Hoops

Commonwealth Games

I have no problem with the emerging boomers idea. The commonwealth games are a farce really

Hi all, expect to see an "Emerging Boomers" lineup at the Commonwealth Games which was indicated in media comms following Lemanis' appointment.

Based on previous "Emerging Boomers" teams, this could well end up being like a World Uni Games type squad of potential future Olympians or World Cup players.

You think Gibson will be slowing down... in one year from now?

As a Sixers fan, I have been as frustrated as anyone by Gibson's inconsistency and failure to take the next step. It just seems he doesn't have the mentality or killer instinct to be 'the guy'. I can remember a two game stretch when Wilson(?) was out injured where Gibson was amazing. It was reasonable to think that he had finally got it. But then he went back to below mediocre when Wilson came back.

To give him credit though, the exact criticism Very Old (that he is too well-rounded) makes is also why he has been a solid (but not exceptional) role player for the Boomers in several tournaments. He won't be one of your stars, but as a bench guard he will be inoffensive, won't turn the ball over much, and will just do what needs to be done to allow the other players to be the stars.

Yeah not really looking at Gibson as an option here. I don't know how long a player has to be lackluster for before people actually count them out of things like this. Mitch Norton has similar skills but is at least young enough to maybe surprise in such a tournament.

I think Gibson will really be slowing down by 2018.

I hear you Very Old and Gibson has had plenty of chances I know but like the flirt that he is showed he's still got it when he had that really good stretch with the Bullets last season.

Like Beal (horrible pairing) he's consistently inconsistent but when he turns it on and decides to get serious he leaves all the local PG's in his wake (bar Lisch). Just prefers to coast too much but for this mickey mouse tournament I say have another look at him.

8 players

Mills
Dellavedova
Exum
Ingles
Simmons
Baynes
Bogut
Maker

IMHO the problem with Gibson, is he is so well rounded, that he is inconsistent. Will he give you great ( or just average) service today in points , rebounds, assists or steals ?. He rarely does more than one of these a very high level each game , and I have seen little to make me think that he produces what is required in that game, or what is required to be delivered, because another player is unaccountably being sub-par in thst game. or because the other team is being unexpectedly good at something.

With martin its very clear what he will do, and he generally does those things at a higher level, and more consistently than Gibson.

Gibson seems to blame others for things going bad, while martin seems to just try to get on with the job and fix them.

This may be the last ever Commonwealth Games. No one is interested in hosting them.

Playing basketball in the Commonwealth Games, particularly at that time of year, is a bit of a joke.

What exactly is the point of seeing which country's third string team is better than the others? Ignoring anyone who will be playing in continental Europe, who also will not be available at that time of the year, the NBA omissions are:

Australia (FIBA men's ranking 10th): 7 NBA players
Canada (ranking 24th): 12 NBA players
Nigeria (ranking 16th) 3 NBA players
New Zealand (ranking 20th): Steven Adams
England (ranked 22nd when playing as Great Britain, which they won't be): Luol Deng

No other Commonwealth countries feature in the top 50 FIBA men's rankings. Cameroon (ranked 52nd) could be interesting with its 3 NBA players, but they won't be there either.

Basically it will be the Oceania championship all over again using only NBL/NZNBL players.

Very Old, Yes. Gibson is a more well rounded player than Martin and with Lisch there no real need for an aging and declining Martin so take a flyer on Cadee who can once in a blue moon get insanely hot.

I left out Ogilvy because Lemanis doesn't rate him highly enough to even include him initial squads.

Who do we have in Europe? Motum, broekhoff, Madgen, steindl, jois.

Broekhoff would be handy.

Well if you include Canadians in Europe - and I don;'t think you do because I am pretty sure April is during most Euro seasons - then you also have to include Australia's European players. In that case it remains hard to give Canada the favorites tag.

You are forgetting the Canadians in Europe.

Martin/Norton
Lisch/Goulding/Sobey
Newley/Creek
Anderson/Johnson/Bairstow
Ogilvy/Mathiang

Canada without their NBA players? Canada's pro league is not very good. I think if it's a battle of the pro-league also-rans the NBL and Australia will have them beat convincingly.

Canada are the favourites imo.

Gibson / Cadee both over D Martin ?
Ogilvy over Jawai ?

The 2018 Commonwealth Games will probably play out much the same as the 2006 ones did: Australia will walk in, even with NBL talent, with a Dream Team level talent advantage over almost everyone, with the only possible hiccups being Great Britain and New Zealand.

And seeing as both teams will be without their NBA players as well, and without their Euro players presumably, I can't see them troubling Australia too much at all.

Zodiac's Boomers squad looks spot on, or close enough.

Lisch/Gibson/Cadee
Goulding/Sobey
Newley/Creek
Bairstow/Johnson
Andersen/Jawai/Hodgson

What an epic career.

MILDENHALL BLOWS TIME ON STELLAR NBL CAREER
One of Australia’s greatest ever sporting officials, National Basketball League referee Bill Mildenhall, has announced his retirement from the iiNet NBL Championship and on Sunday will officiate the final game of his incredible career at the State Netball Hockey Centre (AKA ‘The Cage’) in Melbourne.

Mildenhall, who has officiated in the NBL since its inaugural season in 1979 and is the most decorated referee in NBL history, will blow the whistle at an NBL game for the final time when he officiates the Melbourne Tigers’ home game against the Gold Coast Blaze.

Mildenhall has been one of the NBL’s best referees over four decades, winning an amazing 16 consecutive NBL Referee of the Year awards from 1988 to 2003 - a record for both the number of awards won and consecutive wins.

It is fitting that Mildenhall’s final game will be at The Cage. It was at that venue on 6 January 2005 that he broke the legendary Eddie Crouch’s record for NBL games refereed by appearing in his 803rd NBL match when the Melbourne Tigers hosted the Hunter Pirates.
Sunday’s game will be Mildenhall’s 945th and final NBL match, setting an incredible record that surely will stand for a very long time.
Basketball Australia Chief Executive Officer Larry Sengstock said Mildenhall’s impact on the NBL couldn’t be underestimated.

“Billy Mildenhall took on the toughest job in sports and always did it with utter professionalism, dedication and a sense of humour,” said Sengstock. “It is a testament to his talents as a referee and his qualities as a person that he is popular with the players and coaches. He has helped shape our game and took the standard of NBL officiating to a new, higher level.

“While Billy will be greatly missed on the court, we are delighted that he will continue to help improve Australia’s already high standard of officiating through his role with Basketball Victoria as their Referee Development Officer. He will also continue to have a role internationally, particularly at future world championships, through his role on the Technical Commission of FIBA.

“We congratulate Billy on what has been a truly amazing career.”

Mildenhall's first-ever NBL match was on 11 March 1979, when he officiated the Nunawading Spectres versus St Kilda Saints game at the old Burwood Stadium in Nunawading. He has refereed in every NBL Grand Final series since 1987 and has also represented Australia at the highest level on the international stage.

Mildenhall was selected to referee at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics and the home Olympics in Sydney in 2000. In Sydney he refereed the Semi-Final for the women and the bronze medal men’s game in Barcelona. He also officiated in five World Championships including the bronze medal game in the 1998 World Men’s Championships in Greece.

Prior to his career as an NBL whistleblower, Mildenhall was also a successful AFL player, being a member of the St Kilda team from 1974 to 1982 and appearing in 77 senior games.
The NBL will make an on-court presentation to Mildenhall prior to his final game.