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ROUND ABOUT: NBL13/WNBL14
TweetIT hasn't happened for a while in the NBL but four of the five road teams prevailed in Round 13 making it pretty unlucky for those putting out the welcome mat.
When did that last happen?
Well, actually, just in Round 4 when Adelaide beat NZ Breakers, Sydney took out Townsville, Melbourne surprised Cairns and the Breakers trounced Wollongong for four road wins.
Just like this round, in the first five games the lone dissenter was Perth at home, giving the Hawks a fair touch up.
The other point of difference was Adelaide closing the round at home beating Sydney, a 13-point loss the Kings avenged with a 13-point win yesterday.
THERE's basketball, and then there's real life as I was reminded today.
The bushfires which, so far, have destroyed 49 homes in the Perth Hills, have claimed among them the family home of West Coast Waves guard Shani Amos.
Teammate Deanna Smith tweeted: "Our team mate @ShaniAmos22 lost her family home to the fires today! Please private message if u can donate anything"
Others followed suit in reaching out for Shani in this awful time for her and her family.
YEAH, NO KIDDING
PARTICULARLY fine moment during ONE’s cover of the Tigers-Breakers game on Friday at halftime, with color commentator Andrew Gaze looking into the camera at one end of the court, asking for a microphone, and Casey Frank lined up to speak to him … at the other end of the stadium.
Did ONE actually not realise it was showing a startled Drewy sprinting the length of the court to interview Frank? Then cut to him as he arrives, still slightly short of breath?
Some exquisite direction there.
Not to mention – although that’s quite a weird saying because it leads you into something you ARE about to mention! Go figure – Andrew telling an interesting story about Pam, the mother of Breakers coach Dean Vickerman, during the pre-match.
Drewy told viewers Pam had worked the scorebench at Tigers’ home games since 1984 – that’s the full 30 years of Melbourne’s NBL history.
You know what? That’s a good story in a sport which thrives on the work of largely anonymous volunteers.
But do you think ONE's director at any point sent a cameraman to the bench so we could see what this wonderful volunteer looked like?
Nup. That’s too much like giving a damn.
That sadly typical TV oversight allowed me to forgive Andrew for commenting it was 32 degrees in Melbourne today and “double that in here”?
Double? Really? Wow. That’s even way hotter than Adelaide’s 43 degrees today.
Basketball On The Internet's Player of the Week
JAMES "The Menace" Ennis was out there again with a strong claim for the BOTI Player of the Week honors for NBL Round 13.
His 29 and 27-point returns were so good in Perth's home-road wins over Townsville that it's almost embarrassing to look past him.
Almost.
AJ Ogilvy was instrumental in Sydney, winner of one game in its past five, ending Adelaide's unbeaten home streak at The Fortress with 18 points, 14 rebounds and three blocks.
Eight of his rebounds were offensive - back-breakers for the home team.
His terrific solo effort, after a month in the doldrums, gives him the round's Player of the Week award. (While James can take comfort from the fact he will be collecting the league MVP award at season's end to add to his Ray Borner Medal.)
PotW Winners
Rd 1 Daniel Johnson
Rd 2 Shawn Redhage
Rd 3 Chris Goulding
Rd 4 Charles Carmouche
Rd 5 Brian Conklin
Rd 6 Gary Ervin
Rd 7 Damian Martin
Rd 8 Mika Vukona
Rd 9 James Ennis
Rd 10 Mark Worthington
Rd 11 Rotnei Clarke
Rd 12 Adam Ballinger
Rd 13 AJ Ogilvy
THE WNBL will reveal its PotW winner within hours but before it does, let me just quietly remind PLOCH the Potentially Pernicious, take ALL weekend performances into consideration.
That said, this is a tough one because the best single-game performance was probably Laura Hodges' 23 points on 10-of-13 shooting in under 23 minutes before she fouled out for Lightning against Canberra.
Other than that, Jenna O'Hea went 10-of-11 in one game and 4-of-17 in the other, kind of contrasting (if not cancelling) the great with the grate.
