Week #19 recap - Game #26 vs Rockingham Flames (105 - 126 loss)

And so the season finishes. The score:

Quarter Eagles Flames
1st Qtr: 32 25
2nd Qtr: 52 58
3rd Qtr: 83 87
4th Qtr: 105 126

The boys played hard and much improved over the past 4 weeks efforts. It was pleasing to see, and I was proud of them. The Flames may have been without Caporn, Godfrey and the occasional Trahair, but they still have a solid lineup including Chris Moore (33pts), Travis Moore (22pts), Tim Bush (14pts, 9rbds). Together with a terrific triple double from Jarryd Griffen (26pts, 14rbds, 14asts) they were just too strong and we ran out of legs in the fourth.

Our zone was effective in the first quarter, we relaxed a little in the second and picked up again in the third. Offensively we played some of the best team basketball I have seen us play in the first half, unfortunately as the game wore on we lost focus and went away from it somewhat.

The good:

• Jon Moon playing one of his best games (22pts, 7/11 63%fg, 2stl)
• Jarrod Balcombe finishing the season strongly (24pts, 9rbds, 3bs, 3stl)
• The welcome return of John Taylor (16pts, 9rbds, 2stl)
• Another strong effort from Ty Alabakis (17pts, 6rbds, 5ast)
• A character building performance, playing hard despite it being the last game of a losing season

The not so good :

• At this stage, there isn’t anything is there…I mean being only outrebound by 13 is an accomplishment, forcing the second team on the ladder to bring it’s A game and push them for 48 minutes…can you really complain on the last game of the season?

I mentioned last week it has been a “learning experience”…and I think that is how we treat it. The players this year have had a great deal experience facing adversity as have I, and whilst it may not feel like it right now it is beneficial for us all.

I would like to take the opportunity to thank the club, board, and many volunteers for making this season happen and fielding an SBL team. To the women’s SBL team a big thankyou for their support throughout the season, to Heather Tonkin and the McLennan’s who undertook manager duties throughout the season and to Geoff Warner my assistant coach for his solid support. And to the ever faithful East Perth spectators who turned up in numbers at our last game and created a great environment to play in.

And finally to the players…

Andrew McLennan
Jarrod Balcombe
Damian Stack
Tim Kruge
Nathan Friend
Ty Alabakis
Nic Donlagic
Lucas Offereins
Clint Burbage
Mark Stokes
Jeremy Nichole
James Elliot
Alex Franklin
Dion Serras
and to Michael Jones (at least in thought, if not in presence)

And lastly to two players who have been with me since the very beginning of my time at East Perth in 2006…without who’s help things would have been much tougher…Jon Moon and John Taylor. Both have been steadfast in their support and professional throughout.

The State Basketball League continues to go from strength to strength and this year has been no exception. Best of luck to you all in the future, and good luck to those teams still in the finals.

Week #18 recap - Game #24 vs Perth Redbacks (79 - 100 loss), Game #25 vs Bunbury Slammers (78 – 108 loss)

Well the form was consistent this week if nothing else. Realistically these were both games that we had a chance of competing in, and perhaps for a half we did. However when it came down to it, we just didn’t have what it takes and couldn’t compete for 48 minutes. To the players credit they listened and went out with the right attitude. Our undersized and under experienced lineups just couldn’t compete.

There is an argument that I put to myself that we could have competed better if we had utilised differing tactics. But much as we found when we unexpectedly had Justin Brown arrive to play part way through a season, adjusting to change is difficult at the best of times.

In many ways I have found this much harder. When Justin arrived in 2006, we had set ourselves up as a small quick team. We spent his first few games spectating and wondering what he would do next. By the time we adjusted to his efforts (which earnt him the league MVP) the season was over. This season we lost so many players along the way, changed lineups to try and compensate, and went from what was projected to be a solid and balanced lineup to instead a small inexperienced one.

In the end we have a series of offenses and defences that we can no longer utilise as it doesn’t suit the current teams makeup, and have had to try and put in place new strategies in an effort to be competitive.

It has certainly been a learning experience.

Good parts from the weekend:

• James Elliot (vs Redbacks) – 18pts (9/13 69%fg), 10rbds in 32m
• Ty Alabakis (vs Slammers) – 38pts (13/25 52%fg), 11/19 3pt (58%), 6 rbds
• Keeping our heads up and playing, despite the situation

The not so good :

• 23 and 28 turnovers
• Losing

Perhaps it’s best to close this entry out with the writeup I have done for the program for this weeks game…

“Welcome to the final game for the Eagles 2008 season. To borrow a phrase from Queen Elizabeth II's 40th Anniversary speech, it has been an "annus horribilis" (latin for "horrible year"). The planned team never quite eventuated and worse still, the team that did assemble suffered major setbacks. Still we maintained a positive attitude and fighting spirit that I hope I have instilled within the Eagles since I took over the coaching role in 2006.

We had a number of wins, some unexpected. Even as late as round #13 we pushed top teams such as the Wolves and Giants, and I am proud of the team for keeping their heads up and working hard. Over the past few weeks we have been fielding more young players than ever before and hopefully this will benefit the team in future seasons as these players work with new imports and experienced players, and the streak of bad luck finishes!

Tonight we face the Rockingham Flames, who in a memorable round #9 clash (late May) we beat in an upset on their home court. The Flames are a very strong team currently sitting in second on the SBL ladder and with a very real chance of taking home the 2008 championship. They have succesfully combined imports Tim Bush and Chris Moore, with NBL players Adam Caporn and Aaron Trahair, veteran locals such as Travis Moore and upcoming youngsters such as Ryan Godfrey. They lead the league in points per game, field goal %, and three point % and are well coached by Mark Utley.

We enter the game yet again with only a single player with more than 50 games experience in captain Jon Moon, and the possible return of John Taylor from injury (still uncertain at this time). We will do everything we can to compete, leave nothing behind and do our best to finish the 2008 season on a high note.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank the East Perth board members and the many volunteers for all their hard work throughout the season. To Heather Tonkin and the McLennans for their support in managing the team, Geoff Warner for his coaching support, and the players for persisting through a tough season. And most importantly to our supporters who have come to the games and cheered us on, through the good and the bad. Thankyou all and best of luck to all the WABL teams as they continue towards the end of their season.”

Week #17 recap - Game #23 vs Geraldton Buccaneers (76 - 121 loss)

Roadtrips are always an ‘interesting’ experience, and this one could certainly be classified as that. We travelled to Geraldton with 6 rookies, and only 2 players with over 50 games experience ready to suit up. It was always going to be a tough ask, but the experience for the younger players would be good for them.

As it happens, there was a ceremony pre-game to retire Dan Hunt’s jersey. Dan played in the last team to win a championship for the Eagles in 1988, and then headed to Geraldton in 1989 and played the remainder of his career with them. The stadium was packed, and the atmosphere was electric. It’s why a lot of us play and coach, to be involved in games with an atmosphere like that.

Unfortunately Dan’s single year with the Eagles was about all we contributed to the atmosphere, with our poor performance not helping in any way. The Buccaneers have a strong and deep lineup, with quality throughout. They are well coached by Scott Rubery and they showed why they are third on the SBL ladder.

It would be easy to rip into the players and cover every fault. We lacked intensity and heart, but mostly we lacked the kind of experience and instincts necessary to compete in this league. A ridiculously long injury list has led to the current situation and we will do the best we can to be competitive in every remaining game of the season.

Upsides:

• Jarrod Balcombe returning to the lineup with 30pts (11/25 44%fg)
• Our younger players gaining experience in a finals atmosphere

Downsides:

• Shooting 34%fg and conceding 46%fg
• Being outrebounded 35 to 71
• Generally being outplayed, outhustled and outclassed

We have a double header this weekend, playing Perth at Morley and then Bunbury at Eaton. John Taylor returns from his NBL development camp and should be available to play across the weekends games, however Nathan Friend and Damian Stack are out.

Week #16 recap - Game #22 vs Mandurah Magic (96 – 129 loss)

As coaches, we need to be teachers, strategists, and psychologists. The patience of a saint, ability to listen and support, stay positive, know when to be supportive and when to have a rant…the list goes on. Ultimately as an old coaching mentor used to say, you need to be able to make teams over achieve.

I find it difficult to maintain an ongoing awareness of all these things and I try to get regular downtime to take a step back and review progress…objectify and take stock. The ability to self analyse, to review the situation and plan a path of improvement moving forward is something I have consciously tried to put in place over the past few years.

Psycho babble aside, the current situation is not an easy one. A team at the end of its three year program, decimated by injuries and circumstances. Performing well early, promising so much. It is true that opportunities are being presented to the fringe players, but it’s the adage “trying to put old heads on young shoulders”. These players were never expected to step into the roles they have this quickly, and against the quality of opposition currently in the league their inexperience is showing through.

