National Basketball League http://www.nbl.com.au/ Feed description en National Basketball League http://www.nbl.com.au/typo3conf/ext/tt_news/ext_icon.gif http://www.nbl.com.au/ 18 16 Feed description TYPO3 - get.content.right http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss Thu, 17 May 2012 09:29:00 +1000 Mythical NBL - What's the score? http://www.nbl.com.au/news/article///-7bf9b2c7c3/ In his latest exclusive column Paulo Kennedy challenges some misconceptions around scoring. Recently, in his always entertaining ‘Around the NBL’ column on www.adelaidenow.com.au, Boti Nagy wrote that the NBL was a lot taller in 1996. Now anyone who knows of Boti is aware he has followed the league since the beginning, rarely misses a game and pays very close attention. But when you look at the rosters, the NBL is actually taller now than 16 years ago. Point guards were almost 2cm taller back then, but every other position has a height advantage in 2012, and centres have nearly 4cm on their counterparts of yesteryear.
I guess the moral of the story is nostalgia isn’t a good way to analyse the past.
It’s the same with the claims from many that having a top-scorer of only 17.6 points per game this season, and only two players above 17ppg, is proof the standard of the NBL has slipped. Some people long for the days when Andrew Gaze scored so many points you were sure they must have counted his baskets in the lay-up line. Higher scoring equating to higher quality is a commonly-held perception, but is it reality or myth? Looking around the world gives us some answers. In the Euroleague, Eurocup, German BBL and the VTB United League (best teams from former Soviet Union countries) there are no players scoring over 17ppg, while in Lithuania, Spain and the Russian PBL there is just one – Ty McKee sits third in Russia at 15.4ppg. In Greece there are two players over 17ppg, while the Italian Serie A and the Adriatic League (former Yugoslavia) have three. The top scorers in those leagues range from 18.4 (Italy) to 20.4 (Greece). Contrast that now with some of the weaker leagues in Europe (this standard is easy to judge because teams from European countries play against each other). Sweden, Switzerland and the Ukraine have six players scoring over 17ppg, Slovakia and Denmark nine, while Finland, Romania and Iceland are well into double figures.
It’s not just a European thing either. In the FIBA Americas League – an abbreviated equivalent of the Euroleague – there is only one player scoring above 17ppg. In the respected Argentinean league there is only two, with the highest being 17.3ppg. But in Mexico and Venezuela there are nine players above that mark, and more than 10 in Uruguay. The New Zealand NBL has 14 players above 17ppg. It’s fair to say having a lot of high-scoring individuals does not reflect a world-class FIBA-rules competition. So what about team scoring? Does the fact NBL teams don’t score at the same rate as teams in the 80s and early 90s mean they are of a lower standard? Well, the two best European competitions – the Euroleague and Spanish ACB – average 74ppg and 73.4ppg respectively. Russia, VTB United and the Adriatic League range from 75.4 to 78.2. In contrast, Finland, Slovakia and Ukraine are all in the low 80s, while Sweden averages 84.2. Here in Oceania the higher standard league also has lower scoring, with the NBL at 80.7ppg this past season and the New Zealand league at 87.3. When it comes to field-goal percentage the story is the same. The ACB and NBL are below 44%; the NBA and Euroleague mid-44s. Russia and the VTB United sit at 45%. amongst the leaders once again are the Ukraine (45.6%), Finland (45.8%), New Zealand (46.2%) and Sweden (47%). So given this trend, does the NBL having lower individual scorers and slower scoring mean it is a better standard than years past? Of course it doesn’t, it simply doesn’t delve deep enough. Just looking at scoring and shooting stats doesn’t tell you why scoring is high or low, and why percentages have risen or fallen. Consider this – after Round 10 this season NBL teams were averaging almost 84ppg at over 45%. Over the last 15 rounds those figures were 79ppg at 40%. Did the players suddenly lose their ability? No, other factors intervened, the big one being a decrease in fouls called and a resulting increase in physicality. This was something Shane Heal touched on in his commentary role, while Crocs forward Jacob Holmes said post-Christmas the game had “closed down and the court feels a lot smaller”. It’s no secret that the amount of physicality allowed ebbs and flows over time. Consider the turn of the millennium as an example. By the end of the '90s the NBL had become a physical war, with an average score in the 1999-2000 season of 93ppg in 48 minutes, or 77.5 points per 40 minutes, well below today’s level. The playoffs were even harder to score in, with an average of just 74 points per 40 minutes.
At this stage the NBL decided to make some changes to the way the game was refereed, particularly cutting out hand-checking and arm-bars, which New York Knick Derek Harper had made fashionable worldwide. The result was a dramatic turnaround in scoring. The playoffs the next two seasons saw averages of 102ppg or 85 points per 40 minutes. The players hadn’t changed much, it was mostly the same teams in the top six, and the scoring increased just as dramatically when comparing identical match-ups from one year to the next. The change in scoring had nothing to do with the quality of players, but a lot to do with the environment they were playing in. Personally I hope some similar changes are made now to make it easier for our stars to shine, and I am sure that will happen at some point. I guess another moral of this story is that scoring trends come and go, that’s the nature of sport. Sooner or later they just end up as food for nostalgia.   The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not reflect those of the National Basketball League.

