Sapwell & Acid Wash Jeans

I have just returned from tonight's Townsville Crocodiles and Adelaide 36ers clash.

With prime time seats on offer I was rather pumped to check out some NBL action from such a vantage point. Well, what a poor game this was from a spectators point of view. The Crocs were easy winners 102-87.

Instead of dwelling on it too much I have found something that completely trumps this game's look.

Former 36ers bank shot expert Rupert Sapwell in acid wash jeans has trumped all today's precedings by a country mile. The thing that scares me the most is Sapwell was wearing the same jeans when I saw him in Adelaide during a December game I played in.

Enjoy this blast from the past footage.

Doin The Julius Stomp

Yeah, I did it. What you gonna do about it?

Here is the footage of emotional Melbourne Tiger Julius Hodge doing his version of, "if you're happy and you know it stomp your feet". (Usual villain Mark Worthington apologised to the Adelaide community for the behaviour displayed by temmate Hodge.)

The only trouble was it was on the signature of club legend Brett Maher.

It has been reported that Hodge believes it would have been his name on the court, had he of stuck around Adelaide. Big call but I like the confidence Julius.

Too bad the Tigers have visited the South Australian franchise twice this year already. That could have turned into a pay-per-view event.

Is Hodge A Good Fit?

Julius Hodge should probably be in the gym working on his jump shot instead of the beach if you ask former teamate Brad Davidson.

I've been surfing the net this morning just checking out all things basketball and this Brad Davidson blog entry is by far the most interesting read I found.

The Commonwealth Games gold medallist talks about his relationship with new Melbourne Tiger Julius Hodge during their time together as teammates at Adelaide.

I will let you decide for yourself and come to your own conclusions, but it would be interesting to here from a Melbourne Tiger (hey Wortho, in between beers, give us a blog on Hodge) to see if Hodge has painted a different picture in Melbourne, than the impression he has left in Adelaide.

Here is Davidson's words, let me know what you think.

"Since Julius Hodge last left our shores in the middle of the 2008/09 season, I have said to a few people that he was the worst teammate I’d ever had on my team throughout my basketball career.

Is Julius a bad person? No he’s not. Did Julius give you everything he had on game night? Absolutely yes during his first season here in Adelaide, but the second season hmmmm - most of the time.

Julius mark 2 came in so much fanfare that you can see why he was so self centreed and deluded and I think a big factor for his attitude was he didn’t want to be here after being so close to fulfilling his NBA dream. The tech fouls, not getting back on defence and general attitude when things were going bad really hurt him in the face of the team. When a guy that really did like you say that you were a cancer for the team you gotta start to think it’s you mate, not the rest of the world that has the problem! I think the Adelaide 36ers were at fault to start the disintegration of the relationship but Julius was at fault there after but not once has he said he wished he’d done something differently so he could’ve stayed in this place that he claims to love so much. I’m pretty sure he was getting some bad advice from his American agent too (and not the first person that has had that, Schensch?).

I think it’s sad that Julius is back. He is easily the most talented player I’ve played with, but is he the best player I’ve played with? No but he should be. Make no mistake about it Julius is going to come back to Australia and put up big numbers and be in the top 3 players in the league. Do you know how good you have to be to score 25 a game and put up the numbers he does with that ridiculously bad shooting style and flat shot? It was like Anna Kournikova - her serve was the worst in women’s tennis but she was still in the top 10 in the world because the rest of her game was so good. I could say that Julius is like Kournikova and isn’t a winner but I never got a championship, so you know what they say about people in glass houses……

Everyone knew Julius and I didn’t quite see eye to eye as we are polar opposites, yet also surprisingly similar. We are both smart arses who liked getting a rise out of people. I would shoot and hit a few threes in a row and say to Julius “if you had this shot you’d be earning five million a year right now” and he would call me ‘mini me’ and enjoyed dropping some short jokes any chance he got. But that’s where the similarities end. Julius worked harder in the gym during his second season here and did spend time shooting, but this was after sitting out the parts of practice he didn’t want to participate in. I personally didn’t want to shoot with Julius after training because I’d already had my workout and didn’t need more fitness work rebounding all his misses. Besides, I would get up more game type shots in 30 mins as he would get up standing still shooting in an hour.

