I was welcomed as a guest on the podcast/YouTube show “Throwback Hoops” Episode 46 to talk Australian basketball. We covered women’s world, cup, NBL Round 1, and gave our predictions for the league’s awards. 🏀 🎙
8 days of basketball, 15 games, 8 podcasts, 2 silly videos, many conversations with basketball people, countless Twitter updates. The NBL Blitz in Darwin has finished, and I had a blast engaging with it as an accredited member of the media. I live a fortunate life. 🏀
Today at the NBL Blitz I’m cross-promoting @hemisphericviews 🏀 🎙️
I am in Darwin this week as the National Basketball League is holding its pre-season Blitz tournament. All 10 teams competing to win the Loggins-Bruton Cup. I am attending all the games as accredited media, representing the NBL Pocket Podcast.
These are my brief notes from Day 1.
A venue where the first NBL volunteer I meet is a friendly Darwin lawyer by day, basketball fan by night.
Plenty of NBL staff scurrying around 90 minutes before tip-off, getting score benches ready.
One of the cup namesakes, Cal Bruton, strolls into the stadium. Later in the night, I would speak to said man. This man who dazzled me I was 9 years old and he played for the Perth Wildcats.
Unlike the pre-season of two years ago in Tasmania, where beanies and hoodies were the go, here in Darwin is shorts all the way.
Players warm up on court, Craig Randall II draining many threes from NBA range, but shooting with less accuracy from NBL 3-point range. Having played G-League and with a dream of making the NBA, this shouldn’t be a surprise. That’s the range he’s been practising for years.
The crowd filled in and were genuinely excited to be here. They were getting into the cheers, and were 100% behind Kai Sotto. This support for Sotto remained evident after the game, when a scrum formed around him to take photos and be in his presence.
The broadcast had scoreboard issues. I became a defacto score updater for viewers via Twitter. At half-time I shared a printout of the half-time box score that I obtained from the score bench.
This season I have taken the job as a commentator for the NBL1 West’s Perth Redbacks. The NBL1 is the league directly beneath the national NBL competition and is broken into State-based divisions. I had to miss the first couple of games due to COVID protocols, so last night was my first behind the microphone.
The games are streamed via the league’s website.
The direct links to the videos of the games I called last night are:
NBL1 - Perth Redbacks v Mandurah Magic Women
NBL1 - Perth Redbacks v Mandurah Magic Men
I had an absolute blast calling these games. While the home team didn’t get the win in either game, it was a lot of fun to call the action from the sideline.
I am already looking forward to the next game.
As fun as getting back onto a basketball court is, at what point do I accept it’s no longer something I should do? Especially after possibly breaking a toe earlier in the day. Now my knee joins the injury party, not to mention the generalised leg soreness. 🏀
Random appreciation tweet for Wayne Simmons. He made playing basketball fun, and was a friend to me when I did work experience at 882 6PR and he was a sales rep. Anybody who played 🏀 in Perth probably knows Wayne and I don’t think anybody dislikes the guy. I hope he is well.
It’s so much fun recording NBL Pocket Podcast. 🏀🎙
It’s an honour to have a media pass for the Australian NBL on behalf of NBL Pocket Podcast. Tonight I joined the press conference to ask some questions of Hawks Head Coach Brian Goorjian 🏀
A new episode of NBL Pocket Podcast has been recorded and released. I’ve been into Australian basketball since 1987. This passion is entirely different to my other more nerdy pursuits. 🏀
I am proud to announce that NBL Pocket Podcast finally has its own home on the web. 🎙 🌏 🏀
I’m elated. Our Australian Boomers got the monkey off the back and won a bronze medal. 🏀 🥉
Great job Boomers, taking out Argentina. Now on to meet USA. 🏀
This is what Damian Lillard said after the USA lost to France in their first 🏀 game of the Tokyo Olympics:
“I think that’s why a lot of people will make it seem like the end of the world, but our job as professionals and this team and representing our country at the Olympics, we’ve got to do what’s necessary and we still can accomplish what we came here to accomplish.”
This quote sums up their problem. You shouldn’t be aiming to be be professional at the Olympics. You need to be passionate. You need to have an emotional connection about representing your country. That’s the difference between USA and the other elite basketball teams at the Olympics, and what gives those other teams their edge. Other teams want to do the best in the name of their country.
These players aren’t getting paid to be at the Olympics. They’re there because they want to passionately represent their country. It’s not a job. Being professional isn’t the right approach.
Boomers beat USA again! 🏀
Perth Wildcats 🏀 have made their 9th Grand Final series in 12 years. That is a ridiculous record of success.
I hit the basketball court for the first time in a long time yesterday. My free throw percentage was better than ever, but three point range was a struggle! 😩🏀
My friend Joe and I had the opportunity to interview Nick Elam, who is the creator of basketball’s Elam Ending, for the NBL Pocket Podcast.
We are on a mission to bring the Elam Ending to the Australian NBL.
Having the opportunity to speak with Nick was a genuine honour. If you like basketball, I think you will like this podcast.
I do a weekly Australian National Basketball League (NBL) podcast, NBL Pocket Podcast. Today’s episode is out and I think it’s a particularly fun one. 🏀 🎙
It was fun to do another commentary of an NBL game on Twitch tonight. Cairns Taipans hosted Melbourne United. 🏀
I had a heap of fun doing commentary on tonight’s NBL game on Twitch. Provides a reminder as to how well professionals can avoid dead air. Not easy to maintain constant dialogue! 🏀 🎙
I’m doing a Twitch commentary live stream of the first NBL game of the season today. Partnering with my podcast friend, Joe Corr, this is the first attempt at live-streaming by the NBL Pocket Podcast empire. 🏀
The latest episode of The NBL Pocket Podcast is live. If you want an update on the past week of Australian basketball, this is the podcast to listen you want. 🏀🎙
Very little happening in the NBL this week, but we still managed to talk for an hour about it. That’s true passion! The NBL Pocket Podcast / Brett Brown, John Mooney nicknames and Draymond Green’s tweets 🏀 🎙
If you’d like to hear me and a mate talk about NBL basketball 🏀 and team composition leading into the new season, then listen to NBL Pocket Podcast 🎙