  ]]> NBL Features Thu, 17 May 2012 09:29:00 +1000 Taipans year in review http://www.nbl.com.au/news/article///taipans-year-in-review/ In an exclusive interview, Aaron Fearne looks back on the Taipans season and ahead to 2012/13. After the Taipans’ fairytale run to the 2011 iiNet NBL Championship Grand Final, hopes were high in Far North Queensland for a repeat.

While the departures of Ayinde Ubaka, Ron Dorsey and Daniel Dillon to Melbourne, few outside Cairns expected them to mount a playoff challenge, but behind MVP runner-up Jamar Wilson they remained in the hunt until Round 24 when injury finally caught up.

Coach Aaron Fearne looks back on the season and ahead to 2012/13. It was a pretty difficult start to 2011/12 wasn’t it, with three of your starting five leaving? Definitely. I wanted to keep a chunk of the team we’d put together and gone to the finals with. A classic example is what Perth, Gold Coast and New Zealand have been able to do. We added six new players to our group from last year, so it was somewhat starting over because we do run the Shuffle and a lot of things we do defensively are somewhat complex. Then the season is about to start, Alex Loughton, Ian Crosswhite and Jamar Wilson are injured and you have a rookie import in Andrew Warren, were you a little worried?
 That was definitely a concern. Alex and Ian had no pre-season, Jamar popped his pec and was pretty much getting ready to get sent home before we got some news that he could play without it. Andrew was definitely pretty close to going home and then he found his form and was phenomenal from that point on.

