The 2010 version of the Gold Coast Blaze showed they are a force to be reckoned with after demolishing visiting Hartford University at Carrara on Thursday.
The Blaze led from start to finish, registering a resounding 97-50 win.
With new import recruit Bennett Davison sidelined with a minor tweak and Adam Gibson away with the Boomers, the Blaze had only a handful of regulars to choose from.
Guards James Harvey and Chris Goulding started and were both unstoppable, hitting a combined 10 of 13 shots from three-point range. Harvey finished with 21 points and Goulding with 19.
Anthony Petrie and new recruit Stephen Hoare also started, with both asserting themselves physically on the game.
New recruit Tom Garlepp showed off his all-round game, contributing 7 points, 6 assists and 5 rebounds.
Coach Joey Wright soon injected his younger training squad players, eager to see how they would fare with extended playing time. Wright is still searching for Development Players for his 2010 squad, and used today’s game as an opportunity to see the young guns in action. Local product Michael Gullotta impressed in limited minutes.
Wright also got an opportunity to better evaluate two players who are competing for the 10th spot on the roster, Pero Vasiljevic and Tim Lang. Vasiljevic, formerly of the Adelaide 36ers who played last season in France, was a standout for the Blaze with 15 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists and 3 resounding blocks. He was also perfect from the field and the free throw line, not missing a shot the entire game.
For the visitors, Ross Erickson led with 11 points and Milton Burton had 10.
Although the Blaze were facing a much weaker side, Coach Joey Wright was reasonably happy with his side’s performance.
“We were playing a young side, but we gave a lot of our young prospects an opportunity to show what they can do.
“I was impressed with how we shot the ball, and I thought we did pretty well when our first unit was on the court. It’s still early days though and we have a lot of things to work on before we head to Darwin.”
The Darwin Wright refers to is the Top End Challenge, the NBL’s annual pre-season tournament that the Blaze will head off to at the end of September.
The Blaze begin their official pre-season schedule with a match against the South Korean national team at Logan Stadium on Sunday September 5th.