None of this is meant in any way to take away from the efforts of the Mandurah Magic team that played us on the weekend. I have nothing but admiration for Jason Chalk and the players. Coach Chalk has taken a team that was struggling, and put in place discipline and team spirit, and provided a framework for their ongoing improvement. They played hard and disciplined, and consistently went to their strengths.

We struggled to get into a rhythm early and our poor early shooting percentage hurt us badly. But far more important was our lack of defensive intensity, focus and technique. We close out late on the ball, rotate late, our second rotation is non-existant. Our once crisp zone where we moved as the ball was in the air, applied pressure on-ball, anticipated off-ball…has now become second rate as we turn our heads and watch, close out short, slow and without pressure, and fail to consistently rebound.

We allowed a team that is averaging 91 points this season to make 129…a team that is bottom of the league at 38%fg to shoot 49%fg (52% from 3pt). Our defensive intensity was absolutely woeful.

Upsides:

• John Taylor returning for 32 minutes of play, and despite taking a half of basketball to find his rhythm still ending up as our top scorer with 24pts on 48%fg (and 5 assists)

Downsides:

• Defensive effort, understanding and technique
• Offensive fundamentals

John Taylor is in Melbourne across the weekend to attend the NBL Prospects Camp run by Ian Stacker and we wish him all the best. We have Jarrod Balcombe, Nathan Friend and Lucas Offereins returning to the team and will be aiming for a much improved effort this weekend.

This weekend is the Geraldton road trip. Geraldton are in good form and have a strong team, it will be a challenge for us to be competitive. However I believe with the right focus we can take the game to them.

Week #15 recap - Game #20 vs Eastern Suns (97-133 loss), Game #21 vs Stirling Senators (70-92 loss)

I wouldn’t call this weeks losses a disgrace. There are certainly a lot of areas that require improvement. Attitudes were tested. And with what is left remaining available for selection to the squad, we put the best team on the court that we can.

As always, you can look at the situation as an opportunity for the younger and/or fringe players to step up. Friday night saw a strong performance from Lucas Offereins, Saturday night from Alex Franklin. Both showed that with time they have the potential to be players of the future for the club. They will get further opportunities this season and hopefully with the remaining games gain valuable experience.

What is most noticeable is that our style of play provides similar results in regards shot opportunities, steals and such. However our field goal percentage has suffered from the quality of personnel available. Having a 6’8” American centre that has college experience and is a solid player, or a player such as John Taylor that has spent a few years in the league and is constantly improving…replacing them with local players that have potential, but not the same experience…directly reflects such basic statistics as field goal percentage.

Shooting 37% to the Suns 54% (they were 66% in the first half), and 30% to the Senators 43% is a recipe for disaster. Against slightly smaller teams than we have faced in the past few weeks, our rebounding figures were slightly ‘kinder’ (we still lost both) however if you shoot 17% and 13% worse than the opposition, it is always tough to win.

Upsides:

• Turnovers – 19 to 29 against Suns
• FT% - 71% to 59% (15/21 – 17/29) against Senators…yes…an improvement!!!!

Downsides:

• FG% - 37% to 54% and 30% to 43%
• FT% - 55% to 77% (6/11 – 24/31) against Suns
• Reb - 44 to 56 (-12) and 43 to 51 (-8)

Individual Performances:
Suns:

• Jarrod Balcombe - 24pts (47%), 4rbd, 3blk
• Lucas Offereins - 2pts, 7rbds

Senators:

• Jarrod Balcombe - 22pts (47%), 7rbds
• McLennan (in game #300) - 11pts (50%), 4ast, 16rbds with a broken finger
• Alex Franklin – 10pts (3/3 3pt), 3ast

A new thing…the injury list:

• Michael Jones (Moncrief): Visa issues, not playing this year.
• Tim Kruge: ACL, out remainder of season.
• Andrew McLennan: broken hand, out remainder of season.
• John Taylor: Plantar Fasciitis, out remainder of season.
• Jarrod Balcombe: Bruised hand, unavailable this week for private reasons.
• Nathan Friend: Unavailable this week for private reasons.
• Lucas Offereins: Unavailable this week for private reasons.
• Ty Alabakis: Injured foot, fitness test.
• Damian Stack: Flu, fitness test.

Obviously we are weakened with these absences, however just as big an issue with so many experienced players out is their absence at training. Facing stronger players at training every week, learning from them, seeing their intensity…not having this hurts us with so many new players filling out the lineup. In particular players like Michael Jones, Time Kruge and Justin Brown really set the tone and lift others around them.

4 weeks and 5 games remaining, we now face the Mandurah Magic at Morley on Saturday night minus our two leading scorers. We have nothing but pride to play for and it will be up to the newer players to step up to the challenge.

Week #14 recap - Game #19 vs Willetton Tigers (138 – 75 loss)

Disgrace (Noun)
1. Loss of reputation as the result of a dishonourable action.
2. A person or thing regarded as shameful and unacceptable.

(http://www.askoxford.com/concise_oed/disgrace?view=uk)

There is no other way of putting it. An absolutely disgraceful, insipid and pitiful performance. It sets our efforts over the past 3 years to establish a new identity and gain respect for this team back untold.

It is far too easy to lay blame on circumstances for these sorts of performances. We have proven that we can play hard in the past, and that was completely absent in this game. Injuries play a part with any team, and the Tigers have been underperforming with what is a tremendous lineup. Whichever way you view it a win was always going to be a challenge, but to capitulate by 63 points…

It is the worst loss of my coaching career.

Upsides:

• None

Downsides:

• Allowing an opponent to shoot 55% from the field
• Only shooting 32% from the field
• Being outrebounded 72 to 32
• Having one player, with a major injury, as the only player to show a spine and play hard

We cannot dwell on the performance, only ensure that it does not happen again. We have 7 games remaining in the season, 7 opportunities to prove that game #19 was a one off and that the Eagles are still on track. Friday night we face the Eastern Suns at Morley, Saturday night the Senators at Stirling.

To use a cliché…at this point of the season it is not about whether we win or lose, rather how we play the game.

Week #13 recap - Game #17 vs Joondalup Wolves (129 - 109 loss), Game #18 vs Goldfield Giants (117 - 99 loss)

Two tough losses, against two very well credentialled teams. The boys fought hard and there were a few surprises in there, but in the end not enough to get the wins.

Saturday night against the Wolves was a fiery clash. Both teams were hard at it, and perhaps there was a little too much 'attitude' from both teams. However at least the referee's kept it from turning into something I think everyone would have regretted and instead it was an exciting and passionate game.

We played zone the entire game, and came out hard...so hard in fact that at one stage I believe the score was 24-1 in our favour. We established a 22 point lead in the first quarter, entirely based on our defensive intensity. It was pleasing to see, and set the tone for the game. However you cannot keep a good team down and it was inevitable that the Wolves would fight back.

At the end of the third we were level, and the final quarter was an early tug-of-war, before the Wolves showed their class and we ran out of legs. I was very impressed with the Wolves team, they have tremendous depth and versatility, and will surely progress deep into the finals.

The next day we backed up against the Kalgoorlie Giants. In what became a bit of a comedy routine, we arrived at the stadium only to find that unless we were planning on a bit of hand to hand combat, we wouldn't be playing there. The center had been booked for a Karate tournament and apparently that had been overlooked. I did offer Coach Charlton a Karate match, winner takes all...I reckon with our lineup we would have had half a chance heheh.

We ended up relocating to Perry Lakes for the game at 12:30pm. My apologies to the Giants team, the spectators and many many thanks to the various scorebench and statisticians that came to our assistance with little notice. We managed to get the game going at 12:30pm on court one, and thanks to the Giants entourage the crowd was one of the best Perry Lakes has seen for a while!

A notable absence from our lineup was John Taylor, who had badly hurt his foot against the Wolves the night before. Also Jarrod Balcombe had hurt his hand badly and only played limited minutes. We battled on nonetheless and yet again put ourselves in a position to be competitive, being level midway through the third quarter at 66 a peice. We ended the third down 74-85 and ended up losing by 18.

Again our defensive intensity was pleasing, and we fought hard against yet another bigger team. At the end of the day with both games, players get tired but they don't shrink. And it is something that will continue to hurt us and we must fight hard to overcome.

In both games we had the pleasing outcome of shooting a higher percentage than the opposition. Against the Wolves we were 47% to their 43%, and against the Giants 46% to 44%. The major issue in both games was the shot attempts. Against the Wolves we had 86 to their 112, the Giants was us 85, them 117. And in case you hadn't guessed, it was all about rebounds.

The Wolves outrebounded us by 28. The Giants by a massive 44. It is extraordinarily difficult to win a basketball game when your opponent beats you that badly on the boards, unless you can make up the difference somehow. The reason the possession count wasn't further out with the Giants was because we managed to force them into 21 turnovers, whilst we kept ours at 13.

