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Rankings #18 ... and quite the bonanza
TweetCANBERRA has joined the growing buzz regarding NBL expansion in 2015-16, with the capital-based Hall of Fame trio Cal Bruton, Herb McEachin and Danny Morseu likely to front the drive.
While details understandably are sketchy at this point, the Cannons program in Canberra in the league’s early glory days was a pacesetter and one of the most successful in NBL history, to this day.
The Grand Final in the league’s inaugural 1979 season and three championships (1983-84-88 and another Grand Final in 89) before dropping out in 2003, the Cannons were innovators and extremely popular in the city of public servants.
Getting clubs viable again in traditional centres such as Canberra, Brisbane, Tasmania, Melbourne, Newcastle, Gold Coast, Vic Country, not to mention the options across the Tasman, is a most exciting prospect.
Again, I would reiterate ensuring the existing eight clubs are all viable and sustainable is of equal importance, if not more, in terms of establishing credibility in a mainstream world dubious about our sport’s long-term stability.
But back to Canberra and any bid with names such as Bruton, McEachin and Morseu attached to it already has credibility.
SAM Young, Laura Hodges, Shane Heal and Mark Wright are the elite of our sport for the month of January.
The Kings pair swept away NBL’s Player and Coach of the Month accolades respectively.
Lightning’s triple-Olympian Hodges and Dandenong’s championship coach Wright wrapped up the WNBL’s monthly awards.
Congratulations to all concerned. Well deserved.
PERTH made it 3-0 in the annual Zaidee Shield match against Melbourne on Sunday at Hisense Arena and did it in no uncertain manner.
Both clubs are happy to champion such a wonderful project to help create awareness regarding the Zaidee’s Rainbow Foundation Organ and Tissue Donation Campaign.
“It is a very special program which has helped to save lives already and through this, we hope that even more lives will be saved via this very worthwhile cause,” Melbourne Tigers captain Tommy Greer said.
Players from both teams wore Zaidee’s Rainbow Shoelaces in this game.
Kim and Allan Turner created Zaidee’s Rainbow Foundation in memory of their daughter, Zaidee Turner who tragically and suddenly died in 2004 at the age of seven after suffering a burst blood vessel in her brain.
Of the 103 children under the age of 16 who died at the Royal Children’s Hospital in 2004, Zaidee was the only Victorian child to donate her organs and tissues that year.
Zaidee also was one of only six children to donate nationally and one of the youngest Australian donors on record in 2004. The donation of Zaidee’s organs and tissues resulted in the lives of up to seven others being enhanced or saved.
You can see why support and publicity is hugely important to get the message out.
Well done to both clubs, the Wildcats no doubt placing the Shield somewhere between the Loggins-Bruton Cup and the Cattalini Cup, which they defend against Adelaide again soon.
JUST in case you missed it amid the World Cup draw excitement and the Dante-Exum-to-Lakers speculation stories, Boomers coach Andrej Lemanis this week took time to remind the tyro's new agents to keep in mind his desire to represent Australia when negotiating deals with NBA clubs.
Projected as a top-five pick in June's NBA Draft, Exum wisely decided to nominate last week, ending prospects of a college career and signing with the same agency that represents Kobe Bryant.
The 18-year-old, who made his Boomers debut last year in the Oceania Series against New Zealand, committed to play (if selected, obviously - no promises have been made) at the World Cup, regardless of where he is drafted.
Lemanis said Exum is a chance of making the Boomers squad, the national team to play a series against China in May, before the coach trims it to a 16-player squad for a five-day camp beginning on July 23 in Canberra.
The final team of 12 then will be selected ahead of departure to Europe on August 6 for preparation matches Lemanis is in the process of organising.
The only drawback of the World Cup draw from Lemanis' viewpoint was NOT being in the same group as the USA.
European powerhouse and world No.4 Lithuania, and Slovenia led by Phoenix Suns' All Star Game-snubbed guard Goran Dragic, will present big enough challenges, alongside Angola, South Korea and Mexico.
But Lemanis was hoping to draw the NBA-fuelled American team in pool play to avoid the favorites in any crossover games.
As it stands, Australia's best-case scenario would be a Semi Final match-up with the USA, that is if the Boomers won their pool and the KO game in the next round and the quarter-final.
Yep. It's a very big ask.
CONGRATULATIONS to my league MVP prediction Abby Bishop for again claiming the WNBL's Player of the Week award.
Bish was spectacular in Canberra's road split in Melbourne, averaging 27.5 points and 13 rebounds while also further enhancing her chances of breaking through the favoritism enjoyed by The Batgirl and Jenna O'Hea to claim MVP honors.
Abs has had one helluva season.
RELIABLY informed Adrian Preposterous, er, Adrian Proszenko, the "chief rugby league writer" for Fairfax Media, who magnanimously dubbed Kings' import Sam Young as "the best basketballer to step foot on to an Australian court" agrees with the ABC's Darren Boyd that Phil Brown is one of the greatest coaches in Australian history.
Apparently Brown had something to do with the establishment of a penal colony at Botany Bay.
Online
RANKINGS
THE form has fluctuated somewhat in the past week and so too have the rankings.
In the WNBL, I am hearing the bugle call of The Last Post for gallant Melbourne, which did so well to shoot out of the blocks but which I cannot see doing much in the finals in the wake of losing Olympian Rachel Jarry and import Chelsea Poppens.
It’s not as though the Boomers have lost a couple of irrelevant players there, even though they were getting some exciting results before Jarry returned from the WNBA. But no Jarry and no Poppens? I suspect that might spell no more Ws.