I’ll be interested to see whether Julius has learnt anything since he left and whether he returns with a better attitude. It will be interesting to see if he helps the Tigers get better or whether he still thinks the world revolves around his every move. Either way it’ll be good to watch!!"

Around The NBL On A Saturday Night

Best photo I could find of Adam Ballinger. On the up side, Perth Wildcats Head Coach Rob Beveridge loves the thought of two redheads banging down low.

Just catching up on the news that is relevant to the NBL this evening.

- Ty McKee and Cameron Tragardh lead the Wollongong Hawks to a decisive 93-69 win over the Townsville Crocodiles.

Although McKee and Tragardh were dominate in the scoring column, I'm on the Larry Davidson bandwagon. He is the do-it-all guy for the Hawks right now. Whether it is stretching the defense with his three point range or blocking shots at the defensive end, Davidson is giving the Hawks a dimension that aids the team in so many areas.

There is no doubting McKee's ability, but the thing that impresses me the most about the kid is his decision making. He sees the floor as well as anyone that I have seen in the NBL in the last five years. Whether he is knifing to the hoop and dishing off to a big man in the paint or finding a perimeter player from range, McKee's feel for the game is great to watch.

- Adam Ballinger has been woken.

The Adelaide 36ers score a 80-77 home win over the Gold Coast Blaze tonight.

I would say Ballinger has been off to a slow start this year but tonight he erupted for 36 points.

It must have been hard to go past this performance, but the Adelaide media are giving David Cooper some serious credit for his 10 minutes of playing time.

Under 23 Rule & Bad Promos

I feel your pain Brad (Davidson).

Last week Adelaide journalist Boti Nagy briefly touched on why the NBL holds a roster spot for an Australian who is under the age of 23.

I have had many an animated discussion with various people in the basketball fraternity, so it is time to share my thoughts on this topic.

First and the most obvious point to me is, the NBL is a professional league and has to be striving to put the best available talent on the court. By restricting one of the ten available roster spots per team, every year you are going to lose talent just to fulfill this age limit obligation.

Let's use the Adelaide 36ers as an example to highlight my point. It looks as though veteran point guard Brad Davidson is going to lose out so the 36ers can make good on filling a roster spot with a wet nose kid who has not earned his stripes.

I'll highlight this example a step further. Final game of the season and the 36ers need to win to make the playoffs. No playoff birth for the 36ers and Head Coach Scott Ninnis is out of a job because someone in the front office believes they underachieved with the roster they have put together.

Does Ninnis feel more comfortable looking down his bench and seeing Brad Davidson or some kid who has the right date of birth (that allows him to squeak a year or two out in the NBL until he turns 23..another point I will get to later) when import John Gilchrist fouls out of the game?

The answer is a no brainer.

I use the 36ers as purely an example. I can go through nearly every other roster in the NBL and make a similar case.

For now I will end this post here because I have just wound myself up just writing about this topic. Sorry, but I have a passion and desire for this game to succeed in this country. When basketball has the audacity to call it "professional" sport but we put so many restrictions on players, it really leaves me shaking my head.

If I have cooled down by tomorrow, I will express my feelings on the AIS/US college part of this argument.

News

- Australian Boomers name squad to tour South America. There are six new faces that will pull on the green and gold for the first time. Young guns Jason Cadee and St Mary's bound Matthew Dellavedova will make their debut.

Washington State grad Aron Baynes has decided green and gold is more to his liking than black and white. another win for the Aussies over the Kiwis.

Utah Ute grad Luke Nevill gets his chance to impress Head Coach Brett Brown.

New Adelaide 36ers centre Matt Burston has done well to overcome some horrific injures and get the chance to represent his country.

Last tour's captain James Harvey and Washington St bound Brock Motum were not selected due to injury.

