Hoops

Whitcomb highlights video

Whitcomb is no chucker. She is also a very, very good passer and was high on the assists list. A highlights video is always going to focus on scoring rather than sensible passes but Whitcomb isn't some ball hog.

Yes , I think so . I'd grown accustomed to flicking around the various fta channels without finding anything watchable. So , there is room for basketball on one of them , with some good self production.

community channel?

It was friday evening . I watched a softball south australia game on fta. I thought there's room for basketball if they wanna do it, also...
I caint articulate it as well as isaac . He says what I think.

I actually enjoyed the 29pts in 12 mins video more. Thought this was an impressive feat that stacks up against any amazing things the men pull off. Also with the Steph Curry-esque finish on the last three in the clip.

Luuuc's channel on YouTube makes for very good viewing too. Some classic material there.

As koberulz said, there's only so much basketball you can watch. I follow the NBA and NBL closely and wouldn't substitute either of those for the WNBL because the men's game is a better quality product.

I actually find it someone disappointing that the Women's AFL has taken up so much media attention. Sure, the launch of such an initiative deserves some hype, but the games themselves have been of a very poor standard from what I've seen. Yet in the sports news highlights, you'd have more time devoted to the results and stories of those games than the NBL, even though one is thoroughly more entertaining than the other, if anyone bothered to open their eyes rather than just following it because its AFL (Don't get me wrong, I enjoy AFL too but the women's games were poor quality).

Good thread this one!

Unfortunately the WNBL is out of sight, out of mind for most people. I also understand why its not followed well, as I dont really take an interest unless it gets mentioned on the news. Thats not because I dont care, but probably because its so invisible that I forget about it. So its good to get reminders on this forum now and again, and through the Wildcats involvement I at least knew that the Lynx were having a good year with bits of news coming out via them.

Its interesting that the Lynx only got any form of real media attention when Andy Stewart spoke up and critisised the AFLW for being substandard and getting a ton of media exposure, while his team (and therefore league) was invisible despite having being a superior product.

It was also at that time that the Lynx and Whitcomb got noticed a bit more, however, due to the story being linked to AFLW.

but not going out of my way to watch it.

Also she looks like a chucker, is that sustainable over a whole career? Heal comes to mind...

... but in saying that NBL fans don't follow WNBL because, well frankly, it sucks. Sorry but that's why I and many others don't follow it. Bring it back as a a double header with the men and that could work.

Basketball is a volume sport. The more games to choose from the more chance of a quality contest and highlights. The amount of games played in NBL is extremely low. Only if you are OCD and have to watch everything is it "enough"

I think even the NBL struggles with that problem, and it's an important thing to tackle to get fan engagement. Having people to follow, as opposed to just players. (and yes, whatever challenges the NBL has with it, the WNBL has them on a whole other level)
Social media helps, but there has to be something to catch the attention of people in the first place before you can work on retaining it.

And yes, we are now blessed with a heck of a lot of basketball to watch. It makes the WNBL's job harder, but it's a nice problem for us fans to have.

Asides from that, it struggles to even draw the attention of NBL fans, which I find perplexing (surely more basketball to watch is only a good thing?)

note that whitcomb has signed for a training camp only, not a WNBA season.....yet.

That point is equally true for the SEABL too, which can produce some great games, but in sports all across the world people are more likely to watch the higher standard. That's just the way it is.

Great video, Luuuc, that really showcases Sami’s skills and how enjoyable she is to watch. I believe she’s also about to become an Aussie citizen, so I hope we can keep her in the league for many more seasons to come.

To the posts re: following of the WNBL, it definitely feels to me (as a long time women’s basketball fan) that most basketball fans in Oz only tend to really focus in on the women’s side of things when its Olympic time. Asides from that, it struggles to even draw the attention of NBL fans, which I find perplexing (surely more basketball to watch is only a good thing?).

There are some fantastic players to watch in the WNBL, Sami definitely being high up on that list. Hopefully the Sami sizzle reel helps entice more basketball fans in Oz to tune in to the WNBL grand final series, which will feature some great talent including Leilani Mitchell, Asia Taylor and Steph Cumming (just to name a few).

The reality is when you put up the most shots in the entire league let alone in your team and over half of them are 3 pointers ( 254 3pt attempts, next nearest in the league was Mijovic with 179) it stands to reason your going to be a high scorer
Her percentage is not the best in the league
She actually took over 100 more shots than anyone else in her team

I don't follow WNBL games (just the season loosely from afar) but when games were on ABC and I still watched some FTA, I would tune in now and then. I really like the NBL on SBS for Sundays for the same reason - gets in front of occasional or non-fans. FTA is such a wasteland that remotely decent sport stands out against a backdrop of rubbish.

