Crosscourt: NBL news and talking points out of round 9 of NBL23
It was a rare ugly crowd moment that scared families and left kids at the Phoenix v Melbourne United clash in tears. Crosscourt reveals what happened.
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More details have emerged about the crowd incident at last Saturday night’s Throwdown that left several young fans in tears.
Crosscourt has been told two men dressed in Melbourne United fanwear allegedly used foul language and directed vulgar abuse at South East Melbourne players within earshot of several families seated nearby.
The men then allegedly turned on a woman when she asked them to stop, before another man came to her defence.
A witness who was at the game said after an “extremely-heated” verbal exchange, the two parties were initially separated, before the man removed one of the United fan’s hats and threw it behind the team’s bench.
Crosscourt understands one of John Cain Arena’s most-experienced security officers quickly took action, defusing the situation and removing the two men from the arena.
“It was back and forth for a while until security came down to separate them,” one witness in the crowd of 5651 told Crosscourt.
“It was good timing, because it was getting testy.
“There were families around and it would have been scary for them.”
Venue staff gave the distressed children some confectionary to help settle them and the Phoenix gifted them some new merchandise.
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A Melbourne United spokesman said the matter was considered closed and no further action would be taken.
A Phoenix spokesman said the club was disappointed to see members impacted.
“It was disappointing to see some of our fans distressed, especially the children,” the spokesman said.
“Venue security acted swiftly and the patrons were ejected quickly.”
Tensions on the court simmered throughout, with physical play and verbal stoushes in the 78-72 Phoenix win — but it never got out of hand.
Incidents like this are extremely rare at NBL games, where clubs have worked hard to cultivate a family atmosphere.
Props to JCA security for acting quickly to avoid further escalation.
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ZHOU’S BLOW: INJURED CHINESE STAR’S HOME BURGLED
Poor old Zhou Qi can’t take a trick.
The giant Chinese import is laid up with a calf strain that has been tricky to manage and was dealt an added blow on Friday when his Melbourne pad was burgled.
Qi was at the Phoenix’s State Basketball Centre facility training and rehabbing when his home was broken into — after his teammates had caught a 6.15am flight home from New Zealand, following a loss to the Breakers.
Burglars made off with electronics, including a laptop, and Qi has been left upset and angered by the experience.
‘Bèi rùshì dàoqièle zěnme bàn?,’ he wrote on Instagram, which translates to: ‘What should I do if I was burglarised?’
‘Someone broke into my house,’ he added, with a number of angry swearing emojis.
Qi has missed the last six games with a tear in the soleus muscle, which is part of the 216cm centre’s extremely long calf.
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NBL’S PLAN TO REVITALISE NEXT STARS
It’s not a secret the NBL’s Next Stars program has begun to flounder.
France’s Rayan Rupert was the only new Next Star in NBL23, with German Ariel Hukporti signing on for a second season with Melbourne United, before sadly going down with a season-ending Achilles injury.
The man charged with sparking an injection of new talent into the program? None other than NBL encyclopaedia Liam Santamaria.
The former Victoria Titans’ development player has added a scouting portfolio to his broadcasting and other NBL media commitments.
He’s looking for the best of the best. The next Josh Giddey and LaMelo Ball, who can come through the NBL with a genuine chance of becoming NBA draft picks and bona fide stars.
One of his first jobs was to cast his eye over some of the best kids in the country at the Australian School Championships on the Gold Coast last week.
He liked what he saw from big guns Roman Siulepa (Brisbane State High School) and Cameron Pender (Lake Ginninderra), but also earmarked the likes of The Southport School youngster Indy Cotton, the NBA Global Academy’s latest addition Luke Fennell and Pender’s athletic teammate Lachlan Smith.
“My job is to assess potential Next Stars, both here on the ground in Australia, but also across the globe,” Santamaria told Crosscourt.
“So a chance to have a look at the talent in our own backyard is a really good opportunity because you can see them on the floor and how they interact with their teammates, how they interact with their coaches and how they handle big moments in important games.
“Kids and agents all over the world have seen the success of players like Ousmane Dieng last season and Rayan Rupert so we’ll definitely head overseas to where the talent is.”
SAMMY MACK HAS THE PLAYING GROUP
The Brisbane Bullets are tipped to retain Sam Mackinnon as the club’s interim coach for the remainder of the season, a move strongly backed by the players.
Mackinnon has only been in charge for a week after moving across from the general manager of basketball role, but he is already making a difference at the struggling club.
This was shown on Thursday when he guided the severely-depleted Bullets to victory over Perth.
The players looked locked in for Mackinnon and it showed on the scoreboard in a 106-95 overtime win.
Granted it was only one game, but it’s clear that the Bullets legend has the players’ respect.
Mackinnon has lower-grade coaching experience, so he knows what it takes to build connections with players.
It’s why the Brisbane playing group want the former forward, who played 90 games for the Bullets, to stay on as coach.
LONGLEY JOINS KINGS OWNERSHIP
When Luc Longley retired from the NBA, there was a period when he wanted nothing to do with basketball.
Longley enjoyed enormous success in America, highlighted by three championships at the Chicago Bulls alongside Michael Jordan but, after hanging up the sneakers and so many years inside the professional sporting bubble, he needed time to reconnect with himself.
The Australian great rediscovered his personal connection via his farm in Western Australia.
Longley eventually returned to basketball as a Boomers assistant before joining the Sydney Kings in 2019 as the club’s special advisor.
Now the Aussie hoops icon has linked with the Kings’ ownership group, joining fellow NBA champion Andrew Bogut and Wollemi Capital’s Robyn Denholm as majority owners at Total Sport and Entertainment.
Longley, who was in attendance at Sunday’s double-header with the Kings and Flames at Qudos Bank Arena, said he was delighted to become an owner at the club.
“I am proud to be formally joining the Hoops Capital ownership group,” Longley said.
“I have always enjoyed my role with Hoops Capital. Paul (Smith) and other key owners have always been prepared to break convention, innovate, and trust Chris Pongrass and I to build a positive, winning culture.
“I’m excited by the growth of the business beyond the Kings into women’s basketball and broader basketball initiatives. I look forward to this next chapter.”
Longley’s appointment as an owner is not only significant for the Kings, but basketball in general.
The more the respected and much-loved Bulls legend engages in Australian hoops, the better.
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Originally published as Crosscourt: NBL news and talking points out of round 9 of NBL23
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