NBL Season 2010-11

[rikhardur]

The Adelaide 36ers signed G Aaron Bruce.

[Saskibaloia]

NBL.com.au

NBL clashes set to turn catty

[donmar]

Halfway through the season and it looks like Kirk Penney will be an MVP nominee for the fourth season in a row...

Penney shines against Snakes, wins NBL Player of the Week

January 19, 2011, 02:32 PM AEST









New Zealand Breakers’ superstar guard Kirk Penney has taken out the National Basketball League’s Player of the Week award for Round 14 of the iiNet NBL Championship after leading his side to a tough win over the Cairns Taipans in their top-of-the-table clash last Thursday.

The first-placed Breakers ground out a 94-88 win over the second-seeded Taipans at the North Shore Events Centre to consolidate their position at the top of the iiNet NBL Championship ladder before New Zealand’s biggest home crowd in over six and a half years.

Penney was a standout for the Breakers in the win, scoring 24 points and adding six rebounds, five assists and two steals. His haul included hitting five three-pointers for the match.

This is Penney’s third Player of the Week award this season, having also taken out back-to-back honours in Rounds Nine and Ten as well as the Player of the Month award for December.

Townsville Crocodiles’ big man Russell Hinder was narrowly beaten out for the award in Round 14 after a sizzling shooting performance. Hinder rose to the occasion as Prime Minister Julia Gillard watched on, scoring 26 points and adding eight rebounds and three assists in the Crocs’ 94-78 home victory over the Melbourne Tigers on Friday night. The man known as ‘Rusty’ made 8-of-10 shots from the field, including 3-of-4 threes, and connected on all seven of his free throw attempts.

Also a serious contender for the award in Round 14 was Perth’s Cameron Tovey. The athletic Perth star ignited the Wildcats in the first quarter of their Grand Final rematch with the Wollongong Hawks on Friday, finishing the 92-58 win with 16 points, 11 rebounds, four assists, two steals and two blocks.

Others who were considered for the weekly award included Tim Coenraad (Wollongong), Ronald Dorsey (Cairns), Adam Gibson (Gold Coast), Adam Ballinger (Adelaide), Corey Williams (Melbourne), Eddie Shannon (Adelaide), Rhys Martin (Wollongong), Mark Worthington (Gold Coast), Brad Williamson (Townsville) and Gary Wilkinson (New Zealand).


2010/11 iiNet NBL Championship Player of the Week Winners
Round 1 – Julian Khazzouh (Sydney Kings)
Round 2 – Gary Ervin (Wollongong Hawks)
Round 3 – Luke Schenscher (Townsville Crocodiles)
Round 4 – Gary Wilkinson (New Zealand Breakers)
Round 5 – Shawn Redhage (Perth Wildcats)
Round 6 – Oscar Forman (Wollongong Hawks)
Round 7 – Michael Cedar (Townsville Crocodiles)
Round 8 – Corey Williams (Melbourne Tigers)
Round 9 – Kirk Penney (New Zealand Breakers)
Round 10 – Kirk Penney (New Zealand Breakers)
Round 11 – Luke Schenscher (Townsville Crocodiles)
Round 12 - Corey Williams (Melbourne Tigers)
Round 13 – Mark Worthington (Gold Coast Blaze)
Round 14 – Kirk Penney (New Zealand Breakers)


Source: NBL

[Saskibaloia]

Halfway through the season and it looks like Kirk Penney will be an MVP nominee for the fourth season in a row...

He's an awesome player. Full of experience from playin' in the toughest league and also having played in Europe. I wonder if he would be considered as a top 5 shooting guard in the history of the NBL.

My personal rankings of Shooting Guards:

1. Andrew Gaze
2. Rob Rose
3. Lanard Copeland
4. Brett Maher
5. John Rillie
6. Jason Smith
7. Kirk Penney

But after 3 years, I could imagine Penney reaching number 3 or 4 on the All Time list.

[donmar]

He's an awesome player. Full of experience from playin' in the toughest league and also having played in Europe. I wonder if he would be considered as a top 5 shooting guard in the history of the NBL.

