No second Sydney team for 2008/09 Australian basketball season
NBL.com.au
No second Sydney team for 2008/09
Wed, 02 Jul 2008 6:31 PM
NBL
The National Basketball League will not include a second Sydney team in season 2008/09 after the two groups who had submitted proposals for a new license informed the NBL office they were unable to proceed with their bids.
The League office was informed on Wednesday that one of the bids would have to drop out of the race to gain a second Sydney NBL license. The group cited concerns about their ability to put in place the necessary logistical structures to support the team in the short timeframe still remaining until the start of the 2008/09 season on September 13.
The withdrawal left the bid backed by former Sydney Kings owners Harry Cousens and Dorry Kordahi as the only potential applicant for a license that could be considered by the NBL. Support from a major backer for the Cousens-Kordahi consortium failed to materialise however and the group advised the NBL late on Wednesday afternoon that they did not have the necessary financial assurances in place to proceed with their bid either.
The news left the League with no alternative but to cancel a planned teleconference of the NBL Participants on Wednesday evening that would have considered the license applications and make the decision to move ahead as an 11-team league in season 2008/09.
NBL interim Chief Executive Officer Chuck Harmison said the withdrawal of both bids at the eleventh hour was extremely disappointing but that the NBL could now focus on preparations for the 2008/09 season.
“The League had high hopes for both the proposed ownership groups, but ultimately when it came to crunch time both failed to produce the necessary backing to proceed despite the best efforts of some passionate basketball fans in both camps” said Harmison. “The League made a last-ditch attempt when it became apparent that both bids were faltering to bring the two groups together, but those efforts have been in vain. The NBL will therefore be an 11-team league in 2008/09 and we will now move forward and devote our energies to assisting our existing teams in their preparations for the season ahead.”
“Whilst we are obviously disappointed, we had been prepared for this eventuality since the Sydney Kings license was terminated and the League will continue on,” Harmison vowed. “We knew that the possibility of a consortium putting together a successful bid for a new license in time for the 2008/09 season was slim at best. The Razorbacks will now continue to ensure that we have a firm foothold in Australia’s biggest marketplace and they now have the chance to reinvent themselves as a team for all of Sydney. ”
Season 2008/09 will now see each of the NBL’s 11 clubs playing 30 games (15 home and 15 away). The regular season schedule is currently being revised and will be released later in July. The reduction in teams will see the top-eight finals format reviewed in the coming weeks.
This is a very, very sad day for basketball in Australia because the competition is loosing one of the longest basketball clubs in the history of Australian basketball. This was the club that during the early 1990s had an average crowd of 10,200 people during the regular season and on top of that they had a very, very long history of recruiting some of the NBL's best HIGH FLYING SHOWMANS: from James "Showtime" Smith (an awesome athlete who loved to DUNK and BLOCK shots ... well he ended up goaltending 95% of his attempts) to the IN YOUR FACE (Amare Stoudemire type) Leon "Neon" Trimmingham. Not to mention, the 3 PEAT championships as well as the multiple Rookie of the Year awardees (1997 - Matt Nielsen, 2000 - Derek Moore, 2002 - my main man Travis Lane, 2005 - Mark Worthington).
Loosing the Sydney Kings is the equivalent of loosing the New York Knicks or FC Barcelona in the Primera La Liga. Though the West Sydney Razorbacks will still be playing it is not the same as having their arch rivals there. An equivalent to such a case would be loosing Man U and having Man City in the Premier League (how boring! don't you agree?) or even worse loosing Real Madrid (which is impossible) and only having Atletico Madrid or the ultimate worse case scenario is loosing my favourite European football club - Athletic Bilbao (mind you, they are the only club besides Real and Barca to never be relegated) and only having Real Sociedad in the Primera La Liga.
Basketball is going down the drain even though many basketball players and journalists are trying to stay positive. Evidence can firstly be seen in the crowd numbers where you only have an average turn out of 2,000 or so. Some clubs such as the Singapore Slingers play in an empty stadium. The National Indoor Stadium in Singapore can hold a capacity of 10,000 but in many Slinger games you can read that only 1,000 or sometimes 1,200 people attended the match. During last season's grand finals which featured the two top squads of the season: Sydney and Melbourne which featured many national squad members (Sydney: Glen Saville, Mark Worthington and Luke Kendall; Melbourne: Chris Anstey & David Barlow) only had 3,000 people attend game 1 in Sydney. However, the final game in Sydney (game 5) which Melbourne won had a capacity of 10,200 people fill the Sydney Entertainment Centre. Though it is a positive sign the Australian NBL has a long way to go compared to the rejuvenated "A-League" Australia's top flight football competition. Though this competition's level is the equivalent of a top - mid tier Asian football league or even some of the Central American leagues (e.g. El Salvador or Honduras) the league attracts an average of 26,000 to 35,000 people. The "A-League" is only brand new since it only started back in 2005. Before that Australian had the National Soccer League (NSL) but that league shut down in 2003 due to the financial debt that it had accumulated over the years. Back in the NSL it was a similar scenario as the Australian NBL with only a handful of supporters (though mid you they were VERY PASSIONATE since many were ethnic Australian backed. For example, Sydney Olympic - Greeks; Sydney United - Croatians; Marconi Fairfield - Italians) but after a 2 year absence football has sky rocketed back to the Australian sporting scene. Though football is not in the top 5 sports in Australia (the others are: 1. Australian Rules Football, 2. Cricket, 3. Rugby League, 4. Rugby Union, 5. Netball) many sporting fans and football fans can see that there is a VERY BRIGHT future ahead football in Australia. There are many factors that basketball can learn from the football resurgence:
1. Quality of management at the federation level
2. Increase in capital
3. Grassroot programs
4. Community based initiatives
5. Marquee signings
and the list goes on...