- Former assistant coach of the South Dragons,Guy Molloy, to head to Ballarat.

- Former St Louis Billiken Kevin Lisch is bringing his defense to Perth.

If he brings more defense than offense to the west, the janitor at the Wildcats practice facility will not be changing the nets too often. Between Lisch, Brad Robbins and Damien Martin, someone will need to put points on the board.

Oops, I forgot Martin Cattilini has returned to the west.

- Look for former New Zealand Breaker import Rich Melzer to be teaming up with a fellow Minnesota native on an NBL roster this season.

- Just sniffing around You Tube and found these two Aussie NBA stars (Andrew Bogut and Nathan Jawai) shooting some interesting (low budget) commercials.

Labor Day Holiday = Links

#1 - Kobe's jersey is the best selling NBA jersey this year.

Although it is a public holiday (Labor Day) and a none work day for most Aussies, I thought I would still provide some coverage for those who log on during the day to get their hoops fix.

You will find lots of links so you can catch up with what is happening in the basketball world.

- A great article about the Adelaide 36ers and what is happening with basketball in the city of churches. Comments from 36er legends Phil Smyth and Mark Davis.

- Perth Wildcats finally announce that Rob Beveridge is their new coach. For those two people who didn't know this was happening, happy reading.

- David Andersen did his part to try and get his team over the line. His 24pts was not enough to lift Barcelona over CSKA Moscow into the Euroleague final. report boxscore

Don't forget you can catch the final (CSKA vs Panathinaikos) on ESPN at 4am Monday.

- Andrew Gaze to become a lifestyle show presenter? Yes he is. Look out for "Guide To The Good Life", in June on Channel 7.

- Colourful Kiwi coach Jeff Green is back in the driver's seat. If the name does not ring a bell, he was the first coach for New Zealand Breakers.

- "But, in all honesty, I'm 50-50 about whether there will even be a league next year _ that's 100 per cent my gut feeling." Courtesy of the Townsville Bulletin.

My teammate Russell Hinder sharing his feelings. He's such a sensitive guy.

- Brad Newley and his Panellinios team were swept 2-0 in their Greek League quarter final matchup against Marousi. Game 2 boxscore.

- Kobe Bryant jersey is the number 1 seller in the NBA.

- The NCAA has decided that the student/athlete needs to decide on his NBA dream earlier.

More On The 36ers Saga

Scott Ninnis has plenty of time on his hands right now. He must love reminiscing about his playing days with his daughter!

Thanks to the Adelaide Advertiser, the 36ers franchise is still in the hunt to live on.

POTENTIAL consortium of business people keen to save the Adelaide 36ers and who might shift the club to the Entertainment Centre met last night at a secret location in the city.

The group of "interested persons" includes at least three prominent local identities with the desire and ability to rescue the 36ers. Last night's meeting was held to discuss a joint bid to keep a national league franchise in Adelaide.

A spokesperson for the group who did not want to be identified yesterday confirmed a meeting had been set up for last night and that the group did not want any involvement with current 36ers owner Mal Hemmerling.

"Mal has had his chance and we would want to go it alone," the spokeperson said.

Hemmerling on Thursday in The Advertiser said his bid for a licence in Basketball Australia's new elite men's competition did not meet all of the criteria, specifically the $1m bank guarantee.

Hemmerling said unless BA relented from its hard-line stance on the criteria, he could not field a team and the club would fold.

"We believe the (state) government might be prepared to come to the party considering it is only a bank guarantee," the spokesperson said.

"There's a state election next year and no-one really wants a national league without an Adelaide presence in it."

The spokesperson said the preferred option would be to keep the 36ers playing at the Distinctive Homes Dome, owned by Hemmerling's partner, embattled former childcare magnate Eddy Groves.

But there is a growing feeling a shift to the entertainment centre might garner government support for the club, giving it a permanent tenant for the 10,000 capacity venue.

"It would be a shame to have a venue such as the Dome - the best stadium in Australia and a purpose-built facility - lying idle," the spokesperson said.

