, a perennial contender for the conference title. With two time Conference Player of the Year Marques Blakely leading the way the team hopes to return to NCAA action in March after last seasons 24-9 outing. With no home games until December 13, the team has split their first two games of the season losing at Loyola, MD 79-66 before a narrow 58-57 win at Buffalo.
Albanywill be looking to improve on last seasons 15-16 record with a host of new faces as the team said goodbye to two starters and four lettermen. The team will look for steady play from guard Tim Ambrose and improvement from center Brett Gifford. After opening losses to Syracuse 75-43 and MorganState 69-65, the ‘Danes pulled off a one point 51-50 win over American. The team will face AlcornState, Detroit and Robert Morris when they hast the 2K Classic from November 20. On December 30 the team will get to measure its progress against defending NCAA Champs North Carolina in Chapel Hill.
Stony Brookhopes to use last season’s 16-14record as a building block for this year’s slate. The Sea Wolves look for improvement form the four returning starters from last year’s squad. The team has not disappointed thus far with wins over Maryland-EasternShore 75-57 on the road and an 87-53 thrashing of Mount St. Mary’s at home. A November 24 visit to Rhode Island will provide a chance to gauge the teams’ progress against quality opposition.
The University of Maryland-Baltimore County (UMBC) will not sneak up on anyone this season after last years surprise run to the final of the conference tourney. The team lost their two top scorers from last season but return three solid players in Chauncey Gilliam, Justin Fry and Matt Spadafora. The team has opened with home court setbacks, losing to MorganState 72-57 and Loyola-Maryland 69-66 in local derbies. The Retrievers have tough road trips to PennState and Virginia Tech in December before settling into conference play.
At New Hampshire, the Wildcats are coming off their best season in fifteen years and return steady guard Alvin Abreau to lead the way as three quality freshmen arrive on campus to complement the nine returning players. The team opens its season with a November 20 visit to ACC team Maryland.
The Hartford Hawkslimped to a 7-26 record after losing top guard Joe Zeglinski to injury only ten games into last season. With a healthy Zeglinski, all of the Hawk starters return as the team is set to make amends for last season. The addition of three newcomers will help solidify the team. After a loss to Quinnipiac 84-76 to kick off the season the team ventured into Texas and nearly came away with an upset of highly fancied Baylor before losing in a 71-69 thriller. The teams’ morale was at a high for their home opener where they brutalized Marist 75-38. A future high exposure contest sees the team traveling to Kentucky in late December.
Although Mainereturns four starters from last years sub par 9-21 squad, the Black Bears may find the going tough again this season in spite of a one win, one loss start. A narrow road win over Fordham 76-73 and a close 56-53 victory at DelawareState sandwiched a heart breaking 72-71 loss at NorfolkState. December visits to Connecticut, Syracuse and BostonCollege could get ugly as the Black Bears try to gain credibility.
As far as predictions go, look for Vermont and BostonUniversity to finish at or near the top with Stony Brook as a possible surprise team.
Even more hoop happenings are now a reality with the US college basketball season underway. While the first couple of weeks will inevitably produce a lot of Who are they?, Where are they from?, What is a top team doing playing them? There is always a close call or two for the big timers.
Early on, we have seen the return of Isiah Thomas to the coaching game at Florida International University. His welcoming gift was a visit to defending Champions North Carolina where they were promptly disposed of by a score of 88-72.
The early surprise of the season came last Friday when little Rider College upset #18 Ranked Mississippi St. on the Bulldogs home court88-74. The woes of the Southeastern Conference continued last weekend with Alabama going down to a solid Cornell team at home 71-67. It goes to show that on any given night in the college version of the game, a team can put it all together and surprise the "Bog Boys".
A Sunday highlight saw Harvard survive in a three overtime thriller with William&Mary 87-85. Monday had another beauty as #4 Kentucky beat Miami-Ohio 72-70 thanks to a clutch basket by highly touted freshman John Wall.
Overnight there were narrow escapes by #19 Georgetown, 46-45 over Temple, #12 Connecticut 76-67 over Hofstra and #2 Michigan State 75-71 over always tough Gonzaga.
In the next few days I will go from A-Z of the Division 1 Conferences and highlight a few top teams and players.