Highlights:

• Strong performances on Saturday night from John Taylor (29pts on 56%fg, 6rbds, 4ast), Jarrod Balcombe (22pts, 7rbds), Jon Moon (15pts on 55%fg, 10ast) and Andrew McLennan (16pts on 60%fg, 11rbds, 3stls)
• Similarly Sunday Jon Moon (12pts, 7asts) and Ty Alabakis (31pts on 50%fg, 10rbds, 5stls)
• The continued development of Jon Moon into a true point guard, and a legitimate threat
• Continued defensive intensity, forcing 23 and 21 turnovers

Not so highlights:

• Being massively outrebounded each game...28 and...ugh...44
• In particular with the rebound count, allowing opposition teams to obtain 34 and 32 offensive rebounds (those second chance points are killers)
  
• Undisciplined behaviour at various times across the weekend...we are working hard to establish a reputation as a hard working, competitive team, we need to also improve our attitudes and behaviour
• The ongoing injury toll
• Oh and just to add it for consistency...free throw shooting (63% and 68%)

We now head to Willetton to face the Tigers. Ty Alabakis is managing to play with his sore shoulder, however we received word tonight that John Taylor is out likely 3-6 weeks with what has been diagnosed as Plantar Fasciitis. We aren't sure how Jarrod's hand will heal up, here's hoping he is resilient and it's all ok. And to rub salt into the wounds, we had a visit from Justin Brown during training last week. Unfortunately he wont be playing with us this year.

Regardless, we will face the Tigers and put everything we have on the court. We expect them to do nothing less and let the cards fall where they may. It is guaranteed to be an entertaining game.

Week #12 recap - Game #16 vs Cockburn Cougars (120 – 106 loss)

It doesn’t matter which way you look at it, there’s one major issue that will prevent you from winning games…allowing an opponent to shoot 57% from the field.

We have done a lot of work on our defence, adjusted and tried to inject intensity and aggression. We play primarily zone as with the smaller, relatively inexperienced lineup we have it is tough to matchup well. The zones we have employed have generally worked quite well, however no defence is perfect. I believe we have certainly added a lot to the variations we utilise, and we generally do a good job against much larger and in many cases more talented opponents. However we did not work well together on Saturday night and the Cougars exploited that to consistently open holes.

Our offense was acceptable, we still had the occasional lapse but generally speaking we continued running the floor, attacking the basket and being aggressive. We shot 44% from the field and 40% from the three point line, both good numbers for us this year. The issue lies fairly at the defensive end.

Upsides:

• We still forced 21 turnovers from a team that averages 18 (second lowest in the league)
• We shot 44%fg/40%3pt and generally executed well in our offense
• Solid games from :
  John Taylor – 19pts, 14rbd, 7ast
  Jon Moon – 27pts (47%fg, 50%3pt), 11asts (a pleasing return to form)

Downsides:

• Allowing an opponent to shoot 57% from the field
• 62% - you figure out what for
• We actually won the rebounds…why is this a downside? I have a feeling this is largely due to the lack of rebounds available for Cockburn offensively, as they were all going in…

10 of the 14 SBL teams are involved in double headers this weekend, busy times. Next in line is another tough double header with Saturday night vs the Wolves at Joondalup, and Sunday vs the Giants at Morley.

Week #11 recap - Game #14 vs Lakeside Lightning (110 – 104 loss), Game #15 vs Perry Lakes Hawks (116 – 80 loss)

It turns out Lakeside did have a player out, Austin Bruton was still unavailable with injury. However Christian Moody was back, and Liam Rush also played. It’s handy to pickup an NBL player and add them to an already strong side. Liam has been training for some time now with the Lightning and when Moody and Bruton were injured he stepped up and has fitted into their style well.

We played a hard game against the Lightning and were actually in the lead for a good majority of it. Again the experience of the Lakeside veterans showed through, with Moody, Rush and Olsen stepping up at crucial times towards the latter part of the fourth quarter. I also made some mistakes in the last few minutes, with a timeout or two not being called when it would have been beneficial.

To be honest I haven’t had a massive amount of experience with late game close situations…over 8 years of being an SBL head coach (1 year of WSBL in there) my record is 24% (40-124), not something I’m super proud of but something I am aware of and working hard to overcome. It’s easy to read philosophies, or watch other coaches in those situations and think you’re prepared but when the pressure is on and you’re trying to judge for yourself…lets just say I learnt a lot and will be better for it next time.

We then backed up again to play Perry Lakes. Last time we had beaten the Flames and backed up against the Hawks, and lost 117 – 82. This time we came very close to the Lightning then dropped the game to the Hawks 116 – 80, 1 point more than the previous game. The Hawks played their usual tough, disciplined game and we were ready for it. Beyond that, there wasn’t much there. The team was overall very flat, and we struggled to find consistent contributors.

Unfortunately in the game against the Hawks we lost Ty Alabakis to a re-occurrence of his collarbone injury. It may be a break again, which means he is possibly out for the remainder of the season (but hopefully right to return to the US). We also had some off nights from a few players, but luckily that was the extent of it.

The good:

• Forcing 33 turnovers against Lakeside and 26 against the Hawks
• Solid games from :
  Jarrod Balcombe – 30pts, 10rbd and 17pts, 9rbd
  John Taylor – 25pts, 8rbd, 5ast (in 24mins)
  James Elliot – 9pts @ 80% in 8:29mins (nice for his first game) and 13pts, 9rbd

The not so good:

• Guess what…free throws …56% (14/25) and 58% (14/24)
• Whilst the defensive intensity is there, the outcome is still allowing an opponent to shoot 45% (Lakeside) and 41% (Perry Lakes)
• Being outrebounded by 18 and 26

If there is one positive out of this season, it has been watching Jarrod Balcombe mature as a player. He started off as an introverted teenager, who had potential. He continues to grow and mature this season, has added a more physical side to his game and is becoming more vocal. He still has a lot of potential to realise and I’m sure he will continue his improvement through the remainder of the season.

Next up is Cougars on Saturday night at Cockburn, with the following weekend a Saturday vs Wolves, Sunday vs Giants double. The Cougars sit fifth on the ladder with a 10-5 record and remain one of the best defensive teams in the league. Combined with a very efficient offense, it is a big challenge for us.

Week #10 recap - Game #13 vs Stirling Senators (119 – 91 loss)

Well a little late this week, what can I say…a long weekend and everything is nuts at work.

Well we had the ideal scenario of a single game on the weekend. I believe that when we have one game to focus on and throw everything at, we are at our best. With a younger lineup, it takes energy and intensity to be competitive. That is a little easier when there is just the one game to throw everything at.

However that wasn’t enough as the superior height and experience of the Senators came through. Carmie Olowoyo and Geordie Cullen, both players with NBL experience, really stepped up to the mark. Carmie hit 40 points and Geordie 32 points and 13 rebounds. The remaining Stirling players also contributed strongly, and Chris Dodd in particular had a solid triple double with 12 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists.

One thing I was a little disappointed with was the fact Stirling kept their starters on throughout the fourth quarter. We were 25 points down with about 5 minutes to go and I put our bench out for a run. Stirling kept Carmie out until he fouled out, and Geordie until a few minutes left.

We played a strong game for half, and had a good run in the third but unfortunately dropped off across the third and fourth quarters. The players played hard, and there were some pleasing signs but the bottom line is it’s tough to overcome the height deficiencies.

Good parts:

• The usual defensive intensity (forcing 22 turnovers and 13 steals) and ‘only’ being outrebounded by 10
• A terrific game in foul limited minutes by Andrew McLennan (16pts, 10rbd, 7stls in 27:55min)
• Another strong game from John Taylor, with 22pts (60%fg), 7rbd, 4ast, 5stl

Bad parts:

• Allowing an opposition team to shoot 48% from the floor
• Free throws, free throws, free throws…64% this time (18/28)
• 36% shooting from the field…20 turnovers…and some very poor shot selection

Not the most detailed summary but the best I can muster at this point. We have the weekend from hell coming up now, with Friday night at Morley against the Lakeside Lightning and Saturday at Perry Lakes against the Hawks. I believe Lakeside have a few players out, but the handy addition of Liam Rush has helped them maintain a formidable lineup. I’m not sure how the Hawks are travelling player wise, but I expect them to be at full strength.

Week #9 recap - Game #11 vs Rockingham Flames (107 - 102 win), Game #12 vs Perry Lakes Hawks (117 – 82 loss)

First up we played the Rockingham Flames on their home court. It’s a strange atmosphere down there, with the court being so far away from the spectators, and the backboards suspended in mid-air with so much space around.

We went in with a plan and to their credit, the players executed it and fought hard. We put ourselves in a position to be competitive, and ended up taking out the game. We played at close to our best and the Flames had I think it is fair to say, an average night.

We backed up the next night against the Perry Lakes Hawks, and it was always going to be an uphill battle. As expected they outrebounded us 62-40 and showed us why they are in the top 3 defensive teams in the league by holding us to 35% from the field. Conversely, they had plenty of high percentage shots under the basket exploiting their height to shoot 53% from the field.