With the broadening of individual channels, ABC/SBS should absolutely have an allowance for broadcasting under-served sports if the sports handle the production themselves.

Absolutely, and usually at a time when there wasn't a lot of sport on. For a little while there, Saturday arvo was a great block for women's sports fans to tune into WNBL and W-League and the ratings were solid for both.

Hopefully LK can get involved, get more games on TV and more of our best women playing back home like he did with the NBL.

Oh for sure!
You're not going to grow the fan base by being on YouTube.
I guess what I meant is that for existing fans it's actually not a bad situation at the moment. But it's far from ideal, and a few hundred people tuning in would barely make it worthwhile to produce a quality live stream for these clubs. I applaud Dandenong in particular for sticking with it and giving the fans a good one. Perth's was even better - a really good production - but would certainly not have been cheap or easy to do, and I guess that's why they pulled the plug halfway through the season.

One good thing about the ABC was that the coverage was at a regular time each week, which made it very easy to tune into.

"Not that I wouldn't love the league to be back on TV as well, but YouTube is a pretty good and easily accessible platform."

Only for the converted. The numbers watching are massively lower than when it was ABC, and the club youtube broadcasts are done in isolation rather than telling the story of the season, which the ABC coverage did quite well.

I think the Lynx were the first full-pro team in Australian club sports, which is a credit to the Wildcats (even though some in the media have given that mantle to NSW cricket) and has obviously paid dividends on court.

I agree with such a license to shoot it is not hard to see why her confidence is high. Not sure between her an Mijovic who would be labelled the most selfish. In the end individuals win nothing as the finals showed.

Obviously it's made harder, but game threads, notable stats, etc. The WA state league is presumably without a broadcast, but it gets insane amounts of chat about off-season things, games, etc. I'd be keen to see a thread for each WNBL round (which is often started), especially ones which invite discussion (asking for tips on round results, etc).

SA ABL used to get loads and loads of talk but is pretty pitiful these days. A lot of it is a matter of having a few regulars providing a base to build from. Back in those days, there are a few of us doing that, whereas I no longer go to ABL games and I don't feel like the Premier League does much to help themselves.

IMO any of these leagues should be seeding content on Hoops to draw in fans, especially ABL level.

Btw I intentionally left the topic title vague

Problem is Isaac, what do you talk about when the competition is so invisible?

The reality is when you put up the most shots in the entire league let alone in your team and over half of them are 3 pointers ( 254 3pt attempts, next nearest in the league was Mijovic with 179) it stands to reason your going to be a high scorer
Her percentage is not the best in the league
She actually took over 100 more shots than anyone else in her team

I think the Lynx were the first full-pro team in Australian club sports, which is a credit to the Wildcats (even though some in the media have given that mantle to NSW cricket) and has obviously paid dividends on court.

There is plenty of talk around the NBL is going to get more involved in the WNBL, so hopefully that will have a big positive impact.

Btw I intentionally left the topic title vague, in the hope that doing so might reduce the amount of "oh, a women's topic, I'll just scroll past that one"

Has she been the main reason the Lynx have improved dramatically? I know they have been battlers in the past.

Problem is Isaac, what do you talk about when the competition is so invisible?

Had it still been on ABC, someone like Whitcomb who has worked her way through lesser competitions and now signed in the WNBA out of the WNBL would be one of the stories of the season, but as it is she is just a name rather than a face.

I liked the steal at 1:02. She's like a shark. Opponent just plodding along and had no idea it was coming.

Some really impressive plays and obviously great shooting.

Has she been the main reason the Lynx have improved dramatically? I know they have been battlers in the past.

For every person that wished there was more WNBL or WNBA content on Hoops, I wish they'd join Luuuc and start more topics or comment. Increases the chance of getting a discussion going.

Saddest thing about the WNBL is the way the free to air TV dropped it, nice highlights though!

almost like a Redhage on steroids

I knew it must be high, based on the fact she walked away as soon as she released most of them...

What percent is she putting those up at?

She's such a great story too, almost like a Redhage on steroids. Such a shame the WNBL is so invisible at the moment.

Also the great story of Suzy Batkovic winning yet another MVP going all but unnoticed, a real shame.

I'm not gonna lie, that's pretty Impressive.

What percent is she putting those up at?

Looks like one of the new T20 franchises is going to be called the Sixers - do the 36ers have this trademarked at all from the old days of Sixers being used more prominently, is it worth looking at doing so or too late now?