Crosscourt: All the latest news from across the NBL over the 2023 festive season
New Bullet Casey Prather was just wishing Brisbane coach Justin Schueller all the best on his new job, but that started a series of messages that led to a reunion, writes MICHAEL RANDALL.
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New Bullet Casey Prather has been on Brisbane coach Justin Schueller’s radar since the day he got the job and the Bullets have secured a cut-price import talent to help turnaround their ailing season.
Prather landed in Brisbane on Wednesday and will suit up on Saturday night against South East Melbourne for his first game as an injury replacement for DJ Mitchell.
The pair has historic links when they were player and assistant coach at Melbourne United and Prather was among the first to congratulate Schueller when he secured the Bullets’ gig.
“When I saw him get the job I reached out to him just because I knew that he deserved it,” Prather told Crosscourt.
“(He’s) a great coach and a great person — I was just happy for my guy.
“We both expressed having interest but didn’t expect it to unfold like it did.”
Prather wasn’t quite ready, then, but, when Mitchell got hurt: “once I got the call it was an immediate no-brainer for me.”
Prather knows what the NBL is about, having won two titles with Perth and played under Schueller at United but, while he was the 2021 Israeli league MVP, multiple knee injuries and long recoveries have kept him off the court for the past two seasons.
“Any injury is hard to deal with, especially happening after my MVP season in Israel, but me my (sports and conditioning specialist) Chris Brandt and trainer Jamaal Haywood have been very diligent in the recovery process,” Prather said.
“We have worked extremely hard and I trust that it has paid off.”
Schueller is acutely aware of the fitness element — two years is a long time off — so he’s not expecting Prather to come in and play 30 minutes a night and be league MVP.
The 32-year-old Tennessee product, who has signed a cap-friendly deal with an option for next season, is, at least initially, set to play a similar role to Mitchell as a back up to boom rookie Josh Bannan at power forward.
“He’s everything we’ve been missing of late,” Schueller, whose Bullets’ season is on life support after four straight losses, said.
“He’ll slot into DJ’s spot to back up Bannan. We can ease him through that spot but, ultimately, the versatility he gives to our group, the ability to play up and down really gives us a different look.
“It’s exciting to have a guy who has been in our league, knows what it’s about, has won multiple times and that’s what we’re looking for him to be able to bring in.”
Following Thursday night’s loss to the Breakers that sunk the Bullets to second last, Bannan said he was well aware of Prather’s abilities.
“I am definitely excited for some healthy competition at my spot ... I remember training with Melbourne United as a young guy and being around him (Prather), seeing what he is capable of,” Bannan said.
“The numbers show offensively he has been a force in this league and that is probably an area we need a bit of boost right now.
“I think he is going to be huge in this last 10-game stretch towards the playoffs.”
For Prather, he’s aiming high, as you would expect.
“Another championship — I only care to win, so whatever my part is, I am willing to pay,” he said.
“I bring a lot to a team not only on the court but in the locker room and outside of the gym that is valuable to winning.
“I plan on being that same guy I’ve always been, a winner and someone who helps his teammates get better individually and within the team’s goal while, of course, giving the fans what they want.”
NBL NEXT STARS SUCCESS EXPOSES NBA PATHWAY’S FLAWS
It’s not quite a secret but part of the reason the NBA’s G League Ignite exists is as a response to the early success of the NBL Next Stars program.
The big league watched the likes of LaMelo Ball, RJ Hampton and company soar into its draft lottery while impressing in Australia and created the Ignite as a US-based alternative to the traditional college route.
So it’s interesting to see what’s unfolding with the Ignite’s gaggle of projected lottery picks, who have struggled to find their feet against seasoned pros, leading to a 4-12 record — equal-worst in the G League.
Crosscourt can reveal the NBL had conversations with highly-rated talents Ron Holland and Izan Almansa about their interest in becoming Next Stars but the pair ultimately chose an Ignite team with a logjam of several young guns all battling for the attention of NBA clubs.
Conversely, the majority of the eight Next Stars in the NBL are either stuffing the stat sheet and/or playing key roles in winning teams, with some even in the conversation for major awards.
Seeing the likes of Alex Sarr and Bobi Klintman making significant contributions in the NBL as their team’s key draft prospects must be a massive enticement for young internationals considering their next step.
Frenchman Sarr is the marquee Next Star of NBL24, firming by the day as the nominal No.1 draft pick as he puts his name in the frame for Sixth Man of the Year for a Perth team that has won eight of its last 10 games and sits second on the NBL table.
He’s producing 9.6 points on nearly 50 per cent from the field to go with 4.6 rebounds and 1.2 blocks in under 20 minuted per night.
Against Sarr’s Wildcats on Boxing Day, Cairns Taipan Klintman poured in 24 points — the most of any Next Star this season — to go with 7 rebounds and 3 steals. In front of New York Knicks international scout Adam Tatalovich, the 20-year-old was the only Taipan with a positive plus/minus — +17 in a three-point loss.
