Team-By-Team: Hooyah & Harden Up

By Damon Lowery.‍

Round 2 Edition

Author’s note: These opinions are mine and mine alone. It’s NEVER personal and always about the basketball.

A Hooyah is given for exemplary play and standout performances so if you get one – bask in the glory.

A Harden Up signifies an underwhelming effort or poor play so if you get one of these - cop it and just move on.

Defeated by Perth, defeated Cairns

DOUBLE HOOYAH ALERT

HOOYAH – Trevor Gleeson: You admitted to being emotional coming back for the first time as the ‘enemy’ after achieving so much success in Perth. Seeing the mutual love and respect at RAC was beautiful. You acknowledged every corner of the Arena as the Red Army gave you your flowers. I even saw you hugging former championship players and I’m just a sucker for that kind of stuff.

HOOYAH – Bryce Cotton: You’re already in the “You Can’t Guard Me 1-on-1 Club”, and now, you’re in the 300 Club. Congrats! It wasn’t quite enough to get out with the win, but your 37 points (32 in the last 3 quarters), 9 assists and 4 steals was scintillating. You backed it up in game 301 with another 25 points against Cairns.

HARDEN UP – Nick Rakocevic: Back-to-back 20-point games, but … I can’t let that air-ball from the free throw line slide. It wasn’t just short; it was wide right. Thanks for the giggle!

Defeated Illawarra

HOOYAH – Max Mackinnon: I love that you don’t give a damn you’re a “rookie”. You’re playing with the poise and swagger of a seasoned veteran. 31 points and 12 boards is awesome for anyone, let alone a 22-year-old first-year player. Your all-around game is “must see” and absolute cinema. “CineMax” Mackinnon, anyone? I’ll see myself out.

HARDEN UP – Arnas Velicka: After winning the Foot Locker Player of the Game, you thought you could use it to buy drinks for the team. What kind of Foot Lockers do you have in Lithuania? I might need to book a trip to come visit!

Defeated Tasmania, defeated by Adelaide

HOOYAH – Jaylon Brown: Good to see you knocking down shots against Tassie. I knew it was only a matter of time. That 20 piece looked kinda easy too. Throw in 5 rebounds, 4 assists and the win.

HARDEN UP – Reyne Smith: It’s early days, so not gonna make too big a deal that you’re a shooting guard who isn’t shooting well. 4 points in 21 minutes and NO threes? I’m waiting for you to heat up cause I got all these “Rain” puns I wanna use!

Defeated by Brisbane and Sydney

HOOYAH – Johny Narkle: At the back end of last season you showed what you’re capable of and clearly earned Justin Tatum’s respect. You were able to score in a variety of ways, and had a career-high 15 off the bench against Brisbane.

HARDEN UP – Team Defence: It’s only been three games, but you’re the worst defensive team in the League. Teams are doing whatever they want, whenever they want. You’re giving up 106 a game. You guys cool with that? I wouldn’t have thought so.

Defeated South East Melbourne

HOOYAH – Josh Oduro: You’re looking like the perfect fit for this team. I love the way you’re going about it. 21 points (77% FG) and 8 boards in just 26 minutes contributed heavily to the beatdown you guys put on your lil’ brother, South East Melbourne.

HARDEN UP - Offensive Rebounds: Even though you smacked the Phoenix and embarrassed them in their first home game, you gave up 20 offensive rebounds. They scored 61, but it could've easily been less than 50 if you boxed out properly. Clean that up.

Defeated by Perth

‍HOOYAH – Parker Jackson-Cartwright: El Presidente of the “Lil’ Big Man’s Society”. You’ve started the season in MVP form. You tried to strap the team to your back, but didn’t have enough help. Two-thirds of the Breakers’ Big 3 went missing. Your 30 points, 8 assists and 3 steals were impressive, but all in vain.

HARDEN UP – Dejan Vasiljevic: The “Flamethrower” - you came into the game averaging 20 and shooting a ridiculous 63% from deep. That’s why I was shocked you missed all 8 of your shots, with your only points coming from two makes at the free throw line. I’m not gonna overreact; it’s like that sometimes.

Defeated Adelaide and New Zealand

TRIPLE HOOYAH ALERT (these are rare)

HOOYAH – Anthony Dell'Orso: After that first game, you’ve been ballin’! You racked up your first career double-double against the Breakers (15 points and 11 rebounds) and had 5 dimes.

HOOYAH – Dylan Windler: You're back like you never left. With JLA out with a calf, you kept the scoreboard ticking. 26 points, 8 boards and 2 blocks were instrumental in the win over New Zealand.

HOOYAH – Elijah Pepper: “Cayenne” Pepper - With all the noise swirling about what you guys don’t have, you led from the front and showed what you do have - big time minerals. With 7 seconds left and down 2, and with Bryce Cotton draped all over you, you hit the toughest shot of your life and sent the Red Army into absolute hysterics.

HARDEN UP – Jo Lual-Acuil Jr.'s calf: After 21 points and 10 boards in the first game of the round, you injured your calf early in the second game against New Zealand and didn’t return. You had a small glacier of ice wrapped around your calf. Hopefully, it’s not too severe. Rest up, my man.

Defeated Adelaide and New Zealand

DOUBLE HOOYAH ALERT

HOOYAH – Josh King: Ok, so we all know “Plan A” is shoot a hell of a lot of threes. But if those said threes are not going in, WHAT IS PLAN B? You finished 4/41 from Downtown (9.75%) – that’s 37 misses and some kind of record! But it gave me an idea for a new competition. You pick 10 fans from the crowd and give them 41 shots from beyond the arc. If they make more than 4, they get free tickets for life. Or here’s a better idea, get a Plan B.

HOOYAH – Marketing Team: For getting a sell out to your first home game. Sorry, the team forgot to show up.

HARDEN UP – Yannis Morin: My man, you did not fly all the way from France to Melbourne to register a big fat glazed donut with jam in the middle. Zero points in a game can never ever happen again. Be way better.

HOOYAH – Will Johnson: Welcome to the League, my man. You came off the bench and immediately gave the Hawks problems with your pace and scoring. 14 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists in 17 minutes, that’s “Wassup”!

HARDEN UP – Pass.

HOOYAH – Taran Armstrong: You’re looking lively out there. Your last game in the NBL was a triple-double and I thought you were gonna get another. With damn-near everybody on the team injured, you produced 20 points, 6 rebounds and 7 assists. Way to lead.

HARDEN UP – Injuries: You need to chill because you torpedoed the team last season, and three players are still recovering. Now you've claimed Josh Bannan and Majok Deng, leaving nine healthy bodies.

HOOYAH – Opening Week: You promoted the start of the season as “Opening Week” but it went for 9 days. Huh?

HARDEN UP – Me (this is a first): First of all, you all owe me a huge debt of gratitude. If it wasn’t for my brutal dominance and the way I biblically destroyed the SuperCoach competition last season with “Beat the Coach”, they would’ve never brought back the OG game “Classic”. That being said, this Harden Up is for my SuperCoach coaching. I gotta figure it out quick cause my team ain’t beating anybody. I had a mare this last round.