When Alex and Ian came back Dusty (Rychart) went down and missed the next 15 games, so we only played something like five games with Alex, Ian and Dusty all playing together and the year before they were a huge part of our success. You must have been happy to have kept around the .500 mark early? I thought Jeff Dowdell, Dean Brebner and Aaron Grabau moving to the four-spot did a great job of holding things together so we could move on. We got to 7-7 and I thought if we got to that point we’d get better at the back end of the season. We won seven of our next 10 from that point. Then Alex wins player of the week and strains his Achilles that same week and was pretty much done for the year, and Ian unfortunately lands on someone’s foot at training and is effectively out for the rest of the year. So we kind of ended how we started. There were some bad nights when teams locked out Jamar, did you need another ball-handler? I think we were extremely similar to most teams except for Perth, Gold Coast and New Zealand. We definitely had some games where we were pretty poor offensively and a lot of pressure got put onto Jamar to make plays, and we definitely need another legit guy doing that. You look at the top three, they’ve got two guards who make plays off the bounce, that answers the question. We need another legit playmaking guard at the two-spot, but that’s not an easy thing to do either when we don’t spend to the cap. What about the offensive inconsistency, can you explain it? No (laughs).That patch where we won seven-of-10 we were shooting 46 or 47 per cent as a team, we couldn’t have been playing much better or shooting much better. But then we had games where we just couldn’t knock shots down. We were doing enough shooting during the week, maybe too much. We were definitely covering the bases that way. Did that lack of continuity of guys knowing the Shuffle offence play its part - guys not getting rhythm shots? That’s definitely a huge part of it. I look at it two ways, I either throw the Shuffle out and go with something simple if we’re going to have a high turnover of guys all the time, or we’ve got to keep our core group together. Once we get good at running it it’s very difficult to defend. You’ve recruited Cam Tragardh, Cam Gliddon and Clint Steindl, that seems like a very offensive focus… We’ve been one of the top three defensive teams the past two or three years. We’ve established ourselves as a pretty gritty defensive team, but we’ve struggled to put enough pressure on the scoreboard, so we’re just trying to get a better balance. You’ve got to have people who can score and that’s what we’re trying to add to the puzzle. Will we see a different style from Cairns this year? No, we’ll definitely continue to run the Shuffle, and when the opportunity presents to push the ball we’ll do that. The game’s just easier when you’ve got guys who can shoot the ball. Cam Gliddon and Clint can obviously shoot it, Tragardh runs that middle lane pretty well and Jamar can do what he does. We’re trying pretty hard to get Alex done as well, because when he’s on he’s pretty good as well.   So does that change what you are looking for from your second import? Yeah, we will probably be looking for more of a big banger, a wide body who’s tough and physical. But I’ve got plenty of time to get that done. Sounds like Aron Baynes, a North Queensland boy… Yeah that type of player. Unfortunately we don’t have the coin to get Aron just yet, he has aspirations of really establishing himself in Europe and we obviously support that. But he’s a Cairns boy, so we’ll see what happens down the track.    ]]> NBL Features Wed, 16 May 2012 13:04:00 +1000 Schenscher to return home http://www.nbl.com.au/news/article///schensher-to-return-home-1/ Luke Schenscher is returning home after signing a long-term deal with the Adelaide 36ers. The Adelaide 36ers have secured the services of 216cm Centre Luke Schenscher for the following two seasons with an option for another year.
Schenscher played the past two seasons in Townsville and averaged 13.7 points and 6.8 rebounds per game in season 2011/12.
Originally from Adelaide, Schenscher will be returning home in July to start training with the Adelaide 36ers.
Leeanne Grantham, Chief Executive Officer of the Adelaide 36ers, says that the Club is excited to have Luke Schenscher back home and wearing Adelaide 36ers colours.
“The Club really wanted to secure Luke’s services, and it is great to have a South Australian of his calibre in the team,” Grantham said.
“We look forward to him returning to Adelaide Arena and I am sure that our members and fans will be very thrilled to see him.”
Adelaide 36ers Head Coach, Marty Clarke said that he is pleased that Schenscher has agreed to play for the Club.
“We needed a talented big man to come into the team and securing Luke is a great opportunity for us, as we plan to make the finals this coming season,” said Clarke.
Schenscher’s career includes stints at the Australian Institute of Sport, Georgia Tech for his College career, NBA for the Chicago Bulls and the Portland Trailblazers and the German European League.
Schenscher said that he was excited to play for Adelaide next season.
“Adelaide is my home, I really want to see the Adelaide 36ers succeed and I believe that I can be a part of that success,” Schenscher said.
“The fans in Adelaide are really passionate and it will be great to be on the right side of that passion next season,” he added tongue in cheek.
There will be further announcements on Adelaide 36ers signings for the coming season in the weeks ahead.
For information on the Adelaide 36ers and to purchase 2012/13 season membership, please phone 8345 0900 or visit www.adelaide36ers.com.
]]> NBL Transactions Wed, 16 May 2012 11:22:00 +1000 Cadee to Adelaide http://www.nbl.com.au/news/article///cadee-to-adelaide/ The 36ers have lured talented young free agent guard Jason Cadee to Adelaide. Jason Cadee will suit up for Adelaide for the next two years, in a great coup for the Club. The 21 year old point guard spent the past two seasons with the Gold Coast Blaze, coming off the bench to support Boomer Adam Gibson.
Head Coach Marty Clarke said that Cadee is a true point guard, with his capacity to organise a team and understand all on-court situations. “Jason has a great ability to make big plays and has the athleticism to back it up.
“His outside game is improving and he sees us (the Club) as a way to further develop his game and get closer towards his aspiration of playing for Australia.” Jason Cadee said that he is looking forward to his time in Adelaide.
“I have heard a lot of good things about Adelaide, the state, the facilities and the program. “Working on my game will be a big priority and I look forward to coming over to Adelaide to start training with Marty (Clarke) and my new team.”
Cadee averaged 5.2 points, 2 rebounds and 2 assists in the 2011/12 season with the Blaze. Adelaide 36ers Chief Executive Officer, Leeanne Grantham said that the Club is excited to have the point guard come to Adelaide.
“Jason has a bright future at the Club, our members and fans will be excited to see him play. “He will be a fantastic addition to the team and we are looking forward to him arriving in Adelaide.”
Leeanne Grantham says that Jason comes from great basketball stock. “Jason’s parents Robbie and Debbie were fantastic players with both of them reaching the pinnacle in Australian basketball; playing for Australia.”
Season membership is now available for purchase and start from $295 for a Silver Adult. For information on purchasing Adelaide 36ers membership, please phone 8345 0900 or visit www.adelaide36ers.com. 
]]> NBL Transactions Tue, 15 May 2012 15:33:00 +1000 Room for improvement http://www.nbl.com.au/news/article///room-for-improvement/ Melbourne coach Trevor Gleeson looks back at the highs and lows of the Tigers' 2011/12 campaign.
The high from signing Boomers star Patty Mills was countered by the controversial departure of two-time championship winner Daryl Corletto.

