NBL news 2022: Latest news from around the league
From young men with dreams of making it big to foundation members of a new NBL franchise, the mateship between Kyle Adnam and Mitch Creek extends beyond any milestone.
Kyle Adnam played his first NBL game as a fresh-faced 20-year-old.
On that Adelaide squad in 2013 was another young bloke with dreams of making it in the basketball world in, 21-year-old Mitch Creek.
Flash forward five years and the two men, a little older, a little wiser, were opponents in an epic NBL grand final series where Adnam’s Melbourne United took the chocolates over Creek’s 36ers.
Another leap in time and Creek, after some time in the NBA, joined Adnam as foundation players of the NBL’s newest franchise South East Melbourne.
“It’s been a bit of a journey for us, obviously had a little break in between, like any good relationship, you’ve got to spend a little bit of time away from each other,” Adnam laughed.
There will be even more synergy for the long-running bromance on Sunday — the Phoenix co-captains, against Illawarra, will take their combined career game tallies to 500, with Creek hitting 300 and Adnam 200.
“I’ve always loved playing with Creeky, he’s one of the best teammates I’ve had in my career, so to be able to lace them up this weekend, playing milestone games, I’m really excited, couldn’t be happier to do it alongside anyone else,” Adnam said.
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They’re mates … except when Adnam touches on that 2018 NBL title sore point.
“It doesn’t come up for me,” Creek said.
“Kizza brings it up when we have a few beers.”
Adnam counters: “It depends what sort of mood he’s in.”
There’s a genuine rapport between the pair as they gush over each others’ commitment, work ethic, willingness to give off the court and the fact each carries a little chip on their shoulders.
“I’m about to give him a hug and a kiss,” Creek says at one point.
You can’t help but smile watching the country boy from Horsham and the skinny kid from Kilsyth interact, especially the little peaks behind the curtain when they’re not in media mode.
Adnam, 29 now, would have given up the game before he ever bounced a ball if he’d listened to the endless conveyor belt of doubters. You couldn’t blame them, Adnam isn’t tall and he isn’t built like a brick proverbial, but what he is tough as nails and one of the most determined and hardworking players in the entire league.
Creek, now a legitimate superstar and MVP candidate every year, might be the hardest worker, period. But he’s had his doubters, too.
“People have doubted us our entire lives, said ‘you’re not good enough’, ‘can’t do this’, ‘not tall enough’, ‘not big enough’ ‘you can’t shoot’,” Creek said.
“It’s just that resilience of staying together. I’ve seen the work he puts in.”
The two boys agree this is the deepest Phoenix line-up they’ve ever put out on the court and there’s a clear pride in what they’ve built, having been part of it from the start.
They will step out against a backs-against-the-wall Hawks team set to send out a full line-up — minus long-term injured forward Dan Grida — for the first time since round 1, with new import Michael Frazier, who landed Wednesday, likely to suit up and point guard Peyton Siva set to return from injury.
Humphries’ new ‘vibe and energy’ after world-changing step
—Michael Randall
Isaac Humphries became the centre of the basketball universe while former college teammate and good friend Marcus Lee was on a plane bound for Melbourne.
Humphries has attracted global praise when he last week became the only current top-tier professional basketballer to come out as gay.
American Lee, who has reunited with Humphries at United after the pair spent two years together at American power school Kentucky from 2015-16, touched down last week after his mate had opened himself to the world.
“I absolutely love that he was able to be open with the world,” Lee said.
“If you can see his vibe and his energy, he feels more relaxed and that he can be himself and that’s all we can ask as friends.”
The 28-year-old said Humphries’ courage had paved the way for real change.
“It’s a huge step in the sports world,” Lee said.
“He’s opened the door for so many guys and women to be comfortable with their teammates, the people that they’re supposed to be most comfortable with.
“It’s a huge thing and I hope it brings more to come.”
Humphries hit the court at Hoops City for United training on Thursday morning, fresh off stepping out in an eye-catching golden-floral suit jacket at the GQ Men of the Year Awards in Sydney.
United coach Dean Vickerman hoped the positive response to Humphries’ announcement would help world sport take a step in embracing diversity and inclusion.
“So many other workplaces have got this sorted out and sport just hasn’t, so I thought the public sentiment to it was outstanding,” Vickerman said.
“It’s a weight off his shoulders and he can just be real.”
Humphries vouched for Lee after United sounded him out for a move from Spanish club Basquet Manresa.
“After we interviewed Marcus the first time, we had a conversation with Ice about the person and the character and went from there,” Vickerman said.
Lee gives United the genuine tall United has desperately lacked who will help Humphries in the paint.
United’s offensive sputters have been well documented — twice last week against Adelaide they had scoreless stretches that exceeded four minutes — and it won’t be easy against a physical Tasmania side on Saturday night.
The JackJumpers play a grinding, in-your-face style of basketball that held United to 64 points the last time these two teams met.
Vickerman believes they will force his side to move the ball quickly, which could work to its advantage.
“Tassie do a good job of making you turn the basketball over, one of the best in the league, their on-ball coverage is going to be aggressive and it forces us to move the basketball out of it — when we’ve been forced to do it, we’ve had some reasonable success,” Vickerman said.
“The focus of the week for us is ‘how we can get into offence a little quicker with some pace and then let it move’.
“I think they’ve responded fairly well to that.
“Tassie slowed us down last time and put some pressure in the back court so hopefully we can be better.”
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