Crosscourt Boomers special: Latest news and happenings ahead of round 10 of NBL24 with Matt Logue and Michael Randall
Brian Goorjian has some tough calls to make leading into the Boomers’ Olympics campaign and has travelled to the US to speak to Australia’s NBA stars. Find out who might make the cut in Crosscourt.
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With Boomers coach Brian Goorjian in the US on a whirlwind tour to catch up with Aussie NBA players including embattled Josh Giddey and little-used veteran Patty Mills, Crosscourt takes a look at the NBL players who might be in line for a call up for Paris.
Basketball Australia chief executive Matt Scriven and national team director Jason Smith, who is also the Boomers’ acting high performance boss in the wake of Jan Stirling’s departure, are also in the US with Goorj for some “tough conversations”.
That and plenty more in a bumper edition of Crosscourt, as Shaquille O’Neal looks to link up with the NBL, the South East Melbourne Phoenix call on a familiar face and one coach’s hilarious ‘sniffing farts’ press conference that will take some topping.
SHAQ DOWN UNDER? FAMOUS O’NEAL NAME COULD HIT AUSSIE COURTS
The son of NBA Hall of Famer Shaquille ‘Shaq’ O’Neal has expressed interest in playing in the second-tier NBL1 competition as a pathway to a potential NBL stint.
Crosscourt can reveal representatives of Shareef O’Neal – a 23-year-old power forward – have reached out to Melbourne-based NBL1 club the Diamond Valley Eagles about the prospect of playing Down Under.
O’Neal junior, who went undrafted in 2022, is keen to hone his game after being cut earlier this year from the G League Ignite following 11 games in the 2022-23 season.
He isn’t playing competitive basketball right now, but sees Australia and its proven pathways as an opportunity to relaunch his professional career.
O’Neal had a six-figure contract with the G League Ignite – and while Diamond Valley can’t offer those big dollars – it’s understood the club could arrange lucrative corporate opportunities for the Los Angeles-born forward.
The flow on effect from an Eagles coup would be massive: the NBL1 and wider Australian basketball community would benefit enormously from having O’Neal junior play in Australia.
He has natural pulling power as the son of Shaq – a four-time NBA champion – but he is popular in his own right.
O’Neal junior has 3 million Instagram followers and 1.6 million TikTok followers.
The son of a gun has dealt with health concerns. In 2018, O’Neal underwent open-heart surgery to treat his anomalous coronary artery diagnosis — a congenital heart defect that caused an artery to grow in the wrong place.
O’Neal has previously recalled an emotional moment with his dad while he sat in the hospital bed recovering after open-heart surgery.
Speaking on the ‘Now For Later podcast’, Shareef revealed he was watching a college game with his dad when the big man looked at him and said: “Don’t let anybody tell you that you can’t do something.”
“It sounds really simple, but at that time, it was like, oh yeah, whatever I believe I can do, I can do it. So, you know, I kind of stuck with that mindset too,” Shareef explained.
TOUGH CONVERSATIONS AND WHO MAKES THE CUT FOR PARIS?
Boomers coach Brian Goorjian has jetted off to America to have tough conversations with Australia’s NBA stars, as he weighs up which NBL players to take to next year’s Paris Olympics.
Goorjian is working overtime to prepare for a medal tilt at the 2024 Games following a substandard FIBA World Cup campaign — and there are a cast of local stars desperate to don the green and gold.
The Boomers bombed out of this year’s Cup in Japan, finishing 10th, a major disappointment after the historic bronze medal at the Tokyo Olympics.
To further complicate matters, a host of Australia’s NBA stars, headed by the legendary Patty Mills, aren’t receiving many minutes and it’s problematic heading into Paris.
It’s a predicament, but it’s understood one of the learnings selectors took from highly-successful European nations at the Cup is NBA players are no longer the panacea they once were.
That means the door is now wide open for Goorjian and company to consider a host of NBL players who are starring in heavy minutes and under FIBA rules for Australia’s Paris Olympic squad.
Melbourne United’s MVP candidate Chris Goulding, who is averaging 19 points and made 57 three pointers — 22 more than next best Bryce Cotton (35) — at 41 per cent from the outside, is a big contender for the Boomers.
Goulding hardly played in the World Cup campaign and Goorjian has conceded he could have been used more, given the Boomers lack of potency from deep.
South East Melbourne Phoenix forward Mitch Creek has been in career-best form in the past two NBL seasons — and while he hasn’t featured since the 2019 World Cup, the 198cm forward is the type of player who could excel on the international stage, given the chance.
Athletic Sydney Kings defensive beast Jonah Bolden has also emerged as a bolter following his sharpshooting start to NBL24.
The son of Kings legend Bruce Bolden dominated in last round’s loss to Perth, dropping 28 points, including seven of eight from range.
Bolden’s brilliant shooting performance has prompted calls for the big man to return to the Boomers for the first time since 2019 when he left the team on the eve of the World Cup citing personal reasons.