ABC, IT'S ELEMENTARY
JUST a quick note to ABC caller Narelle Fletcher that the viewers out here are pretty sure your comment: "The Lightning are becoming self-reliant on Laura (Hodges)" is not what you meant.
But the ABC definitely should increase Narelle's salary when, at tip-off, co-caller Darren Boyd asks the (admittedly totally redundant but seemingly necessary on all broadcasts) question: "Who do you think will win, Narelle?"
Fletcher's incisive, thoughtful and also thought-provoking "Time will tell" should be time-capsuled for its depth of analysis.
That's why she's getting the big bucks ladies and gentlemen.
NOTE to ABC: When Adelaide is winning at halftime, possibly interview a Lightning player, not Abby Bishop of the Capitals. And when Adelaide wins, possibly interview a Lightning player, not Carly Wilson.
(And here's me saying that when Bish and Wilson easily are among my fave players.)
Sure, Carly speaking of her life membership made some sense but maybe, just maybe, ease away from your blatant bias and speak with someone (anyone) from the winning team.
Thank heavens for Stephanie Brantz.
Reviews
Fire V Flames (W)
KEEP telling you that trusting Sydney is foolishness because the Flames WILL get your hopes up, then let you down. Steph Cumming had a day out with 27 points at 60 per cent for Townsville – always nice to have loved ones in town – while Suze and Micaela had 20 apiece.
The Batgirl also grabbed a tidy 19 rebounds as Townsville led 42-31 at halftime, en route to a quality 81-68 win proving, yet again, that the best flames only provide a good fire.
Tigers V Breakers (M)
NEW Zealand rolled out Casey Frank for the injured Alex Pledger and the energetic 36-year-old veteran stroked a triple with his first shot – alarm bells for Melbourne.
The Breakers kept the roll going for a 93-87 win with Mika Vukona pairing 17 points with 15 boards and Melbourne suspecting Daryl Corletto had some inside knowledge of how to stick shots at its venue. But a conspiracy involving DC? Come on.
Boomers V Waves (W)
MELBOURNE took care of bidness with an opening period that saw West Coast held to 9 first-quarter points, the usual suspects – Tess Madgen, Chelsea Poppens and Bec Allen doing the most damage in a 65-50 win.
No-one from the Waves, who had 11-point third and fourth quarters – yes, it sure beats a “9” – even did very well in the “Remember the Veneto” lottery where the prize was two hams and a bocce ball.
Wildcats V Crocodiles (M)
IT was a 3-point barrage of astronomical proportions in Perth as the Wildcats got back to doing what they do best – getting 12,000-plus bums on seats and winning.
The 102-87 win over the Crocs in coach Shawn Dennis’ 100th game as a head coach, saw the teams combining for 28-of-51 long-range bombs, Drake U’u the best with 4-of-4 and The Menace again dominating proceedings.
Thunder V Rangers (W)
DANDENONG prepared itself for its vital clash with the Fire in Townsville with a 95-62 tune-up against the Thunder in Logan, the weather forecast ruling out any chance of a home upset.
Jenna O'Hea went for 25 points on 10-of-11 shooting with 4-of-5 threes, the Rangers back to their most ruthless, just five points short of a century.
Capitals V Lightning (W)
NOT much more could have gone wrong for Adelaide but Lightning still found a way to eke out a memorable 73-62 road win over the Caps in Canberra.
Laura Hodges led the way with 23 points in less than 23 minutes before she fouled out, Jess Foley already in hospital after suffering a fractured cheekbone and Adelaide having to dig deep to also weather two technical fouls but finding the way to get it done 73-62.
Taipans V Hawks (M)
WOLLONGONG had import Kevin Tiggs enjoying a lively 20-point game as the Hawks again stunned the Taipans in Cairns, this time 82-79 after turning around a 16-point deficit.
A 27-10 third period by the Hawks was devastating but Cairns took it to the wire before Rotnei Clarke settled the issue from the free throw stripe.
Spirit V Waves (W)
THIS was over before it started, Bendigo en route to its 16th straight win, West Coast to its 17th straight loss, the Spirit winning 77-49.
