The Logue Down: LaMelo Ball’s bid to fast-track NBL injury return
LaMelo Ball is using the recovery centre that’s home to NRL stars and UFC world champion Alex Volkanovski in his bid to return from injury. It’s in a huge edition of The Logue Down.
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All the hot basketball news in the latest edition of the Logue Down:
BALL’S RECOVERY BID
It’s the rehabilitation centre that is home to some of Australia’s best athletes that the Illawarra Hawks hope helps LaMelo Ball return from his foot injury ahead of schedule.
Ball has been working out at the BaiMed Physiotherapy and Sports injury clinic in Wollongong alongside his Hawks teammates for most of the season.
But after bruising his foot, the NBA-bound teen has been spending more time at the centre in a bid to come back to the court ahead of schedule.
A host of well-known athletes workout at BaiMed, including St George Illawarra players, triathletes and UFC fighter Alex Volkanovski.
Ball is expected to sidelined for four weeks but he is working overtime to return before this date.
NOI’S NEWCASTLE CONNECTION
Kouat Noi is the NBL Next Star on track to the NBA, via the Cairns Taipans, who completed his basketball education in Newcastle.
Noi has been a standout for the Taipans during their surge from the bottom of the ladder to the top-four in recent weeks.
The 201cm Sudanese-born forward had a brief stint playing alongside Ben Simmons at the Montverde Academy in Florida in 2014.
Now Noi has his sights set on the NBA and his former Newcastle and NSW representative coach Martin McLean couldn’t be happier.
“The biggest thing that I’ve seen change is his confidence,” McLean said about 22-year-old.
Noi’s family migrated to Australia from war-torn Sudan.
“He has especially developed his three-point shot, which wasn’t necessarily his game growing up,” McLean said.
“But now he is quite happy to launch his shot.
“You could always see his athleticism growing up but when he was 15 he realised what potential he could reach.
“Then when he was 16 he got added to an Australian side and ended up winning a silver medal.
“He rose dramatically through that period, which gave him the opportunity to go to school in the US.”
Noi’s story is a familiar one as his family fled Sudan during the height of the nation’s second civil war, first to Egypt and then to Australia, where they settled in Newcastle.
McLean has fond memories of Noi’s work ethic, determination and dedication to consistently attend the team’s 6am training sessions.
“To get him there, the coaches would go and wake him up,” he said.
“That is the sense of community that makes that happen because people can see he wouldn’t get that opportunity unless that happened.
“It is why it is such a great thing for the Newcastle basketball community to see Kouat achieving things in the NBL.
“We celebrate that as another Newcastle player that is doing good things at the highest level.
“All of us will be cheering him on if he makes the NBA.”
NBA STARS KEEN ON NBL OWNERSHIP
Andrew Bogut, Zach Randolph and Dante Exum are paving the way for other Australian and non-Australian NBA stars to consider ownership in a resurgent NBL competition.
That’s the reality according to South East Melbourne Phoenix GM Tommy Greer, who has seen the benefit of having Exum and former NBA All-Star Randolph involved as part-owners of the league’s newest franchise.
Greer revealed that Phoenix owner Romie Chaudhari, who also co-owns Welsh football side Swansea City, is constantly in his ear about interest in the NBL.
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“Romie is always telling me about other players who are reaching out with interest about the league,” Greer said.
“I think it is just a matter of time before we get more and more of these kinds of people wanting to get involved and dip their toe in.
“I think no doubt the likes of (Delly, Mills and Ingles) will look at the NBL and ownership. Bogut was the first.”
NBL commissioner Jeremy Loeliger confirmed the league has been inundated with curiosity from potential owners.
“We have been fielding plenty of expressions of interest from players and their agents and families both here in Australia and overseas - and in particular the US,” Loeliger said.
“There is no doubt that the visibility and success of the current class of Next Stars has contributed to the level of interest we are experiencing.”
Joe Ingles has always stated a desire to one day return to Australia after his NBA career with the Utah Jazz.
He regularly watches the NBL and previously said he would consider owning a franchise in the future.
“Maybe – I’m not going to go into it to lose money,” Ingles said.
“I don’t think there are too many teams making much money, but if it keeps going on the up and up and it’s the right situation, me and Andrew Bogut will have a coffee and talk about it one day when we are old and retired.
“But Bogut can be the majority owner.”
Greer can recommend Exum’s involvement as a part-owner with the Phoenix.
“South East Melbourne is Dante’s region for basketball and he has stayed heavily engaged during the season,” he said.
“He often comments on social media and stays in touch with the other owners about the direction of the club.”
EXUM HOMECOMING?
As for Exum one day pulling on the South East Melbourne colours in the NBL, Greer is quietly confident.
“Dante has well and truly entrenched himself in the NBA but you hope that if ever did return and he was picking an NBL team that he’d pick us,” he said.
“We’d be doing something wrong if he didn’t.”
MARTIN A TRUE BLUE
Damian Martin may be the Perth captain and a Wildcats legend but he is a proud New South Welshman and rugby league tragic.
Martin grew up in Gloucester, on NSW’s mid-north coast, as a passionate league fan.
He loves his NSW Blues and has attended a number of Origin matches, including Game 2 in Perth this year.
Martin is regarded as one of the finest defenders in NBL history having claimed six Best Defensive Player awards.
Throw in five NBL championships, a grand final MVP and a distinguished national team career, and he will be remembered as a great.
Martin will celebrate his 300th NBL game for Perth on Saturday night when the Wildcats host the Brisbane Bullets.
Newcastle Basketball’s Manager Martin McLean believes the man nicknamed ‘Damo’ deserves all the praise in the world.
“Damian epitomises a lot of the NSW Country kids in how hard they play,” McLean said.
“He is from an hour north west of Newcastle but he played his juniors here before going to the AIS.”
BOGUT’S BIG MAN SUPPORT
Boomers big man Jock Landale has leapt to the defence of Sydney Kings star Andrew Bogut following claims that he isn’t the NBL’s best centre.
Commentator Corey ‘Homicide’ Williams hailed Melbourne United’s Shawn Long the league’s premier big man after his dominant double-double in a win over Adelaide.
Landale, who played alongside Bogut for the Boomers at the 2019 World Cup in China, was quick to defend his Australian teammate, tweeting: second best, in response to Williams’ bold claim.
NBL BLOCKBUSTER OUTRATES A-LEAGUE
Last week’s top of the table clash between the Sydney Kings and the Perth Wildcats outrated the A-League game between Melbourne City and the Perth glory by 1000 viewers.
Originally published as The Logue Down: LaMelo Ball’s bid to fast-track NBL injury return