NBL News

Best photo I could find at time of publication, but I think this lovely female "digs" Kirk Penney.

With only two more sleeps before the Wollongong Hawks and the Perth Wildcats begin to battle for the tittle of 2009/10 NBL champ, lets see what is making news in the region.

- Hawks starting point guard Rhys Martin has dual Olympian CJ Bruton to thank for his move to the beachside town in New South Wales.

- There is a war of words brewing between the journos in the respective towns that are competing for the NBL title. Keep it going boys. Oh, it's starting to get better. Cannot wait to see what tomorrow brings.

- Gold Coast Blaze forward Anthony Petrie once honed his skills in a little country town on the New South Wales/Queensland border, Tenterfield.

I used to love heading to Tenterfield and playing in their annual carnival. I just wonder if a young Petrie was one of those kids hanging around?

- New Zealand Breaker Kirk Penney and Hawks Head Coach Gordie McLeod have taken out the NBL's player and coach of the month award respectively to end the season.

- Thanks to Twitter, we find out the Andrew Bogut believes the Perth Wildcats will win.

- Perth are ready to roll after the "bug' got them.

- Is Perth Wildcat Martin Cattalini retiring?

- Have Galen Young and Corey Williams made up?

- The Townsville Crocodiles indicate that they are ready to keep Corey Williams around.

What's Making News

Mika Vukona (#7) and Pero Cameron (#11) will be joined by fellow Kiwi international Craig Bradshaw (back) on the Gold Coast.

- Wollongong Hawks import Tywain McKee has taken out back to back Player of the Week Awards.

- New Zealand Breakers veteran Tony Ronaldson is hoping that fans of the Breakers will show up to our game on Thursday night against the fourth placed Townsville Crocodiles.

- Brett Maher believes that the Adelaide 36ers just need to be "calm under pressure" and they can turn their losing fortunes around.

- Inform Breakers centre Rick Rickett is in a race against time. Rickett has a burning desire to represent New Zealand at the 2010 World Championship's but it seems the clock may run out before he gets his official Kiwi passport.

While on the subject of the Tall Blacks, NBL MVP Kirk Penney will make a last ditch effort to convince his good friend Sean Marks to come back and play international hoops, one last time.

- Extra responsibility has been the key in the improved play of Cairns Taipan centre Ian Crosswhite.

- Kiwi international Craig Bradshaw is back in the NBL, but this time as a Gold Coast Breaker. He is in a race against time to be cleared to play when the Adelaide 36ers host the Blaze tomorrow night.

- Perth Wildcats Head Coach Rob Beveride believes Jesse Wagstaff will walk away with the Rookie of the Year award.

In other Wildcats news, import Galen Young seems ready to make his debut for the club as his paperwork is being finalised.

- Are you hyped about seeing an NBA game? Make it easy on yourself and join CJ Bruton on his NBA Hype Tour. You will get to see 5 NBA games will on tour.

JR & CJ Interview

I caught up with new teammate CJ Bruton before we head out on the road for a pivotal "Sunshine Swing".

Bruton talks about his time in Europe, oops, he meant New Zealand and how we are going to do on our trip to sunny North Queensland.

CJ also mentions that the weekend consists of both Saturday and Sunday, but he questions whether Head Coach Andrej Lemanis is in tune with his line of thinking.

Corey "Homicide" Williams loves competing against the best but CJ tells him he is the boss of the final ten minutes.

Team Of The Week

Not even the King could have stopped the red hot CJ Bruton in Round 1.

Since there is no Fox Sports magazine style show, I thought I better continue in the tradition of the sport, and hand out a team of the week.

Rules are simple. You need to be a winner during that week, unless you drop 50 and have 20 rebounds in a triple overtime thriller.

Point Guard: CJ Bruton - The New Zealand Breaker was nearly perfect in his season opener against the Cairns Taipans. 28 points on 10-11 shooting (8-9 from deep), no one could ask for a better offensive start to their season. He even jagged 5 rebounds and did not turnover the ball at all in his 26 minutes of playing time.