Just in case you were wondering if the Waves went four quarters with double figures, um, no. The second quarter was a 4-point return for West Coast and a 23-point period for Bendigo.
36ers V Kings (M)
AJ Ogilvy was a monster, Sam Young a beast and Ben Madgen a pest as Sydney convincingly ended Adelaide’s unbeaten streak at The Fortress 102-89, its 31-22 third-quarter barrage especially telling.
The 36ers’ first home blemish in eight starts was set in train by the Kings’ inside/outside options, James Harvey and Cody Ellis joining in the 9-of-20 3-point assault in a validating victory.
Fire V Rangers (W)
THIS was a biggie for the Fire but they couldn’t sustain the pace after halftime, despite a season-best 23 points from Kayla Standish.
The Rangers came from all angles, with six players scoring in double figures, led by Alice Kunek in what was a statement game after the big road loss last round to Adelaide.
Crocodiles V Wildcats (M)
NO, this isn’t a misprint. These teams played twice this round on opposite sides of the country and while the result was the same, the game surely wasn’t, the Crocs showing a lot more bite in a very feisty 97-103 loss.
Perth had it wrapped but Townsville came rallying back as the contest became more willing, a USF on Brian Conklin interrupting the run and gifting Shawn “Who? Me?” Redhage with four free throws with two minutes left and the margin at five. C’est la vie.
BEEF of the WEEK
NO, as tempting as it is to once again wax lyrical about the inadequacies of floor wipers at most/all NBL/WNBL venues – and thanks for the prompting on Twitter - this week’s Beef is about visiting team protocols.
But, OK, before I get to it, the 36ers were at fault again against the Kings, with the kids doing the wiping not even in club gear, and, as always, out of their depth. Websites guru Isaac Forman points out it would not be too difficult to get a mid-sized cleaning company to provide some semi-trained, efficient kids to do the job on game-night for branding at matches directing fans to their website. It sure ain't rocket science. But, as we know, it's going to take a season-ending injury before any club takes this seriously.
So let's get to another aspect of game night which long has been neglected and that is visiting team behavior during intros.
It is particularly prevalent at NBL games – WNBL teams are far more courteous and polite – where visiting teams (some, not all) have taken to ignoring their player introductions.
From the visiting team’s perspective, not getting caught up in all the hometown hullabaloo makes perfect sense, I guess.
But from the point of view of marketing or selling the NBL, dissing the home team and its fans doesn’t make the team responsible look professional and/or focused on its task ahead. It actually just makes them appear rude and inconsiderate.
I checked in with NBL boss Fraser Neill who confirmed teams lining up for their player intros is a courtesy. And that immediately explains why some teams are happy to dismiss the process, knowing there is no fine or recourse.
As in, “if it’s just a courtesy – eff them” is the prevailing attitude (of some, not all).
“We need to put together a set of protocols to have a consistent look and feel across the league,” Neill said.
Could not agree more.
Until then, we just have to make do with rude and often ignorant behavior masquerading as the oh so very professional.
BIGGEST WINNERS/LOSERS
IT’S a NSW toss-up with Sydney winning the biggest winner nod for its road win over the previously unbeaten-at-home 36ers to leapfrog Wollongong – a big winner in Cairns – into the four.
CAIRNS was the biggest loser - yes, a case can be made for Townsville too but this category isn’t a State-of-Origin visit – as the Taipans on their own court just cannot seem to be able to beat the Hawks.
DANDENONG was the WNBL’s biggest winner, bouncing back from its Adelaide debacle by not only sweeping its Queensland trip but reasserting itself as Bendigo’s main threat for the Championship.
CANBERRA was the biggest loser, dropping yet another very winnable home game and finally ending any dream it entertained of being a late gate-crasher at the playoffs party.
Online
PS
NZ guard Daryl Corletto says the new refereeing style is a deliberate Basketball Australia ploy to stop the Breakers winning a record fourth straight NBL title. DC also was distressed to see Casey Frank on air at halftime of the match against Melbourne, believing it was some sort of Tigers ploy to confound and confuse by interviewing an interviewer.
