Crosscourt: Latest NBL news from Matt Logue and Michael Randall from Round 6 of the 2024-25 season
Amid a week of spotfires across the NBL where team owners took aim at Melbourne United star Chris Goulding, league owner Larry Kestelman has had his say as BA’s integrity unit prepares to fine Hawks coach Justin Tatum for his referee gibes.
NBL owner Larry Kestelman has backed team owners and coaches to speak their minds about the sport but warned they must show “class” amid a storm of verbal barbs centred around Melbourne United star Chris Goulding and the state of the league’s referees.
In the past week, Romie Chaudhari and Jared Novelly, owners of South East Melbourne and Illawarra, respectively, publicly hit out at Melbourne United star Chris Goulding over his ‘flopping’ tactics and Hawks’ coach Justin Tatum became the subject of a Basketball Australia integrity unit investigation when he slammed the league’s referees.
Kestelman has watched the drama unfold with interest and told Crosscourt he “loves” when NBL club owners speak passionately about the game and its players but warned they must show “class”.
“I love the passion in our sport and encourage rivalry between clubs,” Kestelman said.
“Sport is a business like no other and emotions run high.
“I love that owners are so invested in their clubs and I would encourage them to comment on matters that grow the NBL, such as club rivalry.
“But always set the example of professionalism and class when expressing opinions or sharing something they are passionate about in public.”
BA’s investigation into Tatum’s comments, post Thursday night’s loss to Melbourne United, was complicated by the Hawks travel to Melbourne and Saturday game against the Phoenix.
Tatum slammed the referees as “incompetent” and said they dictated the result after a late-game incident that led to the American chipping Goulding for exaggerating contact.
His comments followed Chaudhari’s Twitter barb: “Goulding constantly flops and cries about it, that sh*t is weak” and Novelly’s reported swipe to ESPN about the incident where Goulding appeared to turn an ankle and theatrically fall to the floor during the Hawks’ game.
United coach Dean Vickerman hit back at Chaudhari and defended his under-fire star, while Sydney Kings part-owner Andrew Bogut said on ESPN “He flops a lot, it is what it is. He does flop a lot.”
Tatum’s post-game tirade had the entire NBL talking.
A number of NBL clubs agree with Tatum’s frustrations about the referees and It’s widely felt the officiating is inconsistent but, fearing a similar fate to Tatum, none would go on the record, when asked by Crosscourt.
ON THE RISE: MOST IMPROVED RACE A HOT ONE
Two years ago, Sam Waardenburg was the league’s inaugural Next Generation Award-winner.
That same season, Will Hickey had joined his third club as a development player and Tyrell Harrison was limited to 16 games by injury.
Right now, the sweet-shooting Cairns Taipans big man, relentless Illawarra Hawks guard and Brisbane Bullets powerhouse might just be splitting early favouritism for the NBL’s Most Improved Player.
Cairns has endured a torrid start to the season, riddled by injury, but Waardenburg has been the one constant, bouncing back from a lacklustre season-opener to stack a series of elite performances together on his way to 16 points, 8 rebounds, 3.3 assists and a block, combining 50 per cent shooting from the field and 43.2 per cent from deep — on nearly five three-point attempts per contest.
Those near-MVP-level numbers are up from 9.7 points, 5.3 rebounds and he shot just 25 per cent from deep — and he almost led his depleted squad home against Adelaide with a tough late three-point play that sent the contest into overtime.
Hickey has been one of the league’s great stories. The young Indigenous man bounced from the two Melbourne teams to Illawarra, where he has made his name, franking career highs in every major statistical category — 9 points, 4.5 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 1.3 steals and 1 block (up from 5.2, 2.9, 1.2, 0.6 and 0.3) — into a three-year contract extension in Illawarra.
Harrison has become one of the most dominant centres in the NBL, significantly lifting his output across the board to 12.7 points, 8.8 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 2 steals and 1.3 blocks (9.6, 6.2, 0.6, 0.5, 1.4).
EARLY POTENTIAL MIP CANDIDATES
Sam Waardenburg (Cairns)
Will Hickey (Illawarra)
Tyrell Harrison (Brisbane)
Kristian Doolittle (Perth)
Kyrin Galloway (Cairns)
Taran Armstrong (Cairns)
Alex Toohey (Sydney)
Wani Swaka Lo Buluk (Illawarra)
Sam Menenga (New Zealand)
Jordi Hunter (South East Melbourne)
Ben Henshall (Perth)
Lachlan Olbrich (Illawarra)
LIKES
BLOCKBUSTER BATTLE AS HEAVYWEIGHTS COLLIDE
The NBL is blessed with a host of big-name marquee battles but none were bigger than the two monsters from powerhouse rivals Perth and Sydney as Keanu Pinder’s Wildcats got the better of Xavier Cooks’ Kings.
Pinder and Cooks put on a show for a packed RAC Arena, going back and forth in combining for 56 points in a clash of league titans.
