Medal quest to break glass ceiling
THE quest for Australia to finally overcome the USA at the FIBA U19 Women's World Cup in Madrid, Spain in July will see the Gold Medal game played on a glass floor. The Americans have beaten Australia in the past two Finals of the competition, winning Gold nine times since the tournament's 1985 inception.
It's official! Free agency free-for-all tomorrow!
ENVIRONMENT or financial security? It's the toughest question for any professional sportsperson playing a team sport, made easier by age and length of experience but it's the debate NBL free agents - up for grabs from 9am tomorrow - will be having with family, friends and agents tonight.
An Aussie left in NCAA Women's quest
From BOB CRAVEN in Seattle:
GEORGIA Amoore is an Aussie from Ballarat and the PG for the Virginia Tech Hokies, a No.1 seed in this year's women's NCAA tournament, playing tonight against Ohio State U. in the Elite Eight for the right to go on to the Final Four this weekend.
Wildcats well overdue celebrating Cal's contribution

YOU ever heard of the Westate Wildcats? That was the name under which the Perth Wildcats laboured for a few years after debuting in 1982, going five years for 40 NBL wins - yes, an average of eight a year. Finals? Forget it. Then along came owner Bob Williams and key recruit Cal Bruton.
NCAA Men: Zags and UCLA battle to bitter end
From BOB CRAVEN in Seattle: THE Sweet Sixteen NCAA Men's Tournament games provided several surprises, some of historic proportions with Gonzaga and UCLA once again producing a nail-biter, Zags star Drew Timme delivering a 36-point, 13-rebound double-double.
NCAA Women: South Carolina looks team to beat
From BOB CRAVEN in Seattle: Defending women's NCAA Division 1 champion South Carolina rolled to its 40th straight win behind Aliyah Boston's 81st career double-double to continue as the white-hot favourite to go back-to-back as March Madness prepared to enter its Sweet Sixteen phase.
Fire up! It's No.4 for Townsville
THE Fire are the toast of Townsville and the WNBL tonight after finally breaking away to beat Southside 82-69 in Game 2 of their best-of-three Grand Final Series, claiming the club's fourth championship with a 2-0 sweep over the league's consistent powerhouse, PG Steph Reid leading the way.
Not just 'silver linings,' there's WNBL clouds too
INSPIRED by the high of a Bronze Medal finish by the Opals in Sydney at the World Cup ahead of the WNBL season, our national domestic competition across 2022-23 has been one of the best ever, even though TV coverage was off to a shockingly awful and amateurish start and the Grand Final now looks a foregone conclusion.
NCAA Sweet 16 (Men) - Here we Go
From BOB CRAVEN in Seattle THE Men's NCAA Division One basketball tournament, so far at least, is throwing some close games at us as well as blowouts. But it's also showing us that big-time upsets can still happen to the big boys at this most important late stage of the season.
Not just 'silver linings', there's NBL clouds too
SYDNEY Kings beating New Zealand in five games for the NBL championship, three record-breaking crowds in a row, unprecedented interest - the league had plenty of reasons to puff its collective skirt and dance through the meadows. But it still rested on a few laurels and bowed (as always) to the NBA.

