News and Notes

I'm Lovin' It!

- Well, it seems my jockstrap article was a hit with more than just the ladies. Here are a few sites that gave it a run.

Some bloke in Wollongong loved it!

It gets a run on a site called BulgeReport. I entered this site with one eye open. The name had me worried, but all is good, I think.

- While I'm tooting my own horn, get this into you courtesy of the Townsville Bulletin.

"That's the JR that we all know and once he gets his eye in he can hit them one-handed floating out of bounds," an ecstatic Townsville coach Trevor Gleeson said.

- Here is the actual game report from the Crocs/Taipans game.

- Are the Spirit still deadmen walking?

- Is former league MVP Sam MacKinnon's career over?

- Gold Coast coach Brendan Joyce wants expansion.

- Andrew Vlahov to move on from Perth. Will he be running the new league?

- Oscar Forman's hard work beginning to pay off.

- Brad Newley continues on his winning ways in Greece.

- Matt Nielsen fouls out rather quickly.

Charles Barkley on LeBron James and his free agency in 2010 - I agree with Sir Charles!

It's All In The Jockstrap

Gone like the art of knocking down the mid-range jumpshot, there is an icon of the game that has slowly but surely dissolved from the sport of basketball. I speak of none other than the jockstrap.

However, just as surely as JT brought "SexyBack", I have taken it upon myself to revive this humble accessory by donning jock for both our games this past week,...and hasn't it been a revelation for my game.

Now the first twelve games of the season, I tried to run with the pack and wear these compression shorts that are all the rage in "support" with athletes round the globe nowadays. It took me awhile to come around, but I finally came to realise that sometimes you have to stop pretending and go back to who you really are.

I am "old school". I am stuck in my ways and now that I can say it out loud, life is beginning to pick up again. And just quietly I think the chics will be digging me now that they know I'm strapped.

You may ask yourself how an Aussie comes to have this type of relationship with the humble jockstrap, as it never came into fashion in AUS.

It all started back in the day, the very first time I set foot into the locker room at Gonzaga University. There in my locker sat six pair of gleaming, lily white jockstraps calling out to me, "Are you ready for the best support of your life?".

I had a tough decision to make. Did I ditch my "Seven Days in Rio" briefs that had taken me this far in life or was it time to embrace a new culture and try out what felt to me like the male version of a G-String for the rest of my days on the court?

After a few moments of soul searching and a few more deep breaths I took the plunge. What a liberating experience it was. I can distinctly remember the day, October 15, 1992.

So from that day forward, I had never swayed from my devotion. That was until this season.

What, you may ask yourself, caused this sudden change of heart after rocking the jock for 16 years? It all boiled down to the intersection of two of my life mantras, the second being, "If it's free, it's me,".

You see, I get free stuff given to me here and there and, for the most part, I'll give it a crack. Thus when a pair of these new fangled compression undergarments made their way to my locker, I though it may just be time for this ol' dog to learn some new tricks. And you know how that saying goes,...

Yes, over the years many a teammate has done a double take at my friend the jockstrap as he comes out for another game. I'm not going to lie, one even had to ask what it was I was putting on.

So relax fans, readers, and hoop dreamers, all is right in JR's world (and game) again.

What's Making Headlines

Aussie Luke Nevill is in his final year at Utah. Could he follow in Andrew Bogut's footsteps to the NBA. His coach believes so. Read more below.

- "I think if he continues to grow physically and emotionally, he should be a 10-year pro (NBA)," Utah coach Jim Boylen said about Aussie centre Luke Nevill. For the rest of the article, read it here at the News-Leader.com.

- Here is an update on young Aussie big man Angus Brandt. A Springwood, NSW junior who is attending Prep school in Illinois and will go D1 for sure.

- The other remaining 9 NBL clubs have come together to throw the Sydney Spirit franchise a lifeline. Hopefully the package will see them through the remainder of the season.

- Jason Smith and his family are becoming all too familiar with the current Spirit situation.

- South Dragons have been told to make the trip to Sydney.

- The Wollongong Hawks may struggle to find a lazy $1.5mil lying around so they can play next season.

- The Australian Boomers job is Goorjian's if he still wants it.

- Milwaukee Buck Andrew Bogut ready to go but injury says no.

- Brian Goorjian likes Taipans Kerry Williams. Is he starting to recruit this kid for next season already?

- Injured Crocs point guard Kelvin Robertson ready to tackle Taipans.

- Pat Mills and his St Mary's teammates taste their first defeat of college season.

Crocs/Tigers Press Conference

Do I Have The Job For You

Position Title: Australian Men's Basketball Team Head Coach
Employer: Basketball Australia
Work Type: Part Time
Salary: Negotiable
Salary Currency: Australian Dollar
Location: Australia

Information: Basketball Australia is seeking an innovative, energetic and experienced coach to lead the Boomers program for the 2010 FIBA World Championship and 2012 London Olympics. The Boomers Head Coach would be responsible for the development and preparation of a four year program. Interested applicants should document their vision for the Boomers program for the next 4 years.

The Boomers Head Coach would require the following key skills:

- Experienced in international coaching
- Proven leadership, vision and expertise in the planning and implementation of a high performance program
- Excellent organisational skills
- Ability to manage elite athletes
- Knowledge of the High Performance system in Australia
- Experience in the use of Technical Performance Analysis
- Management of support staff
- Expertise in dealing with the media

Boomers 2010

Although it seems an eternity away, the team representing Australia in the World Championships of Basketball in 2010 will begin their preparation just after the close of the NBL competition this year. Those involved will begin by playing a qualifying series that, if won, will see them advance to play in the World Championships in Turkey.