Shooting Guard: Tywain McKee - Every year there's an import that captures everyones attention early. This year the label squarely sits with this Butch Hays look-a-like. The Coppin St grad has the Hawks firing early and the Perth Wildcats got a taste first hand on Friday night.

McKee finished with 22 points to go along with 7 assists. The only real blemish was a late game turnover that led to a potential game winner for the Wildcats.

The shot missed so for now McKee is the hero of the new NBL.

Small Forward: Kirk Penney - Mr New Zealand basketball has started the season on a tear. Last year's MVP is cooking on all cylinders from the start.

Penney finished the game with a Round 1 high of 32 points on 11-17 shooting and 4 assists.

The only question I will ask of Penney is, can he maintain his current pace for the whole season? He was involved in a huge off season with his national team, so will petrol become a concern late in the year.

I only see burnout being the only thing that stops Penney this season.

Power Forward: Cameron Tragardh - Tragardh registered the first 20-10 game for the season. This also saw him reach 500 rebounds for his career.

"Tragargamel" has been on fire all preseason. Can this ABA juggernaut lose that title with a huge NBL season?

Centre: Rolan Roberts - The Townsville Crocodile import has had a rough preseason. Battling foul trouble and fitness to date, Roberts posted a double double (11pts, 12rebs) in the season opener.

Roberts needs to play smart and save his fouls for late in the game. The Crocs need his defensive athletic presence around the basket.

This week will test this philosophy as he takes on the Twin Towers (Luke Schenscher & Paul Rogers) from Perth.

Strained Calf For "Homicide"

Australia's PG Dilemma

Will we ever see another pass first PG like Phil Symthe?

From my last post somehow the comments section become a venue for people to discuss the point guard situation of Australia, so I'll discuss a few of the points that have been raised.

First, Eric wanted to know why our leading PG CJ Bruton can only register five and a half assists per game.

Well Eric the days of a traditional pass first PG's are few and far between which will have a drastic effect on assist numbers from this position.

There is no doubting the CJ is still Australia's best answer at this position but I'm not sure where he stands as far as the national team goes.

Is he a pass first point guard?

This is a tough one to answer because he has the ability to score the ball so well. This is proven on an almost nightly basis in the NBL when he takes over the fourth quarter. There is no doubting CJ is thinking score first but he does have the feel and understanding of the game to create opportunities for others. Hell, he was only on of four players to average better than 5 assists per game this year, so he wasn't too bad.

Here is what I feel has had the biggest impact on this stat within the league. The average basketball players skill level in the NBL from the 1980's and early 90's has lifted remarkably.

You think back to the days of Phil Smythe and Gordie McLeod at the point guard spot. These guys were as rare as hen's teeth. The point guard role was dominated (and still is to a point) by imports. Of the top of your head, name another ten Aussie players of that era that dazzled you with their ballhandling. (Scott Ninnis' right hand coast to coast does not count!)

As for today's player, some teams can have three or four guys that can grab a rebound and start the fastbreak.

With better ballhandlers per team, this allows more creativity amongst the team, and your assist leader's total will be a little lower.

An example here is the West Sydney team I played on back in 2004. Both Sam MacKinnon and myself averaged over 5/game, while we had Aaron Trahair, Simon Dwight and Scott MacGregor all having the ability to create for others.

We did not need a dominate ballhandler as we had a squad that had versatility in this area. It was this trait that made us a tough outfit to defend.

I honestly believe the days of seeing someone average 10 assists (it has been done by only three guys; Darryl McDonald (3), Derek Rucker (1) and Gordie McLeod (1) in a NBL season is long gone.

Here is a little evidence to support my statement.

I recently had a very good discussion with AIS coach Marty Clarke. In the discussion we talked about the type of player that gets recruited these days at the junior level.

First, coaches are looking for length and athleticism. Skills that cannot be coached are priority. My argument to this is, we have no specialist players these days and everyone plays with the same skill set. Talk about Groundhog Day and no ability for a team to change their style on the fly.

This leads me to my last rant of the night and in line with what readers were commenting on.

When we go to play at an international competition (WC's or Olympics) we certainly do not have the depth at the PG spot like some power teams do.

I tend to look at it a little differently, though.