In Melbourne, United’s young giant Ariel Hukporti is giving gun teammate Shea Ili a run for his money in the Defensive Player of the Year race. The 213cm monster is the only active player with a defensive rating under 100, his 98 points conceded per 100 possessions easily the best in the NBL. Only Jo Lual-Acuil Jr (6.9 per cent) has a better block percentage than Hukporti’s 6.7 among players with significant roles in their team. Fellow Next Star Rocco Zikarsky is a clear No. 1 among all players, the 222cm 17-year-old swatting a ridiculous 11.4 per cent of opponent’s two-point field goal attempts, but he only plays seven minutes per night in Brisbane.
It’s a natural feel and instinct, coupled with physical gifts that sets Hukporti apart on the defensive end of the floor. He’s shown resilience, too, having fought back from an Achilles rupture that put him out for the entirety of last season, returning fitter, stronger and more athletic.
Hukporti (third, 1.4), Sarr (fifth, 1.2) and Zikarsky (seventh, 0.9) are all in the top seven in the league for blocked shots.
Mantas Rubstavicius arrived in NZ as a Mody Maor project and, after injury kept him out of the first three rounds of the season, he has exploded with five straight games in double digits. In that current stretch, the Breakers have won three straight and he’s averaging 14.8 points on 62 per cent shooting from the field and 11-20 from deep (55 per cent). Crosscourt understands there were other NBL clubs which had a chance to sign the 21-year-old before the Breakers swooped — they might be kicking themselves, now.
Blue chip Aussie Alex Toohey has started every game in Sydney and, while the numbers don’t jump off the page, he’s shooting a passable 33 per cent from deep and looms as the ultimate plug and play rookie, with his ability to play — and guard — every position on the floor.
Take your pick of Sarr, Klintman, Hukporti and Toohey as Next Gen Award candidates, although it would be a major shock if any were named ahead of United star Luke Travers.
It hasn’t all been smooth sailing for our Next Stars — both Trentyn Flowers and AJ Johnson have struggled through instability in both Adelaide and Illawarra that lead to each club axing their coaches.
Both could still be drafted in 2024, with Sarr and Klintman likely to go in the lottery and Hukporti, Toohey and Rubstavicius all with legitimate interest from NBA teams — Zikarsky isn’t draft eligible until 2025.
Expect NBL Next Stars boss Liam Santamaria to be a busy bee ahead of next season as young talent from all over the world beats down his door for a chance to land Down Under.
VASILJEVIC RETURN A ‘PRIORITY’ FOR NINNIS AS SIXERS EYE ANOTHER SELLOUT
Adelaide interim Scott Ninnis has made no secret he wants to coach beyond this season and, if he does get the job, he wants to lock scoring guard DJ Vasiljevic up, long-term.
Up-and-about after his first win since returning to the club as interim coach, Ninnis said Vasiljevic was a “priority” — “whether it’s me coaching or someone else”.
“Him falling in our lap was enormous,” Ninnis said.
“His ability to make big shots as we’ve seen in the games that he’s played this year (puts him) certainly the top of my list to get him back.
“I think there’s a real cornerstone you can build around for many years in the future.”
Vasiljevic was huge down the stretch on Christmas Eve as a sellout crowd watched Adelaide knock over Brisbane for its first win since former coach CJ Bruton’s axing — and the 36ers fans clearly want more.
The Sixers will, for the first time, play on Proclamation Day — SA’s birthday — and there are only 500 tickets left to the blockbuster rivalry clash with Perth.
It’s a game that has added significance, given the 36ers nickname is derived from the date of SA’s proclamation, December 28, 1836.
They’re not without a chance, either — the Wildcats will play their third game in six days after an overtime loss to Melbourne United in Melbourne on Saturday night and a tight, taxing win on Boxing Day over the Taipans in humid Cairns — and they’ve already beaten the Wildcats in Perth, this season.
“Getting that first win was such a monkey off the back for us,” Ninnis said.
“Under no illusion, when you get the Perth Wildcats at any time, I’ve been on the wrong side of them for 35 years on a number of occasions.
“I certainly think right now we’ve got the pieces in place to take it up to them.”
PHOENIX TRENDING UP, UNITED OUT FOR REVENGE
South East Melbourne pulled off a Christmas miracle in Tassie and look set to be bolstered even further with the return of superstar Mitch Creek for Saturday night’s visit to Brisbane.
Creek has missed the past three games with a knee injury, while back up centre Gorjok Gak is also a chance to return from an undisclosed surgery and wing Reuben Te Rangi, who fell hard against the JackJumpers and suffered a hip injury is racing the clock to be fit.
A Thursday morning practice that doubles as a mass fitness test looms as a decisive run for a team that has adopted a siege mentality, with Creek hitting out at the doubters on his social media and part owner Nick Kyrgios igniting a Christmas Day feud with NBL legend Andrew Gaze over negative commentary about the club from the Heartland.
The clash is something of a mini blockbuster with the losing club courting dangerous territory.
On the blue side of Melbourne, United is riding high at the top of the NBL ladder, buoyed by Ian Clark’s late theatrics in an overtime win over Perth under the stars in their open air game.
They hit the road for 42 days as the Australian Open moves into John Cain Arena.
United has banked 14 victories from 17 games and sit four wins clear of second-placed Perth, with a revenge game Sunday night in Cairns looming — the Taipans are the only team to beat them in the past seven games, so expect a red-hot effort from Dean Vickerman’s men.
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