Despite missing star guards Bryce Cotton (rib) Tai Webster (groin), the Wildcats found a way to record a vital win over a Kings squad, sans injured star Jaylen Adams.
After an inconsistent start to the season, Pinder exploded with a game-high 34 points on 61 per cent shooting from the field.
Cooks was equally brilliant for Sydney. The former NBL MVP was on triple double watch as he finished with 22 points, 11 rebounds, six assists, three blocks and two steals.
Cooks has led the Kings in points, rebounds and assists in back-to-back games.
The last time that happened was in 2014 when Josh Childress did it in five straight games.
Chris Williams (2003) and Melvin Thomas (1996) or the only other Kings to achieve the feat.
Adding to that, Cooks — who is now averaging 18.6 points, 9.3 rebounds and 4.1 dimes per game — moved past 300 career assists.
‘P***ED OFF’: SIXERS HOTTEST TICKET IN TOWN AS COACH SPRAY FIRES UP STAR
How good it is, to be an Adelaide fan, right now.
After years of struggle, the 36ers are the hottest ticket in the NBL and look on target to snap a six-year playoff drought on the back of MVP-level seasons from imports Montrezl Harrell and Kendric Davis.
The Sixers’ Adelaide Entertainment Centre has become the hardest place to play in the NBL.
Friday night’s rousing overtime win — in front of an 11th straight sellout crowd — was the ninth win in a row on their home floor, where they still haven’t lost this calendar year.
NBA veteran Harrell’s impact, on and off the court, has been well-documented, but Davis, the 24-year-old American guard, has been just as devastating for the Sixers.
His 29 points and eight assists were overshadowed by Harrell’s 36-point, 16-rebound, 5-block tour de force, but, were it not for a halftime spray from coach Mike Wells, the Sixers might not have been able to flip a 19-point deficit.
“He know how to light a fuse under me and I was pissed as hell coming out at halftime,” Davis, who had 21 in the second half and overtime, said.
“He snapped and he know how to piss me off and get me going at halftime. I was mad.
“I’m a competitor and I never want to let him down but I don’t want to let my team down so, when he challenged me, I wanted to step up to the occasion.”
DISLIKES
KINGS FACE BIG QUESTIONS AFTER CONCEDING DUBIOUS FRANCHISE RECORD
The Sydney Kings began the season as title favourites and have been finding ways to win without consistently putting it all together.
But, in a close loss to Perth, the Kings’ effort level was almost non-existent as they gave up a whopping 27 offensive rebounds, the most ever conceded by the franchise — and second-most by any NBL team — in the 40-minute game.
The Kings lost the rebounding count 56-35 — former NBL MVP Xavier Cooks (11) and import Cam Oliver (9) grabbed 20 off those between them.
Sydney was again without floor general Jaylen Adams (back) and the American’s absence has raised questions around the guard unit’s scoring and playmaking perspective.
Sydney has plenty of talented guards and wings in Bul Kuol, Izayah Le’afa, Shaun Bruce, Jaylin Galloway and Tyler Robertson but that group is struggling to get buckets and put their teammates in positions to score.
Against the Wildcats, the Kings’ dealt a season-low 16 assists and starting guards Kuol and Robertson (0) combined for just three points, while Bruce (6) and Le’afa (9) did their best.
Defensive beast Kuol continues to shoot the three ball at an elite clip (nearly 40 per cent) but his 6.4 points on 6 attempts per game are both career lows.
ROCCO CONCERN AS BULLETS FAIL TO FIRE
Brisbane’s Next Star sensation — 7’3” beast Rocco Zikarsky – failed to score in his seven minutes on the court against Tasmania on Saturday.
Zikarsky is averaging just 4.5 points and 10.6 minutes to start NBL25. It begs the question: is the big man getting enough minutes? Is he being used effectively in the paint? And is his current form good enough to climb up those all-important pre-NBA draft mock boards to solidify himself as a potential lottery pick?
All crucial queries for a talent like Zikarsky who is destined for the NBA.
Brisbane is in a rebuilding phase as a franchise but they’ve got to find a way stop opponents scoring.
The league’s worst offensive team Tasmania came into Boondall averaging just 77.4 point per contest.
The Bullets allowed the JackJumpers to hang 87 on them and could only muster a season-low 79 themselves — 20 of those coming from veteran guard Mitch Norton, who was averaging 6.4 per night before the contest. Casey Prather (11) was the only other Bullet to hit double figures.
More Coverage
36ers season on brink of disaster as star turns on coach
The Adelaide 36ers are on the brink of disaster after a horror loss to Perth exposed the division within a broken team - and the pressure rising on coach Mike Wells.
MVP candidates collide: Master, boom import float elite collab
Kendric Davis was in awe as Bryce Cotton destroyed Adelaide with a 49-point masterclass but it is the Perth legend who is making huge predictions for the young 36ers’ import.