Tigers On The Prowl, Again

If my mail is any good, look for the Melbourne Tigers to hold a press conference at 2pm today.

The announcement should be a positive one about them rejoining the league.

Hopefully new Basketbll Australia CEO Larry Sengstock will also be shedding some good news about the NBL very soon as well.

Episode 30 - Is Paul Rees A Character?

"The OT" has reached Episode 30 and I believe we have our funniest interview of all time.

Former Australian (not Bulleen) Boomer Paul Rees joins us for our "blast from the past" segment, and entertained Rod and I as he pretty much interviewed himself.

The 1994 NBL Finals MVP has us in stitches from start to finish. Hope he does the same for you.

Mark Howard the media manager for Basketball Australia joins us as well. He will keep the listeners in the loop as to where we are with the new elite competition.

Please download and enjoy the episode and let us know what you thought of the Rees interview. Depending on the response, we may have to hear from the "Big Fella" a little more.

Vics Are Back In

In some great news for basketball it seems that Victoria is back on the map for the "new" league that will be kicking off in October.

It was hard for me to imagine the "home" of basketball not to have a presence at the highest level.

This article is courtesy of AAP.

BASKETBALL Australia says it will now attempt to have eight teams in the new men's National Basketball League, including a representative fromVictoria.

BA chief executive Larry Sengstock said a meeting of the seven clubs which have submitted expressions of interest for the new competition to replace the former NBL decided it would proceed with plans for a league starting later this year.

But despite the withdrawal of the Melbourne Tigers and the South Dragons from the planned league, BA and the other seven clubs have decided they will find a Victorian representative to add to their ranks.

Cairns, Townsville, Wollongong, Adelaide, Perth, New Zealand and Gold Coast have all agreed to be part of the new league.

Sengstock said discussions were under way with several interested parties to be Victoria's representative in the new competition.

Sengstock said BA would proceed with plans for a 28-match home-and-awayseason - each of the eight teams playing the other four times a year.

My Lips Are Still Sealed

Basketball Australia made a public statement late today regarding the future of the NBL, but my lips remain closed for now.

Here is what they released.

Basketball Australia Chief Executive Officer Larry Sengstock released the following statement with regard to the on-going Expression of Interest process for the new men’s elite national competition to replace the National Basketball League.

“The Board of Basketball Australia held a meeting last night during which the status of the Expression of Interest process was discussed in detail,” said Sengstock.

“Until the Board is able to clarify a number of outstanding issues they are simply not yet in a position to announce details of the outcome of the EOI process. The complexity of this process makes it necessary to take this additional time, as it is vital that we get it right.

“We do however hope to be in a position to make a full statement with regard to the new national men’s competition shortly. Until we are in a position to announce the ultimate outcome of the EOI, we cannot comment on the specifics of the applications of each of the individual respondents for commercial confidentiality reasons.”

Basketball Has Found Its Summit?

This was just e-mailed to me as is so I cannot give anyone credit for the publication. Sorry.

BASKETBALL SUMMIT HELPS SET NEW DIRECTION FOR SPORT

A summit meeting of basketball’s key stakeholders hosted by Basketball Australia (BA) in Sydney on Saturday has helped identify some key areas for change as part of the sport’s on-going reform process.

The Basketball Summit was the first meeting of the new BA members and was attended by the Board of Basketball Australia , the sport’s State and Territory Presidents and Chief Executive Officers, and the owners of existing National Basketball League teams.

Led by Basketball Australia Board Chairman David Thodey, the participants discussed a broad range of topics including ways to increase grass roots participation, ideas and strategies for realising the commercial opportunities for basketball and potential competition structures that showcase basketball, expand the appeal of the sport and provide development pathways for young players.

In addition, BA presented its business plan for the next four years, which included the sport’s major priorities going forward as well as setting achievable and measureable goals for basketball and its governing body.

“Our stated goal is to grow grass roots participation in the sport and aspire to the model where the elite levels of the sport create opportunities which in concert with the community allow us to invest in the development of our junior athletes,” said Thodey. “The Summit held on the weekend helped us address some of the critical issues that could have stood in the way of achieving that goal, as well as identifying some tactics to allow us to capitalise on our sport’s strengths.”

“There was some very fruitful discussion in particular regarding community engagement, which is an absolutely critical issue for basketball,” Thodey added. “We have over 230,000 registered participants and hundreds of thousands more who play casually, so it’s vital we find ways to engage them across all levels of our sport. However, we still have a number of issues to work through to make sure that the NBL achieves its full potential and we operate as one sport. The NBL is a critical part of our sport.

“Basketball really is the ultimate family game, as reflected in our new branding of ‘Basketball – Everyone’s Game’, and that essential truth is a vital part of how we will position ourselves going forward.”

Thodey said the Summit fostered a new spirit of unity.

