Hoops

S.O.S. - Sixers future

Yea, i spose its probably too much for the 1 mil but it worked points cap wise, we could go 1 import either a PG or a SG/SF ill say Gary Ervin for a stud import PG and retain Holmes (or Bruce if we want a import SG/SF instead of Holmes or Ng) instead of the 2nd import giving us

Ervin/Carter
Herbert/Ng (would a cheap import shooter be affordable ala Mike Rose)
Hill/Creek
Ballinger/Holmes (would a cheap import ala Galen Young be affordable)
Schenscher/Johnson

If we got the 2nd import it would be a cheap one for either Ng or Holmes as obviously cant have 3 imports

Or

Bruce/Carter
IMPORT say Donta Smith for a name/Herbert
Hill/Creek
Ballinger/Holmes (or Ng as back up SG, obviously sliding Herbert and Creek up a position, or would a cheap import ala Galen Young or Mike Rose be affordable?)
Schenscher/Johnson

Having an import as good as Ervin (or Smith) and adding Schenscher would instantly make us better, if Herbert and Ng can stay healthy and play the full season that will help us with our 3 point shooting issue, and Schensch should improve our rebounding and give us someone to guard C's to free up Ballinger to play his natural game.

I reckon this line up would compare reasonably well with Townsvilles current line up so should have us atleast somewhere near the playoffs if all stay healthy and play at their career average levels, and Creek, Bruce, Hill and Johnson improve a bit which i reckon they would.

If he were to come cheap and possibly if we could get him re-rated to a 8 or 9 and we are running 2 imports would anyone keep Eddie Shannon?

a team of

Shannon 9/Carter ?6
Stud Import sg/sf ala Donte Smith 10/Ng 7
Hill 5/Herbert 6
Ballinger 10/Creek 1
Schenscher 10/Johnson ?6

Would fit in to 70 points and looks pretty good to me. Shannon would just have to make the passes and i reckon he would be quite good at setting someone like Shenscher up, Ervin is better but would also potentially cost alot more and i wouldnt even consider Shannon if he doesnt come cheap(ish) next year as he is not worth top/stud import money like a Ervin, if we are going to spend big on 1 import and its a PG Ervin would be my number 1 target or someone like Dante Draper if we could get him back from Europe.

If Shannon/cheap import isnt a 9 we could either let someone like Ng go for a 6 (Magden?)and use the extra point for a Ervin or fresh import (salary cap permitting)or get the best Aussie 9 point player we can get, Adam Gibson would be ideal but id say hew would cost too much, and be very hard to get from the Gold Coast and would mean running with 1 import possibly a cheap sg/sf but if we could bring in say Gibson (or similar/boomer level Aussie) and Schenscher id be happy to run with 1 average/good import, especially after the imports we have had recently.

Your Mumma, thanks for that info. I didnt know that. I guess when the league first started, some of the teams I supported actually travelled by road.

The only alternative venue would be the Entertainment Centre but that is bigger, catering and parking costs similar and games would be at the whim of the availability of the venue. At least at the current venue, it doesnt appear that games have to be worked around other events.

The team regularly pulls between 4-5000 so sure there are plenty of seats (and missed $$$) but consistently improved performances will result in improved crowds. Everyone loves a winner, only diehards go for the team first, results seconds. If the 36ers performed a lot better the crowd numbers would take care of themselves.

In terms of whether the Sixers will be around in the years ahead, I tend to think that if monies are available over a 2 year period, I think the club can last that long and get into a position where they could prosper both off and on the court.

I had the luxury of speaking with a colleague in Cairns about their woes last year and the previous years and while I am not at liberty to reveal any details, this friend gave me an overview of basic breakdowns. Their costings are practically the same as ours, however their travel costs are slightly higher. Their marketing is lower but attracts far more sponsors because they aim for capacity and to suit the clientele.

On season ticket holders, this is a hard one. Any team who is a cellar dweller or friend of a cellar dweller is likely to be running in the red on seats sold. A forum was held prior to the beginning of the season to identify market controls and what the SOS could do to invigorate dwindling numbers. By dwindling I refer to a house capacity of 7800, and yet only getting marginal 5000. While some initiatives have worked, others may not have been explored but then, Im not on the board so how the hell would I know.

The club itself doesnt utilise any volunteer committees which could be an oversight yet seem understaffed. With this, it might be possible to increase patronage by 5-10%. Its a guess, cos I go a long way back to the days when I was a commitee member with another NBL club that did eventually go bust but due to lack of sponsors.

