Basketball On The Internet.

CHRIS Goulding, Adam Gibson, Rhys Martin, Brock Motum and Nathan Jawai are the five big targets the Bullets are aiming at to relaunch Brisbane in the NBL next season.

It's quite the quintet. Add two imports and with Boomers coach Andrej Lemanis at the helm and offsider CJ Bruton in the wings, you can start circling Brisbane as a team which will be comfortably competitive in its return season.

The NBL quartet of United superstar Goulding, 36ers captain Gibson, Hawks playmaker Martin and Wildcats wildcard Jawai, all will be available as free agents at the end of the season. Motum is playing in Europe and may be a stretch but he's definitely on the "Wanted" list and my (e)mail is the money will be there to secure him.

The Launceston-born pair of Goulding (below) and Gibson both previously were teammates at Brisbane Bullets and for a further three years at Gold Coast Blaze.

It is often forgotten or overlooked, due to the fact Martin is so readily identifiable as a stalwart at the Illawarra-Wollongong Hawks, that he was born in Brisbane and made his NBL debut with the Bullets.

Turning 30 next month, concluding his NBL career "at home" most assuredly would have some appeal.

 

AS hard as it is to believe, I do believe Kevin Lisch is playing better basketball now than he did when he won the NBL's 2012 MVP with Perth Wildcats.

And much more well-rounded basketball than when he won the Larry Sengstock Medal in Perth's 2010 NBL championship.

His defence and passing are dramatically improved, he's as courageous as they come and as hard and tough as it's possible to be. And that's without being dirty.

When I put that to his coach at Illawarra, Rob Beveridge, he texted back: "Liechtenstein is the real deal." ... Damn auto correct!

 

BASKETBALL ON THE INTERNET, PLAYER OF THE WEEK

IF you just read the previous item, this week's B.O.T.I. winner as Player of the Week should be no huge surprise.

Jerome Randle positively sizzled for Adelaide, with his NBL career-high of 34 points as the 36ers escaped the Crocs' clutches in Townsville, and Perth's Casey Prather comfortably had his way with Sydney, scoring 27 points with ease.

Kirk Penney also looked good with his 28 points as Illawarra demolished New Zealand, then had a further 14 in the first half of yesterday's rematch before being felled by a hamstring issue.

Lisch had 16 points, eight rebounds, two assists and four steals at The Sandpit, then followed up with 40 points, five boards, two assists and four more steals in the double-overtime win at Vector.

His 40-point haul matched the NBL season-high by Perth's Jermaine Beal and also was Lisch's career-high. (Can hardly wait to see them go head-to-head again on Thursday.)

In the two games, Lisch averaged 28.0 points, 6.5 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 4.0 steals - and that's with zero mention of his defensive work and the inspiration he brings.

The party pies and sausage rolls are in the oven for Kevin's collection.

NBL PotW
Rd1 Todd Blanchfield
Rd2 Kirk Penney
Rd3 Jerome Randle
Rd4 Corey Webster
Rd5 AJ Ogilvy
Rd6 Al Harrington
Rd7 Corey Webster (2)
Rd8 Kirk Penney (2)
Rd9 Tom Abercrombie
Rd10 Jermaine Beal
Rd11 Kevin Lisch
Rd12 Corey Webster (3)
Rd13 Daniel Kickert
Rd14 Daniel Johnson
Rd15 Kevin Lisch (2)

 

YEAH, NO KIDDING

FIRST out of the blocks, congratulations to Andrew Mulligan and Casey Frank for their consistently entertaining and informative work on the NBL's TV coverage.

Really enjoyed their banter again yesterday through the double-overtime thriller between NZ-Illawarra, quite apart from the genuinely great work Frank does in providing us insights and valid opinions on what's happening and why.

Fox Sports also paired Shane Heal and Derek Rucker this week on commentary, and that worked pretty well too. Though, with all due respect to Heal - whose work I am enjoying - what's with the regular references to his 61-point game in Townsville?

In a Heritage Round, maybe more footage of the Townsville Suns, considering the Crocs were wearing the Suns' 1989 State League uniform, and maybe of the 36ers circa 1991 (their uniform revisit), might have been more appropriate than footage of a commentator? Just a thought.

Could have used some halftime footage too of the pre-game entertainment which trotted out a number of former Crocs stars.

Head down to Melbourne and whoa, this is the new level of commentary now? Corey Williams exclaiming "Jesus!" when informed how rarely Cairns has won at The Cage?