The reality is that a split of the games for the weekend is a fantastic outcome for the team. If we can continue to refine our game plan, improve the intensity and execution, we will surprise a few teams this season.

The strong points across both games:

• Continued defensive intensity and forcing opposition turnovers : Flames 21, Hawks 24 (Flames are lowest in the league for turnover ratio, Hawks are fifth so a particularly good effort)
• Continued strong games and consistency from John Taylor (31pts, 10rbd, 8ast & 21pt, 10rbd, 6ast)
• Solid contributions across the weekend from varying players

Lowlights:

• More of being outrebounded - Flames 55 to 48 (-7), Hawks 62 to 40 (-22)
• Those pesky free throws again (surprise, surprise) - 61% vs the Flames (11/18), and 67% vs Hawks (14/21)
• Loss of focus on the offensive end, particular against the Hawks with 28 turnovers

There are common themes and we are working hard on the areas we know we need to improve. I am confident that with continued focus we will eventually overcome these issues, and the younger players will start understanding what is required.

This weekend is a single game against the Stirling Senators, as much a ‘traditional rival’ of the Eagles as any team in the league. They have a game the night before against the Cockburn Cougars, we have our annual quiz night…I will take the quiz night over getting beat up by the Cougars heheh. As always, if we play at our best we give ourselves a fighting chance.

Week #8 recap - Game #9 vs Bunbury Slammers (114 - 129 win), Game #10 vs Geraldton Buccaneers (121 – 97 loss)

We continue to make adjustments to our game in order to accommodate what looks likely to be our final lineup for 2008. Whilst we have not written off the late arrival of Mike Jones, we cannot plan for it either and Tim Kruge is out for the duration. So we are implementing some new defensive schemes, and offensive options.

Against Bunbury we had great desire and intensity, and the whole team clicked as a unit. We had a 25+ point lead mid-way through the fourth quarter and the Slammers made a run back. It would have been easy to panic and put the starters back in, but the bench will be important for us as the season wears on, and we had another game the next day. The bench settled somewhat and played out to a 15 point win. Of course if we had hit better than 60% of our free throws (37/62), the scoreline would have been a little different.

Facing the Buccaneers the next day was always going to be a challenge. Both teams were coming off a game the night before, and it was a physical affair. In the end there isn’t a lot you can do about being outsized in every position (by a significant amount). To the players credit we fought hard the entire game and made a number of runs, but not enough to get us over the top. Perhaps the most damning statistic is being outrebounded 70 to 39.

The strong points across both games:

• Defensive intensity and forcing opposition turnovers : Slammers 31, Buccs 29
• Strong games against the Slammers by Damian Stack with 15pts (67%), 5rbds, 4asts (unfortunately 50% free throw shooting didn’t help) and Jon Moon with 13pts (50%) and 6asts in 17 minutes (we need to work on those fouls!)
• The solid games and consistency being found by John Taylor, who is starting to add rebounding to his game (averaging 9 per game)
• The continued improvement and strong performances of Jarrod Balcombe and Nathan Friend, who are being joined by rapidly improving Nic Donlagic and Ty Alabakis

Lowlights:

• Being massively outrebounded in both games - Slammers 65 to 44 (-21), Buccaneers 70 to 39 (-31)
• Continued free throw shooting issues - 60% vs the Slammers (37/62), and 63% vs Buccaneers (15/24)
• Losing focus on the offensive end for periods of time, and going too individual

It doesn’t get any easier, here’s the upcoming schedule for the next 6 weeks (ladder positions as of week #7 in brackets):

Week #09 - Friday 23rd May vs Flames (3rd) away
Week #09 - Saturday 24th May vs Hawks (1st) at home
Week #10 - Saturday 31st May vs Senators (8th) at home
Week #11 - Friday 6th June vs Lightning (5th) at home
Week #11 - Saturday 7th June vs Hawks (1st) away
Week #12 - Saturday 14th June vs Cougars (2nd) away
Week #13 - Saturday 21st June vs Wolves (6th) away
Week #13 - Sunday 22nd June vs Giants (7th) at home
Week #14 - Saturday, 28th June vs Tigers (9th) away

So a tough schedule and some very tough double headers. The team has come together well despite the adversity, and we are constantly improving. I have no doubt that with the character of the assembled players we will continue that improvement and surprise a few teams.

This weekend shapes up as a true test of that character as we face the 4th placed Rockingham Flames and 1st placed Perry Lakes Hawks. Both teams have very strong and deep lineups, featuring excellent imports (Bush, Moore, Sonderleiter), NBL players (Caporn, Trahair, Crawford, Garlepp) and solid locals (Moore, Godfrey, Watson, Tupaea, Anstey, Petrov).

Take a deep breath and here we go.

Week #7 recap - Game #8 vs Perth Redbacks (122 - 95 loss)

Full credit to the Perth Redbacks for a strong game. They have built a team based largely on local talent that has been cultivated over a number of years, and added an import to strengthen it. Their bench has more locals, all ready to step in and contribute. They took the game to us from the outset and in particular we struggled to match their size, and eventually intensity.

Tim Kruge went into surgery on Wednesday, and was readmitted to hospital on Thursday. He remained in hospital with complications until Sunday, various things causing him a great deal of pain. He was discharged Sunday evening and is now resting. Our thoughts are with him, and the team will be visiting him to keep his spirits up.

Without Tim we have some work to do on how we will fill out the team and rotate through the bench. I tried a few things unsuccessfully during the game, and we will continue to adjust as we figure out a solid combination and rotation.

Our offense stuttered as we reverted to a perimeter team, ceased attacking the basket and had no inside options. We made adjustments but they took time to gel and came a little late. Our defense was below par, in particular interior and rebounding. It is a common theme for us, our defensive focus and intensity is poor and whilst we have continued to work on this, it hasn’t shown through in our performances.

Highlights…to be honest, I’m struggling…:

• A double-double performance from John Taylor with 12pts/10rbds on 45% shooting, despite a pulled hamstring in warmups
• Some promising signs for Damian Stack, who is getting fitter and contributed for 10pts and 6rbds in 19:37mins (on 50% from the field)

Lowlights:

• 36% from the field, 20% from the 3pt line, 62% free throws
• Outrebounded 60 to 48
• Allowing an opponent to shoot 47% from the field
• General defensive lapses

We move onwards and renew our focus on the team coming together and defensive intensity. Without Tim and yet to hear any word of Mike Jones arrival, we have entirely local players. There are no magic wands to wave, it is simply a case of our desire to compete, pride, and taking it to teams in every game.

A tough weekend looms, with Saturday night against the Slammers and Sunday against the Buccaneers. If there is a bright side, it’s that both games are at Morley however since we don’t actually train on the court it’s not much of an advantage. To the player’s credit we had a good session last night, the spirits and intensity were up and despite a large amount of running and sprints they stuck with it. If we can keep this up and maintain our focus, we can at the very least remain competitive on any given night.

Finally thanks to Marg Prior for permission to post a couple of photo’s from the weekends game.

Week #6 recap - Game #7 vs Lakeside Lightning (125 - 96 loss)

Ouch. Sometimes luck, fate, whatever you want to call it, just doesn’t go your way.

At the 3:35 mark of the first quarter on Friday night against Lakeside Lightning, Time Kruge went down grabbing his knee. He was taken to hospital and the initial diagnosis was that it may not be so bad. He went back and had an MRI on Saturday morning, and then met with the specialist yesterday (Monday).

It was at that meeting he was given the news that it was a snapped ACL.

Firstly and most importantly, this is devastating news for Tim. He will be a good 9 months away from competitive basketball. Tim made a joke earlier in the season that he has never played without an injury of some sort, and he has shown his grit in the past playing an entire year of college with a fractured leg. I am sure he will come back from this, but it’s never something that should happen, especially to someone with Tim’s character.

As for the team, this is a massive blow. Now matter how much you talk about opportunities, stepping up and all the clichés, you cannot replace someone like Tim mid-season. The 2008 Eagles SBL team has gone from a planned 2 import players surrounded by talented locals to the talented locals fighting it out. We still await news of Mike Jones possible arrival, however that has become an ongoing joke with the “2 weeks” being the usual response…for the past 3 months.

If you can get such a thing from a game like this, here are some ‘bright spots’:

• The return to the top end of the “up-down” cycle of Jon Moon. After rolling his ankle badly in the last game, he returned to a 23pt, 4ast performance on 10/20 fg (9/15 inside the arc)
• John Taylors continued return to form with a near triple double (20pts, 12rbds, 7asts)
• Nik Donlagic’s solid performance in limited minutes, which has now extended over the last few games

In order for us to remain competitive in 2008, we will need to work on a lot of areas, some of which are:

• Our first half field goal percentage was again poor. Partially this could be blamed on the shock of Tim going down and subsequent adjustments, however 22% in the first quarter is 22% whichever way you slice it
• Consistent defensive focus, rather than applying in bursts
• Improving our zone defence. In order for us to apply different looks and apply pressure to the opposition, we need to have excellent man to man and zone defensive options

Next week we will be reviewing the individual goals set during our team talk last week. This should give us an idea of how individuals are progressing in regards their own improvement programs. As a team, we realise we now have to step up consistently, no more excuses. The league is exceptionally competitive, every game is a challenge and we will be looking for more of our younger players to follow in the steps of Jarrod Balcombe and Nathan Friend and provide consistent strong contributions.

