As we enter Week Three of the iNet NBL Championship, it's time to pay homage to some of the league veterans who are still getting it done, despite their advancing years. In contrast to last week's segment of the Casual NBL Fan's Guide which focused on the breakout young guns, these guys are no longer on the rise, but rather well into the latter years of their careers after numerous illustrious years in the NBL. These guys may all have been born in the '70s, but their games are very much relevant in 2011.

The beauty of having veterans like this in the league is that they provide stability to clubs filled with young up-and-comers, whilst also providing fans with familiar faces to cling to as rosters bend and sway over the years. All five of these players have been stars over the years in the NBL and continue to play key roles on their teams, even though their bodies protest from time to time.


Glen Saville, Wollongong Hawks, G/F

"Sav" is an absolute institution in Wollongong. Having started his career with the then Illawarra Hawks in 1995, it was considered sacrilege when the athletic swingman made the move up the highway to the hated Sydney Kings in 2008 for one season. It just didn't look right.

Of course, that was all rectified when Saville moved back to Wollongong in 2009 and was instrumental, along with fellow veteran teammate Mat Campbell, in ensuring that the Hawks remained afloat in the league when a near-certain demise was at hand for the club. Both Saville and Campbell, whose careers are inextricably linked, have their numbers retired by the Hawks.

As a youngster in the league, Saville made his mark as a dynamic slasher, with amazingly explosive athleticism, and a well-rounded ability at both ends of the court. Not only could you rely on #12 to get to the basket, but you could expect a healthy dose of rebounds, key assists and outstanding defence. Much like his idol, Scottie Pippen, Sav improved his shooting over the years, making him the multi-faceted threat that he is today.

The phenomenal thing is, the 2001 NBL Champion is seemingly just as athletic and spritely on the court today as he was a decade ago. When teams face the Wollongong Hawks, as they have done since the late '90s, they prepare themselves first and foremost to tackle Glen Saville.


CJ Bruton, New Zealand Breakers, G

The most journeyed player on this list, Cal Bruton Jr has played for the Perth Wildcats, Brisbane Bullets (twice), Wollongong Hawks, Canberra Cannons, Sydney Kings and New Zealand Breakers. And that's just counting the NBL clubs.

Wherever CJ has gone, he has made his clubs better.

Despite being a proud Australian, Bruton was originally born in Kansas, USA, coming into the NBL in 1994 as the son of league legend Cal Bruton and immediately making an impact. His first shot for the Perth Wildcats as a teenager was a half-court heave that went in, signalling the downtown bomber that CJ was destined to be in Australia for years to come.

Bruton went on to play college basketball in the United States, ultimately being selected in the second round of the 1997 NBA Draft by the Vancouver Grizzlies. His rights were traded to the Portland Trail Blazers and despite being signed to take part in their 2000 Training Camp, was ultimately waived. He made another attempt at the NBA in 2006 when he travelled with fellow Aussie Chris Anstey to take part in a veterans' camp held by the Cleveland Cavaliers, before the 2006 World Championships.

His NBL career has been littered with honours, not the least of which being four NBL Championships -- two with Sydney, one with Brisbane and most recently with the Breakers. All the while, Bruton has been renowned as a ball-handler who has the ball on a string and a dead-eye shooter with a remarkable knack for knocking down shots in clutch situations. Coming into this season, the former long-time Australian Boomers representative appears to be in as good a form as he has been in for years. The departure of Kirk Penney from the Breakers puts added emphasis on Bruton's perimeter prowess and he is unlikely to disappoint, particularly when it counts.


Peter Crawford, Townsville Crocodiles, G/F

"PC" had a relatively inauspicious start to his NBL career. The Mount Isa product played his first five seasons with the Townsville Crocodiles, playing 133 games as primarily a bench player with modest averages.

Then 2004/05 happened. Crawford signed with the Perth Wildcats in the off-season of 2004 and despite being inhibited by an early knee injury, went on to average 15.9ppg, 3.9apg, 6.4rpg and an outstanding 2.2spg on his way to NBL Most Improved Player honours. It was at this point that he also began to show a consistently useful three-point shot, to accompany his always impressive athleticism.

Crawford is known as a dogged defender who uses his strength and athletic gifts to the detriment of his opponents. It is this defensive ability, coupled with his propensity for knocking down perimeter shots, which has given him numerous Boomers berths during his career (most recently impressing during Australia's games in London).

In 2009 he returned to Townsville and forms an integral part of the Crocs team on both ends of the floor, guarding key opponents and providing offence.


Adam Ballinger, Adelaide 36ers, F/C

Ballinger, or "Balls" as he is known in Adelaide, is one of those rare talents: a big, bruising low post player, who can just as easily drill a three-point shot as snare a huge rebound. After bouncing around from the Victoria Giants (2003-04) to the Wollongong Hawks (2004-07), he found what appears to be a home for the remainder of his NBL career in the 36ers.

2009-10 saw Ballinger named captain of the struggling Adelaide squad, coming after his naturalisation as an Australian citizen. Originally from the USA, the 205cm power forward was a member of the 2000 NCAA Champion Michigan State Spartans, where he played with former NBL imports Mike Chappell and Dave Thomas.

Ballinger's start to the 2011/12 season has been somewhat slowed by an ankle injury at the end of the previous season, during which he played numerous minutes as an undersized centre. He makes his season debut for the Sixers against the Sydney Kings this weekend, with his return no doubt welcomed by a squad which is light on experience, if not loaded with potential.


Dusty Rychart, Cairns Taipans, F/C

Much like Ballinger, Taipans veteran Rychart started his NBL career as an import with the Victoria Giants (2002). Similarly once again, he played then with the Wollongong Hawks and Adelaide 36ers, intertwined with stints in Brisbane, Slovenia and New Zealand. Known as the Garbage Man, the forward has built his career on hustling for rebounds and creating opportunities without needing to have the offence centred around him.

At 201cm, Rychart has never been the tallest player on the court, but generally is right in the thick of things where rebounds are concerned. At the relatively ripe age of 33, he entered round one of this season with a 16 point, 14 rebound performance in helping his Cairns Taipans to a victory over North-Queensland rivals the Crocs.

Joining the Taipans in 2009 after gaining Australian citizenship, Rychart provides stability and veteran leadership to a roster that has undergone a great deal of flux in recent times. The Snakes look to him to do all of the little things that generally go unnoticed, but mean the difference between winning and losing games.


Honourable mention: Russell Hinder, Townsville Crocodiles, F/C

Rusty Hinder almost seems like he has been a veteran his entire career. He not only anchors the interior for the Crocs (and before that the West Sydney Razorbacks, Sydney Kings and Hunter Pirates), but provides a vocal presence that is heard across the league. The big man is just as comfortable on the perimeter, shooting threes, as he is being interviewed, providing comedic quips.

Unfortunately for Hinder and the Crocs, he sits outside the five on this list, due to a season-ending broken leg which he sustained during the Sunshine State Challenge pre-season tournament. Along with an injury to centre Luke Schenscher, Hinder's absence puts a severe dampener on the Crocs' hopes this season.

To read more of my thoughts on the 2011/12 iiNet Championship, keep on reading here weekly at NBL.com.au, or check out A Stern Warning. You can also follow me on twitter @ASternWarning.