The 203cm forward possesses flexibility to play at the four or five spot, while he can shoot from range, a skill Australia lacked at this year’s failed Cup campaign in Japan.
NBL and Boomers legend Chris Anstey understands the Bolden hype, but he believes the Boomers should consider selecting 222cm teen sensation Rocco Zikarsky as a backup big for Paris.
“Do you take a flyer and take Rocco knowing that you’re not going to play him, but he is different?,” Anstey said about Zikarsky, who has impressed in his first season as an NBL Next Star with the Brisbane Bullets.
“Plus, the player who is playing best in Jonah’s position is Duop Reath and then you’ve got Xavier Cooks and Jack White.
“I’m not sure Jonah is a five, but who are your fives? It’s Landale and it’s no one and that’s why I’d consider Rocco.”
Goorjian faces a host of tough selection decisions heading into the Paris Olympics – and it’s why he has placed significant importance on his US tour to meet with Australia’s NBA contingent.
Mills has played just five minutes for the Atlanta Hawks in 19 games so far this season, scoring only three points and adding one rebound.
Goorjian recently conceded Mills’ lack of court time is “concerning”, but the veteran guard isn’t the only Australian player battling for minutes just 10 months out from the Paris Olympics.
Ben Simmons only managed six games for the Brooklyn Nets before he succumbed to a back injury while big man Jock Landale is averaging only 8.7 minutes in his 13 games for the Houston Rockets.
Veteran swingman Joe Ingles, in his first year in Orlando, is still making a significant contribution, aged 36, in a young Magic side that sits in second position in the Eastern Conference.
Only Boomers young guns Josh Giddey and Dyson Daniels, who have both averaged more than 27 minutes per game across 19 and 21 games, respectively, this season, have seen good time on the court in the NBA.
NBL STARS IN BOOMERS OLYMPIC FRAME
Chris Goulding (MU)
Matthew Dellavedova (MU)
Luke Travers (MU)
Mitch Creek (SEM)
Jonah Bolden (SYD)
Alex Toohey (SYD)
Jordan Hunter (SYD)
Jaylin Galloway (SYD)
Rocco Zikarsky (BNE)
Josh Bannan (BNE)
Jack McVeigh (TAS)
Will Magnay (TAS)
Sam Froling (ILL)
Keanu Pinder (PER)
Isaac Humphries (ADE)
Dejan Vasiljevic (ADE)
Will McDowell-White (NZ)
Taran Armstrong (CNS)
PHOENIX CALL ON ROWDY
And, while the ex-Boomers and NBA man, who retired at the end of last NBL season, left the door ever-so-slightly-ajar, Broekhoff said he was unlikely to play professionally — at least right now in the Phoenix’s time of need.
Broekhoff and wife Katie are juggling a young family with a growing Hoops City franchise in Melbourne’s south east and, while Rowdy didn’t give Phoenix coach Mike Kelly a definitive “No”, the 33-year-old told Crosscourt the timing just wasn’t right.
“I did get a call, yes,” Broekhoff, who spent the last three seasons with South East Melbourne, confirmed.
“It (the NBL) was pushed so far to the back of my mind it wasn’t even a thought before the weekend.
“It’s very unlikely, just with the commitments to business and family and where we’re at right now.
“I will have a think about it but it’s still very unlikely that the timing matches up where I can jump right in. We’ll wait and see.”
Broekhoff admitted he still had a competitive urge that made him want to play at the elite level again.
“I’ll be 45 and if someone gave me the call I’d probably think I could still go and there’s always going to be the fire there but yeah, we’ve taken a lot on off the court now and that was a big reason for not playing this season in the first place.
“There’s a little part of me who thinks ‘yep, we can make this work’, but, realistically, it’s quite unlikely.”
Moller ruptured his patella tendon in a disturbing moment during the weekend’s clash with New Zealand and had surgery on Monday.
It’s understood the Phoenix are looking at options to replace the dreadlocked defensive dynamo but, in the interim, both Reuben Te Rangi and Matt Kenyon can expect a bump in minutes, with a development player — likely Kody Stattman, given he’s the most experienced and best positional fit — to be elevated to the full roster, for now.
In better news for the Phoenix, they will welcome back big man Gorjok Gak for Sunday’s clash with Sydney in the Harbour City after he recovered from a calf injury suffered on November 2 that kept him out of the past four games.
In social media posts, the club, this week, farewelled Adelaide legend Daniel Johnson, who appeared in the past three games as a replacement player while Gak was sidelined.
The lumbering 212cm big unit is not the wing player the Phoenix need to balance the roster in Moller’s absence.
‘SNIFFING THEIR OWN FARTS’: FORDEY’S PRESS CONFERENCE FOR THE AGES
Cairns coach Adam Forde will be hard to top for post-game press conference of the year after he threw out the playbook, switched up his rotation and the Taipans jumped top-of-the-table Melbourne United on their home deck.
