Bouncing back in Brisbane: Inside how new regime is fixing NBL’s broken Bullets

Brisbane has made a habit of snatching defeat from the jaws of victory — and did it again on Saturday night — but, for a club that was at rock bottom, it’s part of the hard road back.

New Brisbane coach Justin Schueller and chief executive Mal Watts walked into a mess.

An off-court basket case that had cycled through three different coaches in a matter of weeks, a front office fractured, a listless playing group off an eight-win season, and a club that had lost connection with the legends who helped build its foundations.

Here’s how they are spearheading difficult change at the Bullets and what is being done to position the club for sustained success.

SMALL CHANGES, BIG RIPPLES

Schueller, the two-time NBL championship Melbourne United assistant, was appointed Bullets head coach on February 7 this year.

He replaced Greg Vanderjagt (now an assistant), who replaced former general manager Sam Mackinnon, who’d replaced ex-coach James Duncan — all last season.

Got all that?

Anyway, the 42-year-old immediately got to work, dividing time between his home in Williamstown, Victoria, and Brisbane as he went about identifying where improvements could be made at the club while finding a new base up north for he, wife Cody and fur baby Boomer (of course).

Justin Schueller, the man entrusted with righting the Bullets ship. Picture: Getty Images

He took his United mate, NBL legend Daryl ‘D-Mac’ McDonald with him, kept Vandy on and added another disciple in long-time NBL1 assistant Josh Cheney as an advance scout to complete his staff.

Coaching against the Bullets, Schueller said there was always a prevailing feeling the personnel lacked fitness and he keyed in on an overhaul of the club’s high performance department.

“It was a clear one for me, the Bullets always seemed to be out of shape and probably injured so we knew we had to fix that area,” he said.

“We brought in Matt Hardiman as our head of high performance and Brad Moore as our head physio and those two have done a great job to keep things going in the direction that we want it.”

It hasn’t gone completely to plan — prized young rookie big Josh Bannan missed time early with a MCL issue and reliable import point guard Shannon Scott pinged a hammy.

The signs, though, are good, for a revamped team Schueller is moulding with recruits he calls “winners” who appear to have more in the tank and can therefore go harder, longer.

A DISCONNECTED MATE’S COUNSEL AND BRINGING LEROY BACK

Minnesota-born Dusty Rychart was part of what many consider the best NBL team ever assembled — the 2006-07 Bullets, which produced a record 21-straight victories on the way to the title.

That same year, the 201cm forward led North Adelaide Rockets to the SA state league title — spending the road trips rooming with Schueller, who coached the club.

Justin Schueller and Dusty Rychart, way back in their North Adelaide days. Picture: Cathy Mundy

Fast forward and, in March 2008, the Bullets went into recess and the league would be without a Brisbane team until the 2017-18 season.

Rychart, 45, now works as a financial adviser and has made Brisbane home, with his wife and two daughters. He says past greats had drifted away from the reborn club — something Schueller and Watts have taken steps to change.

“There was a disconnect where guys didn’t feel like they were valued, which was quite sad because there’s quite a legacy there,” Rychart said.

“Justin and Mal have a focus on getting the older guys who are still around here in Brisbane involved.

Big Dusty Rychart hammers one down for the Bullets in 2007. Picture: Adam Smith

Leroy Loggins celebrates with Nathan Sobey after a Bullets’ win. Picture: Getty Images

“Leroy Loggins and Andre Moore have been to every game I’ve been to and they’re making a conscious effort of showing up and being the face of the club from the heydays of the 1980s and early 1990s.

“If you’re a member, you can walk right up to them and share memories, how great it was out at Boondall for the older fans. People come up to me and talk about how the championship of 2006-07 was a highlight for them.

“It’s not just great for the fans, it brings our spark and joy back for the game.”

Watts, a Northern Rivers boy, isn’t ashamed to admit his basketball knowledge was limited when he was plucked out of Queensland rugby to right the Bullets’ ship. The fact he wasn’t a hoops fanatic was part of the attraction for an ownership group seeking a fresh set of eyes on the business, confident Schueller and senior basketball adviser Stu Lash could handle the basketball division.

Brisbane Bullets chief executive officer Mal Watts.

Watts said he was lured by the challenge of turning around an organisation that had lost its way. He’s a fast-learner — one of his first calls was to Basketball Queensland in an effort to begin strengthening what had been weak links with the Bullets.

BQ chief executive Josh Pascoe confirmed the club had made efforts to work more closely with the sport’s state governing body and had optimism the relationship would flourish.

“We want the Bullets to be successful in the same way we want the (Cairns) Taipans and (Townsville) Fire to be successful in Queensland,” Pascoe said.

“Anything we can help with from our perspective, we’re going to do that. There’s an open-door policy between both of Mal and I, which means we’re collaborating more, we’re discussing more things and, when we’re trying to talk to government, we’re talking the same language.

“I think we’re definitely on an upward trend — we want to help each other.”

Legendary Bullet Leroy Loggins congratulates Brisbane's youngest player, 17-year-old Next Star Rocco Zikarsky, after a victory.

Leroy Loggins is the Bullets’ greatest player.

Back to Loggins — the legendary import who was synonymous with the Bullets for the bulk of his 21 seasons in the NBL, also emerged high on Watts’ ‘must-contact’ list. The three-time league MVP had drifted away from the club amid a rift with former chief executive Peter McLennan — something he aired on a recent NBL broadcast.

“I rang Leroy, Justin and I took him for a steak and just broke bread with him,” Watts said.

“I said ‘I don’t have a basketball background, I’m not from Brisbane originally, but everyone’s talking about you and they love you’. ‘We don’t want anything from you, we just want you to be around the club.