A stunning, come-from-behind opening night win was sullied by a thrashing in Perth the following week. Five wins in the first six games was matched by five losses in the next six surrounding the departure of Mills.

A three-game winning streak against top-five opposition then catapulted Melbourne back within a game of first place, but the much-publicised sacking of Ayinde Ubaka triggered a collapse of monumental proportions.

The Tigers won just two of their last 13 games.

Coach Trevor Gleeson discusses the season and the future.

You started the season 5-1 and playing some great defence despite having five new players and a new coach. Were you surprised?
It was a great start to a promising season, we were just starting to find our rhythm and find some momentum. We never played great basketball but our pure talent got us over the line in a couple of early games. There was only one game, in Sydney, I thought we really played a full 40 minutes.

What happened after that?
Good question. When we held a team to less than 80 points we would win, but if the team scored in the 90s we would lose. We started to take shortcuts and take the easy options on the floor. During this period we actually sat down and watched our early games in our video sessions to correct that.

Losing Patty Mills obviously left a big hole, but how much did not getting a replacement guard hurt the defensive energy of the team?
Also at that time Matt Burston went down with an injury and missed the next 10 games. So we lost our point guard and our centre at the same time. We were hurting a number of times on the boards and we felt we had the talent to cover Patty in the short term so we signed a big to cover Matt.

You must have been proud of the team’s fight over the next 6-8 weeks? You beat and narrowly lost to some very good teams.
The team had to find its identity again. We lost to the Breakers in double-overtime in New Zealand, then we lost to the Taipans in overtime in Cairns. It was tough but the guys were stepping up and taking on the challenge. We lost our momentum during that period and it is very hard to catch it again, however we were starting to build another team.

What about the rebounding struggles? Was it personnel? Effort? Structure?
All the above. I thought we were soft in this area. It is hard enough to win in this league, and giving your opponent an extra 6-8 possessions a game makes it even harder. We finished up making a rule that our top two rebounders in the game would start the next game. We had a lot more rebounding battles after that.

What are the positives you take from the year?
Normally when you get into a new position you can add layers to the place. In this case we had to strip it back and build the foundations from scratch. We were behind the rest of the league in our professionalism.

There was no line of communication in place from the medical staff to our strength coach to recovery processes. These areas are crucial to keeping our players on the court and able to play consistently at their best. We were able to lay the foundations to have a long period of success.

What are you looking to do in the off-season? Is there are certain type of player you feel you need to recruit?
Spending some quality time with my family. We have been through a lot in the past 12 months, so its time to take care of what is important.

We need an on-court leader, we really missed that when Patty left the team. It's a no-brainer on the rebounding issue, we need someone who can provide rim pressure on both ends on the court. We had too many players that can't jump over a credit card or own their position.

We also need to add some toughness to the team. When the going got tough, a few of the guys really rolled up their sleeves, but a number of others didn't.