The Executive Council of the International Wheelchair Basketball Federation (IWBF) has announced the draws for the men's and women's world championships in Birmingham, England that will take place in July next year.
Australia’s Paralympic Gold Medallist men’s wheelchair basketball team has been drawn in Pool B alongside Mexico, France, Turkey, Algeria and Beijing Silver Medallist Canada.
Great Britain and the United States, who ranked third and fourth in Beijing, are on the other side of the draw in Pool A along with Japan, Poland, Italy and Korea.
In the women’s competition, Beijing Paralympics Bronze Medallist Australia has been drawn in Pool A along with The Netherlands, Great Britain, Mexico and Canada.
The United States and Germany, who won Gold and Silver in Beijing, have been drawn in Pool B along with Brazil, Japan and China.
Rollers head coach Ben Ettridge was happy with Australia’s positioning in men’s Pool B.
“The two pools are fairly even but I’d have to say that our pool may be slightly less experienced,” Ettridge said.
“Our pool contains a few unknowns for us in Mexico, France, Turkey and Algeria but each team has obviously done well to get to the worlds so no game will be easy and we need to win the early games to set us up for the crossover matches.
“Mexico beat Brazil at the IWBF Americas, for example, and Brazil was nearly a bogey team for us in Beijing, so that should be a challenging match up.
“Six teams (Poland, Italy, Mexico, France, Turkey, Algeria and Korea) did not qualify for Beijing but have qualified for the world cup so there has been some changing of the guard in world wheelchair basketball and we’ll have to be ready for that.”
Gliders head coach John Triscari was pleased with the women’s draw but stressed the importance of a good start for the Gliders.
“With the US and Germany on the opposite side of the draw to us, we need to win our preliminary games and win them well to secure a good seed for the crossover rounds,” Triscari said.
“If we do that, we’ll be in good shape to push on and achieve great things.”
Men’s and Women’s Pools for the 2010 IWBF World Championships:
Men:
Pool A: Japan, Poland, Italy, Great Britain, USA and Korea Pool B: Mexico, Australia, France, Turkey, Algeria, Canada
Women:
Pool A: The Netherlands, Great Britain, Australia, Mexico, Canada Pool B: Brazil, Japan, Germany, USA, China.
On the Aussie Hoop scene, “Sir” Julius Hodge returned to Aussie shores as a Melbourne Tiger and promptly went to work with a 22 point, 9 rebound, 7 assist and 3 steal debut in leading the Tigers to a 98-91 win over Townsville. The Crocs suffered from indifferent form in going through a one win, two loss week after being blown out by the Gold Coast on the heels of winning the NQ derby over Cairns.
Table toppers Perth and Wollongong suffered losses last week but remained on the top two ladder spots.
There are only four games on the schedule for this week but the matches on Wednesday and Friday nights in North Queensland should be interesting as John Rillie returns to the area with the New Zealand Breakers looking to consolidate their form as the season reaches the midway point.
The last week in the WNBL has seen the resignation of coaches in Perth and Dandenong while on the court, Eva Afeaki lead the Sydney Flames to a fourteen point thumping of Bulleen, the leagues final undefeated team. Elsewhere, Perth gained their first win of the season at the hands of the winless students from the AIS. This week’s action culminates in a huge matchup in Bendigo as the Spirit welcomes Sydney.
By all means get out and support the local product if you are in areas hosting games.
The NBA season is well and truly underway with the last week bringing some much awaited excitement from Brandon Jennings of the Milwaukee Bucks. On Saturday “Mr. Jennings”, touched up the Golden State Warriors with a 55 point outing in three quarters no less as he went scoreless in the first term. Also over the last week in the NBA, the Phoenix Suns continued their resurgence with three wins sandwiched around a loss to the defending champion LA Lakers. But in picking a team of the week, I’ll have to go with the Cleveland Cavaliers who are in the midst of a four game winning streak after an indifferent start. Shaq is currently day to day with a shoulder problem but the team as a whole is coming together for a title push this season.
Other surprises thus far in the league are the San Antonio Spurs who are an even .500 while trying to sort through various injuries and adjust to new personnel. The whole Central Division is playing at .500 or better. Miami looks stronger than expected, Denver looks solid and Sacramento has surprised a few people.