This week we have the Perth Redbacks on their home court at Belmont. I watched their game on Saturday night against the Rockingham Flames and was impressed with their lineup, chemistry and efficiency. They are a very strong team and have pushed some of the top teams to close results in their last few games.

How we handle the remainder of the season will define who we are as a team, and how we are remembered. Will we wilt under the pressure, not believe in our ability to compete and fade away? Or will we rise to the challenge, fight out every game and do it against the odds. Romantic notions aside, I like to think we will take it to every team. Let’s see shall we.

Week #5 recap - Game #6 vs Cockburn Cougars (106 - 86 loss)

We continue to build our season, learning as we progress. I put this game down to that process. It was a solid game overall, with 2 major holes.

Firstly, we had a major slump in the second quarter. It is terribly clichéd, but against any team you cannot afford to dig yourself a 17 point half time hole (well over 20 points at one stage in the quarter) and expect to just turn it on and get out of it.

Secondly when we implemented a game plan to get back into the game in the second half, despite some promising effort and cutting the lead back to 8 points, we did not stick to the plan well enough to take the game. In fact we went so far away from the plan, that as the game wore on it barely resembled anything we would normally do.

Of course it was disappointing for all to have Jon Moon out, having rolled his ankle during training on Wednesday night. Ty Alabakis returned to the team after a 6 week absence with a broken collarbone and being forced into heavy minutes in his first game back he performed well considering.

Some positives from the game:

• Whilst not having the best shooting night of his career (11pts on 4/13fga), Andrew McLennan found other ways to benefit the team with a strong 16rbd, 5ast, 5stl performance
• Time Kruge continues to understand his role with the team, find his form and understand the referees and comes out with a solid double double (17pts, 15rbds)
• With our increased focus and hustle, we managed to outrebound another team which was unheard of us last year (51 – 48)

Some areas for further improvement:

• Our first half field goal percentage was reflective of our slump, and not of our recent efficiency and understanding of our game style (29%)
• Our 28 turnovers, leading to our average of 24 turnovers per game…good for third worst in the league. In particular Tim Kruge struggling with the local interpretation of travelling on the low block (we are working on this)
• Our understanding of the various sets and purposes of them, to enable us to implement them when required in a game without confusion

We called an early training session and held a team meeting last night to discuss our performance to date and work on some individual goals. As corny as it is, a team is only the sum of its parts and until we start taking accountability for our own performance and improving our effort areas, we wont beat the stronger teams and set our path for the finals. I am pleased with the honesty and accurate self assessment that we managed, and the support the entire team showed for each other. The outcomes are solid and I think we will be putting some much improved efforts forward in the coming weeks.

Looking ahead we face Lakeside Lightning, Perth Redbacks, then the Bunbury Slammers, Geraldton Buccaneers double followed by Rockingham Flames, Perry Lakes Hawks double. This Friday’s game against the Lightning is a great opportunity for us to play against a perennial finalist with a strong lineup and with the adjustments we have made we will give a strong performance.

Statistics...for those interested...

One of the things I do in order to further my professional development as a coach is review statistics. I used to be very anti-stats...you can often get a very skewed perspective from merely looking at a boxscore. It doesn't account for feel or flow, the refereeing or the strategies.

But I have found that by adding statistics to everything else complements and highlights things. Good and bad play, sometimes hidden by the things mentioned above can be uncovered.

So during occasional lunch breaks and coffee's, I update a spreadsheet I use to review team statistics across the State Basketball League. It lets me look into my teams performance compared to the league, and see areas where we could improve. The good news is we have lots of areas we can work on...

So for those of you that might be interested, here is my list of statistics for the State Basketball League as at Round #4...minus the Eagles vs Magic game (no idea why thats not up yet):







Statistics Definitions
Poss. - Possessions = .96 * (FGA − ORb + TO + (.44 * FTA))
AR - Assist Ratio = (Assists x 100) divided by [(FGA + (FTA x 0.44) + Assists + Turnovers]
eFG% - Effective field goal % = (FGM + 0.5 * 3FGM)/FGA
TS% - True shooting % = PTS/(2*(FGA + (.44*FTA)))
RR - Rebound Rate = (Rebounds x Team Minutes) divided by [Player Minutes x (Team Rebounds + Opponent Rebounds)]
OR - Offensive Rating = (Points Scored / 100) / Possessions
DR - Defensive Rating = (Points Allowed / 100) / Possessions

Week #4 recap - Game #5 vs Mandurah Magic (98 - 121 win)

We came off a win against the Willetton Tigers to face the Mandurah Magic this week. We have worked long and hard to build the character of this team and we didn’t want to be complacent after a big win.

Mandurah took it to us right from the tip off and full credit to Coach Chalk for a rejuvenated program. The players are fit, working hard and importantly working together and will continue to improve. It was a tight affair at the outset and after taking a lead midway through the first quarter, the margin would expand only to be brought back again.

We played our gamestyle for the vast majority and I was quite pleased. There was cause for an outburst midway through the last quarter when the team was losing focus and drifting away. That respect we work so hard to earn also involves treating our opponents with respect and playing out the whole game. To their credit the team responded and snapped back to playing well for the remainder of the game.

Some positives from the game:

• We managed to stick to a gameplan again, and adjusted well throughout
• Jarrod Balcombe had another sensational game with 36 points in 34 minutes
• John Taylor returned to form with 34 points, 12 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 steals and 2 blocks
• Our Free Throw percentage improved (after a lot of work at training) to 77% (in particular Tim Kruge…from 0/6 last week to 5/6 this week)

Some areas for further improvement:

• We still had some defensive lapses, albeit less…still needs further improvement
• Need for improvement in rebounding, in particular blocking out…we allow a league worst 18.3 offensive boards per game (league average is allowing 15, best is Rockingham allowing 12.3).

Ty Alabakis is cleared to resume training this week, and we will monitor his progress. Unfortunately we have no news in regards Mike Jones, so it seems he may be a few weeks away yet. In the meantime we will continue to fine tune our game and work hard to prepare for the upcoming game against the Cougars at Morley.

Cockburn currently sit 2nd on the ladder with a 4-1 record. They have a strong team in great form, and are currently leading the league in Assist Rating, Free Throw % and Three Point % and are 2nd in Offensive Rating. It is going to be huge game and a true test as to where we are as a team.

Week #3 recap - Game #4 vs Willetton Tigers (102 - 113 win)

Well after a very tough second week and having every reason to drop their heads, instead the team has taken a major step forward. Some very pleasing signs with lots of work still to go.

Perhaps one of the biggest things this weekend was that both the players and myself seemed to take a step forward. The players came out with intensity and desire, focused on the defense and rebounding, and executed the game plan well for four quarters. Sounds a little cliched, but we haven't managed to perform for four quarters this season.

Myself, I felt a lot more controlled and confident and learnt a very important lesson about the makeup of the team.

In past seasons it has been a major effort to get teams motivated. They always wanted to play, but keeping them focused and getting them ready to play with the required intensity was tough. I’m not exactly sure whether it’s the influx of younger players, a couple of key additions, or something entirely different…but this team actually needs to be calmed down as a group rather than fired up. When we focused on the task at hand, played as a team and didn’t get into “ra ra” speeches it seemed to have a much better outcome.

Willetton to their credit were their usual efficient selves. The starting lineup of Sleeman, Hunt, Epps, Kunkel and Read is enough to give any team fits. At one stage Ben Hunt was hitting threes from a good 2 meters outside the three point line which is a tough defensive assignment. Also the size advantage that the Tigers enjoyed needed to be countered, at one stage we had rookie guard Nathan Freind guarding Kyle Kunkel and both he and his team mates did a great job.

Some positives from the game:

• 6 players in double figures scoring (Moon and Balcombe 25, Kruge 16, Friend 15, Taylor 14, Stack 10)
• Outrebounding a bigger team (Tigers O19 D35 T54, Eagles O22 D36 T58)
• The individual effort of Jon Moon, who’s overall game is coming together nicely (25pts on 8/15, 5reb, 7ast, 5to in 44:33mins...and he didn't foul out!!!)
• The repeated solid performance of our rookie squad (Balcombe 25pts on 11/21, 11rbs, 2bs and Freind 15pts, 2reb)

Some areas for further improvement:

• Our low 3pt field goal percentage (5/22 for 22.7%…in particular Freind 0/7)
• Occasional defensive rotational lapses, forgiven for this game given the overall defensive focus but something to work on.
• Our low free throw percentage (18/29 for 62.1%…in particular Kruge 0/6)

We have been lifting the intensity at training as the new playing group becomes more comfortable with each other. We need to keep that up and continue our defensive focus if we are to be a true finals contender this season. We still anticipate Mike Jones and Ty Alabakis being another week away, which will only serve to strengthen the team and lift the intensity and competition further at training.

