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.

MacGruber Basketball

Wollongong Hawk benchman Dave Gruber came out in Game 3 and provided the Hawks with the "X" factor that teams need at this time of the year.

The former Northern Iowa University product has had this type of impact on a game throughout the season. I remember him coming of the bench against my New Zealand Breakers and scorching us for 17 in an efficient manner. He was the difference maker.

Can "MacGruber" become the X Factor in the Finals series against the Perth Wildcats?

Crocs To Make Changes?

Tonight on the local news up here in Townsville, Crocs Head Coach Trevor Gleeson has hinted at the idea that the Crocs will make changes to the starting line up after their lack luster performance against the Wollongong Hawks in Game 1 of their Semi Final series.

The Crocs managed just one assist in the first half of last week's contest. Anyone that knows hoops knows that this stat indicates that not too much team basketball is happening.

I would hate to speculate at what changes will happen so I better just get to the game on Wednesday night.



- In other NBL news, Scott Ninnis has been relieved of his head coaching position with the Adelaide 36ers.

The 36ers finished last in this year's NBL competition. This was the first wooden spoon for the South Australian club.

- Tomorrow night the Gold Coast Blaze host the Perth Wildcats in Game 2 of their Semi Final series. With the Wildcats up 1-0, Blaze coach Joey Wright is looking for New Zealand born Craig Bradshaw to lift and help the blaze force a Game 3.

Blaze import Ayinde Ubaka has been ruled out of the game.

- Wollongong Hawks Larry Davidson is a stat stuffer (someone who has positive stats across the board) and had an impressive Game 1 against the Townsville Crocodiles. Is it time he was called into the Australian Boomers squad?

Gaze Is No Imelda & Zac's Age Issue

Andrew Gaze does not know his footwear like Imelda Marcos.


It may seem I have been in the wilderness (I was in Cairns) for the past 48 hours but I have actually been away starting to build my coaching resume.

I was away with a couple Townsville U/16 boys teams preparing for the State Championship in April. (Just in case you were wondering, I was an impressive 4-1.)

I have just finished watching Game 1 of the Wollongong Hawks/Townsville Crocodiles series. I was traveling on Friday while the game was on, but thanks to My Star, I can watch it at my own leisure. (Thanks to my Tweeps for keeping me and my family up to date with the scores as we headed up the Bruce Highway.)

Now after having watched both playoff games via Fox Sports and listened to "Mr Basketball" Andrew Gaze I'm going to throw a few things back in his direction.

First point. He is trying to sound like Imelda Marcos with his knowledge of players footwear during the playoffs.

On Thursday night he made comment about Perth Wildcat import Galen Young and his bright red shoes and how Young must have pulled them out for the playoffs.

Now I'm with Drewie in the fact that they are very red shoes. Not even Wildcats resident "Ranga" Rob Beveridge can reach that shade of red when he blushes. The point I'm getting to though, is Young has been sporting (I will call them) the Nike Rangas for quite some time now.

The next example of "Imelda" Gaze's mishap was with Brad Williamson and him wearing joggers as his game shoes. Drewie made comment along the lines of Williamson must have left his game shoes at the hotel and will have to get by with his walk around shoes.

Note to Gaze, Williamson has been wearing his Brooks runners all season long after suffering a early season foot injury.

Drewie, maybe you can bring him up some of your famous Gaze shoes for him to tryout?

Second point. The Wollongong Hawks have defended the Townsville Crocodiles, but more importantly Corey "Homicide" Williams, like that all season long. (If you missed the game, the Hawks defend Williams by sending his defensive player below the free throw line in hope of being able to control his tough penetration while giving up the perimeter jumpshot.)

It has been a ploy that has worked a treat for the Hawks as they have had some convincing wins over the Crocs in their 3-1 regular season record.

My question to Drewie on his theory of having Williams launch a few 15-18ft jump shots in hope of making one or two and then the defence having to change their mindset. Did you ever say that to Warick Giddey?

Now that I have that of my chest, let me move on.

Fresh of logging his first playoff seconds in front of his home crowd (Wollongong Hawks), Lil Zac Delaney has been pulled over to the side and been asked to produce some ID.

I know your thinking the young fella went out (chest puffed out) on the town after his thirty odd seconds of fame on Friday night against the Crocs and a club bouncer has asked the 169cm (that's generous I think) baby faced assassin to provide some ID.

Wrong. Delaney was just trying to take in a movie over the weekend and the movie theatre worker asked the Hawk fan favourite to produce a proof of age so he would be allowed to view the flick.

I have my sources on the case to make sure the rumours aren't true that the movie was Flushed Away.