It is a time honoured tradition in Australian sports for well serving sportspeople to have a Testimonial Season or Match. Over the years we have seen it happen for the likes of Wally Lewis, Alfie Langer, John Eales, LeRoy Loggins and countless others from all sports. While the practice has occurred several times in the sport of basketball, this year, supposedly due to financial reasons, the Townsville Cocs saw fit to part ways with John Rillie. Though this did not cause ripples and outrage around the sports world, most in Townsville and any true basketball fans in general were left puzzled. Many remember his commanding performance against Perth in the 2008-2009 NBL playoffs where he led from the front with a captains know of 34 points that included 10 three point bombs.
In the NBL off season there was a reshuffling of the competition with the league cut to eight teams and more local players left without teams. Upon his release by the Crocs, Rillie remained a presence in Townsville whether popping up at North Queensland Cowboy NRL matches or posting rapid fire information to his blog (http://jronfire.blogspot.com).
Fast forward to Wednesday 10 November 2009 and good ol’ JR has arrived on the scene in New Zealand. Visualize a Wild West theme with the new Gunslinger riding in to save the locals. The New Zealand Breakers were the media darlings of the NBL preseason, pick to finish at or near the top of the table. After an opening win against the Gold Coast Blaze, the team has sputtered to a four win, five loss season record. Along the way there have been nagging injuries to a few players with Kirk Penney out from an injury for another two to three weeks. The Breakers made their move on Tuesday releasing import Awvee Storey and signing Rillie.
The move gives the Breakers another veteran player with a winning attitude. Rillie will possibly see his first court time Thursday night as the Breakers host none other than the Perth Wildcats who will be hoping that Rillie on the horizon will not be a bad omen.
Hopefully this will give John Rillie the chance to finish his career on his own terms, not saying that this will even be his last season due to him always being in basketball shape. The NBL will only gain from the return of JR to the game he not only loves but lives.
Previously in a few articles written by yours truly, I have given John the nicknames of “Three Shooter”, due his long range capabilities or “Johnny the Sponge” because in my very first encounter with the very young Toowoomba kid back in the early 1990’s, he had a thirst for knowledge of the game and soaked up any and everything basketball. He was a total devotee to the game and at the time idolized George “Iceman” Gervin and Reggie Miller along with Mr. Jordan. That thirst for knowledge took him on an odyssey the went from Toowoomba to Tacoma and Spokane Washington in the United States, back to Queensland for a stint with the Brisbane Bullets, on to Adelaide for a title run with the 36ers. From there it was a stop in Sydney with the West Sydney Razorbacks before returning to Queensland to captain the Townsville outfit over the last three seasons.
The New Zealand Breakers now have in place upon the return of Penney a very potent long range attack. I am already throwing out the nicknames and thinking of the marketing potential. First up could be “The Posse”, sticking with the western theme featuring John “Three Shooter” Rillie, C.J. “The Kid” Bruton, and “Killer Kirk” Penney. The trio could also be marketed Indiana Jones style as “Raiders from the Three Arc”.
Previously in my blog (http://cdstarrbblog.blogspot.com), I have referred to the NBL with the slogan “Not Bad Lately”, now with the season roughly a third of the way through, things seem to be heating up. If there is a game in your area, get out and have a look. Alternately tune in to the weekly broadcasts on FOX. In conclusion, good luck JR and all other sportsmen plying their trade in these tough economic times.
Greetings fellow Ballaholics. We are now in our essence with action in the NBL, NBA, WNBL and the ASEAN leagues in full throttle.
In the NBL, Wollongong and Perth top the table with the other eight teams neck and neck heading towards the mid point of the season. There are still a number of top notch players out due to injuries so the power base could shift as they return. Most recently, the Gold Coast Breakers pulled off a huge upset of the New Zealand Breakers last night in NZ.
Meanwhile in the WNBL, Bulleen and Townsville remain undefeated at the top of the ladder. On the bottom rungs sit the AIS and Perth both of whom are hungry for a win. Defending champs Canberra continue to have an up and down ride at this stage of the season but never count them out.
