Hoops

NBL Commentary Team

Thought Garlepp was good at Perth games

They won't be calling the games from a screen in Melbourne. The game will be produced from Melbourne. Not once does it say in that article that they will be commentating the game in Melbourne

"So everyone needs to know that commentators will be at every game."

"Can’t believe people in the thread have got this so wrong."

If this is the case it is welcome news, but rest assured the NBL's original plan was to have the callers in the studio in Melbourne. They got push back from a number of the guys they wanted to commentate who didn't like the idea, so hopefully that has swung their decision back to common sense.

Haha that wasn’t me, someone playing a nickname stealing prank

There is also a guy in Perth that has commentated the SBL for a while who is pretty good. He did the SBL Grandfinals this year but can’t recall his name?

So everyone needs to know that commentators will be at every game. They won’t be calling the games from a screen in Melbourne. The game will be produced from Melbourne. Not once does it say in that article that they will be commentating the game in Melbourne. What will be happening is there will be a hub in Melbourne that produces it all and packages it in a way that is uniform with graphics etc to match every game. Having commentators at the game is still happening. It is more cost effective to have local callers at the game. Every game has commentators there courtside.

I have spoken to one of the interstate callers and this is true

Can’t believe people in the thread have got this so wrong.

Is it hype or are you just a hater?

Perspective, perspective

Clinton Grybas, Dennis Cometti, John Casey, Mike Breen

Boom.

Apparently they have broadcast deals in Europe and Asia, wonder what they are

ME

I’ll concede on the maximum profits versus breaking even or even trying to recoup losses, but I disagree that LK is trying to satisfy hard-core fans. Do you think he’s setting up eXciting stuff such as NBL vs NBA to please the true fans, or is it to just sell to a bigger TV audience regardless of who’s actually watching?

As for what LK has done in the last 4 years, thank god that he’s been so generous with his time and his money. He’s brought me back to live games and watching it on TV, which is why I want to see the game sold well through competent commentators and quality production, not taking the cheap & nasty approach. If I have to choose between a dying NBL and one run on the smell of an oily rag, of course I’ll go for the cheap version, but only if it really needs to come to that.

commentators need to be at the court side commentating ! That’s what they are for.
To describe and explain the games closeup without relying solely on tv views.

I don’t believe the NBL hierarchy really cares about the fans any more - it’s all about selling the ‘product’ for maximum profits.

Either the commentators selected were available and cheap, or available ‘characters’ to stir people’s interest (for good or for bad). Plus, you need a few anchors who are the face of basketball, such as Gaze and Heal who everyone in Oz and the US know.
I expect that the better commentators probably priced themselves out of the market.

Perthworld, for once I agree totally with your thoughts.


And I consider BT a bigger f@#kwit than any of the Russell’s. He used to play - I’m sure I played summer comp against him - but when he commentated alongside Gaze, all he wanted to see was biffo, and he’d complain about players who played by the rules.

Shane Heal - Controversially a tick for colour commentary & panel expert
Corey 'Homicide' Williams - Cross, if necessary, panel expert
Shawn Redhage - Cross, not a fan
Jenni Screen - Newbie, jury out
Cam Tragardh - Cross, sorry trigger
Jeff Van Groningen - Another cross
Dwayne Russell - Controversially, a tick as anchor commentary, albeit annoying
Anthony Hudson - Tick for anchor commentator
Matt Russell - Controversial tick as anchor commentator
John Casey - x1000 tick, plz be anchor commentator and anchor on panel show, do everything please
Liam Santamaria - Tick for expert commentator, panel expert
Lachy Reid - Tick for commentary anchor
Louise Ransome - Tick for courtside coverage, panel host
Candy Hertz - Newbie, jury out
Seb Costello - Tick
Cam Luke - Tick for panel show, cross for commentary
Jack Heverin and Peter Hooley - Juries out
Gaze - Tick

Disappointed to be missing:

Abbey Gelmi (I know she's doing cricket, still disappointing though)
Steve Carfino
James Harvey
Brett Maher
Rupert Sapwell

Wish NBL would pay massive amounts of money for a token few games:
DENNIS COMMETTI

"How would it make it any easier to put different commentary over the top?"

The package from the stadium is going to be produced in the studio, rather than the usual way of producing from an onsite OB van with commentary included. This means the package without commentary can more easily be passed to various broadcasters without commentary, which then becomes an add-on.

I have no idea what you think I meant, so I'm not sure how to clarify it. Clearly you've completely misunderstood though.

It's not trivial though if you're actively trying to appeal to the US market as the NBL is currently doing. Americans often say they find our accents hard to understand so rather them putting them off maybe part of the idea is to allow them to put American voices over the top of the feed to make it more palatable for them.

They don't use commentary mics for crowd audio anyway - the commentary mics aren't supposed to pick up the crowd which is why the headsets allow them to hear each other. They can show highlights and replays without the commentary that accompanied them at the time, so it should be trivial to cut in other commentators.

