NBL Returns to Northern Territory

From the nbl

NBL STARS BOUNCE BACK TO THE TERRITORY

Northern Territory sports fans are set for a feast of top-level basketball after Minister for Sport and Recreation Karl Hampton today announced the return of National Basketball League action for the NBL Top End Challenge 2010.
“Basketball is a hugely popular sport in the Territory and I am excited to announce today that the official 2010 NBL pre-season competition will be held in Alice Springs and Darwin in September,” said Mr Hampton.
“Last year’s tournament was a great success, raising the profile of basketball in the Territory, creating business opportunities, and thrilling crowds with spectacular hoops action.
“Today I can confirm that the NBL’s finest will be returning to the Territory in September to thrill crowds at Marrara Indoor Stadium and the Alice Springs Basketball Stadium for the Top End Challenge.”
Mr Hampton said it is particularly good news for the Centralian basketball community.
“It’s fantastic to be able to bring this event to fans in Alice Springs, who have not seen an NBL game for more than a decade; I am sure they will make the opening game a blockbuster.”
The tournament is expected to feature all nine teams from the expanded NBL competition, including the newly returned Sydney Kings franchise.
“The NBL is rebuilding strongly and we look forward to seeing the return of the mighty Sydney Kings for their first games in the new-look competition,” said Mr Hampton.
NBL legend and Basketball Australia Chief Executive Officer Larry Sengstock said fans could expect a terrific showcase of the country’s best ballers.
“The Top End Challenge is a unique event on the NBL calendar in that it brings all of our players and coaches together in the one place right before the season tip-off.
“Last year’s event in Darwin was a resounding success and we are delighted to work with the Minister to bring the Top End Challenge back to the Northern Territory in 2010. It will be a fantastic opportunity for Territorians to see world class basketball in their own backyard,” said Mr Sengstock.
As well as playing 12 games, teams will take part in an extensive community engagement program conducting coaching clinics in schools and communities across the Territory, and conducting hospital visits.
“The NT Government is committed to providing elite events for all Territory sports fans and this $200,000 agreement with the NBL cements us as a mainstay of the Australian basketball landscape,” said Mr Hampton.

Elite Classic Final

Rays win Elite Classic

The Rays, owned by Matt Shanahan and Pat Reidy took out the championship of the inaugural High Stakes Hoops tourney in Adelaide.


The title match saw the Rays defeat the Coasters owned by netballer Julie Corletto 95-81. The win brought the team a windfall of $175,000. Shanahan proved to be an astute young coach , being diligent in preparing his team by holding video sessions and using a “Hoya Paranoia” strategy, having his team stay at an off-site hotel through the tourney.


Overall the tourney proved to be an innovative event with crowds steady if not spectacular through the duration of the event. Hopefully it will be a solid base for an annual event. From a fans viewpoint, it would be great to see the purse rise which would hopefully see the talent levels of overseas players boosted. While all imports had stellar credentials by Aussie standard, the fact remains that fans will not see too many just below NBA level players on our shores simply due to financial restrictions. Maybe Foot Lockers continued involvement along with TenHD and a bit more advertising can change that.

NCAA Women's Final

UConn Ladies Repeat

The University of Connecticut’s women’s basketball team repeated as NCAA Division 1 Women’s champions after a scrappy victory over Stanford 53-47 in San Antonio on Tuesday night.

The Huskies started uncharacteristically slow, trailing 20-12 at halftime before righting their ship in the second half and putting on a blitz that turned the tables, bolting to an 11 point lead. Once the Huskies were on top by a 38-27 margin with 7:42 left on the clock Stanford could come no closer than five points for the remainder of the game.

The final score count was the lowest in NCAA Women’s title game history and was witnessed by a crowd of 22,936 in San Antonio, Texas.

NCAA Final

Duke Wins NCAA Crown in a Thriller

While a common thread of this season being a bit sub par compared to past offerings, Duke and Butler put on a show to remember in the NCAA Championship match. In the end the Blue Devils became the first team to score 60 or more points against the stingy Bulldog defence by scoring 61 and hanging on in the tumultuous final minutes for a 61-59 title win.

The game will ultimately be seen as a classic having gone down to the wire with a Butler last gasp heave just bouncing off of the rim as time expired. The win made it two titles in a row for the ACC after the conference was perceived as weaker than usual throughout the season.

Congrats to both teams on a match well played.

The final bit of NCAA business will be settled when the ladies from Stanford (36-1) attempt to end Connecticut’s (38-0) 72 game win streak in Tuesday night’s ladies final in San Antonio, Texas.