The other thing that doesnt attract memberships is pricing at games on food and beverage. I think what the caterer needs to understand is...yes, while there are games we can inflate prices to maximise profit, but if there are no games, we dont make any money. If the Sixers close shop, will they run the pie cart again outside the casino to avoid losses? I think not!

On the court, I now no longer wish to comment because others have made their position and stance and thats fine. The coach coaches. the team manager, manages. The marketing guru, does his marketing ploy. There should be no influence from any other party involved.
Take a look at the success of Geelong Football Club. For the years they made the GF's in the 90's, Blight would play his team, but come GF day, the board overruled and forced him to allow this player and that player the right to play despite being either too old, or not the best suited player. When Thompson came in, he ran the players and thats all he did. Hence why he became more focused on the team, the team success and above all, the winning factor. How successful have Geelong been over the last 5 years? Very!

Lastly, I agree with a previous post from another respondant. If you want basketball in the state, you buy a membership. Not.....oh well i got this commitment and that commitment but cry foul cos we arent doing well! Thats crap attitude. If you are an ex member, question why you went to the games in the years gone by, and why now. I bet its all about winning. If a team that plays away wins 1 out of 10 with minimal support from travelling fans and yet doesnt get a packed house for home matches, how does this affect winning games when it comes to crucial times. Sure, player psychology is one, but that has nothing to with us. Thats the coach and his support staff.

The sixers will survive, but perhaps a change of venue needs to be looked at like the EC as numbers arent what they have been

7 more , he told us.

Anyways - Schenscher 27mins, Johnson 13.
Clarke's inflexibility.
Forman before Dowdell - ( I didn't even know that.)
I'm reading yesterday's Advertiser, agen this a.m.

"........wonder how ken cole would have run this club?"

Smoke Dreams anonymous - but potentially 3 more premierships if he hadnt been sacked

' inundated with emails from Adelaide fans suffering through another lean basketball year , Boti Nagy sums up their feelings in 2011.'

The article , in todays Advertiser, written by Boti Nagy , 'On a road to nowhere.' Covers this topic well,
very well.

I have supported the Sixers since 1985. I have been a season ticket holder since 1992.
The drama of 1986 hooked me. The heart of 1994 was inspiring & the defeat was gutting. The swagger of our 1998/99 team was intoxicating. 2002 was a ridiculous ride.
I love this sport. I love my team. But I am sick of re-living past glories. There needs to be a hope and excitement for the future. At the moment the only thing I am excited about is Mitch Creek and Tom Daly.
Yesterday I couldn't for the life of me remember the name of our import last year (John Gilchrist).
I have never been as apathetic about my chosen sport and my chosen team as I am today.
Four imports in one year is absurd. It diminishes any sense of engagement that I feel toward my team.
This year I bought a SACA membership, basically in readiness for AFL football being played at Adelaide Oval from 2014.
Once this happens it will be crunch time. SACA membership plus football membership will probably be around $700 a year.
If basketball cannot give me a sense of a legitimate, professional league and my team cannot get it's act together, I will pull the pin and get myself a membership with a football club.
The last 3 years have been rubbish. They have two years to at least start heading in the right direction.

I would have to say that the membership packs for this season were a little half-arsed.

Bought two Platinum seats, only got one carpark pass instead of two. Don't get the half-time stat sheets at most games, missed half the contents of my member pack as well.

Last time there was a decent pack was 2-3 seasons ago where you go an Entertainment book and a Sixers T-Shirt.

Speaking of leadership, how is Schenscher considered around the league?

Just bringing him in could solve a number of our issues. i.e will give us a boomer level Aussie, a c so ballinger can play pf, will help with inside defense and rebounding (he is not a beast by anymeans but still would help and be a improvement on what we have now).

It may also be a coincidence (i dont think it is) but from memory he has never been in a losing program outside of a couple of games in the NBA for the Bulls and Blazers, his college team made it to the finals, all of his nbl teams have made it to the playoffs (title last year), Townsville are looking good to make it this year, so he would also bring in a winning attitude, and could help the 36ers to their first winning season since he left.

I for one think the first matter of Business for SOS to help the sixers future is to bring Schenscher home. Once we start winning the crowd will take care of itself, and he would help in the 3 year plan as he is still at an age where he could be our starting C and one of the better ones in the NBL for the next 3-5 years, so gives us a good piece to build around, possibly as captain.

I think you can sum up the issues on the road as being a lack of leadership. At home its easy to get pumped up as you have 4000 screaming fans on your side, away however they are all out to get you and willing you to fail.

I think Ballinger is the standout player on the team, he can score at will and has improved his defense as well, but he is not a natural leader. Sure at home he has had some moments and led the team well but he doesnt seem to deliver in this area when your away and the chips are down. Holmes has the attitude to be that leader but unfortunately he hasnt got he game these days.