Let’s take a look at who I feel will be pulling on the green and gold this off season. I have taken into account current form, as all competitions around the world are in full swing.

As with most teams, there are going to be those players who should be ‘sure things’. In my mind, this group consists of Andrew Bogut, Brad Newley, Matt Neilsen, David Andersen, CJ Bruton and Pat Mills. All of these guys had spots on the last Olympic team and their current form shows nothing that should revoke that position they have held.

Mark Worthington, Joe Ingles and David Barlow should also make the cut fairly easily, as they are continuing to improve their games on a yearly basis.

The remaining four spots will become a dog fight. I cannot recall that last time that so many roster spots have been so open on a national level.

I’m sure many people would assume that Nathan Jawai would be a lock. However, the former NBL Rookie of the Year he is currently waiting on the results of some medical tests over in the States. I feel like he will have to prove his worth after seeing very little court time overseas this year.

There are a handful of college kids that will come back and try their luck but I think Andrew Ogilvy has the only legitimate chance of securing a roster spot.

Returning from Europe, Aleks Maric and Steve Markovic will come into contention. Both players are involved with top Europeans clubs and clearly have international experience. They will be ready to show national team selectors what they have learned in their time away from home.

And speaking of our home soil, Alex Loughton of Perth is a player I feel could have the goods to become a contributor on the national team. He has a deceptively physical interior presence that would be an advantage for the Australians at the Worlds.

Others that should get invitations to vie for positions are Adam Gibson, Matt Burston, Julian Khazzouh, Luke Schenscher and Crocs own Kelvin Robertson.

Our local pharmacist, Robertson, has been hard done by when selection time rolled around the past few years, especially when you have a look at the names of the 30 odd players that were included in the camps.

There should be no excuses this time around if Kel can maintain his current form.
With so many guys going at each other for those last spots, it is imperative that each and every one of them maintain their current form, if not kick it up a notch or two, for the remainder of the NBL season.

After given the chance, the ball will be in their court and they will need to grab it with both hands and run with it. You just never know,…when they stop running they could find themselves in Turkey.

Episode 12 of "The OT"

For your listening pleasure episode 12 of "The OT" is ready.

This week we have a round table discussion about all things basketball. Joining DJ Rod and myself is NBL comedian Russell Hinder and front office journeyman Mili Simic.

I'm interested to hear what you think of this format.

No More Sydney Spirit?

Could all the Spirit's answers come down to what Dexter's compatibility score is?

TIM MORRISSEY (http://www.news.com.au/)
November 26, 2008 12:30am

SYDNEY'S last remaining NBL team has been heartlessly killed off by email.

Sydney Spirit owner Greg Evans informed Basketball Australia boss Scott Derwin via email late on Saturday afternoon that he was placing the team into administration this week just 10 rounds into the season.

Evans' bombshell, just five months after the death of the Sydney Kings, has thrown the NBL into chaos and put basketball's future as a professional sport in Sydney in jeopardy.

None of the Spirit players or coaching staff, who have been preparing for Saturday night's crucial clash against the South Dragons at home, had any idea Evans had pulled the pin on the team until late Monday when NBL chief executive Chuck Harmison alerted head coach Rob Beveridge.

Evans is refusing to meet Derwin or even speak to him over the telephone, instead relying on email as his only form of communication.

Derwin believes the sudden demise of the Spirit – so soon after the NBL terminated renegade Kings owner and Firepower boss Tim Johnston's licence back on June 11 after he failed to pay his players – could hurt basketball just weeks after a reform package, designed to unify the sport, was passed unanimously.

"It is Tim Johnston all over again – it's very damaging to the whole of the sport," Derwin said.
"And it's about the last thing we need right at the moment."

Derwin met yesterday with several parties who are interested in resurrecting the Kings.
But Mike Wrublewski, who helped build the Kings into an Australian sporting icon during basketball's halcyon days in the 1990s before selling out, didn't hold out much hope for the Spirit after attending the meeting.

"We can't rule out anything but we are waiting to hear from Greg Evans in order to know what's going on," Wrublewski said. "Right now it doesn't look good . . . it's way beyond just trying to buy the team."

Incredibly, Evans still hasn't contacted either Beveridge or any of the players.

"I knew nothing about this," Beveridge said. "I have to say Greg Evans is a mysterious person."

I thought it would be just easiest for me to publish the whole article so you people can get a feel for the situation.

I, on the other hand have become very worried after being alerted of this news today.

People's lives are being played with here. Mortgages, school fees and grocery bills have to be paid for and there are 15 guys (players and coaches) involved with this franchise that have no idea what their world is going to be like when they awake in the morning. That is if they even sleep at all.

Why am I worried? This is my place of employment and when something like this happens it is affects my workplace.

I'll actually leave it at this because I'm currently very emotionally charged about this whole thing. I don't want to say something now that I may regret saying when more light is shone upon the situation.

But, the NBL cannot keep allowing teams to operating like this.

News

- Julius Hodge wins the NBL POW award. Tune into the upcoming episode of "The OT" to hear my thoughts on this decision.

- Boti Nagy reviews the round just played.

- More on the Spirit crisis. And a little more.

- 36ers to mix it up with oppositions in the future.

- Taipans trying to stop the fade.