The financial collapse of the Darwin Salties this week has all but closed the door on the possibility of an NBL expansion team based in the Northern Territory. Despite strong community support and government backing, the Salties have announced their withdrawal from the Queensland-based NBL1 North competition, citing unsustainable financial pressures. This development leaves the…
Read MoreWith all of the players who have lept from Australia to the NBA, we’ve seen them take the most common path of plying their trade in the NBL before reaching the best league in the world. Although this pathway is by far the best way to reach the NBA from Australia, “Snoopy Graham” is a…
Read MoreBasketball in Newcastle is booming and as a result a brand new 10-court facility, which will include a 4,000 seat show court, after securing $25 million in funding through this week’s state budget. The venue has been built with a plan to launch the regions inaugural WNBL team and possibly an NBL team back to the…
Read More Download this episode on iTunes Justin Hickey, chief executive of the Southern Huskies joins Aussie Hoopla podcast to talk about the team’s decision to play in the New Zealand NBL in 2019 and what the next steps are for the team to join the Australian National Basketball League in 2020. Get 20% off…
Read MoreA classy Australian Indigenous basketball team went 1-0 up in a three-game series, with a nail-biting 87-82 win against New Zealand Maori at the Gisborne YMCA in New Zealand last night. Former Cairns Taipan Deba George was the star of the show, scoring 33 points as the Apunipima Australian Indigenous All Stars’ look to…
Read MoreDante Exum, Ben Simmons and even Jonah Bolden are second generation Australian basketballers who are now making an impact in the US, but another second generation basketballer is doing the same under much less spotlight, 18 year old Xavier Cooks. The talented 6’8′ swingman had a number of schools courting him which included Santa Barbara,…
Read MoreMore than 280 of Australia’s best junior basketballers descended upon Brisbane for the last weekend of July to participate in the 2013 National Under 18 Australian Junior Championships which tipped off at NAB Stadium in Auchenflower. The competition featured 28 teams, 26 boys and girls teams from Australia and two from New Zealand who battled…
Read MoreDefense was the name of the game for the Geelong Supercats in an exhibition match last night against Chinese youth team, the Dongguan Leopards. The visiting team, a development team for the Brian Goorjian coached CBA team, are in Australia on a twenty day tour to gain experience against some physically tough teams. The game,…
Read MoreThe Geelong Supercats will host a visiting Chinese development team on Thursday 29th November in an exhibition match. The Chinese team, made up of promising young players aged 15-19, is coached by former SEABL Nunawading Spectres coach and Knox Raiders player Craig Simpson. The team (the Dongguan Leopards) is a development team for the CBA,…
Read MoreFormer Geelong Supercats import Isma’il Muhammad is not giving up on his NBA dream just yet. The 6’6 swingman and former SEABL Supercats MVP has been signed by the Hawks in his native city of Atlanta for their training camp which begins tomorrow. Muhammad will be competing for one of only two places remaining on…
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Which Aussies in college are most likely to become future NBL players? These ten stand out for their production, professional experience and the roles they could earn in the league. The focus is their prospects of securing an NBL contract after college or later in their careers. The full Australian men's Division I player list follows below. 1. Ben Henshall — Ole Miss Henshall brings three seasons of Perth Wildcats experience to Ole Miss, including a final NBL season in 2025–26 averaging 8.9 points, 3.5…
READ MOREGold Coast councillors have backed further work on an NBL expansion proposal, raising the possibility of a new team entering the competition in 2027/28. The proposed Gold Coast franchise is expected to revive the Blaze name, with Mayor Tom Tate indicating its identity has already been decided. “They’ve already got a name but I can’t tell ya.”Tom Tate Tate has been a leading supporter of the expansion bid and was part of the original Blaze ownership group formed in 2006 alongside David Claxton and Owen…
READ MOREImagine working in a warehouse where employees repeatedly slip on the same section of flooring. Management knows about it, workers have complained, and someone has already suffered a serious injury. Under Australian workplace safety laws, employers are expected to investigate and manage foreseeable risks, not simply rely on an industry safety certificate. A business found to be in breach of safety obligations could face a WorkSafe improvement notice requiring the hazard to be fixed. A serious breach could lead to prosecution, with companies in Victoria…
READ MOREBrisbane Bullets forward Harry Rouhliadeff joins the Aussie Hoopla podcast to discuss his journey from growing up a Bullets fan to captaining the University of Hawai‘i at March Madness, before returning home to begin his professional basketball career. Visit dunk.com.au for your next set of basketball uniforms. Host Dan Boyce chats with Harry about his first NBL start, the faith new coach Will Weaver has shown in him, and the challenges facing the Brisbane Bullets as they look to turn their fortunes around. Having grown…
READ MOREOver the past three NBL seasons, clubs have spent almost $97 million assembling their rosters, but how much of that money has translated into wins, and which teams have delivered the best value for money? These figures represent cash spend, not salary cap spend. Cash spending includes player salaries and additional costs such as agent fees, bonuses, import related expenses and luxury tax, rather than simply the amounts counted against the league's salary cap. How much have NBL teams spent over the past three seasons?…
READ MORELarry Bird believed players began tuning out coaches after three years. Pat Riley reportedly put the limit at five, while Steve Kerr admitted his Golden State players were tired of hearing him in his fourth season. Now Justin Tatum is in his fourth season with Illawarra, and the Hawks have gone from NBL champions to the bottom of the ladder. Could they be experiencing the same problem? Justin Tatum transformed Illawarra from one of the NBL's worst teams into champions. But ahead of today's clash…
READ MOREIn 2002, the Melbourne Tigers were fighting for survival when they identified an opportunity to attract supporters from their biggest rivals. Their plan to honour Brian Goorjian was blocked by the Victoria Giants, potentially changing the course of Melbourne basketball history. In 2002, the Melbourne Tigers devised a plan that could have changed the future of their club. The Tigers were emerging from financial administration, crowds were falling and the club had been forced to abandon its home at Vodafone Arena, now known as John…
READ MOREA new funding proposal, a crucial November meeting and renewed interest from the NBL could finally provide a pathway for professional basketball to return to the Gold Coast. The Gold Coast's long-running push to return to the NBL has reached another critical stage, with Mayor Tom Tate preparing to meet Queensland Deputy Premier Jarrod Bleijie in November to discuss the future of the proposed $1 billion Gold Coast Arena. After years of negotiations, changing timelines and funding setbacks, the city's hopes of securing an NBL…
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