“Quite clearly, everyone at the Summit was united by their mutual wish to see the sport of basketball flourish. That common ground should help guide us through the months ahead as we set about revitalising our sport. There have been a lot of important days for our sport in recent months, but the Summit was absolutely imperative to the long-term welfare of basketball.”

Mills Declares For Draft - No Agent Hire Yet

Pat Mills to the NBA?

Thanks to AP Sports Writer Dennis Passa, we find out that Aussie point guard Pat Mills has entered his name into this year's NBA Draft.

The St Mary's College student has not hired an agent so he is still eligible to return to the Gaels.

BRISBANE, Australia (AP)—Saint Mary’s star guard Patty Mills will make himself available for the NBA draft in June, possibly giving up the final two years of his college basketball eligibility in the United States.

Mills, a member of the Australian national team, concluded his second season with the Gaels, averaging career highs of 18.7 points, 4.0 assists, 2.6 rebounds and 2.5 steals per game. Saint Mary’s lost in the quarterfinals of the NIT college tournament.

On Friday, he told a teleconference initiated by Basketball Australia from Saint Mary’s in Moraga, Calif., that he would not sign with an agent ahead of the June 25 draft at Madison Square Garden, allowing him to return to school if he is not selected.

“It’s a win-win situation for me,” Mills said. “If I don’t get all the feedback that I want or need, I come back for my third year.”

Players who declare their availability for the NBA draft can also pull their name beforehand to retain their college eligibility as long as they haven’t employed an agent.

The 30 players chosen in the first round of the draft are guaranteed three-year contracts.
“It was a tough decision to come across … sitting down with my family and coach,” Mills said. “I really need to push myself and challenge myself to the next level, test the waters and get the feedback.”

Mills, 20, said he has no particular NBA team in mind.

“I will come across them in the next few weeks,” he said. “We’ll sit down and sort out the teams. Right now, I have to work on my conditioning, my basketball. These are the things I am worrying about at this point.”

First up, though, are his remaining classes this school year.

“I still have another semester left and I am doing the best I can to finish them off,” Mills said. “I have never been in this situation, I’m new to it all … learning how to handle the off-court distractions as well as my work on court."

Team Of The Week

Spirit's Julian Khazzouh makes JR's All NBL weekly team. His career highlight I believe.

With so many upsets last week, yes upsets because my tips were bad, will there be any surprises in the Team of the Week. When I construct my team, winning and losing does play a part in the end result. Here it is:

PG: Darnell Mee (Cairns) - Sometimes players love to play against other guys and I believe this to be true for Mee. I'm sure Darnell loves to have a big game against CJ Bruton because CJ is considered the best at their position. Darnell showed that he is still in the elite group of point guards. His statline of 26pts, 5 rebs and 7 assists made people forget Martin Cattalini wasn't even at the game.

SG: Rod Grizzard (Melbourne) - I slot Grizzard in here because perimeter players in the NBL can pretty much match up on anyone. Although the Tigers went 1-1 over the weekend he was very consistent. A average of 20pts, 8rebs and 5assists we see Rod get the nod this week.

SF: Glen Saville (Wollongong) - Although Sav went 3-17 from 3 in his 400th game, he stuffed the stat sheet like very few can. 19 points, 14 rebounds, 4 assists and 4 steals is a fair night at the office as the Hawks beat a title favourite in the Perth Wildcats.

PF: Dusty Rychart (Wollongong) - It was tough to leave out Perth's Shaun Redhage here but in the end Rychart's game winning three sealed the deal. Rychart's 18pts and 14rebs (7 offensive) helped the Hawks come from behind and defeat the Wildcats.

C: Julian Khazzouh (Sydney) - A team that goes 2-0 on the weekend needs some representation on this squad. Khazzouh was solid and consistent for the 3-3 Spirit. The third year player averaged 15pts and 11 boards as the Spirit find themselves in the Top 6.

Honourable Mention:

Shaun Redhage: Perth's 1-2 week hurt Redhage's appearance on the team. No doubt his averages of 24pts and 7rebs will find him on the team at some stage.

Ian Crosswhite: The Cairns big man had a career high 21 points to go along with 7rebs and 5 assists.

Rick Rickert: The Minnesota native went for 25pts and 10rebs against the Snakes.

Luke Schenscher: Statistically his best game in the NBL but his 25 and 10 was not enough to get the 36ers past the Tigers.

Chris Anstey: Very unlucky to miss out when you average 20 and 10 but the Tigers lost to the Wildcats.

News:

- If you want some NBA preseason results go here. Phoenix and Denver played a game outside at Indian Wells Tennis Garden.

- Here is a small sample of a Pat Mills article coming in the next Slam Mag.

- Good article about sport survival in New Zealand.

- Looking for a job? I might just have the position for you to apply for in basketball. Click here.

- Who in the NBA 2005 draft year is still looking for a contract extension?

- Warriors Monta Ellis may regret getting on that moped. Suspended for 30 games without pay. Ouch!

Vintage '96 NBL