My personal rankings of Shooting Guards:

1. Andrew Gaze
2. Rob Rose
3. Lanard Copeland
4. Brett Maher
5. John Rillie
6. Jason Smith
7. Kirk Penney

But after 3 years, I could imagine Penney reaching number 3 or 4 on the All Time list.

Yeah I agree, he certainly in contention for the ANBL all-time list for shooting guards.. hopefully, he will finish his career in the ANBL.. he could be the best player New Zealand ever had.. if Sean Marks did not spend a lot of time in the NBA bench and play somewhere else then Marks could have been the best Kiwi baller.. then we have the great Pero Cameron, who maybe ahead or close second to Penney..

I think nobody can knocked down the great Andrew Gaze in that number one position for a longtime..

[donmar]

Basketball: Breakers thrash 36ers
9:38 PM Thursday Jan 20, 2011

NZ Breakers 91
Adelaide 36ers 77

Kirk Penney of the Breakers drives to the basket under heavy pressure from Eddie Shannon of the 36ers. Photo / Getty Images

The New Zealand Breakers continued to set the pace in the Australian National Basketball League by beating Adelaide 36ers 91-77 in Auckland tonight for their 13th win of the season.

The Breakers got off to a slow start, with their timing for passes a little off and allowed Adelaide get out to a 10-7 lead.

But once Kirk Penney, Thomas Abercrombie and Gary Wilkinson got into their work, the deficit was quickly cut.

Kevin Braswell and CJ Bruton came off the bench and put some rhythm into the Breakers, each sinking three-pointers to spark their side into action.

The Breakers also tightened up their defence and with Bruton and Braswell calling the shots in attack, a nine-point run from 17-18 behind saw Adelaide quickly run out of the game.

The Breakers stamped their domination when Thomas Abercrombie finished off an alley oop move set up by Braswell in the last second of the first quarter for a 28-21 lead.

The game was essentially won when the Breakers went on a 13-point scoring spree from the start of the second quarter while keeping Adelaide scoreless.

They outscored their opponents 27-15 to take a 55-36 lead into halftime.

The Breakers opened the second half with Gary Wilkinson sinking two three-pointers and Paul Henare adding another in the space of a couple of minute to break Adelaide's resolve.

The Breakers' fluent attacks punched huge holes in Adelaide's defence and gave the shooters time to line up their shots unchallenged as they won the quarter 21-19.

Wilkinson shot a game high 21 points with Penney adding 19. Braswell made 11.

The Breakers coasted the final quarter to be outscored 15-22 but by then, the game was in the bag.

Daniel Johnson topscored for Adelaide with 18 followed by Adam Ballinger with 16.

New Zealand Breakers 91 (Gary Wilkinson 21, Kirk Penney 19, Kevin Braswell 11) Adelaide 36ers 77 (Daniel Johnson 18, Adam Ballinger 16). Halftime: 55-36.

- NZPA

Source: New Zealand Herald

I hope they can maintain this...

[rikhardur]

Al Westover is no longer the coach of the Melbourne Tigers. Assistant Darryl "D-Mac" McDonald will guide the team until the end of the season.

[bballscout2004]

this player maybe will be free for a club because of the protest in the middle, so there league may stop. this is his high lights updated last week.

2010- 2011 high lights -

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tc4oB2qd-gA -high light 1

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i7UTpxFII58 - high light
2

[rikhardur]

The Adelaide 36ers released G Ron Howard due to an ankle injury.

[CKR13]

Sydney Kings 95 (7-17) Melbourne Tigers 86 (9-14)

I have watched the replay of the game and the Tigers came out flat for the first half and for the second half of the game, the Tigers tried to claw back but the Kings managed to stave off the challenge. I guess the 10 Day break is one of the reason why the Tigers claws were not so sharp.

[rikhardur]

AUS - Penney drops 38 as NBL semis go the distance

PERTH (NBL) - A 38-point masterclass from Kiwi superstar Kirk Penney has led the New Zealand Breakers to the biggest win in franchise history, a 93-89 NBL semi final win over the defending champion Perth Wildcats.