Remember the Singapore Slingers?? Well guess who sits atop the ASEAN Basketball League ladder?? So far the Slingers are undefeated after four matches in the newly formed competition. Have a look through the rosters of the teams on the league website and you will see a few former SEABL players along with a few others who have played here in Australia.
And finally, in the last week, we have gotten our NBA fixes!! Early on, the Denver Nuggets have to be the team of note with Carmelo Anthony lighting up the score sheets. The Orlando Magic are also looking ominous. Defending champion LA Lakers have a few injured players but are winning close games through the scoring of Kobe Bryant. San Antonio rookie DeJuan Blair has proved to be a future double/double machine with his ferocious efforts off the glass.
Oh, don't forget, for us true fans, the NCAA kicks off its season in the next week or two...go Heels!!
Well it is here, the 2009-2010 NBA season kicks off Tuesday night in the US. There are lots of new faces in new places this season along with some familiar ones returning from injuries. For a start I will just make my fearless forecasts.
In the East I see the Orlando Magic, Boston Celtics and Cleveland Cavs as the teams to beat while out West, look for a Spurs resurgence in San Antonio along with the always tough Lakers and Dallas as the best picks.
Other surprises could come from the Toronto Raptors, Portland Trailblazers, Philadelphia 76ers and Denver Nuggets. In the end I’m going for a Spurs vs. Magic finals series.
Round 5 of the 2009-2010 NBL season kicked off with Melbourne pulling off a huge win on the road in Adelaide beating the 36ers 81-70. Mark Worthington went on a tear in the final 10 minutes of the game for the Tigers scoring 15 of his game high 29 points to lead from the front.
Thursday nights action across the Tasman saw the New Zealand Breakers limit the effect of red hot Corey Williams and held on to beat Townsville 92-82. The when came in home game number 100 for the Breakers.
On Friday night, the Gold Coast breakers ambushed Cairns 80-63 at the Gold Coast Convention Centre. Winning on the road is proving to be an Achilles Heel for the Snakes.
Saturday night saw the continued slumping form of Corey Williams as Townsville went down for the second consecutive game losing 99-77 to Wollongong on the road. The Hawks remain at the top of the table with only one loss in five outings.
The poor form of North Queensland teams did not change in Cairns on Saturday night as the Snakes fell heavily to the visiting 36ers 106-89. The win was a quick fix for Adelaide after their loss to the Tigers to start the round.
On Sunday Perth recorded their 500th win in the NBL by squeaking past Melbourne 93-90 in a battle of the Cats at Challenge Stadium. Perth now sits at number two on the NBL ladder.
In the WNBL, the students from the AIS were given another basketball lesson on Friday night, this time at the hands of Adelaide by a 77-52 count. It was a reunion of sorts for the eight players on the Lightning roster who are graduates of the AIS programme.
Friday night also saw a seesaw battle in Sydney where the Canberra Capitals got a much needed 74-72 win. The defending premiers are out to turn their season around after early struggles.
Also on Friday night, Townsville overcame foul trouble throughout the game to pull away from the visiting Perth Lynx 97-81. The win kept the Fire in sight of table toppers Bulleen.
On Saturday night Bulleen dumped Dandenong 80-67 in the Melbourne Derby. In Sunday action Canberra continued its reversal of fortunes by handing the Adelaide Lightning their first loss of the season 100-73 in the nation’s capital. The win helps Canberra make their first appearance in the top half of the ladder and sends an ominous warning to future opponents. Sunday’s other games saw the Logan Thunder top Perth 76-65 at Logan and Dandenong pick up their first win of the season on the road no less beating up on hosts Bendigo 88-72.
So far this season on the Aussie basketball scene, the NBL has proven to be a competitive competition with only 2 games separating the penthouse (top spot) from the outhouse (last place). Surprise packets, the Wollongong Hawks sit atop the table while early favorites New Zealand and Melbourne are struggling due to injuries after four rounds.
The top player so far this season is none other than Corey “Homicide” Williams of the Townsville Crocs. Adelaide import John Gilchrist has also proven to be a fan favorite so far this season.
In the coming weeks, look for a resurgence from New Zealand and Melbourne along with continued excitement from Townsville and Wollongong as the 2009-2010 season heads towards the half way point.