Have we hit a new low? (Is that even possible with Fox Sports' most opinionated and largely irrelevant commentator?)

Social media again went into meltdown, but apparently Fox Sports only sees the good reviews.

"@majok55majok might want to tell homicide you played in Europe. @boti_nagy @FoxBasketball homicide - the new carfino. #doyourjob #nofacts" was one random tweet.

"I wish someone would invent a mute button just for Corey. I must have said F...O Corey about a hundred times by now!!!" another fan opinion.

"Corey Williams interviewing DD pre game- "Coach, is there any way you can lose this today?" You have how long to prep, and thats the best you can come out with? thats crap" was a fairly accurate further review.

Fox Sports keeps saying the polls it is doing show Williams is extremely popular with those who don't know the game. 

Really? Can Fox Sports please produce those polls for us who do have a small clue about the game because, um, frankly, we don't believe you.

And while Captain "I told you" - yawn - continues to also shove "CG-43 is the MVP" down our throats, maybe he could take a look at some of the work Jerome Randle, Kevin Lisch, Kirk Penney, Cedric Jackson, Corey Webster, Mark Worthington, AJ Ogilvy and yes, even Matty Knight have done or are doing.

 

BIGGEST WINNERS/LOSERS

THE Hawks continue to be the NBL's form team, twice stopping reigning champ New Zealand this week. While the first win, at home, was predictable, to succeed again at Vector Arena with Oscar Forman fouled out in 12-plus minutes, Kirk Penney out with "a hammy" in the last quarter, Kevin Lisch tweaking an ankle in the first half and the Breakers ahead by double-digits in the final quarter, that was a performance of grit and substance. It made Illawarra the round's biggest winner, and comfortably so.

TOUGH to split Cairns Taipans or New Zealand Breakers as the round's biggest loser after they both went 0-2 to Melbourne and Illawarra respectively. The twin losses cost the Breakers their spot in the four but they can make that up. Whereas the two crumbles by the Taipans have cost them a shot at the post-season so, I guess that answers which team was the biggest loser.

NBL, Round 15

MELBOURNE UNITED 83 (Holt, Goulding 19, Warrick 14, Kickert 12, Tomlinson 11; Warrick 8 rebs; Tomlinson 4 assts) d CAIRNS TAIPANS 65 (Worthington 22, Craig 20, Starks 10; Craig 15 rebs; Worthington 2 assts) at Cairns Convention Centre. ILLAWARRA HAWKS 87 (Penney 28, Lisch 16, Martin 13, Forman 12; Ogilvy 11 rebs; Martin, Penney 3 assts) d NEW ZEALAND BREAKERS 69 (Webster 23, Ce Jackson 14; Wesley, Vukona 8 rebs; Wesley 3 assts) at The Sandpit, WIN Entertainment Centre. MELBOURNE UNITED 98 (Warrick 19, Goulding 18, Blanchfield 16, Holt 15, Majok 11; Majok 9 rebs; Holt 4 assts) d CAIRNS TAIPANS 68 (Gliddon 15, Starks 14, Worthington 11; Burston 8 rebs; Worthington 4 assts) at The Cage, State Netball & Hockey Centre. PERTH WILDCATS 95 (Prather 27, Beal 19, Redhage 12; Hire 7 rebs; Martin 4 assts) d SYDNEY KINGS 68 (Garlepp 30, Carter 8, Childress 7; Childress 9 rebs; Cadee 6 assts) at The Jungle, Perth Arena. ADELAIDE 36ERS 108 (Randle 34, Johnson 20, Petrie 10; Johnson 11 rebs; Randle 6 assts) d TOWNSVILLE CROCODILES 103 (Jett 29, Norton, Samhan 21, Kay 14, Steindl 10; Samhan 8 rebs; Jett 6 assts) at The Swamp, Townsville Entertainment Centre. ILLAWARRA HAWKS 103 (Lisch 40, Ellis 18, Ogilvy 15, Penney 14; Ogilvy 12 rebs; Martin 6 assts) d NEW ZEALAND BREAKERS 96 (Webster 22, Ce Jackson 18, Pledger, Abercrombie 12, Ch Jackson 11; Ch Jackson 18 rebs; Webster 5 assts) at Vector Arena, in double overtime.

 

TIME-OUT

MELBOURNE centre Chris Patton left off the scoresheet? Can someone please check with James Hird because, apparently, the coach is completely blameless.

 

PS

LEON HENRY ... the VIIITH?