Crosscourt: Latest NBL news and whispers ahead of round 5 of the 2024-25 season
Five-time NBL championship-winning coach Trevor Gleeson has shown his interest in the vacant Boomers head coaching role - and it could lead to a showdown with a familiar rival. That, and an update on the All-Stars game’s return, in CROSSCOURT.
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Perth’s five-time NBL championship-winning coach Trevor Gleeson has put his hand up to coach the Australian Boomers following Brian Goorjian’s departure.
Gleeson confirmed to Crosscourt that he is keen to add the Australian national job to his stellar resume.
The ex-Wildcats mentor, who is currently coaching the Chiba Jets in Japan, has previously been a Boomers’ assistant under former coach Andrej Lemanis.
Gleeson feels like he is ready to make the step up to the Boomers’ head coaching position after two NBA assistant stints with Toronto and Milwaukee in recent years.
Crosscourt understands Melbourne United coach Dean Vickerman is also keen on the job — and he is held in high regard in Basketball Australia circles.
BULLETS LOCAL SEARCH UP A CREEK
Brisbane inquired about replacing injured wing Sam McDaniel with South East Melbourne legend Mitch Creek.
McDaniel had only just returned from a separated shoulder sustained during the NBL1 season when he aggravated the injury during a team practice and was forced to undergo surgery, requiring a six-month rehabilitation.
With elite local options sparse, the Bullets reached out to Creek’s agency Mogul Sports, but were told the 32-year-old forward was looking to pursue opportunities overseas.
Creek, who recently parted ways with the Phoenix with a season to run on his contract and vowed he would not play with any other NBL club this season, is yet to sign with a new team and told Crosscourt he is in no rush to commit.
“I’m on the court, training every day,” Creek, who has been attending Phoenix games, said.
“I’ve had offers but I’m taking some time. I’m looking at them (along the lines of) Is this a position that’s good for me, good for my family? If the answer is yes, well then I’ll look at it.
“I know my position, I know what I bring to the table and teams do as well.”
The Bullets are hoping to land a player with previous NBL experience who can hit the ground running.
More pressing is a round-five opening clash with New Zealand — off the back of finally breaking their NBL25 duck with a two-point win over the Phoenix.
The 1-3 Bullets couldn’t have asked for a better time to face the Breakers, who have just spent the best part of the past two weeks traversing the US getting spanked by NBA teams.
TIME FOR EXCUSES OVER AS MACKINNON TAKES CHARGE
South East Melbourne interim coach Sam Mackinnon says South East Melbourne’s expansion excuses are “done, now” and he is going to “own” the position as he draws inspiration from the rise of Illawarra coach Justin Tatum.
Mackinnon, who has taken over from sacked coach Mike Kelly as the Phoenix go through a recruiting process, said he’d like to tread a similar path to Tatum, who took over the Hawks at 2-7, led them to the playoffs and then inked a multi-year deal.
“It’s been a bit of a blur, this week,” Mackinnon said.
“I’m aware of the NBL coaches, AFL coaches who have come in in these situations.
“Tatum’s story was great and clearly I’d love that to happen to me.”
Mackinnon, who, on Wednesday, brought in club legend Mitch Creek and former NBL players Deng Deng and Jack Purchase to beef up training, said he’d told his playing group he was “going to own the position, right now, and do the best to lead them, be a strong voice, a supportive voice but also kick them in the butt when they need it.”
He said the 0-5 Phoenix presented a great challenge for a coach to take on.
“I come in with a free swing and I can do things how I want to do them,” Mackinnon said.
He’s approaching Sunday’s monumental task against Melbourne United - who the Phoenix haven’t beaten since December 2022 - with excitement.
“United’s a great team, a great club, they’ve had a lot of success,” he said.
“With where we’re at, we’re a new club (fifth season), but those excuses are done, now.
“We’re trying to be a successful club and get sustainability and accountability within the group.
“To come up against United in the first game for myself, it’s really exciting to see what I can implement in training and then what transitions into the games.”
INSIDE NBL’S ‘PAY FOR POINTS’ PLAN
NBL teams and fans stand to share in $150,000 in prize money as part of a bold new initiative set to add sting to games throughout January.
As part of ‘The Shootout” concept, Crosscourt can reveal each team will nominate one away game during the first month of 2025 in which they believe they will score the highest number of points.
At the completion of the 10 nominated shootout games, the NBL club which has scored the highest total points in their nominated contest wins the challenge and $50,000 to split 50 per cent between the club and players.