Meanwhile in the NBL, how emphatic was Perth’s demolition of Melbourne? I expected the Tigers’ CEO to make some outlandish pre-game press comments but, like the rest of us, apparently he was waiting to see what the fall-out from the remarks by Perth CEO Nick Marvin might be. And while we were all waiting – and still continue to wait for the NBL to show some onions – the window shut.
Well, actually, the Wildcats slammed it shut.
Cairns beating Perth in overtime was a gem but, I can reveal here and now from my Wildcats insider sources that simmering tensions within the team were finally confronted and eradicated during the long flight from the west to Melbourne. Hence they were all back on the same page.
Yes, it’s a BOTI Exclusive. The Wildcats internal tensions – and subsequent less-than-stellar on-court performances since the Christmas break – it now can be revealed stemmed from some misunderstanding of the Kris Kringle/Secret Santa process.
Definite ill-feeling festered when some of the players believed the gift limit was $10, others thought it was $25, some thought there was no limit … you can see the potential pitfalls already, right?
One player opens a small box to find a wrist watch, and another opens up bath salts. One guy gets the complete box set series of “Have Gun, Will Travel” and cringes, knowing he has wrapped a pet rock for his secret recipient.
But on that long flight to Melbourne, in the wake of another shock home loss, Damo apparently gathered the boys on the plane, the issues were thrashed out and with a spontaneous rendition of Kumbaya – led off, of course, by Shawn and Jesse – the Wildcats’ woes were in the rearview mirror.
NBL Rankings
This Wk - Prev
8 (8) CROCODILES – Yes, they beat the Hawks (as predicted) but Perth-Cairns is nightmare stuff.
7 (7) HAWKS – Struggling so, of course, they are a great chance to upset Adelaide.
6 (3) TIGERS – As quickly as Melbourne rose, so swiftly did it also fall. A week to regroup is timely.
5 (2) KINGS – Took another beating from the Breakers and now are unlikely to reclaim that series.
4 (5) TAIPANS – The rankings are about form and three road wins and a last-shot loss is good form.
3 (6) BREAKERS – Just quietly finding the formula and have the edge on Melbourne and Sydney.
2 (4) 36ERS – Not especially convincing against Cairns but then the Taipans are playing well.
1 (1) WILDCATS – And that’s the way to bounce back, by playing D and together in offence.
WNBL Rankings
This Wk - Prev
9 (9) WAVES – Will be up for MM’s send-off but losing, as the band Chicago might say, is a hard habit to break.
8 (8) THUNDER – Still plugging away – plugging holes in the roof that is – and can shake up Sydney.
7 (7) FLAMES – Going out on a winning note would be comforting for Sydney fans who baked me after Rd 1.
6 (4) BOOMERS – Sadly, the loss of two key players makes Melbourne a lot less potent, and what a round this will be.
5 (5) LIGHTNING – Really owe West Coast and may, for the first time this season, have their full lineup.
4 (4) CAPITALS – Arguably the best side out of the four at present, the Fire’s scalp would be big.
3 (3) FIRE – Had a super defensive third quarter against Adelaide but this road trip is gruelling.
2 (2) RANGERS – Can Dandenong finally shake the Spirit blues AND ground the Boomers in one swoop?
1 (1) SPIRIT – Fanned the Flames and can experiment this weekend. But why would you mess with the formula?
THIS WEEK'S TIPS
PERTH showed it is a road team with a vengeance when it tore strips off Melbourne last round and Townsville, despite its great win over Wollongong, should not expect anything but a gnarly opponent at The Swamp. Perth starts odds-on.
NZ at Sydney is the round’s most significant game, the Breakers already with a 2-0 lead in the season-series and with a 34-point buffer. Right now though, it’s not the points spread that matters but numbers in the “W” column. Maybe Kings this time.
THE last of the Reptile Rumbles and with Cairns coming off a great win in Perth and last-shot loss in Adelaide, plus at home, plus not having to already play, should give it a rare 4-0 season-sweep.
NOTED for losing games they should win and winning games they should lose, after two tight road squeezes against Adelaide, the Hawks would be a good bet for an upset in Wollongong. I won’t take that bet myself but if the odds are good, it’s worth a punt.
SYDNEY showed some heart few believed it possessed in rattling Bendigo last week and putting a dent in Townsville’s run at the WNBL finals would be just what the doctor ordered. That’s why his medical license was suspended. Fire over Flames in a hot one.
DANDENONG took care of Canberra and Canberra took care of Melbourne so it stands to reason the Rangers should take out the Boomers. It is a very tough weekend for Melbourne against the WNBL’s top two teams.
BENDIGO has had Dandenong’s measure for two seasons now so coach Bernie Harrower earlier this week suggested he might try a few different configurations. Hmm. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. Got a feeling the Rangers might snatch this one, finally.
JO Hill plays her 350th WNBL game and Adelaide will not take West Coast lightly, having lost once to the Waves and that one welt now still a sore point as the finals dream formally evaporates. Sorry to see Melissa Marsh is hanging them up and with this her last game in Perth, expect a big effort. But Lightning will win.
CANBERRA arguably is the form team of the teams which will be sidelined during the playoffs so going out with a bang and beating Townsville would be a huge plus. But if the Fire is to be playoff credible, it has to win and I expect it to, narrowly.
MELBOURNE has to hurriedly find a new identity in the post-Rachel Jarry/post-Chelsea Poppens fall-out and Bendigo is a tough place to strike gold. Well, it didn’t used to be, of course. It just is now. Cannot see an upset on the cards.
SYDNEY will either be up after beating Townsville or down after losing to the Fire. Either way, it will beat Logan which has done a great job to stay competitive in easily the toughest season in the club’s all-too-brief existence.
DEAR Wellington Saints Management
No, you cannot have our coach for your NBL bid
Sincerely,
Sydney Kings