"Playing at the Dome would be ideal but we won't know whether that's possible until we consult with Jeff Van Groningen."

Van Groningen was Groves' chief executive officer with the Brisbane Bullets' NBL franchise before Groves' ABC Learning Centres business was beset with financial difficulties.

Last week Hemmerling called Van Groningen in from Brisbane "for advice and to check out his options" on where to go with the 36ers' situation.

Hemmerling is now on holidays for five weeks and Van Groningen back in Brisbane but he will return to Adelaide later this week, keen to talk with any parties interested in taking over the 36ers' licence.

He also gave an assurance that while Groves is keen to sell the Dome, he would prefer to sell it to basketball interests and would not sell at just any price.

"He is keen to keep the 36ers in the Dome as the main tenants," Van Groningen said.

Does Eddie Own The 36ers?

It might not be as easy as "A, B, C", for the Adelaide 36ers. Does Eddie groves own the team as well?

This article will raise a few questions over the next few days. Article courtesy of Fox Sports.


New Basketball Australia chief executive officer Larry Sengstock says the revamped elite men's league "desperately" needs an Adelaide presence.

And Jeff Van Groningen, enlisted by 36ers owner-in-absentia Mal Hemmerling to help find a "solution" for the club, also is adamant the current crisis can be averted. Late last week Hemmerling staggered the basketball community by revealing he could not deliver the $1 million bank guarantee in the new-NBL criteria and that his attempts to find investors had been hampered by BA's delays in announcing the composition of its new league.

He then said unless BA relented on the $1 million stipulation, he could not field an Adelaide team in the new competition. That said, on Saturday he went on a five-week holiday while his club teetered on the brink.

Hemmerling and former childcare magnate Eddy Groves jointly purchased the 36ers and the Distinctive Homes Dome from the state government for $3.95 million in July, 2006. Van Groningen, who ran the defunct Brisbane Bullets NBL club for Groves, was brought into town last week by Hemmerling.

With Hemmerling now holidaying, it left many wondering whether Groves in fact owned both properties, his lieutenant in town. "No, I'm not running the ship," Van Groningen insisted.

"I'm not in a defacto leadership position. I've got a specific brief in reviewing what options to push forward."

Asked whether he had been sent to Adelaide by Groves to wind up a sale of the Dome and the 36ers, he said: "I'm here to try to give Mal whatever advice I can.

"Eddy has an interest because he owns the venue and the 36ers are its tenant but I'm not employed by Eddy. While he's interested in selling the Dome, he won't offload it at any cost and it's his preference to have a tenant."

Pressed further on what the future held for Adelaide fans of NBL basketball, Van Groningen said: "I would find it hard to picture a league without the Adelaide 36ers."

In that he has an ally in incoming BA chief executive Sengstock, who starts in the challenging role. "The bottom line in my mind is we're attempting to and wanting to get teams in each of the major cities," he said last night.

"The Adelaide 36ers have been there for 27 years. "We would desperately like to see an Adelaide team in the (new) league. Of course time is of the essence. The time frame is getting shorter - no doubt about that."

BA had planned to reveal the new league and its content before Sengstock assumed the role vacated by Scott Derwin. But it has been held up sorting the many bids non-compliant with the criteria. Those bids include the one from Hemmerling on behalf of Adelaide.

"I'm not deep enough into yet," Sengstock said when asked what solution he could foresee. But if there is a way, he is likely to find it. His big problem appears to be that, in fact, most of the "expressions of interests" accompanied non-compliant bids.

My Lips Are Sealed

This piece of 36ers merchandise may soon become a collectors item.

For those of you that have listened to the latest episode of "The OT" would have heard that I have put a media ban on myself regarding comment on the NBL.

I'm staying true my word so here are plenty of links to fill you in on what is happening.

- The NBL's kickoff date is still in question.

- The Adelaide 36ers may become the next extinct basketball team.

- Cairns Taipan Aaron Grabau talks about the current NBL situation for players.

Cal Bruton - The Black Pearl

1997 36ers vs Magic