In the WNBL, Bulleen have put an early stamp on the competition by racing out to a 4-0 record. With names like Tom and Robyn Maher, Michelle Timms, Gary Fox and Gaylene Mackay associated with the team, success is as close to a given as you can get. On the floor the team has size, speed and power.
The Adelaide Lightning and Townsville Fire are also off to quick starts while defending champions the Canberra Capitals have broke even in their four matches so far this season.
Australian Boomers forward Nathan Jawai has been traded from the Dallas Mavericks to the Minnesota Timberwolves less than a week before the start of the NBA's regular season.
The Mavericks received a conditional second round draft pick in 2012 and cash as part of the deal.
Jawai will get more opportunities for court time with the Timberwolves than he would have had at Dallas and is not worried about the frigid temperatures common in the “Land of 10,000 Lakes”.
“I’m used to the cold weather after playing in Toronto,” Jawai told Basketball Australia.
“I’m finishing up a couple of games with Dallas and then heading to Minnesota at the end of the week.
“I’m looking forward to getting on court as the T’Wolves don’t have many big men and I’m excited about being in Minnesota.”
Jawai was the first indigenous Australian drafted into America’s NBA when he was chosen by the Indiana Pacers in the second round of last year’s draft.
He was subsequently sent to the Toronto Raptors where he overcame a health scare to appear in six games.
Jawai was then bundled into a four-team trade in July that took to him to Dallas along with All-Star forward Shawn Marion.
After representing Australia with distinction throughout the 2009 international program between June and August, Jawai returned to the US in September for the NBA pre-season where he received limited playing time at Dallas on a roster stacked with big men.
In Minnesota, injuries to Kevin Love (broken hand) and Al Jefferson (recovering from torn ACL) decimated the Timberwolves’ front line and opened the door for Jawai’s move north.
Minnesota’s President of basketball operations David Kahn said however that the Timberwolves were considering the Jawai trade before Love broke his hand.
"Nathan is a young project who likely will add depth to our roster at his position," Kahn said on the Timberwolves website.
"We were contemplating this trade prior to Kevin Love's hand injury, so this move is not intended to replace Kevin in the short term by any means. That would not be fair to Nathan. Rather, this move provided us an opportunity to work with a young player with size, and later determine if he could be a fit for us."
Australia has some history with the Timberwolves, with Basketball Australia and Sport Australia Hall of Famer Luc Longley drafted to the franchise with the seventh pick in the 1991 NBA Draft.
Longley was traded to the famed Chicago Bulls after two seasons with the Timberwolves and subsequently won three NBA Championships from 1996 to 1998 as a team mate of Michael Jordan.
In other NBA news, WA’s Luke Nevill was yesterday waived by Cleveland.
Nevill, a 7-foot-2 centre, averaged 2.8 points and 1.8 rebounds in 8.8 minutes per game over four games with the Cavaliers but received invaluable experience banging bodies at training with the legendary Shaquille O’Neal.
Nevill's departure leaves four Australians in the NBA: former number 1 draft pick Andrew Bogut (Milwaukee Bucks), power forward David Andersen (Houston Rockets), point guard Patty Mills (Portland Trailblazers) and Jawai.
The NBA regular season starts on October 28, Australian time, when Cleveland takes on Boston.
Houston opens its season on the road against Portland on October 28, Australian time, Minnesota hosts New Jersey on October 29 and Milwaukee opens its season on the road against Philadelphia on October 31.
Ok, I have been furiously trying to do all things hoops since the inception of this blog but it is tough for a one man operation to fill so many niches so starting tomorrow I will do three or more features per week that will serve as a wrp-up/review type of offering.
Also, in the future I wil start to post interviews as I get them in the can along with featuring teams, associations and other basketball entities from around the world so I may be sending questions your way soon!!
Yep, I'm still waaaayyyyyy behind so here is the preview of this weeks WNBL action courtesy of: www.wnbl.com.au
WNBL: ROUND 3 PREVIEW
A mouth-watering clash between heavyweights Bulleen Boomers and Sydney Uni Flames is the highlight of Round 3 of the Women’s National Basketball League.