Forde took aim at talking heads — like us — in the media, stood up for Bul Kuol, gave some honest feedback about his own coaching, shouted out mentor Trevor Gleeson and praised Josh Roberts after his breakout performance, delivering the young import a piece of advice in deadpan but hilarious fashion.
Many have scratched their heads over Roberts’ lack of use in Cairns — the 24-year-old had not played more than nine minutes in any game this season before his 22 points, 5 rebounds and 3 blocks in 27 minutes in the 115-103 upset against United.
It gave Forde, who sat next to Roberts in the press conference, an opportunity to deliver a “little rant”.
“The worst thing that Josh can do, and this is for you (Roberts) now, is start reading your own hype,” Forde said.
“It’s a good thing about the NBL because everyone’s got a podcast and there’s articles and then suddenly people start sniffing their own farts and deciding that they’re that dude.
“You’ve got to stay humble, you’ve got to keep that balance, stop reading these goddamn award watches this early in the season. No one cares.
“Perth, for example, they all wanted to sack (Wildcats coach) John Rillie and (Bryce) Cotton was a wash (during early season struggles), now it’s like, they’re all back on the hype train.
“Just relax, let the season play out, stop with all the garbage and stay locked in to the task at hand, there you go, little rant.”
A question about the Taipans’ equal-season-high 31 fouls against United had Forde launch a passionate defence of long-limbed defender Kuol, lashing out at a perception the 26-year-old is overly physical he says has been cultivated by the media.
“The narrative for Bul’s been unfair and this is something I need to address. People will say I’m complaining,” he said.
“We go through and review the Tasmania game and it’s all the commentary.
“You can’t tell me that’s not going to influence people in general.
“So no, we won’t change, we’ll stay with what we’re doing because it has been working and I think everybody needs to stop listening to people who feel like their opinions are important.”
The Taipans average more fouls per game than any other team — 21.3 per game — and Kuol is equal fourth among players at 3.2 per game.
Through 12 games, though, Kuol has only fouled out once, but he’s been on the precipice with four fouls five times.
The secret to the Taipans’ upset was some self-realisation for Forde, who threw out his playbook and dusted off the famed ‘flex’ offence he learned under legendary coach Gleeson in his time as an assistant in Perth.
“Trev Gleeson, right now, is sitting in his living room smiling,” Forde said.
“I’ve got a different identity (to Gleeson) defensively with what we do but I wanted to try to build my own identity on the offensive end.
“It’s been trash for years, I’ve never had a good offensive rating, so that was a bit of self reflection for myself, too, to go, ‘all right, we sit here and talk about our struggles putting the ball in the basket, a lot of that falls on things I’m trying to create that doesn’t work’.
“Thanks Trev, appreciate the playbook and six years of education on it, I think we’ll stick with it for a little bit longer.”
“I can’t expect the guys to be better if I can’t be better myself.”
Forde’s in his third season with the Taipans after a year with the Kings and a quick look at the stats shows his teams have been in the top-four in defensive rating three times (currently No. 1 in the NBL this season), while they haven’t finished higher than fifth in offensive rating.
ADAM FORDE’S OFFENCE V DEFENCE
NBL24 – Cairns – Off rating: 107 (8th) Def rating: 108.2 (1st) *12 games
NBL23 – Cairns – Off rating: 108.4 (8th) Def rating: 104.9 (2nd)
NBL22 – Cairns – Off rating: 102.4 (last) Def rating: 110.7 (7th)
NBL21 – Sydney – Off rating: 111.3 (5th) Def rating: 110.4 (4th)
MICK AND MATTY’S NBL WHISPERS
● Which successful club might be having a few issues in their back-court that are causing some angst among stars?
● Which coach has a growing number of club greats questioning his decisions and a playing group that might not be completely enamoured with his methods?
● Which coach had players turning their heads away as he sprayed them during a game, prompting one watcher to question if they were fed up with his antics?
● Has a player who got the dreaded DNP for the first time this season been dumped out of his side’s rotation for the foreseeable future?
NBL ROUND 10: (ALL GAMES LIVE ON ESPN AND KAYO)
Thursday, December 7:
Cairns Taipans v Sydney Kings at Cairns Convention Centre from 7.30pm
(AEDT)
Friday, December 8:
Illawarra Hawks v Perth Wildcats at WIN Entertainment Centre from
7.30pm (AEDT)
Saturday, December 9:
New Zealand Breakers v Tasmania JackJumpers at Spark Arena from 5.30pm
(AEDT)
Adelaide 36ers v Cairns Taipans at the Adelaide Entertainment Centre
from 8pm (AEDT)
Sunday, December 10:
Melbourne United v Brisbane Bullets at John Cain Arena from 2pm (AEDT)
Sydney Kings v South East Melbourne Phoenix at Qudos Bank Arena from
4pm (AEDT)
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