365 Slurpees This Easy - Thanks 7-Eleven

Wollongong Hawks have been doing a lot of things right on and off the court this year. Without doubt they are leading the NBL in cyber appearances.

Here is their latest edition as this very happy fan has walked away with a year's worth of Slurpees, all thanks to 7-Eleven. All he did was drop a halfcourter.

Check the footage below to see how the punter won. Oh, his son looks pretty happy too!

Zac Delaney Scores

Wollongong Hawk little big man Zac Delaney scores his first NBL point over the weekend against the Gold Coast Blaze.

Teammate Daniel Jackson catches up with the local legend to see what he has to say about a life long goal, scoring big.

Little Man Hits The Big Time

The littlest man in NBL history (Zac Delaney) proves that size doesn't matter.

He is yet to become a household name in basketball circles, but little Zac Delaney is showing kids in the Illawarra community, size does not always matter.

The 169cm (and very generous at that) local product of Wollongong basketball is currently a development player with the community based franchise but he's hit the big time.

He is the shortest person to participate in an NBL game over it's 30 year existence and now he has scored an article in the Sydney Morning Herald.

Currently the NBL struggles to get major media coverage in this newspaper but the "little man from the Gong" has caught jurno Michael Cowley's attention.

Check out the read on the little man that can.

Tywain McKee - POW interview

A little You Tube footage of Ty McKee being interviewed about his first Player of the Week award.

Besides the award, McKee talks about the return of Allen Iverson to Philadelphia and has he (McKee) been stealing soft drinks from a local burger joint? It's good to see the rookie import is still learning the ropes of being a pro as his teammates keep him on his toes.

McKee also took out this week's award making him the second player this year to take out the award on back-to-back weeks. Townsville Crocodiles Corey Williams was the other.

If McKee is to get his third consecutive award he will need to be on his game as the Hawks tackle Cairns and the Gold Coast on the road this weekend.

Pat Mills Interview

Pat Mills was in attendance at a recent NBL game and he lends his time for an interview with the Wollongong Hawks media department.

He talks about where he fits in the Portland Trailblazers plans, talks about dunking on Kobe Bryant and Chris Bosh (well maybe) and supporting the NBL.

The Hawks View From A Different Angle

The Wollongong Hawks are trying to get creative in the way they market and make their team available to all media avenues.

Here is a look at what can happen during a game at the "Sand Pit".

Wollongong Hawks Vs Adelaide 36ers 251109 Canon 7D from Laww Media on Vimeo.

Pull The Trigger - The Fully, Massive, Bloody Oath Episode

Episode 5 of "Pull The Trigger" has arrived. Now being honest, it is not my favourite episode but don't let me be the judge of Cameron Tragardh's line of thought.

Check out his poor impersonation of Matt Campbell, while Glen Saville seems to have refereeing as a career path in the near future.

The funniest part of PTT for me was (look around the 6-7min mark) when Tragardh's gag got no response from a punter. He was trying the old tap on the shoulder trick, but looked rather perplexed when he got no response from the young lad. You can see the look on Trigger's face as if to say "why aren't you turning around".

Trigger, you need to tap them on the shoulder, not the backpack strap.

One Hawks fan was not happy with Townsville Crocodiles Corey "Homicide" Williams performance in the Gong, not so long ago.

McKee - POM & Jawai Top 10 Play

Wollongong Hawk import Ty McKee has taken out the NBL Player of the Month Award. Hawks Coach Gordie McLeod was voted Coach of the Month.

McKee gets interviewed by Hawk legend Glen Saville. Check out the interview where McKee talks about his NBA (stolen) sock collection, watching my teammates CJ Bruton and Kirk Penney play and he thinks Wollongong is like living in Hawii.



Nathan Jawai has began to see some regular minutes with the Minnesota Timberwolves. here are today's Top 10 plays from the NBA. Jawai has the block shot that leads to the buzzer beater. Thanks to NBA Mate for the tip.

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.

You Tube Highlights From Around The NBL

Episode 2 of "Pull The Trigger" with Wollongong Hawk Cameron Tragardh hit cyber space a few days ago.

He interviews Hawk grey haired monster Glen Saville and they discuss how Tragardh can maybe find some "Double D's".

Here are some game highlights and press conference from the Townsville Crocodiles and Melbourne Tigers clash from Friday night.

Danger Game For Hawks

Hawk Larry Davidson is 3rd in block shots. Can he have an impact tonight? I think so.

Tonight's Fox Sports game is a clash against the community teams. The league leading Wollongong Hawks (4-1), takes on the road inept (0-3) Cairns Taipans (3-4).