Week #2 recap - Game #2 vs Eastern Suns (129 - 112 loss), Game #3 vs Wanneroo Wolves (115 – 88 loss)

A tough second week, and lots to learn.

Mike Jones is still to arrive, Ty Alabakis is still out injured, and to add insult to injury (or is it injury to insult) Tim Kruge rolled his ankle in the first quarter of the Suns game on Friday night. To his credit he played on as best he could, but by the time Saturday night came around it was even worse.

We have a very young team, and in terms of SBL experience not a lot of depth. Looking at the result of Saturday nights game for example, if not for the exceptional play of youngsters Friend and Balcombe (top scorers with 24 and 20 points) things could have been much worse.

In specific Friday night’s game started well. We had a few lapses in the first half, however the final few minutes of the second quarter saw some major defensive lapses. In particular players double teaming guards out of a zone and opening up the second guard for easy shots was baffling. It’s not something we have ever practiced, it’s not an option for us and for obvious reason. We went from a hard fought lead to level, and let them take the momentum.

The second half they carried that momentum. It became a war of attrition, with our limited depth being exposed. I made a rookie mistake and put Jon Moon back in the game with 5 fouls (I thought he was on 4) and he fouled out in the third. Overall it combined for a second half to forget and a poor game.

Saturday night we knew wouldn’t be any easier, and on top of the issues noted above Andrew McLennan was also unavailable. I tried to go to our bench in short bursts to rest the starters, but with Tim unable to defend and not asserting himself on offense we had to go much deeper than I would have liked. Don’t get me wrong I’m the first person to say we should be giving the younger players a go, exposing them to SBL basketball. But it’s not how you win games.

To the credit of the team, we never gave in and played a strong game. Of course the eventual 27 point margin is not ideal but it was pleasing to see effort from the younger players. Wanneroo executed well as was expected, especially from a team where the core has been together so long.

We will regroup and work hard from here. We have a tough schedule coming up, with Tigers (H), Magic (A), Cougars (H) and Lightning (A). At least these are all single games, so we will hopefully have Mike and Ty available for at least half of these games. Of course it will take time for them to fit in also, but with a 26 game season and the team already 0-3 we don’t have a lot of time for those luxuries.

Week #1 recap - Game #1 vs Kalgoorlie Giants (88 - 118 loss)

Kalgoorlie road trips are always an interesting experience. With the squad we have it was a good opportunity for them to get to know each other and I think we have come out of it a much better team.

I hate making excuses and as a coach I need to realise sometimes that rather than excuses, it's an explanation, reason or legitimate justification. Personality traits aside, we have a number of legitimate reasons for what at the end of the day was a poor game.

The game started well, and the gameplan was working well. It took about a quarter for Tim Kruge to become comfortable with how he should be playing (it was after all his first game with the team), and adjust to the referee's. The players that played in the first half (7) showed the points of emphasis we have been working on, and executed well. We were down 3 at the first quarter, and 5 at the half. Perhaps the most disappointing aspect of the first half was we never adjusted to Kaminski (the new Giants import) who was moving well off the ball and getting cheap putback baskets. At the half he had 15 rebounds, 7 offensive. The giants had 19 to our 9 second chance points and that was really the ballgame to the half.

When we hit the floor for the second half, it became apparent that the Giants had stepped it up a notch. Their defensive intensity was awesome and showed us how a defending champion can "put some starch into their defense" as Giants Coach Steve Charlton put it in his post game address. Being absolutely honest, we looked scared and as though we didn't trust our teammates. All of the things that the individuals had shown in the first half that we had been working on went out the window. They fell back into their own personal bad habits, and we shot bad shots or coughed up the ball...which led to cheap transition baskets, and so the flow went.

We slowed and tried to adjust, and reversed the flow briefly at times, but not sufficiently to bring it back. Quarter by quarters:

Eagles: 27 / 27 / 21 / 13
Giants: 30 / 29 / 30 / 29

Now to the 'explanation' from the Eagles perspective.

From my perspective the big thing this points out is our lack of game preparation. With our late withdrawal from the Country Cup, which would have given us a handful of SBL quality games, we really were under prepared game play wise. Also with Tim arriving the day before the Redbacks scratch match, he hadn't participated in a game with us so in future a scratch match the week before involving the entire squad would probably be wise.

I also need to keep in mind, somewhat related to the above, that we have a very new lineup. Again Coach Charlton commented that when he reviewed the list he only recognised 5 or 6 of the names. Our starting lineup consisted of 2 players from last year (Moon and Taylor), a 17 year old (Balcombe), a player that joined us this year from Stirling and only just returned to training last week from a fractured finger (McLennan) and our new import (Kruge).

Add to that a bench of another new player from Stirling that only started training with us about 4 weeks ago (Stack), an inexperienced player (Burbage) and 3 rookies (Friend, Nichole and Donlagic) and we really didn't have the preparation leading into this game we needed. Entirely my fault and it wont happen again.

However we now take the positives out of it. After the bus trip, crowd and noise, and new lineup we played exceptionally well for a lot of the game. Individuals and the team showed that the work we have done is paying off, with a lot of these things showing through. We will now take the intensity and focus we have developed and continue our hard work for week #2. Also, add import Mike Jones (immigration: 2-3 weeks) and local Ty Alabakis (inj. - collarbone: 3-4 weeks) and we look much stronger.

Other positives to come out of the weekend were:

• The bonding of the team in general. I believe we have a very good group of people in this team and it is starting to show.


• The performance of Jarrod Balcombe. 24pts, 7rbds, 3ast, 1bs (a huge block on a Kaminski dunk), 1st in 41:42mins.


• The performance of Nathan Friend. Whilst he has a fairly modest stat line of 8pts on 3/5, 1rbd, 2ast, 2to in 24:14mins, he showed solid play belying his rookie status.


• The performance of Tim Kruge. Tim is a very solid player and a great person. His 23pts, 10rbds, 2ast, 2bs in 38:14mins was invaluable and he has been a great pickup for the team.

So I believe the future is looking good. We will hit the training track hard this week, and prepare ourselves for week #2, which has us matched up against the new Eastern Suns at Lesmurdie on Friday night, and then our first home game against the Joondalup Wolves on Saturday night.

The build up to game #1, 2008

Well, it’s here…we had our last training session of the pre-season, and we’re ready to climb aboard the bus to Kalgoorlie on Saturday morning (at 5:45am, I believe the players hate me but hey I’m used to that heheh).

We have a reasonable lineup considering one of our imports has not yet arrived and we had a few withdrawals and changes along the way.

#5 Jon Moon (180cm, 75kg, 25yrs)

#6 John Taylor (189cm , 75kg, 22yrs)

#7 Nic Donlagic (194cm , 92kg, 18yrs)

#8 Jarrod Balcombe (196cm , 80kg, 20yrs)

#9 Damian Stack (195cm , 120kg, 32yrs)

#10 Andrew McLennan (191cm , 90kg, 33yrs)

#11 Clint Burbage (197cm , 99kg, 25yrs)

#13 Jeremy Nichole (199cm , 92kg, 19yrs)

#15 Nathan Friend (187cm , 77kg, 18yrs)

#50 Tim Kruge (204cm , 111kg, 23yr)

Damian Stack has been training with us for a few weeks now and adds presence and smarts to the team, which helps given we have a few young players joining the group. Tim is settling in nicely, and overall things are coming together. Mike Jones is yet to arrive, we hope to have him here soon.

The opportunity to play the defending champions first up and be present at the unveiling of their championship banner is terrific. We expect a fairly boisterous crowd (is that the ultimate understatement or what) to be there to support the team, and it will certainly be an initiation to remember for the rookies playing their first SBL game (3 in this group being Friend, Donlagic and Nichole).

So time to let the game do the talking…here we go…

Week -2 Recap - Scrimmage #2 vs Perth Redbacks

It’s been a while since the last entry, things have been a little nuts in my life to be honest. I am doing 50 hour weeks at work (you know, the place where they actually pay you to do stuff), and life outside of work is a mess. Excuses, excuses I know. Anyway, the season is fast approaching so I will have to stop making excuses.

We played our second (and last) scratch match of the season against the Perth Redbacks yesterday at Belmont. We fielded a fairly weak team unfortunately, with injuries and illness forcing some players out. I’m not sure if it’s a good thing or a bad thing…Andrew McLennan fractured his finger in our first scratch match, Ty Alabakis broke his collarbone in this one. Perhaps this year we are getting them out of the way early *touch wood*. Well that’s how I’m looking at it anyway.

We had 9 players, lost 1 to injury, and 2 fouled out as I would expect as we adjust our game. Congratulations to John Taylor for fouling out of his first game EVER! Quite an achievement, I think it was the first time he had played ‘real defence’ hahahaha (Just joking JT…honest…).