One lucky fan who enters The Shootout will take home $100,000 if they can successfully nominate the winning club and the highest score.
It’s understood no one club can be nominated more than twice as the home team — clubs must rank all teams they play in away games in January in order of preference and the league will use a random draw to decide who gets top billing.
It is hoped the initiative will inject more life into a stretch of the season dominated by the Australian Open, encourage more offensive creativity and fuel rivalries in the league.
Clubs are largely supportive of league efforts to bring more attention to the second half of the season.
Illawarra chief executive Stu Taggart told Crosscourt the Hawks had provided feedback to NBL on the initiative and awaited the league’s final position.
Expect any team nominated to bring its best but it’s not as simple as just picking the worst team in the league.
In form Adelaide, which had won three games on the trot before the weekend’s loss to Melbourne, is conceding the most points per game at 95.2. But they play a high-paced gamestyle, which has allowed them to score the second-most points per game at 92.3. More possessions equals more opportunities to score.
Melbourne United is the best defensive team in the league, holding teams to just 82 points per contest - but no team can choose them, given they don’t play a home game in the month of January, due to the Australian Open monopolising John Cain Arena and its surrounds.
So clubs and fans will have to do their research and put their thinking caps on - or just pull a name out of a hat and hope for the best.
NBL ALL-STAR GAME SET FOR 2025 RETURN
The NBL’s All-Star game looks set to return for the first time in over a decade next season in a bid to attract more eyeballs to the booming competition.
CEO David Stevenson has confirmed the league is deep in discussions with the Australian Basketball Players’ Association to include an All-Star concept in the NBL25 schedule.
The makeup of the All-Star weekend, including the main game and other events, are yet to be determined by the NBL but the league is looking at the November FIBA window to run the event.
Crosscourt understands the league will ramp up All-Star discussions with clubs, players and sponsors in the coming weeks.
The main All-Star game has taken on various formats, including North v South, Australia v US stars and Aussies versus the World.
It’s understood a locals v imports format is popular among the current players and clubs.
The league could also follow the NBA and pick two captains who would then use a draft to select their respective teams.
The revised All-Star weekend could feature the return of the three-point competition and skills challenge, while there is a push for the WNBL to be involved to make it a celebration of hoops.
Melbourne United star Jack White said he’d welcome the opportunity to play in an All-Star game.
He believes an NBA-style draft with two captains picking teams would make the contest interesting. It’s understood the NBL is looking at the captain format to create more interest in the All-Star game.
Sydney Kings big man Cam Oliver is another player keen to see the NBL re-introduce the All-Star game.
“It would bring a lot more competitive spirit between the players,” Oliver said.“Everyone will want to be a part of the game and it would be awesome. The NBL gets so much attention now and I think the All-Star game would bring in even more fans.”
AGE JUST A NUMBER FOR EVERGREEN CG450
Fresh off another 13 points in 21 minutes in his 450th game that took him into the top 25 scorers in NBL history, Chris Goulding says age is just a number and retirement isn’t on his radar any time soon.
Goulding, 35, can bristle when asked about retirement and it’s for good reason — he was a top-three MVP candidate last NBL campaign and remains one of the most dangerous players in the NBL.
“I’m a realist, eventually, I will retire, but I think if you look at how I played last year, if I was 23, 26, 28, 31, 32, there would not even be a conversation around it,” Goulding told Crosscourt.
“I understand that’s what comes with age but I also understand and I look to America and Europe a lot about ‘can guys do the job?’. If the answer’s ‘yes, they can’, well, why does it matter how old they are?
“I can still play at a high level, whether that is night-to-night, whether it’s ‘hey, we need you to do something different’, whether it’s ‘hey. someone else needs some more time’, I’m at the mercy of what is best for the team and I’m genuinely 100 per cent invested in that.
“Sometimes, what is best for the team is me going out there being aggressive and scoring the ball.”
Goulding revealed he battled through a bout of Covid earlier in the season, which necessitated he came of the bench and said the guard/wing weaponry at his team’s disposal — Matthew Dellavedova, Shea Ili, Ian Clark, Flynn Cameron, Tanner Krebs — meant United could both cover absences and deploy match-up based starting fives.
That’s important because Delly missed time recently with the birth of his daughter and Kiwi guard Ili’s significant other is due in November during the FIBA break.
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Originally published as Crosscourt: Latest NBL news and whispers ahead of round 5 of the 2024-25 season
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