Crosscourt: Matt Logue and Michael Randall’s latest news ahead of Round 7 of the 2024-25 NBL season
Sydney coach Brian Goorjian has put a rocket up his struggling Kings, Josh King reveals how he’ll right the ship at the Phoenix and we reveal our NBL Next Stars power rankings ahead of some big decisions. All that, and more, in CROSSCOURT.
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Sydney coach Brian Goorjian has put a rocket up his struggling Kings, Josh King reveals how he’ll right the ship at South East Melbourne, boom Adelaide star Montrezl Harrell has his say as America prepares to decide its next president, we look at the NBL Next Stars power rankings as the country’s brightest young talent prepares to make a big decision and a star import is in hot water.
Read it all below from Matt Logue and Michael Randall in the latest edition of Crosscourt.
GOORJ’S FIGHTING WORDS AS KING ADOPT SIEGE MENTALITY
Master coach Brian Goorjian has urged his embattled Sydney Kings to don their hard hats and brace for a “hornet’s nest” when they take on joint ladder-leaders Melbourne United in a Thursday night “fistfight”.
The NBL season is just seven weeks old, but the 5-4 Kings are already feeling the pressure to back up the pre-season hype of championship favouritism.
Now amid a backdrop of player fatigue, injury and import big man Cam Oliver’s frustrations over playing time, Sydney must defy the odds to beat Melbourne and revive their NBL25 campaign.
It comes as the Kings are shooting their worst field goal percentage (42.9 per cent) through nine games in over a decade.
If Sydney loses against United, it will have to go against the record books.
Only two Kings sides have reached the post-season after starting the season 5-5.
There is significant reason for concern in the Harbour City and it’s why Goorjian wants his charges to approach the United clash with a siege mentality.
“They’re talking about our imports, they’re pointing (the finger) at me, shut all of that out and put your helmets on,” Goorjian told Crosscourt.
“If this was a fist fight and you are walking in, there are going to be 100 punches thrown as soon as the whistle is blown.
“We’ve got to stand in there and go toe-to-toe.”
Sydney’s record isn’t ideal, but Goorjian believes his side can take confidence from road wins against Perth, Adelaide, Tasmania and Brisbane.
He also maintains the Kings aren’t winning at home because they have to go to “Mars” beforehand, referring to the club’s two Friday games in Perth before a return home clash on the Sunday.
The other issue is Sydney’s backup point guard position.
There is a belief the Kings need to lean into the experience of veteran Shaun Bruce, instead of playing a rookie in Tyler Robertson out of position.
On a positive note, Goorjian confirmed injured guard Jaylen Adams (back) trained one day this week with non-contact shooting.
Adams remains a day-to-day prospect amid the potential of a return on limited duties as early as next Friday against the Phoenix at home.
Thursday night blockbuster: Melbourne United v Sydney Kings at John Cain Arena from 7.30pm (AEDT).
Watch it live on ESPN on Kayo Sports.
NEXT STARS PUT ON A SHOW FOR DANIELS
As Dash Daniels ponders NBL v college as his next basketball step, he would have been heartened by a pair of standout performances of two Next Stars as he sat courtside.
Daniels – the younger brother of Aussie NBA star Dyson Daniels – is considering joining the NBL, with United and Perth in the mix to secure his signature.
The 16-year-old guard was in the west last Friday to watch Perth’s Spanish Next Star Izan Almansa put on a show.
Almansa dropped 14 points on an impressive 85.7 per cent from the field (6-7) while he added six rebounds and one assist.
Daniels backed up again on Sunday in Sydney with his NBA Global Academy side to see the Kings take on the New Zealand Breakers.
He had the best seat in the house courtside as 17-year-old Breakers Next Star Karim Lopez became the youngest player in NBL history to record a double-double.
Lopez terrorised the Kings with his 6’6 frame to finish with 13 points and 10 rebounds.
Daniels has a big career decision to make in the coming months, but his weekend watching NBL Next Stars excel could prove decisive.
Liam Santamaria – the GM of NBL Next Stars recruitment – couldn’t be happier with where the program sits as a selling point for potential talent.
“Watching young, elite players perform well in the league I’m sure speaks volumes to those prospects as they consider their options,” Santamaria said.
“There are some young prospects – both here and abroad – that are currently considering the Next Stars pathway as the next step in their basketball journey.
“I’m really enthused and excited about the performances of the Next Stars in the league this season.