]]> NBL Features Tue, 15 May 2012 15:10:00 +1000 Kings announce first signings http://www.nbl.com.au/news/article///kings-announce-first-signings/ The Sydney Kings have signed free agents Ian Crosswhite, Tom Garlepp, and James Harvey. Sydney Kings’ Head Coach, Shane Heal has announced the first official signings for the 2012-2013 season. The announcement follows the return of Ben Madgen, Graeme Dann, and Luke Martin who all remain on contract from last season.
Aaron Bruce, Ian Crosswhite, Tom Garlepp, and James Harvey have all confirmed they will play for the Sydney Kings in 2012-2013.
Shane Heal said that he is delighted with the structure of the new Sydney Kings line up; and saved a special mention for returning player, Aaron Bruce.
“I am delighted to have re-signed Aaron Bruce for this forthcoming season. We know how talented he is and, personally, I think he is yet to show his true value to the team,” Shane said.
“We will be playing Aaron in more of a shooting guard role, where he will be very difficult to defend. The coaching team will be working with Aaron to exploit his explosive scoring and passing ability, which I don’t think even he realises is one of his greatest strengths. We are all really looking forward to working with Aaron and to watching himplay a valuable and very exciting role for us,” he added.
Head Coach Heal said that Ian Crosswhite is a key signing for the Sydney Kings and that he is a very good NBL five-man. He believes that Crosswhite’s best years are in front of him and with his tough defence and solid post play, which is crucial in any good team, he will be a real asset to the Sydney Kings.
“Ian lead the Cairns Taipans in assists last season and I believe he will help raise the intensity and commitment of the whole team with his solid overall post play. We have signed Ian to a two-year deal, so we have a great opportunity to utilise his talents,” Shane said.
The Sydney Kings have also signed Tom Garlepp, who played last season behind Worthington, Petrie, and Hoare at the Gold Coast Blaze; but did not play a great number of minutes. Described as a tough and talented backup four-man with tremendous mobility and a very good mid range game; Coach Heal said that Garlepp’s work ethic, and overall commitment to take his game to the next level, will help the Sydney Kings over the next two seasons.
Shane said that the last Sydney Kings signing to be announced today is James Harvey, who is widely acknowledged as one of the most lethal shooters in the NBL of the past 10 years.
“The addition of Harvey to the Sydney Kings roster will help with a crucial missing link behind the arc. Every team need a leader, and I am confident James will fill the void from last season. He is one of the most passionate leaders I have played with both on the court and in the gym,” Shane said.
“His work ethic will definitely set an example for the Sydney Kings to reach my expectations of being the fittest in the league. James Harvey is a big game player who has dealt with persistentinjuries over the past couple of seasons, so he will come to the Sydney Kings with something to prove,” he added.
Sydney Kings CEO, Ian Robilliard said that the organisation was heading in the right direction with a relatively new team both on and off the court and that he is particularly impressed by the structure of the roster that head Coach, Shane Heal, had signed so far.
“We already have a number of players back in training ahead of the 2012-2013 season and others will be joining them over the forthcoming weeks. This is an exciting time for the Sydney Kings and our supporters. Shane’s team has youth and experience, which is a great combination that should translate to a successful season for the Sydney Kings,” Robilliard said.
]]> NBL Transactions Tue, 15 May 2012 12:19:00 +1000 Blaze update http://www.nbl.com.au/news/article///blaze-update/ The NBL has released an update on the status of the Gold Coast Blaze. The National Basketball League has released the following statement from Basketball Australia interim Chief Executive Officer Scott Derwin as an update on the status of the Gold Coast Blaze, who were placed into voluntary administration last week.  “I flew to the Gold Coast last week and on Thursday met with the ownership of the Gold Coast Blaze as well as the players, team staff and the club’s appointed Administrator, Roland Robson,” said Mr. Derwin. “Those meetings have given us reason for renewed levels of optimism around the future of the club.
“The team’s ownership and management are extremely confident of finalising negotiations with an additional new investor with whom they had already been in discussions. “Clearly, we still need to allow the Administrator to analyse these plans and the overall position of the club in detail before we can be certain that Gold Coast will continue to play on in the NBL.  However based on the information we have so far, those who have been forecasting the demise of the Blaze since Friday are certainly premature and quite possibly wrong.”