The two teams have already met this year with the Hawks taking the Taipans to school in the Gong, 71-59 in Round 3.

I'm sensing this is a danger game for the Hawks though. They have bolted out of the gates and have taken care of business at home to date with a blemish free 4-0 record at home..

This game will really show me what type of team the Hawks can be this year. It should be a game they win but if they do not apply themselves mentally the Snakes will take advantage as they have been on struggle street of late.

It's going to be important that the home team comes out strong early and put the Taipans under pressure. Plant doubt in the Taipans mind early.

A key match up will be at the point guard position. Can Taipan Skip Mills slow down Ty McKee? McKee (2nd in scoring at 22ppg) has won recent battles against studs CJ Bruton and Corey "Homicide" Williams so I hope Mills is resting up as I speak.

Rebounding is going to be key, in particular the Snakes on the offensive glass. Both Ian Crosswhite (2.4) and Dusty Rychart (2.9) are in the Top 10 for rebounding teammates misses. A team that is a little down on confidence can hand around with second chance opportunities and these two guys make a living from this.

The Hawks offense has been running very smoothly and a big reason for that is they create easy baskets from their defense. They have four guys (McKee, Mat Campbell, Glen Saville and Ryhs Martin) in the Top 10 in steals. (That is almost unheard of.) Steals lead to easy baskets so the Snakes will need to look after the ball otherwise the Hawks will be "off to the races", making it a long night at the office for the Snakes.

My X factors in this contest are Larry Davidson of the Hawks and Rich Melzer of the Snakes.

Davidson has been doing a little of everything for the Hawks and I have grown to appreciate his skill set. Whether it has been a three from the top or starting the break with a defensive rebound, he has become quite a factor in the Hawks success to date.

Melzer needs to provide offense for his team. If Phill Jones is having a quiet night Melzer is the other guy on the squad that can score points in a hurry and put his team in a winning position. He is a tough match up for other four men in the league as he can knock down the three but but the ball on the floor and get to the rim. He needs to come ready to play if the Taipans are to taste success on the road.

For some strange reason, I'm pumped to watch this game and that is something I can say I have never said about this matchup before.

My tip, Hawks by 13.

In the other game tonight, the Melbourne Tigers will bounce back from their loss to the Perth Wildcats on Sunday. They host the Gold Coast Blaze.

More Video But A Little NBA

I have yet to touch on the NBA at all recently and it all starts on Wednesday. Here is a little taste of what the Boston Celtics have been up to over the offseason.

Besides possessing the ability to pull the trigger on a jump shot in a heart beat, Eddie House is quick to clown his teammate Ray Allen as well.

Hat tip to Neswsports for this one.



The Wollongong Hawks have been quick to get this week's highlight package out. They were convincing winners over the Townsville Crocodiles in Round 5.

Wollongong Hawks Vs Townsville Crocs 24/10/09 from Laww Media on Vimeo.

Hawks Lil Man Comes Up Big

When I first saw this You Tube footage of Wollongong Hawk rookie dwarf Zac Delaney, my mind immediately went back to the Lil Penny ads.






The Hawks are laying claim that Delaney is the shortest guy to take the court in NBL history.

My question is, Delaney can play the role of Lil Penny, but who can play Big Brotha?

Did someone say Sam Harris?

Oh, that thought just jogged my mind. Harris can play the role of Gheorghe Muresan in a remake of this ad with ZacD.

ESPN Australia (Travis Winks), I'm onto something here.

Pull The Trigger with Cam Tragardh

Wollongong Hawk scoring machine Cameron Tragardh has his own You Tube segment called "Pull The Trigger - You Know You Want To".

He believes people want to hear what he has to say. Let me know if you want to hear from him in a second episode.

Hawks/Breakers & Crocs/Blaze Video Recap

As we have come to expect from the Wollongong Hawks IT Department, here is their latest production. A recap of their clash with the New Zealand Breakers.

What you will see is Cameron Tragardh throwing down an 'alley oop' dunk, ( A pin point pass from Glen Saville!), Paul Henare launching and making a 3, Awvee Storey hoisting a shot he would love to have back, Tragardh passing and Larry Davidson dunking.

Check it out.

While I'm on this video kick, you can check out the highlights of the Townsville Crocodiles and Gold Coast Blaze clash.

Dave Gruber Interview

Hard working Wollongong Hawk import Dave Gruber answers ll the ridiculous questions asked by on the ground Hawks reporter Asa.

The former Northern Iowa standout talks about geography, Saturday Night Live and nicknames.

It's worth a look just to find out a little more about this SEABL MVP.