I never doubt the skill of these players who fill these positions, they are just not the norm when comparing to other international PG's.

Who's to blame or how do we fix that can be debated until the cows come home.

Where I feel we let ourselves down is we worry way too much about what we don't have instead of maximizing what we have. You can only go with what you have once you get to a tourney, so make the most of it.

As one reader wrote, we play run and gun in the NBL, then we try and play a different style when we play against the rest of the world.

Why don't we run and gun I say? For any team to win a medal you need to find a style that suits your team makeup and you need a little luck along the way. Remember, there is very little that separates most of these great teams from around the world

As the saying goes, a leopard never changes his spots so why do we continue to change our style once we leave our shores?

We need to dare to be different. That is what the Europeans did. They figured out if they wanted to compete with the USA, they needed to create a style of their own. Low and behold, they ended up beating them and making the USA rethink their team structure.

If Australia is to ever become a power on the international stage, we need to step outside the box instead of travelling down the same road.

CJ's The Hero But Bogut Plays Big

Andrew Bogut was head and shoulders above anyone else today.

Tonight CJ Bruton hit a three point shot with 0.2 seconds remaining to give the Australian Boomers a 81-78 win over African champions Angola.

Bruton was the hero but NBA star Andrew Bogut was the difference maker in this game. Bogut finished with a game high 32 points and 11 rebounds.

Although it was good to see Bogut heavily involved tonight, the Aussies cannot expect this to become the norm. we need more contributors if we are to advance in Beijing.

This was a close game from start to finish. The Boomers went into half time with a seven point lead thanks to a controversial three, but the Africans had it all squared away by three quarter time.

All tied up with 12 seconds to go, Bruton used a high on ball screen from Bogut with about 6 seconds remaining. Cool as the other side of your pillow Bruton launched the three and "bingo". The Boomers sneak out the victory.

The Angolans were a good hit out for the Boomers because of their quickness and ability to shoot the ball. Although one of the smaller teams going to the Olympics, they possess a few players that are multi talented.

A small centre Eduardo Mingas, power forward Joaquim Gomes and small forward Olimpia Cipriano will keep all teams honest in Beijing let alone the Aussies.

These three guys combined for 60 of the 78 points their team scored.

Another solid win by the Boomers who will now play Argentina for the championship of the Diamond Ball. This game is on the 1st of August (Friday) at 9.30pm EST. Check out www.justin.tv/antileech to catch the action live on the net.

Interesting note, that in tonight's game and against China, Goorjian has gone with Bruton, Bogut, Matt Nielsen, Brad Newley and Mark Worthington down the stretch.

Also, as the Boomers work closer to the opening game of the Olympic Games, Goorijan will look to tighten his rotations. I will keep an eye on this to see who will be the guys that fill the bench role of Tony Ronaldson, Martin Cattalini, Paul Rogers and myself at the last Olympics.

Other International Results

Argentina beats Serbia 75-60.
USA beats Turkey 114-82.

Chris Anstey interview from China


NBL News

Jason Castro will remain with Slingers.

Slingers controlled their own destiny.

Melbourne Tigers chasing Julius Hodge.

Blaze boss prepared to roll with the good and bad times.

"A lesser known player involved in this trade is Nathan Jawai, whose draft rights the Raptors acquired. The Raptors do not have a true center and the addition of this 6-10, 280 pound big man will help their inside presence. He has been working out with O'Neal at Joe Abunassar's Impact Basketball and posted 10.5 points and 5.5 rebounds during summer league play. After winning two NBL titles back home, Jawai is eager to help the Raptors in their title quest." - Courtesy of Hoopsworld.com

A positive write up for the former Cairns Taipan, Nathan Jawai. Considering it was his rookie year last year, it is interesting that he has won two NBL titles though.

Chris Anstey extends contract for another two years with the Melbourne Tigers.

Aleks Maric set to play in Spain for the next two years.

Steve Nash/Baron Davis Movie - funny stuff (I'm stealing DJ Leon Smith's material, sorry!)

Slingers Gone and Some Pre Olympic News

These guys will no longer be part of the NBL.