“It has been fantastic to see a number of guys grow more and more comfortable and confident in the league over the course of the year.
“To have a bunch of those guys all play really well and play important roles on their teams with big minutes and is illustrative of that.”
SIGNS THERE AS KING TAKES CHARGE OF PHOENIX
New South East Melbourne coach Josh King believes there’s no reason why his team can’t be one of the best defensive collectives in the NBL, vowing to unlock the Phoenix’s fiery red-headed dual champion Angus Glover.
The American, who took the reigns on Monday and said the Phoenix had begun to turn a corner in three games under caretaker Sam Mackinnon, doesn’t subscribe to the theory some players are just bad defenders.
And, as he eyes an unlikely run at the NBL playoffs, the proof is in the pudding:
Winless through five games, the Phoenix conceded 92.5 points per game — third worst in the league — which triggered Mike Kelly’s departure and sparked concerns the playing group did not have the tools needed to be a good defensive team in the NBL.
But, remarkably, in a 2-1 run under Mackinnon, they lifted to become the league’s best defensive team, holding opponents to just 78 points per game.
Small sample size, but its evidence that backs up the American’s non-negotiables around defensive effort.
“Anybody can be a solid defender, I don’t buy into guys not being able to defend, I think that’s an easy cop out,” King said.
“Don’t get me wrong, there are certain guys who have strengths that are better than others on the defensive side of the ball but I always equate defence to hustle and heart, and I want players who have hustle and heart, no matter if you’re an elite defender or not.
“Getting the guys to push themselves on that side of the floor, that’s what we’re going to do.”
To the surprise of no one, King has been highly impressed by dogged guard Glover, who fought back from three ACL repairs and produced one of the gutsiest grand final performances in NBL history when he defied crippling abdominal pain to steer Sydney to the 2022-23 title.
Glover endured a tough season in Sydney before a move to South East Melbourne that hasn’t quite started how he would have hoped, but the signs since the coaching change have been good.
“There’s other guys, too, but he would be the guy that certainly jumps off the page to me,” King said.
“I just see him as a good basketball player.
“I like guys that can play multiple positions, like whether he’s a point guard or two, or can play on the wing.
“He’s a young guy who is really eager to learn, it seems like, and, guys like that, you root for and they usually find success.”
King backed underperforming import Joe Wieskamp and reaffirmed veteran guard Nathan Sobey as a key figure in his plans.
‘LOSE-LOSE’: MONSTA’s VERDICT ON US ELECTION
The NBL’s hottest player, MVP candidate Montrezl Harrell, has urged his American compatriots to vote in next week’s presidential election — but fears his country is in a “lose-lose” situation.
Always entertaining, Harrell — like large swathes of the voting populace in the US — has, at least outwardly, an ambivalence toward the political circus.
Whether it’s Donald Trump and the Republicans taking back the White House, or Kamala Harris keeping the Democrats in power, the 30-year-old intimated it wouldn’t make much difference in a country divided along racial and ideological lines.
“It’s crazy, I don’t really get too much into politics,” Harrell said, when asked about the rapidly approaching vote.
“I voted, I think my last time voting may have been year before last but I really don’t get too much into politics.
“I follow a little bit.
“(I’m) definitely for people getting out there and voting but if I’m looking at the two candidacies and I … feel like I’m (in) a lose-lose situation either way, I don’t really get into it, no disrespect.”
No one in Adelaide will feel any disrespect — Harrell has given everything of himself in the City of Churches, putting up a monster line of 19 points, 10.6 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 1.5 blocks as he’s led the 36ers to a 5-3 record ahead of Saturday’s clash with the Breakers in New Zealand.
EDWARDS IN HOT WATER OVER REF BLOW UP
Cairns Taipans import shooting guard Rob Edwards faces the prospect of a heavy sanction after an alleged inappropriate interaction with match officials.
Basketball Australia, on Wednesday, confirmed it’s investigating a potential breach of its code of conduct post the Taipans’ blowout loss to Melbourne United on Sunday.
It’s alleged the 27-year-old approached the referees in a confrontational manner after he accumulated five fouls in under 20 minutes with just 5 points and three turnovers.
Edwards has produced a number of eye-catching performances for the Taipans, but injuries, especially to point guard Taran Armstrong, have contributed to a heavy workload.
He is averaging 18.3 points and 4.1 rebounds and is one of the best three-point shooters in the NBL, shooting nearly 45 per cent on over six attempts per contest.
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