The score eventually was 112-98 in the Redbacks favour. Well done to Dave Harris and his team, they have assembled a very talented group with a lot of young players coming through. It’s good to see a club supporting a local coach and encouraging the building of a program based around local talent. They played with intensity, were hard at the ball and executed well. Good luck for the rest of the season lads.

We played fairly well, in particular our opening half I was quite pleased with our execution at both ends of the floor. Still work to do, but with 2 imports and a couple of local players out that I would expect to make considerable impact, I am pleased with how we performed and where we are at.

Many thanks to Margaret Prior for her excellent photography and allowing me to use them in the blog.

Time Kruge arrived on Friday, and was in the stands to watch the game and meet the players. Tim is as keen to get on the floor and play as I am to have him join! It will be good to see him finally hit the court, learn our plays and start meshing with the team.

So 2 weeks to go, 8 hours of training, and we climb aboard the bus to Kalgoorlie to watch the Giants unveil their premiership banner. If nothing else it’s going to be an exciting start to the season and a great introduction to SBL basketball for our rookies.

Week -5 Recap - Scrimmage #1 vs Joondalup Wolves

Yes, five weeks out from season start and we had our first outing against someone other than ourselves. It is so nice to get out on the court against another team, it's difficult to figure out what exactly you are doing well and need to work on when you are intra-squad scrimmaging. You focus on defense, the offense slips and you need to switch...it's easy to lose focus.

Anyway, we played the Joondalup Wolves at Joondalup yesterday (Sunday). We learnt a lot and I got a great picture of where we are at. We played 8 x 6 minute periods to allow us to switch things up a little. Coach Hood and myself talked before each period and ran certain defences to allow us to try things out. It's great to have a like minded coach willing to cooperate with those sorts of things and benefit both teams.

We played a lot of our youngsters, as a matter of fact...*grabs calculator*...our average age was 21 (take out Andrew McLennan and it goes to 20 hahahaha...sorry Andrew!). We had three 17 year olds, three 19 year olds in the squad, all SBL Rookies. It's great to see the younger players stepping up and maintaining the intensity. They have a long way to go, but acquitted themselves well.

I was pleased with how we went and pleasantly surprised with the intensity. The Wolves had a great lineup for us with Matacz, Gates, Upstone, Butler, Pearman and Hawkins amongst others lining up for a run. Our technical execution was lacking as was to be expected and playing against a physical opponent was something that some of the younger players hadn't experienced before.

We have our two training sessions this week to continue to learn and adjust, then the Country Cup over the weekend where I expect we will be playing around 5 or 6 games. Again a great opportunity for us to take a few more steps towards being ready for the season to kick off.

Progess to date

Training has continued and we are progressing well for this early stage of the season. The times of 8:30pm – 10:30pm Mondays and Wednesdays is pretty hard on all of us, but we work what we are given. I would prefer more training too, but again we are limited in what we can do. In regards the squad, Mike Jones should be arriving soon, with Tim Kruge soon to follow. With this and some possible late additions to round out our personnel, we will be ready to hit the season running.

I am trying as a coach to maintain intensity and as I have mentioned before, increase the scrimmage component of our training sessions. I have tended to interrupt sessions a lot in the past, and crammed them with drills and when they run over (which they inevitably do) the time for scrimmage has generally been less than 25% of the session. Now I am aiming for a minimum of 50% and so far, so good. It seems to be allowing the players to become familiar with each other’s games, preferences and at the same time learning the team philosophies and gaining game specific fitness.

We have our first hit out this weekend in a scrimmage against the Joondalup Wolves. Then the Country Cup at Perry Lakes over the 1st and 2nd March. Country Cup provides a great chance to rotate players through various scenarios, try different things and see where we are as a team. Both these hitouts are very early in the schedule so we (and I assume most of the participants) are nowhere near ready for a ‘real game’. But it is a great opportunity to identify areas to work on (aside from the ones we already know about) and perhaps areas where we could exploit a previously unknown strength or hide a weakness.

We then have a tentatively scheduled scratch match a fortnight after against the Perth Redbacks, and a fortnight until our first hitout at Kalgoorlie. I’m pretty happy with that schedule, I believe it gives us a nice workup to the season and opportunities in the right places to review and tweak things.

Of rosters and such

Well, I guess you could say things are a little more sorted, not necesarily for the best.

When the dust has settled, we aren't as deep as I would have liked. With the finalisation of our training schedule, we have lost Neil Purcell to work and study commitments. Completely understandable given his situation, but nonetheless very disappointing and a big blow.

We have also lost Kosta Ilic, who will be remaining at Stirling. Good luck to him for the upcoming season.

So our roster now looks like this:

Jon Moon
John Taylor
Andrew McLennan
Mike Jones
Tim Kruge
Jarrod Balcombe
-----------------
Ty Alabakis
Nathan Friend
Clint Burbage
Jeremy Nichol
Nic Donlagic
Lucas Offereins

Ty returned from America this week, and has commenced training with the squad. We are unsure if he will play at this stage, as we need to confirm his ongoing availability based on possible US commitments, however we are hopeful he will be a part of the team.

I believe we have a solid 6 players and some very talented juniors, and I have no doubt we will be fit enough to play our style. What worries me is (*touch wood*) the inevitable injuries, work/personal commitments etc that occur during the season to rob a team of key players. It is covering these events that worries me more than actual depth in any one game.

We have our assigned training schedule now of Monday and Wednesday evenings 8:30pm to 10:30pm at Ballajura Community College. We had our last off-court fitness session yesterday (Monday) at Kings Park, and the improvement across the squad from when we started has been substantial. Now we need to continue that underlying focus on the court.

Again touching a nearby chunk of wood, I am happy to rotate only as deep as needed/we are capable of in any one game. You can only put 5 players on the floor and I am confident some of our development players will take their opportunities and really show they deserve some time. Although the situation reminds me of a quote I read recently:

Lately, with point guard Tony Parker out and Popovich all but forced to increase Ginobili's workload, the Argentine guard has been reminded of one of life's most frequent lessons. Be careful what you wish for.

"When I play 28, 30 (minutes), I'm always upset and want to play more," Ginobili said. "When I play 40, I say, 'I never play 40, I'm tired, I need to play less.'"

The moral of the story, as Ginobili sees it? "Players are never happy," he said with a chuckle.

(http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/basketball/nba/spurs/stories/MYSA020508.BKN_spurs-pacers_manu.en.37ea0ad.html)

Clash of styles...or is it?

Recently there has been a lot of movement in the NBA. Chris Webber to the Golden State Warriors, Pau Gasol to the Lakers, Shaq to the Phoenix Suns. In the tough, generally more “up tempo” Western Conference a couple of bigger, slower players added to what have been some of the quickest teams (although Pau Gasol isn’t exactly slow, but still noteworthy).

As my coaching philosophies have developed over the years, I have leant towards a more up-tempo, open floor offense rather than a grinding half court set style. Defensively I prefer an aggressive, pressuring defense where the players are allowed to gamble and use their natural abilities (athleticism, strength, mobility, instincts etc.) to best effect.

So it is with great interest I have watched the unfolding events with the Suns and Warriors in particular. I admire Don Nelson and the frantic pace at both ends of the floor that the Warriors play. Coach Mike D'Antoni and his up-tempo style fit this also, although perhaps not quite as aggressive on the defensive end. How will the additions of bigger, slower players like Webber and O'Neal affect these teams?

Both seem to agree somewhat...from a recent interview with Don Nelson:

-Q: The Suns play so fast, will that style work with Shaq?
-NELSON: Nobody runs a five-man break. Because you have to one guy back dragging up or to change the ball. I’m sure they’re no different than we are.

And excerpts from an interview with Mike D'Antoni:

D'Antoni found irony — and humor — in the second-guessing of the trade. "Well, first we can't win without a big man, and once we get a big man, now we can't win with a big man. That's a funny argument.'' D'Antoni wasn't finished. Recognizing a Los Angeles reporter, he said, "Didn't the Lakers have Showtime and a 40-year-old center running down behind everybody?''

In town coaching the New Orleans Hornets against the Suns, former Lakers star Byron Scott seconded that sentiment.

"To me, it's a lot like the '80s, when Kareem (Abdul-Jabbar) was up in age. We were a fast-break team, but when Magic (Johnson) needed him, we called him down, put him in the post, throw it to him and spread the floor. That's exactly what Phoenix is going to do with Shaq.''

It will be fascinating to see how these teams adjust, from a chemistry and style perspective, over the coming weeks. I for one will be watching with great interest.

The roster coalesces

Well the roster is starting to come together, with both our imports officially signed, sealed and hopefully soon to be delivered!