The NBL will provide a further update once the Administrator has completed his analysis. 
]]> NBL Tue, 15 May 2012 10:44:00 +1000 Ingles, Maric star in Europe http://www.nbl.com.au/news/article///ingles-maric-star-in-europe/ Boomers Joe Ingles and Aleks Maric have starred in the third-fourth playoff of the Euroleague. Australian Boomers squad members Joe Ingles and Aleks Maric have starred for their respective European club teams in the third-fourth playoff of the Euroleague Final Four overnight in Istanbul, Turkey.   Whilst both players were disappointed after their clubs lost their respective Semi-Finals on Friday night, both Australians still came out firing in the consolation final. 
Ingles, who played three seasons in the National Basketball League between 2006 and 2009, had 13 points as well as two assists, one rebound and one steal for his Spanish club FC Barcelona Regal as they defeated Maric’s Greek team Panathinaikos, 74-69 (click here to see boxscore), to clinch third place.   Despite his side’s loss Maric was also impressive with 13 points, 11 rebounds, one steal and one assist.  
After the match, which was played before a big crowd of 15,262 fans, Ingles said the game would now provide a springboard for his Spanish club’s domestic title bid. "It is not ideal to play this (consolation) game - of course, we wish we could have played the final, but it is good to get to the Spanish League playoffs with a win under our belt,” said Ingles. “I am happy that we won and the number of points I scored is not really important as long as we win. Like I said, now we have to move on. We lost two games in the entire Euroleague season, but we lost at the wrong time. It has been a great experience, but I wish I could be getting ready to play the final out there." Maric was frank in his assessment of his club’s performance.
"There is no excuse in motivation,” Maric said. “We lost. We didn't come out and fight. Against a big team such as Barcelona, every game is like a final game. You lose and you move down one spot, so there is no excuse. We have amazing fans, there are more than 4,000 of them here in Istanbul, most of any team. A big thank you to them for sticking around for the third place game and being with us. We will need them for the (Greek domestic) championship series against Olympiacos." In the Euroleague Final, Greek team Olympiacos came from 19 down to stun Russian club CSKA Moscow 62-61 and clinch the title.
After the Australian pair finish their European club commitments, they are expected to join the Boomers as they prepare for London.   A critical part of that preparation will be The Farewell Series, which will see the Boomers take on Greece in a three-game series in Victoria in June.  The series will commence with a double-header with the Jayco Australian Opals at Melbourne’s Hisense Arena on 24 June.  
Tickets are now on sale for all Australian Boomers and Jayco Australian Opals games of The Farewell Series. For more information on The Farewell Series visit: www.thefarewellseries.com.au. 
Farewell Series Schedule Hisense Arena, Melbourne (Double Header)
Sunday June 24
Jayco Opals v Brazil – Tip Off 4:30PM
Boomers v Greece – Tip Off 7:00PM
Tickets available now through Ticketek
Phone: 132 849
Website: www.ticketek.com.au
State Basketball Centre, Knox
Monday June 25
Boomers v Greece – Tip Off 7:00PM
Tickets available now through Foxtix
Phone: 1300 111 369
Website: www.foxtix.com.au
Bendigo Basketball Stadium
Tuesday June 26
Jayco Opals v Brazil – Tip Off 7:00PM
Tickets available now through Bendigo Basketball Stadium
Phone: (03) 5440 6214
Website: www.bendigostadium.com.au
Geelong Arena
Wednesday June 27
Boomers v Greece – Tip Off 7:00PM
Tickets available now through Foxtix
Phone: 1300 111 369
Website: www.foxtix.com.au
State Basketball Centre, Knox 
Thursday June 28
Jayco Opals v Brazil – Tip Off 7:00PM
Tickets available now through Foxtix
Phone: 1300 111 369
Website: www.foxtix.com.au
]]> NBL Boomers Mon, 14 May 2012 13:42:00 +1000 Lisch not taking it easy http://www.nbl.com.au/news/article///lisch-not-taking-it-easy-after-three-tremendous-seasons-1/ There's no sign of Perth's Kevin Lisch taking it easy as he looks to improve even further ahead of... Click here to listen to Kevin Lisch speaking on his club MVP award, looking back on the 2011/12 season and looking ahead to 2012/13 Then in 2010/11, he consolidated his position as a star on the team and in the league by earning himself his first Gordon Ellis Medal as the Wildcats' Most Valuable Player that he shared with co-captain Shawn Redhage. Then in 2011/12 he took his game to a whole other level and finished it as the NBL's MVP, the club's MVP and cemented himself as a great of the Perth Wildcats just three seasons into his professional