Although some whispers had started to circulate it is now official. The Singapore Slingers are no longer part of the NBL.

I can tell you that it is true that all player contracts will be honoured and the talk about the Slingers joining an Asian league is true to some degree.

Where the hitch in this master plan is, what league do they play in? Great question because I'm not sure if any league that is currently operating in Asia would open their arms and welcome in the Singapore Slingers. What do the Slingers offer as far as improving the current status of any league? I'm not sure, but I don't think much considering their roster is full of Aussies.

If any of you readers have read any of the newspaper articles, they have made comment about Bob Turner trying to start up a league over there. This is true but where will he get teams from to fill a league?

A factor that may hinder this process is time. How quickly can a league starting from scratch be up and running and also become viable? Once again I have never setup a professional league, but I'm guessing this will not happen over night. I will guess a timeline of about 12-18 months would be needed to set up something viable and long lasting.

Once again, I will keep you posted on this topic as it will be interesting to see what becomes of the Singapore Slingers. There is a small chance that Ben Knight could become a household name in Asian basketball. A status level he never reached in his own country.


Continuing with my individual breakdown of the Boomers roster, lets take a look at point guard CJ Bruton.

strengths: Bruton is entering his second Olympic campaign and is the veteran floor general this time round. Leading a rather inexperienced backcourt Bruton needs to perform at a high level for the whole two weeks of the Olympics if the Boomers are to advance to the medal round.

This is something he is capable of doing, the question is, does he want it!

CJ's offensive repertoire allows him to win games on his own. When he starts "feeling it" just sit back and enjoy the show.

Over the years Bruton has become a good quarterback in knowing when to pick his spots in a game. I just hope his radar is switched on in Beijing because how CJ goes, so do the Boomers.

weaknesses: Sometimes it seems CJ is just cruising through a game. Happy to keep everyone involved he can sometimes become too pass happy. This type of attitude from Bruton is going to be detrimental to the Boomers success.

If Bruton is happy to take a backseat and watch the youth of Australian basketball gain experience, there will be no medal chance for the Aussies.

overall: Easy said. How CJ goes, so do the Boomers.

Articles from pre Olympic games

"FIBA: It’s interesting to hear you say that you’ve got the most talented team that you have ever had. In saying this, aren’t you raising expectations?

Brian Goorjian: I’m just stating the truth. We’re underprepared and a bit disorganized, but the country hasn’t had David Andersen, Matt Nielsen and Andrew Bogut (all together) before. And we’ve added a lot of length on the perimeter since I’ve been here in Dave Barlow, (Brad) Newley, Joe Ingles. You’ve got 6ft 7in, 6ft 8in in those perimeter spots. We’ve been 6ft 2in, 6ft 3in and most of the guys in those spots were one dimensional where these guys can shoot it and put it on the floor. I know this - it’s a brighter future ahead than four years ago when we brought a lot of guys who were 29, 30 years old that had never played in Olympic Games, never played in the World Games, never played in the Commonwealth Games, due to the fact that that group to seven to eight guys had represented Australia in Three straight Olympics." - FIBA.COM

For the rest of this Q & A with Goorjian click here.

Good to see Goorj supporting his current players. I will argue his statement though. I will take an experienced Brett Maher, Jason Smith and myself over a young and inexperienced Pat Mills, Brad Newley and David Barlow.

In fact, when Smith is healthy again we would take them in a three on three contest.

In a few years time that might be a great statement by Goorj.

Australian Opals defeat Brazil ,easily. boxscore

Good news for Boomers, Russian centre struggling to be fit in time for Olympics.

Argentina slide by Iran by 10 in the FIBA Diamond Ball for Men. (boxscore)

China get win over Angola by 9 at Diamond Ball. (boxscore) Both China's NBA stars Yi Jianlian (11&6) and Yao Ming (21&5) played.

NBA News

Ref to get jail time?

What is going on with free agency and who is the best that is still left?

Kwame Brown joins the Detroit Pistons on two year deal.

Ricky Davis joins the Los Angles Clippers.

Nenad Krstic bolts for Russia.

More Vintage NBL - 1999 Highlights - Thanks NBLBBALL