
NBL | Ones to Watch – Round 9
AFTER taking a week off for some FIBA matches that were initially planned, the National Basketball League (NBL) has returned to resume the 2023/24 season. The season is reaching the midway point of the fixture, and although there are sides faring well, the race for a spot in the finals is a tight as ever. […]

Le’Afa lethal off the bench as Breakers best 36ers
THE New Zealand Breakers have claimed a crucial win in the context of their season, downing the Adelaide 36ers thanks to an excellent performance from guard Izayah Le’afa. Throughout the start of the 2023/24 National Basketball League (NBL) season, both sides had struggled at times, although the 36ers were coming into the game in better […]

Robertson rips through defence in close loss
DESPITE his team being overrun in the second half, Aussie guard Tyler Robertson was immense for the Portland Pilots during the team’s loss against their cross-town rivals in the Portland State Vikings on Wednesday. Now in his senior year, Robertson has already enjoyed a stellar college career with the Pilots, and has more responsibility than […]

Aokuso astounds as Townsville trumps Lightning
AN impactful offensive performance from center Zitina Aokuso drove the Townsville Fire to a six-point win over the Adelaide Lightning to kick off Round 5 of the Women’s National Basketball League (WNBL) on Wednesday night. Returning home to the Townsville Entertainment Centre, the Fire came into the game on a three-game winning streak, and still […]

Wolfpack surge past Colarado with statement win
IN the battle of two undefeated division one women’s basketball teams, it was North Carolina State who was the last one standing of the pair, defeating Colorado by 18 points in the NCAAW on the weekend. A 22-6 opening term set up the memorable 78-60 victory. The win moved North Carolina State to a 7-0 […]

Townsville road warriors continue run
UNBEATEN on the road, reigning WNBL champions Townsville Fire made it back-to-back victories down in south west Australia, defeating Adelaide Lightning and Perth Lynx in Round 4. The Fire knocked off the Lightning by 23 points (74-51) on Thursday night, before downing Perth Lynx by 16 (92-76) on Saturday evening. Townsville currently sits second on […]

Smith makes it Reyne in tight win
AUSTRALIAN guard Reyne Smith was the catalyst for Charleston’s win over Kent State in the NCAA thanks to an impressive shooting performance. The Cougars’ guard is a Junior, and averaging 98 points this season, but stepped up for a memorable shooting display in the 84-78 victory over the Golden Flashes. Trailing by six points at […]

Spirit douse Flames in WNBL breakthrough
DESPITE missing captain Kelsey Griffin and trailing by as much as 15 points during the second term, Bendigo Spirit got themselves on the board in the 2023/24 WNBL season with an incredible 82-66 victory over Sydney Flames at Red Energy Arena on Saturday. After four consecutive losses to start the 2023/24 season, the Spirit rose […]

Attributes combined: Building the perfect NBL player
WHILE the National Basketball League (NBL) has plenty of excellent players that have reached superstar status, what does the perfect NBL player look like if you picked the best of each key attribute? There will be no NBL games this week due to the planned FIBA break, although the scheduled FIBA matches were subsequently cancelled. […]

Fire clinical in four quarter performance over Lightning
LEADING from start to finish, the Townsville Fire showed why they are a tough team to beat, defeating the Adelaide Lightning by 23 points at the Adelaide 36ers Arena on Thursday night. It was a match that was played on a defensive tempo pace, with the Fire applying the pressure from the tipoff, before Townsville […]

Barry’s buzzer beater buries Black Angels
A BUZZER-BEATING tip-in from Mitchell Barry saw McKinnon win one of the games of the Big V Championship Men’s season, defeating Melbourne University by a point at GESAC. In a topsy-turvy contest filled with twists, it took until the very last touch to determine the outcome, which went the way of the Cougars, 95-94. Both […]

Big V Women’s 2022 season review – Chelsea Gulls
THE Big V Women’s season has wrapped for 2022, with an ultra-entertaining fixture resulting in some big wins, close finishes and outstanding individual performances. In Rookie Me Central’s season review series, we will be taking a look at how each side fared throughout the year and how their respective seasons panned out as a whole. […]

Big V Men’s 2022 Season Review – Blackburn Vikings
THE Big V Men’s season has wrapped for 2022, with an ultra-entertaining fixture resulting in some big wins, close finishes and outstanding individual performances. In Rookie Me Central‘s season review series, we will be taking a look at how each side fared throughout the year and how their respective seasons panned out as a whole. […]

Big V Women’s 2022 season review – Southern Peninsula Sharks
THE Big V Women’s season has wrapped for 2022, with an ultra-entertaining fixture resulting in some big wins, close finishes and outstanding individual performances. In Rookie Me Central’s season review series, we will be taking a look at how each side fared throughout the year and how their respective seasons panned out as a whole. […]

Big V Men’s 2022 season review – Chelsea Gulls
THE Big V Men’s season has wrapped for 2022, with an ultra-entertaining fixture resulting in some big wins, close finishes and outstanding individual performances. In Rookie Me Central’s season review series, we will be taking a look at how each side fared throughout the year and how their respective seasons panned out as a whole. […]

Sharif’s sensational season leads McKinnon
WITH the Big V Men’s competition wrapped for season 2022 and the champions in Wyndham crowned, it is time to take a look back at the year that was. Wyndham managed to come from second place and upset the ladder leaders to win it all in what was a terrific team performance. While McKinnon was […]

Awesome Ananiev an offensive weapon
THE BIG V Women’s competition has wrapped for season 2022, and there was plenty to like about the way it all panned out. Wyndham was far and away the best side in the competition, and completed a dominant run with a grand final victory and a truly deserved championship. The champions were the most damaging […]

Belief guides Wyndham to championship glory
WYNDHAM’S championship-securing win against the Sunbury Jets in the Big V Men’s competition may not have been predicted by all, but Wyndham coach Lucas Allen said his side was not daunted by the Jets’ league-best record. The Jets came into the match with an impressive win/loss record of 20-1 in the home and away fixture […]

Wyndham winners after breaking Boomers
WYNDHAM has been crowned the champions of the Big V Women’s basketball competition for season 2022, after defeating the Bulleen Boomers in two games over the past couple of weeks. In the best of three series, Wyndham managed to get the job done in just two outings, in a performance that was reflective of their […]

Akalo: Wyndham expecting tense game two
WYNDHAM was able to take game one of the Big V Women’s grand final series last weekend against the Bulleen Boomers, and will be now aiming to finish the job when the two sides hit the court for game two on Saturday, and potentially game three on Sunday. Game two (and three, if required) will […]