Reigning champion Perth had embarrassed the minor premiers in Auckland in game one, winning 101-78 in a lop-sided contest, Penney held to 14 points on 3/9 shooting. With Breakers star power forward Mika Vukona suffering a media ligament injury in his knee, things looked bleak for New Zealand.

Vukona though would inspire his team by not only suiting up in game two but leading the match in rebounding with 10. His teammates responded and played with far greater energy, Penney's 23 first half points setting up a 49-42 lead at the main break.

As they are known for the Wildcats upped the defence in the third quarter behind their own inspirational leader Damian Martin. A serious of steals from the 2010 FIBA World Championship point guard saw Perth win the quarter 23-14 and take the lead 65-63.

But a fourth quarter cameo from CJ Bruton (11 points) before he fouled out put the Breakers back in front, then Penney's (16/20 free throws) cool head from the free throw line and two remarkable three-pointers from Breakers import Kevin Braswell (16 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists) sealed the game to the disappointment of another sell out crowd in Perth.

Martin was outstanding for Perth with 14 points, 7 steals, 6 rebounds and 5 assists, well supported by big men Matt Knight (17 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists) and Jesse Wagstaff (16 points, 6/8fg).

Game three is on Wednesday in Auckland at 7:00pm local time.

In the other NBL semi final the Townsville Crocs were thrashed by the Cairns Taipans in front of a raucous sell out crowd of more than 5000 in Cairns.

Stinging from their overtime defeat in game one, the Taipans produced a blistering 29-7 second quarter to run out 74-57 winners and force game three in Townsville this Sunday.

For Cairns, power forward Alex Loughton busted out of his form slump, nailing 14 points on a series of jumpshots to bust the game open. Dependable centre Ian Crosswhite was again strong with 15 points, 5 rebounds and 2 blocks, while Ron Dorsey had 11 points, 9 rebounds and 2 steals.

Only import Rosell Ellis (14 points, 6 rebounds, 3 steals) and centre Luke Schenscher (12 points) reached double figures for the Crocs.

Paulo Kennedy
FIBA

http://www.fiba.com/pages/eng/fc/new...6363/arti.html

[CKR13]

Most Valuable Player - Gary Ervin (Wollongong)

All-NBL Team - Kirk Penney (New Zealand), Gary Ervin (Wollongong), Julian Khazzouh (Sydney), Damian Martin (Perth), Gary Wilkinson (New Zealand)

Most Improved Player - Oscar Forman (Wollongong)

Best 6th Man - Kevin Braswell (New Zealand)

NBL Coach of the Year - Trevor Gleeson (Townsville)

NBL Referee of the Year - Michael Aylen

Best Defensive Player - Damian Martin (Perth)

Rookie of the Year - Ben Madgen (Sydney)



Also announced at tonight’s ceremony were the NBL’s media award winners for the 2010/11 season.

NBL MEDIA AWARD WINNERS

Basketball Writer of the Year – Boti Nagy - The Advertiser
Best Feature Article – Michael Cowley – Sydney Morning Herald

Best Radio Presentation package – ABC Radio Sport - Adelaide
Best Radio News Package – SEN 1116

Best Photograph (Action) - Ian Hitchcock - Getty Images
Best Photograph (Non-Action) – Kirk Gilmour - Illawarra Mercury

Best Television Feature Story – Lennon Cooper – Fox Sports
Best Television News Story – Patrick Dybell – Network Ten

[rikhardur]

AUS/NZL – Breakers destroy Cairns to close on title

AUCKLAND (NBL) – The New Zealand Breakers have shown why they are considered one of the most talented teams to ever play in the NBL by smashing the Cairns Taipans 85-67 in Game One of the Grand Final series.

Following repeated criticism of their defence during the regular season, the Breakers produced a near faultless defensive performance to close the methodical Taipans team out of the game from quarter time.

After a tough defensive start to the game, the Breakers exploded offensively, nailing 17 points in the opening four minutes of the second stanza while holding Cairns to a single basket. Though the Taipans would fight back late in the term the margin had been extended from three points at the first break to 41-27 at half time.