“Once a Bullet, always a Bullet. We’re the custodians of the Bullets at the moment, so it’s important that we recognise all those who have played in the jersey before us.”

Up next for Watts: Lunch with legendary former Bullets announcer and Australian Basketball Hall-of-Famer Neil Hamilton-Smith.

Brisbane's greatest coach Brian Kerle, who led the Bullets to four consecutive NBL grand finals winning two titles, presents Mitch Norton his No.8 jersey at the club's season launch, earlier this season.

BIG BAYNES CHALLENGE AND THE ROC’S EMERGENCE

The Big Banger made headlines when he was rubbed out for five games by the NBL after he tangled with Taipan Lat Mayen, raged at the refs and then later shoved coach Adam Forde — Lash copped a warning from the NBL for speaking out on the incident.

An early speed hump for Schueller and Watts.

However it shook out behind closed doors, the club decided that, instead of dragging the incident out with an appeal, they’d take their medicine and move on.

Aron Baynes has had a torrid start to the season and is getting used to a new role. Picture: Getty Images

While the 36-year-old served his ban, fellow big man Tyrell Harrison emerged as a legitimate impact player. It’s forced the NBA champion to return to the line-up in a new role off the bench — a move Schueller says he has handled “like a pro”.

“His willingness to come off the bench and impact winning that way is huge for us,” Schueller said.

“We’ve got guys in our group who believe in what we’re doing, everyone is about the team above themselves and that conversation was no different to how it goes with anyone.

“His celebration of Tyrell, his celebration of Rocco (Zikarsky) when he’s going well, that’s why I know we’ve got a good group.”

Rocco Zikarsky has quickly become a fan favourite. Picture: Getty Images

The fact Rocco is a Queensland local only enhances his appeal to the Bullets’ faithful. Picture: Taylor Earnshaw Photography

Speaking of Rocco, Schueller says Baynes has helped the much-hyped Next Star handle the attention and scrutiny that comes with being Australian basketball’s next (really) big thing.

Rychart loves what he sees from the South East Queensland kid on a collision course with the 2025 NBA draft.

“He’s going to be a star, man,” Rychart said.

“He’s got all the tools and a great attitude.

“Being a Queensland boy, the fans love a local product and kids love him, his size, everyone looks up to him.”

As for Baynes, Rychart has respect for the goliath, who he believes could perform a similar role for the Bullets that a 38-year-old Mark Bradtke (10.2 points, 6.5 rebounds) did on that 2007 championship team.

NBL legend Mark Bradtke sacrificed his game to help the Bullets win the 2006-07 title.

“He’s a veteran of the game with NBA championship experience and he’s taken a bit of a back seat since his return which, to me, reminds me of Mark Bradtke when we won it,” Rychart said.

“He was a guy who could have started but he sacrificed on a championship team to allow younger players like myself to play and he knew that that was the best for the team and I think Baynes has taken that similar role.”

“He’s not sulking on the bench, he’s matured and taken that on the chin and he’s guiding the younger players.”

Bradtke with his championship ring.

‘THE BULLETS WAY’

Speak to Schueller, who cut his teeth in the state leagues and junior national team system, and you’re likely to hear him refer to ‘The Bullets Way’.

It’s kind of spiritual, even if Schueller’s not quite that — although he does lead the team in meditation and breathing exercises so maybe he is, just a little. Various people in basketball had the following to say of Schueller: ambitious, driven, a hard bastard, well-rounded, quirky, always destined to be an NBL coach, intelligent, unafraid and learning on the job. Some were less flattering and that’s to be expected — you don’t lock in one of the 10 coveted NBL head coaching jobs without treading on a few toes and ruffling a few feathers.

Justin Schueller is leading the new “Bullets Way”. Picture: Getty Images

What, exactly, does ‘The Bullets Way’ mean? It’s a phrase Schueller’s coined as a marker he’s using to shift the thinking of every person involved with the club and its fans.

“We’re still getting celebrated for competing,” Schueller said.

“Where, to me, that’s where the club has been.

“People were just happy to compete.

“What we want to do is start expecting to be great, get the club away from hoping to do well and, instead, expecting to win.

“That, to be honest, is still one that’s a work in progress.”

A work in progress, indeed — the Bullets went into their last three games against Tasmania, Sydney and Perth as outsiders — but probably should have won all three, had they not wilted under the pressure.

Down 12 at the beginning of the last against Tassie, the Bullets cut it to two, 87-85 with 2.46 to go in the game — cue the Benny Hill music as neither team added to their totals, combining to go 0-9 from the field and 0-2 from the free throw line. An opportunity missed.

Against Sydney, they led by six with three minutes on the clock but the reigning back-to-back champions came home like a freight train, ending the game with a 16-0 run to win by nine — a diabolical 0-7 and three turnovers in that stretch. Another opportunity missed.

Saturday night’s game against Perth was a dirty grind — exactly what the Bullets would have wanted. They led by nine with less than five minutes remaining but, again, botched it down the stretch, surrendering seven straight points in the last 49 seconds to go down 79-76.

Hindsight’s a wonderful thing but, find a way win those three and the 5-7 Bullets, still sixth and in the play-in frame, could have been 8-4 and right in the mix.

Don’t tell Schueller those losses were honourable but the rookie coach can live with them — as long as his team learns.

“We’ve just got to learn what winning looks like for 40 minutes,” Schueller said after Saturday night’s heartbreaker.

“There’s way more (that happened) before the end of this game. The margin says three points but there’s so much we could have controlled that we identified going in that we didn’t get done.

“That’s where my frustration and the group’s frustration sits. We put ourselves in a position to win a game again and we didn’t take care of it.”

Originally published as Bouncing back in Brisbane: Inside how new regime is fixing NBL’s broken Bullets