career. Lisch was tremendously proud to win the Gordon Ellis Medal last Saturday night at the Perth Wildcats' MVP Ball to cap off an amazing season. "It really does mean a lot especially with the team that we have. From a personal standpoint it really does mean a lot when you look at the look at the great players that have won the award before. I think Shawn has won it about 20 years in-a-row and for him to be back on court this season was amazing, but it's definitely an honour to receive the award from the Ellis family," Lisch said. "Last year it was definitely a surprise after a bit of an up and down season, but the thing with our team is that we have so many guys who could rightfully get it. That makes the voting so close and that's what we found last season, but obviously by winning the league MVP this year it's probably not as much of a surprise. It's just a great honour all the more though." The Wildcats were jostling with New Zealand virtually the whole season over first place and then after beating Gold Coast in the semi-final series, the Grand Final could have gone either way in all three games. To go so close in one of the all-time great Grand Final series means the season must be deemed a success despite just falling short of a championship, but Lisch has no doubt they can go one step better in 2012/13. "Looking back on the season I always firstly look back to it from a team's perspective and kind of put my awards to the backburner. They will be something more that I probably look to when my playing days are over," Lisch said. "It's tough especially knowing that we were one shot or one minute away from winning another championship. With that being said, it comes down to looking at myself and the rest of the team doing the same, and looking at how we can improve. We were right there and it was a great season, but hopefully there's even better to come." With Lisch, Damian Martin, Brad Robbins, Cam Tovey, Jesse Wagstaff, Matt Knight and Shawn Redhage all still contracted for next season from the 2011/12 team, and the chance of others to return also whose contracts are up, Lisch knows there is a real hunger there to go one step better. "I think we all share that same hunger and desire knowing that really the last two years we have been so close," he said. "We don't want to be in years to come looking back and thinking that we kept going so close. Hopefully we can take those opportunities if they come again, but this season was extremely successful even though we didn’t win the championship." Lisch has immensely enjoyed his three years in Perth to date and he will be here for one more year at least as he's contracted for the 2012/13 campaign. Before he prepares for that next season, though, he has another big moment in his life to take care of alongside Rachel Watman. "More than anything it has just been an enjoyable three years. I can't even believe I have been out here for three years already and coming up I have the most important thing in my life coming along which is getting married. Everything has just been amazing and it's gone by so fast," Lisch said. "I will be a married man by the time it's next season and I'm really looking forward to it. I'm extremely blessed and fortunate to be in the situation I am with Rachel and just with everyone surrounding me, and us. It's a big off-season obviously and on the court I'm looking to improve and off it to move to a different chapter of my life."]]> NBL Thu, 10 May 2012 17:17:00 +1000 NBL statement on Blaze http://www.nbl.com.au/news/article///nbl-statement-on-blaze/ The NBL has released a statement about the Blaze's decision to appoint a Voluntary Administrator. The National Basketball League has released the following statement from Basketball Australia interim Chief Executive Officer Scott Derwin in response to today’s announcement by the Gold Coast Blaze that the club had been placed into voluntary administration. “The ownership group of the Gold Coast Blaze advised me late yesterday that they had placed the club into voluntary administration, and had appointed Roland Robson from Aggs Robson as Administrator,” said Mr. Derwin. “The League understands that the Blaze took this difficult decision in order to act in a responsible, legal and ethical manner to try and find an appropriate way past their present financial difficulties.  “Basketball Australia’s priority is to find an appropriate solution quickly to the club’s current situation that allows the Blaze to continue to play in the NBL and we will explore all reasonable options in our power to assist them in this process.   “The NBL is now seeking to meet with the Administrator as a matter of urgency in order to gather more information so we can formulate an appropriate position on the matter.  Once we have reached this position we will communicate it publicly in due course.”]]> NBL Thu, 10 May 2012 16:34:00 +1000