Imagine the Sixers now with a player like Catalini or Maher in there, willing to just put the team on their shoulders and lead them out of a crappy start in a road game, doing that little bit extra to inspire those around them. Whether it be with some agression - ala Cat or a typically clutch Brett Maher play - its not all about just being a hugely talented player - its having that little bit extra to give when its most needed.

Who can play this role? At the moment there is Holmes but he has his limitations, and Ballinger who IMO needs someone to take the leadershp spotlight off him and let him play. Maybe Mitch Creek could develop into this role or even Aaron Bruce? Maybe you can find it in an import? Its not a quick fix though, players need to grow into these roles and with the young guys you have now and the addition of some decent imports the next 2 years of the much maligned 3 year plan should really see the Sixers back up where the fans want them to be

The Sixers suck right now because of a complette failure of talent identification and succession planning by successive coaches over the last 5 years.

The last era of 'keepers' blooded by the Sixers were Holmes and Forman (2002) and Darren Ng (2003). Maybe we can lay claim to Hill (2005), but given the mess up that saw him go to the Dragons, there was not much of an attempt at retention there. As for talent identification for people from out of the state or returning from college, what, there is maybe Bruce?
Even then, none of those players are superstars.

In the same period, young South Aussies in Ingles, Newley and Schench were let to get away.

Essentially, in the last six years the Sixers have failed to unearth any solid young players who have gone on to make good careers for themselves either here or overseas. I believe that is the main reason we are presently towards the bottom of the ladder. Last year's team was the final insult, being full of uninspiring journeymen and aging recycled imports who were beyond redemption.

So to the future - for the first time in ages I think this team has one. Thanks to some good recruiting this year, I see a core group of players that could stay together for 5 years that is a solid base to build upon. We also have a coach that has shown he can attract and develop talent. That alone says positive things for the Sixers' future.

There are still question marks over whether Clarke's gameplan will work in the long term, but I think they will. Clarke's recruiting direction and set ups remind me in many ways of Goorj (shudder to praise the man), such that I am quietly confident that there is a great future ahead. Three year plan, well yeah actually there might be one. It will take at least that to fix the mess created over the last six years as this great club crumbled towards obscurity, getting progressively worse each year. There are no quick fixes.

I think people need to get a little bit of long term perspective.

Now is the time for all good men (and women) to stand up and be counted.

We never know the worth of water 'til the well is dry and this is just crazy talk about not renewing tickets. if anything, now IS the time to renew your season ticket and get behind the club.

Running an NBL club is bloody hard, and bloody expensive. Every loss of ticket sale directly affects the club's future. If you don't like how the Sixers have gone this year, rather than cancel your tickets, show some support. Things go in cycles and the Sixers will soon be on the up side.

The SOS have done a great job over the last few years to ensure we still can enjoy the Sixers and at great personal risk.

It is true the Sixers took a gamble with its team and coach this year, and that calculated gamble has yet to yield results. One could argue our team is short, our imports are not performing, our leadership group is in the wilderness and our coach is out of his depth. Let the post season review by the SOS work out the path forward. No doubt, Rightly or wrongly, some heads will roll.

In the meantime, while we are down, that is the time to support the club, not be a fair weather supporter.

Yep. I'm at a debarcle about renewing for next season. Seems the moment I bought season tickets about 5 seasons ago, the team can't make the finals.

Do I ditch the tickets because I'm tired of a losing team, or do I hang on considering I have premo seating and don't want to lose it?

Honestly, the opportunity to cement the team next season is my deciding factor. I was pleasantly surprised with the options for the Sixers, but the big issue now is when guys come out of the injury circle and you look at the team, we're stacked with shorts and need to really refine the talent.

We'll see what happens.

After 18 years, I reckon I've got a handle on how to stick with my team.

I'm also allowed to be disappointed.

Dad and I have been season ticket holders since the move to Findon as well (South, Row G, center aisle). My gf wants to get our third seat back so she can attend games with us next year.

For the first time ever, I'm not sure I'd advise her that it would be money well spent - which to be honest, is rather saddening.

I love the Sixers more than any sporting team on earth - singlets are hung on my wall at home, other memorabilia all through the house. Hell, I still have an unopened West End 6 pack from the championship years with the players on the side!

So it kills me to see where things are at. And as above, thank you SOS for everything you have done. An amazing job by dedicated and passionate Sixer fans behind the scenes that is well appreciated.

Here's hoping I'm sat center aisle again next year full of hope and motivation and cheering my butt off. At this stage, it seems a LONG way off.