Breakers superstar Kirk Penney (pictured) and import Gary Wilkinson then took over in the third quarter to effectively finish the contest, scoring 16 points between them including a Penney triple which gave the Breakers a 66-35 lead mid way through the term and brought the 4400 strong sell-out crowd to boiling point.

The crowd continued to party in the final term, emerging 216cm centre Alex Pledger throwing in an incredible one handed alley-oop to cap one of the best nights of his short professional career. The 2010 FIBA World Championship reserve piled in 13 points on 6/7 shooting to go with 4 rebounds and 2 massive blocks.

Penney was the biggest star of the show, finishing with 25 points, 8 rebounds and 4 assists, ably supported by Wilkinson with 15 points on 7/12 shooting.

The Breakers array of internationals - Thomas Abercrombie (9 points, 6 rebounds), CJ Bruton (8 points), Mika Vukona (7 points, 5 rebounds) and Dillon Boucher (6 rebounds, 3 assists) - all made contributions throughout the rout.

For Cairns, it was their own Kiwi Phill Jones who led a late game mini-revival with 14 points, while centre Ian Crosswhite (15 points, 5/6 fg, 6 rebounds) also had a serviceable game in his battle with Pledger. Ayinde Ubaka, Ron Dorsey and Dusty Rychart all scored 12 points but made little impact on the game.

Game Two is at the Cairns Convention Centre on Sunday at 4:00pm AST.

The game was declared a sell-out just two hours and 10 minutes after tickets went on sale. In the two teams’ previous match-up in Cairns the Breakers trailed by 20 points at half time before recovering to win 77-74.

Paulo Kennedy

FIBA

http://www.fiba.com/pages/eng/fc/new...6471/arti.html

[CKR13]

Former Townsville Crocodiles head coach Trevor Gleeson has been appointed as the new head coach of the Melbourne Tigers.

[rikhardur]

NZL/AUS – Bruton, big game Breakers win first NBL title

AUCKLAND (NBL) – The big game Olympic and FIBA World Championship experience of the New Zealand Breakers has guided them to their first NBL championship as they put on a clinical Game Three performance to strangle the Cairns Taipans 71-53.

While their smothering defence - which would have been at home at last year’s FIBA World Championship in Turkey – set up the win, star Australian Boomers guard CJ Bruton hit the big shots to seal the victory in front of a deafening sell-out crowd.

Bruton led all scorers with 14 points on 4/7 three-point shooting, and his two successive long range triples in the fourth quarter ended any chance the Taipans had and sent the 4400 Breakers fans into party mode. Kirk Penney (11 points, 3/10 fg) shrugged off a poor shooting night to nail a leaning three-pointer to cap the victory with 1:03 remaining.

The Breakers led 17-15 at quarter time, 37-30 at half time and 57-45 at three quarter time before running out 18-point winners. They won the rebound count 43-36, scored more points in the paint, more second chance points, secured more steals and scored more points off turnovers in a display that oozed big game experience.

An estimated 150,000 New Zealanders also watched the broadcast on Sky Sports, one of the biggest ever audiences for a basketball game in the Shaky Isles.

Emerging international star Tom Abercrombie (7 points, 10 rebounds, 4 steals) won the Larry Sengstock medal for Grand Final MVP after averaging 11ppg and 7rpg and playing suffocating defence across the three games.

Tough New Zealand forward Mika Vukona (9 points, 10 rebounds) was also an MVP candidate, as was young 216cm centre Alex Pledger who averaged 9ppg and 6rpg in just 16 minutes per contest to show he is ready to be a factor in this year’s FIBA Oceania Championship.

The Breakers’ win sees them secure a place in history as the first Kiwi team to win an Australian sporting competition. With the majority of the team likely to return next season, including star internationals Penney, Bruton, Abercrombie and Vukona, they may not have to wait long for a repeat dose.

For Cairns, former Minnesota Gopher Dusty Rychart was the only player in double figures with 14 points and 10 rebounds.

Paulo Kennedy

http://www.fiba.com/pages/eng/fc/new...6547/arti.html