Basketball On The Internet.

ROUND One of the NBL is done, the WNBL also off and running, its new website a big improvement, even if they couldn't get the championship ladder correct this morning.

Seriously WNBL. Is it that hard?

Most of the women's openers were gems and the NBL had much to feel great about.

New Zealand star Cedric Jackson now is being lauded for a "triple double" in the win over Townsville, even though yesterday's stats credited him with 14 points, 12 assists and less than nine rebounds, because that's what the stats folks had CHARLES Jackson for and he was the Breakers' leading boards banger.

Today?

Charles has eight rebounds, and Cedric ... well will you look at that, he has 10!

And for good measure, he now also has 14 assists.

Quite the game Cedric had yesterday, Or overnight.

Or maybe, as I suspect, the stats people need to say "defensive rebound, Cedric" instead of "defensive rebound Jackson"?

Is it that hard?

You don't want folks stroking their chins a day later, wondering if the numbers are credible or about trumpeting achievements which may actually not have been achieved?

Action Jackson (that's CEDRIC) deserves better.

BASKETBALL ON THE INTERNET - PLAYER OF THE WEEK

TESS Madgen (23 points, 9 rebounds, 9 assists) went so close to a triple double - apparently with the current exchange rate in New Zealand, those figures would have been adjusted to 24.13, 9.7 and 9.6, then rounded up - that she pips a number of high-quality efforts to open the WNBL season.

Frankly, it was unanimous in the B.O.T.I. offices, Madgen narrowly pipping teammate Elyse Penaluna and Perth's Louella Tomlinson.

WNBL Round 1: Tess Madgen

Much tougher in the men where a standout such as Julian Khazzouh's 22-point, 9-rebound haul for Sydney in its win over Cairns has to be measured against two games by players such as Brian Conklin or Daniel Johnson.

That said, Khazzouh's back-to-back threes, then three-point play after he drew Matt Burston out and drove by him for a basket and bonus and nine straight points, was gorgeous basketball. (Yes, "gorgeous". I'm channelling my inner Bruce McAvaney.)

A lot of good players had one great game and one "eh". So....drumroll please, our winner here at B.O.T.I. is United swingman Todd Blanchfield.

Blanch went off for a career-best 29 points on 11-of-15 shooting - 7-of-9 threes - with eight rebounds as Melbourne pulled away from the Crocs in Townsville.

He backed that up with a 15-point, 15-rebound double in United's home win over Illawarra.

(After some spectacular off-season efforts with corporates and sponsors, inspired by the exceptional work done by the NBL, this year's weekly winners of the B.O.T.I. PotW can collect a toasted sandwich every Monday of their award win.)

NBL Round 1: Todd Blanchfield

I'M BACK: Nathan Jawai took 45 seconds to throw down his first NBL dunk since 2008.

NBL Yesterday: BREAKERS 89 (Bartlett 19, Ce Jackson 14, Te Rangi 12, Abercrombie, Wesley 11, Ch Jackson 10; Ce Jackson 10 rebs; Ce Jackson 14 assts) d CROCODILES 81 (Jett 16, Conklin 15, Maynard 10; Conklin 12 rebs; Djeric 3 assts) in Auckland. UNITED 93 (Goulding 26, Holt 17, Kickert, Blanchfield 15, Warrick 14; Blanchfield 15 rebs; Tomlinson 4 assts) d HAWKS 81 (Ogilvy 20, Penney 18, Coenraad 17, Forman 11; Ogilvy 15 rebs; White 5 assts).

WNBL

SEQ STARS 80 (D Stallworth 24 I Ibekwe 19 R Jarry 14; Stallworth 10 rebs; Mansfield 8 assts) d BENDIGO SPIRIT 63 (K Griffin 17 H Oliver 15 G Richards 12; Richards 15 rebs; Wilson 3 assts) at Logan Metro Indoor Sports Centre.
DANDENONG RANGERS 80 (J Kennedy 17 T Phillips 17 A Pickrel 16; Pickrel 13 rebs; Phillips 5 assts) d CANBERRA CAPITALS 72 (S Talbot 22 A Bishop 10 R Fadljevic 10; Talbot 7 rebs; 3 with 3 assts) at AIS Arena.
MELBOURNE BOOMERS 94 (E Penaluna 26 T Madgen 23 A Kunek 16; Madgen, Penaluna, Kunek 9 rebs; Madgen 9 assts) d ADELAIDE LIGHTNING 72 (M Ruef 13 K Bowen 13 J Bygate 11; Ruef 9 rebs; Mitchell 6 assts) at State Basketball Centre.
BENDIGO SPIRIT 72 (G Richards 19 K Griffin 17 K Wilson 16; Griffin 8 rebs; Wilson 5 assts) d TOWNSVILLE FIRE 64 (S Batkovic 17 M Cocks 13 M Murray 10 T Tatham 10; tatham 6 rebs; Murray 4 assts) at Townsville RSL Stadium.
PERTH LYNX 81 (S Whitcomb 18 L Tomlinson 17 C Mijovic 12; Tomlinson 13 rebs; Lavey, edmondson 4 assts) d SYDNEY UNI FLAMES 70 (K Ebzery 16 J Tinkle 14 C Samuels 12; Tinkle 11 rebs; Ebzery 4 assts) at WA Basketball Centre.

YEAH, NO KIDDING

BIG ticks for Tommy Greer, Brad Rosen, Shane Heal and Casey Frank (SKY's the limit) as colour men on the NBL's TV coverage.

"Rookie" Greer was good, Rosen much improved (commentary-wise), while the other two are old hands.

CJ Bruton has work to do and will no doubt do it and Derek Rucker is on a level above everyone at this stage.

Was most impressed with Anthony Hudson, even if he needed Fox staff to pay for his taxi to Titanium Security Arena after he left his wallet behind - Lord knows where his mobile is these days - and found all of the main guys promising.

Dwayne Russell is the best, of course. In fact, he and Derek Rucker easily could be called the "doctors of commentary". (DR and DR... No?) OK. The A-Team then.

And was thrilled to see Corey "Homicide" Williams during the halftime show at Hisense yesterday. Let's hope his cameo was a sign of things to come.

BIGGEST WINNERS - LOSERS

SYDNEY Kings, embarrassing in their last game at the Blitz and a bit questionable in their previous two, then suddenly down marquee drawcard Josh Childress for their first home game against a Cairns team high after taking out Illawarra, is this week's NBL biggest winner. The manner of that spanking of the Taipans, undermanned and under scrutiny, went a long way to allaying fears about Sydney's ticker.

BY contrast then, the Taipans, coming to Sydney off a win and as one of the most impressive teams at the Blitz, to catch the Kings also down Childress should have set them up nicely for the W. Blowing chances like that easily can come back to haunt in a season as tight as this one will be.

SEQ got off to a WNBL flyer by beating Bendigo and doing it without injured Opals pair Erin Phillips and Bec Allen. The Spirit then knocking over champion Townsville shows how good this win was.

TOWNSVILLE is the round's biggest loser, at home for the opener after last being seen here winning the championship, against a team already beaten on the road ... and losing. As coach Chris Lucas said last week: "Everyone starts at 0-0."

Online

How Boomers held out Lightning: http://bit.ly/1NDo8nc

Injured McNeaill sorely missed: http://bit.ly/1GDIrZD

TIME-OUT

NEW Melbourne United coach Dean Demopoulos was en route to breaking a long-standing Brian Goorjian record when he said "Awiight" seven times during a televised time-out against Townsville. Unfortunately, we only came into the huddle about halfway through so whether he got to 14, only Nate Tomlinson knows.