Basketball On The Internet.

IT’S a measure of the strength of women’s basketball in Australia that when endeavouring to compile American All Star Five lists to celebrate July 4th, it was a pleasurable dream for the NBL and a nightmare for the WNBL.

Compiling an NBL All-time AllStar Five took ages and at the risk of being branded as being too hooked on “the good old days”, truth is our earliest imports made the biggest impressions.

But try coming up with a WNBL American AllStar Five and all you achieve is chronic reinforcement of how good our women are.

With the men, it’s “who can you leave out”?

With the women it’s “who made any sort of impact”?

Since it launched in 1981 (without, just quietly, any ABC-TV coverage…but sssh about that) the WNBL does not boast a single American-born MVP.

Zero.

Zip.

Nada.

Since 10 clubs from around Australia gambled on creating an NBL in 1979, Ray Borner – who broke through in 1985 - Andrew Gaze, Paul Rogers, Mark Bradtke, Matthew Nielsen, Chris Anstey and Sam Mackinnon are the ONLY Australians to claim MVP honours.

Yes. We have a Magnificent Seven, all up.

And an Aussie hasn’t won it since Anstey did it again in 2008.

In the NBL, imports have come and made a whopping impact.

In the WNBL, imports have come and been solid players, but little more.

Alana Beard may have been the exception during her brief stint in 2006 filling in at Canberra for the injured Lauren Jackson. And Cappie Pondexter was special last season.

But to be considered for today’s July 4th American Independence Day special, other than being American, the only other selection stipulations were the player had to be around for more than one isolated season. And they had to be fun to watch.

Spectacular won votes over consistent-or-reliable. So think Leon Trimmingham instead of Herb McEachin. (So yeah, hold the emails ... it's not THAT serious.)

In the NBL, the “more than one season” requirement knocked out a few major talents who shone briefly – and even as recently as James Ennis and Rotnei Clarke. Or as distantly as Chris Williams or Doug Overton.

In the WNBL it usually meant the import couldn’t truly cut it in our league and was, well, cut or not required after one season.

So without meaning to be sexist but in actuality, acknowledging the homegrown superiority of our women over a long time now, the WNBL Alltime AllStar Five is just that – Five.

The NBL though has had sufficient US talent to warrant a First, Second and Plenty More teams.

But here’s what Basketball On The Internet concluded:

WNBL AllStar Five

PG – Debbie Black (Hobart Tassie Islanders)

SG – Rhonda Bates (West Adelaide, Perth, Sydney)

SF – Kelsey Griffin (Bendigo Spirit)

PF – Regina Days (Dandenong Rangers)

C – Trina Roberts (Brisbane, West Adelaide, Adelaide Lightning)

BLACK MAGIC: Debbie Black harassing North's Jackie Lear.

 

NBL (First Team)

PG – Cal Bruton (Brisbane, Geelong, Perth, Hobart)

SG – Al Green (West Adelaide, Adelaide, Newcastle)

SF – Leroy Loggins (Brisbane, West Adelaide)

PF – James Crawford (Geelong, Canberra, Perth)

C – Ken Richardson (West Adelaide)

IMPACT: Cal Bruton made a huge impact.

 

NBL (Second Team)

PG – Ricky Grace (Perth Wildcats)

SG – Rocky Smith (St Kilda)

SF – Robert Rose (South East Melbourne, Adelaide, Canberra, Townsville, Cairns)

PF – Ray Owes (Geelong, Townsville)

C – Dean Uthoff (Nunawading, Sydney)

Honourable mentions: Darryl McDonald, Dwayne McClain

These were the players and the personalities who made the NBL so very exciting for basketball fans, and enticing and inviting for rival sporting code followers.

Josh Childress is back for Sydney Kings and of the same ilk. Who knows? Maybe we may just be heading toward good times again.

 

Tomorrow: Take a Flashback into our basketball past...