Tag: National Basketball League

Warriors plan on signing Andrew Bogut

Brandon King

After Andrew Bogut broke his leg 58 seconds into his Cleveland Cavaliers, it seemed we might have seen the last of the veteran big man in the NBA. However, he returned to his native Australia and continued to ply his trade in the country’s National Basketball League, playing for the Sydney Kings. In his debut season Bogut averaged 11.4 points, 11.6 rebounds and and 2.7 blocks per game and took home the League’s Most Valuable Player, Defensive Player of the Year and also made the All NBL first team. After…

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Casper Ware and Chris Goulding lead Melbourne back to Grand Finals

Brandon King

From nbl.com.au : Casper Ware and Chris Goulding turned it on in front of a massive Qudos Bank Arena crowd to send Melbourne United through to the NBL Grand Final winning Game 2 against the Sydney Kings 90-76. The Kings were always going to hit back hard after losing Game 1 of the semi-final series in Melbourne on Thursday by 22 points. With a 14,569 strong crowd behind them, they did start well too but once Ware caught fire once more and he was joined by Goulding with plenty of…

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South East Melbourne Phoenix adds Chima Moneke for NBL20

Brandon King

From nbl.com.au: The South East Melbourne Phoenix have added another player to their inaugural squad, signing forward Chima Moneke. The 198 cm (6’6”) Moneke is currently playing for Denain Voltaire in the French Second Division after starring at the University of California-Davis in the US collegiate system. Moneke (pronounced Mon-ECK’-ee) joins Mitch Creek and Ben Madgen on the roster of the NBL’s newest team. “I think we have recruited a player who will be one of the NBL’s most athletic,” said Phoenix head coach Simon Mitchell. “His aggression at the rim and ability…

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Liam Santamaria’s Round 18 NBL Studs and Duds

Brandon King

Written for nbl.com.au by Liam Santamaria The Snakes finished the season with some bite, the Wildcats claimed top spot and Lamarvellous fired Brisbane into the playoffs. Here, for the final time this season, is your weekly dose of studs and duds. STUDS Cairns Taipans After a rough ol’ season the Taipans finished NBL19 with a bang, upsetting Melbourne to essentially deny the defending champs a first-place finish. The Snakes narrowly lost to Sydney on Saturday but their efforts against United were enough to earn an end-of season shout-out in the…

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Rob Beveridge and Illawarra agree to part ways

Brandon King

From nbl.com.au : The Illawarra Hawks have announced that Head Coach Rob Beveridge will not return to the club for the 2019-20 season. After four years as Head Coach of the Illawarra Hawks, the decision was a mutual one. Beveridge has concluded his contract with the Hawks after four seasons, reaching a number of milestones including coaching over 100 Illawarra Hawks games as well as over 300 games in the NBL. Hawks General Manager Mat Campbell said: “Rob Beveridge has been an integral part of the success of the Illawarra…

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Andrew Gaze to step down as Sydney Kings Head Coach after NBL Finals

Brandon King

Kings head coach Andrew Gaze will step down following the NBL19 Finals. The club was planning to announce Gaze’s status at the series’ conclusion , but apparently late Sunday night, the coach changed his mind and decided to let the cat out of the bag , informing the team of his decision. The club and Gaze was insistant that the parting of the ways was mutual, and that Gaze wanted to spend more time with his family. However in a seeming contradiction, Gaze said the Kings wanted to conduct an…

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Andrew Bogut wins Andrew Gaze NBL MVP Trophy

Brandon King

Former NBA veteran, world champion Andrew Bogut capped off his successful inaugural season in the NBL by being awarded the Andrew Gaze Trophy, which is given to the Most Valuable Player. The former no. 1 overall pick in the 2005 NBA draft garnered 83 votes to beat out Melbourne United’s Caspar Ware, who finished with 77 votes and Bryce Cotton of the Perth Wildcats, with 65 votes. Bogut was not done racking up hardware and acclaim, as was also named the NBL’s Best Defensive Player as well as earning a…

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Sydney defeats Cairns 89-84

Brandon King

From nbl.com.au : The Sydney Kings took care of business beating the Cairns Taipans 89-84 on Saturday at Qudos Bank Arena to give themselves a chance of ending the regular season in second position. Sydney had to beat the dangerous Taipans on their home floor on Saturday in their last game of the regular season to be any chance of finishing second to earn the home court advantage in the semi finals. That job was made more of a challenge when superstar point guard Jerome Randle didn’t suit still sore…

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Melbourne suffers costly defeat from Cairns

Brandon King

From nbl.com.au : All season the Cairns Taipans threatened to take a big scalp and in the final round they did the job taking down Melbourne United at Melbourne Arena on Thursday night. The Taipans came in with only five wins but they held their nerve and rode their talents to a spirited 87-85 win and potentially reshaped the upcoming finals series. Melbourne staged a dramatic late comeback from 82-74 down with five minutes to play gaining the ball with 18 seconds left and a chance to take the lead.…

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Liam Santamaria’s Week 17 Studs and Duds

Brandon King

Written for nbl.com.au by Liam Santamaria Bryce Cotton is a gift from the Basketball Gods and Damian Martin is the hero we all deserve. STUDS Bryce Cotton (Perth Wildcats) What Bryce Cotton did across the final 16 minutes yesterday was one hundred percent pure basketball brilliance. As Perth’s clash with Sydney approached three-quarter time, and with the Wildcats trailing by 8, Cotton was 0-for-10 and had not scored a single point for the afternoon. That’s before a backcourt steal by Clint Steindl gifted him a rare open look, sparking a…

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