Recently Released NBL Free Agents List

from the NBL

NBL RELEASES FREE AGENTS LIST

The National Basketball League (NBL) today released its free agent list in order to allow clubs to begin their recruitment process for the 2010/11 season. 
The free agent list shows players from all clubs that had not signed new contracts with their existing teams by the deadline of 5:00PM AEDT today (Thursday 1 April).
Any player on the free agents list may now be approached by any club who wishes to offer them a contract for season 2010/11.
Some of the league's leading stars appear on the list including the reigning NBL Most Valuable Player Corey Williams as well as fellow 10-point players Tywain McKee, Adam Ballinger and Ayibde Ubaka.
The full Free Agents List is below:

2009/10 Team	Player		Player Points Ranking
Adelaide	JOHN	GILCHRIST	10
Adelaide	ADAM	BALLINGER	10
Adelaide	CORTEZ	GROVES	8
Adelaide	MATTHEW	BURSTON	8
Adelaide	JACOB	HOLMES	7
Adelaide	NATHAN	HERBERT	6
Adelaide	BRAD	HILL	5
Adelaide	DAVID	COOPER	5
Adelaide	TOM	GARLEPP	3
Adelaide	CHRIS	MOLITOR	1
Cairns	JULIEN	MILLS	9
Cairns	RICH	MELZER	9
Cairns	PHILL	JONES	7
Cairns	GARY	BOODNIKOFF	5
Cairns	KERRY	WILLIAMS	4
Cairns	DWAYNE	VALE	3
Cairns	MICHAEL	CHITHAM	D
Cairns	JAMES	COMINO	D
Gold Coast	MICHAEL	JOINER	10
Gold Coast	ERRON	MAXEY	10
Gold Coast	AYINDE	UBAKA	10
Gold Coast	CRAIG	BRADSHAW	9
Gold Coast	MIKA	VUKONA	8
Gold Coast	GREG	VANDERJAGT	5
Gold Coast	CASEY	FRANK	5
Gold Coast	PERO	CAMERON	5
Gold Coast	TYSON	DEMOS	4
Gold Coast	TOMMY	AMMAR	D
Gold Coast	BRENDAN	TEYS	D
Melbourne	JULIUS	HODGE	10
Melbourne	MARK	WORTHINGTON	10
Melbourne	MIKE	ROSE	9
Melbourne	LUKE	KENDALL	7
Melbourne	BEN	KNIGHT	7
Melbourne	DARYL	CORLETTO	7
Melbourne	NATHAN	CROSSWELL	6
Melbourne	TOM	GREER	6
Melbourne	DANIEL	JOHNSON	6
Melbourne	TIM	LANG	3
Melbourne	MATT	O'HEA	3
Melbourne	RYAN	BATHIE	D
Melbourne	YUSUF	QAAFOW	D
Melbourne	ROBBIE	STONE	D
Melbourne	BODEN	WESTOVER	D
Melbourne	EDIN	ZUNIC	D
New Zealand	RICK	RICKERT	10
New Zealand	KEVIN	BRASWELL	10
New Zealand	AWVEE	STOREY	9
New Zealand	OSCAR	FORMAN	7
New Zealand	JOHN	RILLIE	6
New Zealand	JEREMIAH	TRUEMAN	4
Perth	SHAWN	REDHAGE	10
Perth	LUKE	SCHENSCHER	10
Perth	KEVIN	LISCH	9
Perth	GALEN	YOUNG	9
Perth	SAM	HARRIS	2
Perth	MARKO	DERIK	D
Perth	JARRAD	PRIOR	D
Perth	JOEL	WAGNER	D
Townsville	COREY	WILLIAMS	10
Townsville	ROLAN	ROBERTS	9
Townsville	STEPHEN	HOARE	8
Townsville	BRAD	WILLIAMSON	7
Townsville	PETER	CRAWFORD	7
Townsville	CAMERON	TOVEY	6
Townsville	KELVIN	ROBERTSON	5
Townsville	JEFF	DOWDELL	4
Townsville	TODD	BLANCHFIELD	D
Townsville	CHRIS	CEDAR	D
Townsville	KEEGAN	TUDEHOPE	D
Wollongong	TYWAIN	MCKEE	10
Wollongong	CAMERON	TRAGARDH	9
Wollongong	GLEN	SAVILLE	9
Wollongong	DAVID	GRUBER	7
Wollongong	TIM	BEHRENDORFF	6
Wollongong	LUKE	MARTIN	4
Wollongong	DANIEL	JACKSON	3
Wollongong	GARETH	DAWSON	D
Wollongong	ZAC	DELANY	D
Additional Free Agents
	WADE	HELLIWELL	8
	NEIL	MOTTRAM	6
	MARTIN	ITI	4
	LUKE	NEVILLE	9
	ZARRYON	FERETI	5
	DAMIEN	RYAN	7
	LUCAS	WALKER	2
	BLAGOJ	JANEV	5
	LUKE	COOPER	4
	JASON	CADEE	3
	PERO	VASILJEVIC	5
	LIAM	RUSH	9
	THALO	GREEN	7
	KAVOSSY	FRANKLIN	9
	DANIEL	JOYCE	5
	BJ	CARTER	4
	ANDREW	RICE	4
	DANIEL	DILLON	3
	GRAEME	DANN	6 *
	MARK	DICKEL	9 *
D = Development Player
* = Points appeal pending