Greggo - maybe you aren't relying on the commentators' mikes for the crowd and other stadium sounds? i.e., you can cut out the local commentary without also losing live stadium background.

"This is the problem with hard-core fans. They just want to like it was "back in my day" and aren't willing to move with the times."

I'm in my 20s: the recent additions like Corey and Russell's X2 are HORRIBLE! Nothing "back in my day" about it, just idiots with a microphone.

I'd happily listen to Gaze and Casey for SA/East coast games and Lachy Reid for WA.

Or makes it easier to send the feed into the US allowing them to put American commentators voices over the top of it. It's a cost cutting exercise for the most part which isn't good.

I wonder if it's about wanting to do a studio pre-game/half time show without needing to have two crews.

My idea was more about having a recognisable core team rather than a hodge podge of characters.

On budget. If money's too tight to mention why not downsize back to two commentators per game rather than three plus a sideline reporter? They've doubled the amount of personnel for no improvement. It worked for over two decades on Fox Sports with Casey and Carfino paired up with the latter leaving the commentary seat at the end of each period to interview a player on-camera. When playoffs began they would add a third commentator like Gaze, sometimes a current player who got knocked of contention to provide a current opinion.

Just downsize the amount of people rather than calling games from a booth.

I’m a little concerned we haven’t heard about who’s broadcasting the nba x nbl

I’m not against what they are doing, just who has missed out and some of the same old losers. JVG, what’s he know about basketball, other than salary cap rort back in the old times and being good mates with Gaze.

If I were the NBL, I'd put Casey, Gaze and Heal together as often as possible.

They aren't getting any money for the broadcast deal, and this is the result.

Will they at least be in the stadium for the Melbourne games?

If I were the NBL, I'd put Casey, Gaze and Heal together as often as possible.

How is Dwayne Russell on the list? The only situation I can think to use him again is if he is volunteering his services. I take that back, dead air performs better as a commentator than him.

Rosen is a massive loss. You can tell he has no agenda and just calls the game the way it is (like Tragarh)

My non basketball fanatics loves his calls as he explains it and does not sound like a tool. Massive loss

Sounding like job for the boys

Heal and Homicide headline the list. That really says it all - how awful.

Wortho gone is great but apart from him all the other spuds kept their gigs.

The AFL and NRL drongos remain.

JvG oh how awesome (sigh) - another massive ego who will keep reminding us what he has done in his NBL executive career. Argh.

Heal will probably commentate daily if there is no travel requirement. Got to pay those bills.

This is the #1 area NBL are regressing in. Such a shame.

Anthony Hudson from Melbourne

Surely they can manage some home-based commentary?

John Casey/Brett Maher in Adelaide?
Lachy Reid/Redhage in Perth?
Heal/Carf/Huddo in Sydney?
Russell/Gaze in Melbourne?

etc etc

Does seem illogical tho if Lachie Reid and Shawn Redhage fly into Melbourne to call a game from Perth Arena

That is most definitely a huge step back - commentators feed off the atmosphere.

Silly, silly, silly. It's very very obvious when commentators aren't at the stadium. Networks have tried this BS for Winter Olympics etc.

Quite a few of the commentators listed already based in Melbourne.

Bit of a disappointment but can understand as they are paying for all production costs. SBS and ESPN are not providing any funds for this.
Quite a few of the commentators listed already based in Melbourne.

I look forward to a lot more of the "I'm not sure what the call is, the referee is out of shot" that we constantly got during the World Cup.

"With the exception of NZ games, all games during the 2019/20 Hungry Jack’s NBL Season will be broadcast from a new centralised hub in Melbourne. The hub will enable the NBL and new production partner IMG to deliver an enhanced production and better broadcast experience for all NBL fans."

Read, we don't want to pay to fly people around the country, so we're flying them to Melbourne to commentate off a TV screen.

Now really doesn't feel like the time to be taking a big backward step in the broadcast production. That sucks.

Nobody will be sent here. The commentary will be done from a studio in Melbourne.

What an utterly idiotic move.

Please don't send Heal here

Wortho is the biggest omission, Carfino as well. We need insightful commentary not screamers and boys club members. I don’t get it, so many advancements in nbl but still so many bad commentators.

Please make Gaze do most of the games. Send Heal to Perth.

I assume by the press release that the commentary will be from the Melbourne broadcast hub off a TV??

Only the sideline reporter will be at the arena??

Matt Russell is woeful

I look forward to several commentary whinging threads throughout the season.

Who the hell has picked this team. Some Of these names are ridiculous. No Rosen, Carfino and even Worthington who are all bloody good

WTF is going on.

Wow no Rosen as well. He has been there for a while. I like his insight and knowledge. What is going on with all these changes????

Second that^^ both Russell's are a stain to our sport

Some of those guys "have a head for radio"

I thought Oscar Forman did an excellent job being a recently retired player and gave a lot of insights. Brett Maher hasn't done it for a few years but he was great when he did too.

No BT, but I wonder if they plan to have a BT style "roving reporter" going into the locker rooms and in the stands?