Here are the details for Tim Kruge:

Name: Timothy J Kruge
Age: 23
Height: 6’8”
Weight: 240lbs

Valley Christian High School (1999 – 2003)
Led the team to their first State title junior (2001-2002) and senior year (2002-2003)
Small school player of the year two years in a row in Arizona (2001-2002 & 2002-2003)
During High School played during summers with a club team and toured

Point Loma University (2003 to 2007)
Played all four years as a starter at the 4 (Power Forward) or 5 (Center) position.
2005: All-American honorable mention sophmore year
2006: All-American junior year
2006: Junior year led nation in individual field goal percentage (69%)
2005-2006: Team MVP
2005-2006: All-Conference team sophmore and junior year
Junior and Sophmore year averaged 9-10 rebounds and 17-18 points a game
2005: Sophomore year toured Romania playing university teams with xtrememissions
Other
2005: Toured Hong Kong and Southern China with an Asian team. Played in a tournament against the national teams of China, Singapore, Malaysia, and the Phillipines. Lost in the Finals to Hong Kong. Started for this team and averaged 10 rebounds and 20 points.
2007: Toured with AIA through Canada this past summer.

Tim is a solid player and a great person, and will be a tremendous addition to our team. Coupled with the return of Mike Jones (Moncrief…who knows, I have never really figured that one out…) the team has a great base to work from.

Just for those that haven’t seen it, here are Mike Jones details:

Name: Michael D Jones
Age: 26
Height: 6’7”
Weight: 225lbs

Booker T. Washington High School (1996 – 1999)
Freshman Year, led Freshman team to Championship Game. 14.2 ppg 8.7 rpg.
Sophomore Year, 7.8 ppg 4.8 rpg playing Varsity. Championship year.
Junior Year, 10.6 ppg 7.2 rpg playing Varsity. Semifinals year.
1999-2000 Transferred to Central High School
Central High School (1996 – 1999)
Senior Year, 17.6 ppg 9.6 rpg. Finished season 15-14 – Semifinals year.

Stirling College (2000 – 2004)
2000: Freshman Year: 9.5 ppg 2.8 rpg. We had a losing season this year.
2001: Sophmore Year: 11.7 pprg 7.7 rpg. We had a winning season this year.
2003: NAIA All-America honors.
2003: NAIA Division II Second Team All-America after averaging 18.7 ppg. and 10.2 rpg. Shot 52.7% from the floor, including 44.2% effort from behind the three-point line.
2001-2003: Named KCAC "Player of the Year" as well as Unanimous First Team All-KCAC
2003: Named to the KCAC "All-Defensive Team".
2003: Season Free-Throw Percentage – 91.5%
2000-2004: Career Free-Throw Percentage – 85%
Named most prolific three-point shooter in the history of Sterling College basketball and holds records in:
o Most Three-Point Field Goals in a Game – 8 vs. Kansas Wesleyan in 2002
o Most Three-Point Field Goals in a Season – 84 (2003-2004)
o Most Three-Point Field Goals in a Career – 252 (2000-2004)
2004: Led Sterling in the following categories
o Scoring (18.7 ppg.)
o Rebounding (10.2 rpg.)
o Field Goal Percentage (52.7%)
o Three Point Percentage (44.2%)
o Free Throw Percentage (91.5%)
o Steals (60)
o Blocks (46)
2004: Broke the single season rebound record at Sterling which stood for 42 years, grabbing 327 rebounds breaking Larry Caywood's record of 295 set in 1961-62.
Concludes College career with 1,510 points in 119 varsity appearances.
One of fifteen to players to score over 1,000 points at SC and ranked fourth on the career scoring list.

Other
2004: Graduated with a Communication Degree from Sterling College in May 2004.
2004: Harlem Globetrotters. Played for 2½ seasons touring all over the United States and Overseas.
2005: Rochester Razorsharks, won the ABA Championship.
2006: SBL East Perth Eagles. 9-14 record.
2006: Rochester Razorsharks.
2007: SBL East Perth Eagles. 8-15 record.
2007: SBL East Perth Eagles won several club awards in averaging: 24.5ppg 10rpg 2.3apg 1.2spg
2007: Brunei Cup in Asia with the Darwin All-Stars. Team came in 4th Place.

So our roster as it currently stands…not all these players are currently contracted, but they form the core of our squad:

Andrew McLennan
Clint Burbage
Jarrad Balcombe
Jeremy Nichol
John Taylor
Jon Moon
Kosta Ilic
Lucas Offereins
Mike Jones
Nathan Friend
Neil Purcell
Nick Donlagic
Tim Kruge

There are still one or two possible additions, however this will be the basis for 2008 and I think it’s the strongest squad we have had to date. It’s particularly pleasing to see some of the younger players coming through and working hard to earn a place in the SBL squad.

Hard work of the pre-season

It’s tough to try and balance so many competing objectives, and sometimes I wonder why exactly I’m doing this. I’m sure everyone goes through the same issues with what they do. Going through the process of recruiting, developing juniors, identifying and pushing for imports, producing team philosophies, plays and playbooks, organising fitness plans and gym passes, planning training sessions, identifying venues and scheduling training sessions, conducting training sessions with too many players and no coaches…lets just say sometimes it gets on top of you.

I envy the clubs that have their own stadiums and courts. I envy the clubs that have enough money to not only pay their imports, but also their loyal local players that are usually more deserving of being paid having gone through the tough times. I envy the clubs that have developed a strong culture and attracted good solid coaches to help them continue to build their program.

But we continue to work hard and build the Eagles to those levels also.

Enough of that, aside from trying to do too much with too little, the pre-season continues well. The SBL squad has come together well and aside from an injury here and a work commitment there, so far we are looking good. Of course the rest of the league has taken yet another step up also. It’s funny I thought last year was the strongest the league has been in years, and we would take a step forward and be right up there. Just as we take a step up, so does every other team in the league hahaha. Anyway if it was easy the end result wouldn’t be as satisfying now would it.Currently we have the SBL squad, and a skeleton crew of Division One, U23’s and some U18’s players training. We will hold Division One and U23’s tryouts in the next week or so (we will advertise on the website and forums). The numbers have been pleasing for this early stage of pre-season, and everyone is keen and committed.

And so it starts...

I wrote a blog entry late last year to kick off 2008…but as with the best laid plans I had to postpone it. Not much point if players haven’t been confirmed, courts are yet to be booked etc etc.

Getting past the rambling, I have been working on 2008 for months now. I have made some significant changes to the way I am approaching the new year, and the plans for the team. The good part is that we are building on a solid base, and this third year of my tenure I am hoping that things start coming together.

First news is signing of players. In my last blog for 2007 I mentioned the hard work of recruiting. Well it really is. Trying to retain, recruit and improve is harder than I ever thought it would be as a junior coach. Anyway, the outcome is that we have retained a solid core and made a few key acquisitions. Perhaps the most important acquisition is thanks to the hard work of the East Perth board members, we are adding a second import to our lineup.

We had an SBL dinner on Friday 14th December at Hogs Breath in Northbridge. What can I say, I like a good steak J We had the president Fred Pesqua, SBL Director Matt Elliot, Assistant SBL Coach Geoff Warner and wife Anne, and Team Administrator Kelly Wigg present. Also present were players Jon Moon, John Taylor, Michael Jones and Andrew McLennan who signed contracts. Neil Purcell was unable to attend and signed his contract the next day.

We are currently finalising negotiations with our second import, Tim Kruge a 6’8” PF/C from Point Loma University. Tim was an All-American, received various NAIA awards and was his team MVP a number of years. He was injured his senior year, however he has toured with Athletes In Action through Canada in 2007 and is healthy and ready to go. Just as importantly he is a person of good character and we look forward to welcoming him to the team.

Also Jarrod Balcombe has returned to play for the Eagles in 2008. Jarrod was attending High School in New Jersey, however a number of issues arose and he is now back in Perth for the year (likely returning to the US for 2009). Whilst it is unfortunate that it didn’t work out for him, it is tremendous news for the SBL team to have a junior of Jarrod’s calibre back in the squad and will provide him with some valuable game experience.

So all up that forms a 7 man core for our 2008 campaign, one that I am very happy with.

A number of other juniors are also coming through into the SBL development program. Some individuals sessions were held during the months of October and November, and these juniors will be participating in the SBL pre-season. I am also talking to other players and those talks will be ongoing over the next few weeks to continue strengthening our lineup.

I have made some changes to our pre-season program from previous years. Each year I try to look at lessons learnt, and one of the things I believe that has held us back in previous years is starting the pre-season too early and also not getting on the court early enough.

In 2008 we commenced our pre-season program on Sunday, 6th January. This was a court session and whilst we will do some pure physical sessions, we will be doing a lot more court specific fitness activities. In prior seasons we have commenced with off-court fitness work such as Kings Park runs, Jacobs Ladder and beach runs and haven’t hit the court until as late as early February.

This year we will hit the court first thing, and occasionally insert an off-court session. Our on-court sessions will have large amounts of game specific fitness activities. I believe this will allow us to be more prepared for the season, and in particular our style of basketball.

So now it’s head first into the pre-season!