"No hay poder en el mundo que pueda cambiar el destino"
-El Padrino
Wow that's quite shocking... The Sydney Kings are a symbol of Aussie basketball. If you ask people about what they know about Aussie basketball, I'm sure many will reply: Sydney Kings. What will happen to the club now?
Die Liebe wird eine Krankheit, wenn man sie als eine Heilung sieht
Artificial Nature
Until they are able to find a group of owners willing to submit a valid financial plan to purchase the license of the club from the NBL commission then there will be no "Sydney Kings".Originally Posted by rikhardur
"No hay poder en el mundo que pueda cambiar el destino"
-El Padrino
This is sad... I really hope they return to the league in the near-future... I know this is going to happen when their coach left...
Melbourne Tigers signed Sam Mackinnon for 3 seasons from Brisbane.
Die Liebe wird eine Krankheit, wenn man sie als eine Heilung sieht
Artificial Nature
South Dragons signed Ebi Ere for 2 season from the Brisbane Bullets.
The (West Sydney) Razorbacks will from now on play under the name of Sydney Spirit. I like that, simple and effective
Die Liebe wird eine Krankheit, wenn man sie als eine Heilung sieht
Artificial Nature
mark caguioa
..cn mark caguioa play in the NBL
..cn he attain all his best
..so that his height is so week in this league
who asked mark caguioa to be included in this discussion, please we filipinos had enough shame in other thread don't add more
these guys don't have a problem with basketball, why do you?
After having spent some years in Australia I do think this is upsetting as I did go to many NBL games regularly and I feel for all those people especially that have been putting in so much effort into the sport locally now to see it deteriorate.
Yes this has always been the case in Australia with these sports but now as it is close to Olympics we can point out that none of these are Olympic sports so what does everyone follow? From memory they follow the individual events like swimming? So how can basketball break this top 5?
I guess my point that should be made to the Australian public (especially at this time) that your top 5 sports arent and most probably will not be in the olympics and that sports like basketball are what the country should get behind like in the NBL so they can prosper and breed more players for events like the Olympics.
I see very little promotion of basketball in your papers in regards to the olympics and I guess in general so I guess that this is more driven by the media and the executives behind your newspapers and television channels than the public itself. I recall a mindset in Australia that basketball is an "American sport" and hence why many people dislike it as it is not of the English origins as many of your populus and hence prefer more the colonial traditions such as rugby, cricket and the sport I hate most in this world "netball"
Your comment is VERY TRUE! I still remember growing up in a non basketball suburb of Sydney where I would be labelled an "American wannabe".I recall a mindset in Australia that basketball is an "American sport" and hence why many people dislike it as it is not of the English origins as many of your populus and hence prefer more the colonial traditions such as rugby, cricket and the sport I hate most in this world "netball"
"No hay poder en el mundo que pueda cambiar el destino"
-El Padrino
[QUOTE=Saskibaloia]NBL.com.au
This is a very, very sad day for basketball in Australia because the competition is loosing one of the longest basketball clubs in the history of Australian basketball.
this is wrong. the sydney kings was a manufactured club that came out of the merger of two previous sydney clubs in the 1988. of more interest would have been the demise of the brisbane bullets which was an NBL foundation club (1979). this leaves the wollongong hawks as the only remaining NBL foundation clubs. Adelaide, melbourne and perth are also all older than the sydney kings. its sad they're gone but its the fault of the sydney fans who stayed away in droves even when the kings were winning!
however i think there will be another sydney team returning to the next year. so don't cry for too long.
Last edited by kajacko; 09-26-2008 at 10:48 AM.
True, easy evidence can be seen when ONLY 4,000 or was it only 3,200 showed up for game one of the NBL finals in a stadium that caters for 10,500.