ACUVUE Sydney Uni Flames (5th) v Global Metals Bulleen Boomers (1st), 7.00pm* AEDT at ACUVUE Sports Hall, Sydney University Sports and Aquatic Centre. ABC TV GAME OF THE WEEK – will be broadcast on delay from 1.00pm AEDT Saturday October 17 on ABC1
In the most anticipated game of the round the two pre-season favourites finally meet.
The key match up here will be between Opals starting centre Suzy Batkovic-Brown and Australian basketball’s ‘next big thing’ Liz Cambage.
Cambage has made a smooth transition into the Bulleen lineup after graduating from the AIS in August but coming up against two-time Olympian Batkovic-Brown will be the 18-year-old’s toughest test yet.
This game will be broadcast with live audio commentary on WNBL Radio from 6.30pm.
HEAD-TO-HEAD: Sydney Uni 29 – 21 Bulleen
Bendigo Bank Spirit (4th) v BDSLogan Thunder (6th), 7.30pm at Bendigo Stadium
While Bendigo easily accounted for Logan in two games last season, the Thunder came within two points of upsetting the Canberra Capitals last week.
Bendigo point guard Kristi Harrower was named Player of the Week in Round 2 and Logan will need to limit her influence on the game if they hope to get the win. Harrower and forward Lauren King have been the main destroyers for the Spirit but Logan has a greater contribution from across the team.
Logan will aim to travel better this season after claiming only three wins on the road in 2008/09. While two wins were over the 10th-placed AIS, Logan’s first road win was an impressive victory over the Adelaide Lightning, and the Thunder became the only team to defeat Adelaide at home last season.
HEAD-TO-HEAD: Bendigo 2 – 0 Logan
SATURDAY OCTOBER 17
Australian Institute of Sport (10th) v Global Metals Bulleen Boomers (1st), 7.00pm at AIS Training Hall
After a 110-40 drubbing at the hands of Bulleen last week, the AIS will be hoping to reduce that margin on their home court.
Bulleen will have only 24 hours to recover from their ABC TV Game of the Week clash with the Flames on Friday night and will have their fitness tested by the young students.
HEAD-TO-HEAD: Bulleen 35 – 26 AIS
Go for 2 and 5 Perth Lynx (9th) v Adelaide Link Lightning (3rd), 7.30pm at Albany Leisure Centre
A tough assignment for the Lynx as the Lightning have been ruthless in their first two outings.
Adelaide’s depth will be too much for Perth to handle.
The Lynx are still searching for their first win and while American import Takia Starks impressed in her debut, last week against Bendigo she managed only 1-of-9 from the floor for two points and will need to find her feet against the third-placed Lightning.
HEAD-TO-HEAD: Adelaide 37 – 9 Perth
DandenongJayco Rangers (8th) v BDSLogan Thunder (6th), 8.30pm at Dandenong Basketball Stadium
Whilst Dandenong won the pair’s two meetings early in 2008/09 by 15 points, the Thunder should be a tougher opponent this time around.
Thunder’s Polish centre Marta Dydek and Dandenong’s imports all had quiet games in Round 2 after strong showings in the opening round and it will be the Rangers’ Casey Nash, Ashley Lindsey and Megan Moody who will need to stand up against the spirited Thunder.
Logan will need to bounce back quickly from their Friday night encounter against the Spirit in Bendigo in order to match the fresh Rangers side.
This game will be broadcast with live audio commentary on WNBL Radio from 8.00pm.
HEAD-TO-HEAD: Dandenong 2 – 0 Logan
SUNDAY OCTOBER 18
CanberraTransACT Capitals (7th) v Australian Institute of Sport (10th), 5.00pm at Southern Cross Stadium, Canberra
A slow start to the season will have the Caps chomping at the bit to get back on the winner’s list and should do so in this Canberra derby.
It would have been an uphill struggle for the AIS regardless but it will be made more difficult by meeting the Capitals after playing top-of-the-table Bulleen on Saturday night.
A Canberra side boasting Opals Carly Wilson, Marianna Tolo, Natalie Hurst and Jessica Bibby will aim to assert their dominance and get their season back on track.
First up in my look through the NCAA Division 1 Conferences and teams is the 