"No hay poder en el mundo que pueda cambiar el destino"
-El Padrino
Sydney goes Low
Source nbl.com.au
Sydney have confirmed the signing of American sharpshooter Derrick Low as their second import player for the upcoming 2008/09 National Basketball League season.
The standout marksman from Washington State University, which plays in the prestigious Pac-10 conference, has agreed to terms with the club.
Low, a four-year starter with Washington State, is looking forward to revisiting Australia after touring in 2007 and falling in love with the country. Known for his outstanding three-pointing shooting, he is the perfect fit for coach Rob Beveridge’s high-octane offence.
In his senior year at Washington State, Low set the single-season record for most three-point field goals made. Low’s three-point shooting will help create space for rising young stars Matthew Knight and Julian Khazzouh in the paint, as well as Kiwi big man Tony Rampton and newly-signed forward Dave Gruber.
With Sydney playing an aggressive pressing style of basketball, coach Beveridge is looking forward to the hard working Low joining the team.
“Low’s work ethic and three-point shooting is just the injection to complement our style,” Beveridge said. “His never-say-die attitude is what the fans have come to expect of our team in the last 12 months.”
Low, who originated from Hawaii where he was named ‘Mr. Basketball’ the last three years of his high school career, was ecstatic to join Sydney.
“I am looking forward to travelling to Australia and playing in a league that is of a high quality,” Low said. “I have heard nothing but good things about the Australian NBL and thoroughly enjoyed my time there when touring with Washington State in 2007. I can’t wait to hit the court with the Spirit.”
With their imports signed, Sydney are now looking forward to their preseason games and bringing Low out to Australia as soon as possible to give him quality time to adjust to his new environment.
Sydney play their first pre-season game this Saturday August 9 at the Hills Basketball Stadium with tip-off scheduled for 6pm. For other preseason games, check Sydney’s website (www.razorbacks.com.au) or the NBL website (www.nbl.com.au).
Last edited by rikhardur; 08-08-2008 at 03:19 PM. Reason: Threads merged
Perth Wildcats signed veteran Ben Knight from Singapore Slingers.
Die Liebe wird eine Krankheit, wenn man sie als eine Heilung sieht
Artificial Nature
ebi ere signs with melbourne tigers
The melbourne tigers today (September 3) confirmed Ebi Ere will sign with the club.
this would make the starting five Chris Anstey, sam mckinnon, david barlow, Ere and rod grizzard.
the signing, while great for the Tigers i'm sure, is a joke as far as the rest of the NBL goes.
what happened to the salary cap? (this could also be asked of cross town rivals South Dragons) and what happen to the points system which is allegedly in place to spread the talent base?
even if each of the starters named here were to get $100,000 each (way below their value) that would put the whole team (not paying the bench players of course!) over the salary cap.
And good judges also estimated that before the addition of Ere the tigers would have only have had nine points available under their limit - and Ere would be a premium import player and would therefore be a 10 point player - so the Tigers are over the limit there too
the NBL needs to sort this stuff out sooner rather than later.
We are already down to a 10 team NBL.
At this rate it won't be long before the NBL is completely dead!
Last edited by rikhardur; 09-03-2008 at 01:57 PM. Reason: Threads merged
i am curious to know why this post was edited by someone other than myself. no profanity, no derogatory stuff and what threads were merged? does it not belong in this section of the forum?
[The post no. 15 was not edited in any way kajacko, it was simply moved here (it had been created as a thread), hence the threads were merged. As for the post before this one, you deleted it yourself ("This message has been deleted by kajacko. Reason: have reason to doubt source").
Better to put NBL related news here than create a thread everytime something new comes up. rikhardur]
i am aware of what happened to the post before last. i deleted it because i didn't want to post anything that i was not 100 per cent sure of.
is there a problem with doing that.
i was trying to be responsible. if there is a problem with this let me know but i did not raise this as an issue
[No, not a problem at all kajacko, I was simply not sure as to what you were referring to
Last edited by rikhardur; 10-10-2008 at 01:01 AM.
Die Liebe wird eine Krankheit, wenn man sie als eine Heilung sieht
Artificial Nature
The Breakers have a good start... I hope this continue... I belive they have two of the best guards in the NBL... Kirk Penney could be the leading MVP contender if he continues to perform well...
OFF-TOPIC
Hey rikhardur... can you do that to the Filipino threads as well... some Filipino forumers especially the new ones keep starting new threads that already been started before... its annoying! [Sure donmar, that's done over there too]
Last edited by rikhardur; 10-03-2008 at 02:09 PM.
whatis the NBL doing THIS year??
In light of the impending revamp of the NBL there were some interesting comments by mat campbell re the future of the league.
http://www.illawarramercury.com.au/n...s/1331397.aspx
campbell suggests the NBL needs to pull its finger out and stop drifting this season. he claims the NBL is not ''taking the time to put into the league as it is now. There's too much worrying about what's happening next year."
Any thoughts?
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