Hoops Heaven‘s Basketball Hustle: Recent Episodes
chrispikebball
Basketball Hustle with the Writer and the Scoring Machine is hosted by Chris Pike and Perth Wildcats/NBL legend Shawn Redhage talking all things basketball with a focus on the NBL with all the big name guests from the game, past and present
One shock, one brilliant Brisbane Bullets signing, Bryce Cotton looks set for Japan as Perth Wildcats scramble to replace great, March Madness Final Four, NBL team by team free agency breakdown, Warwick Senators NBL1 West preview from Cody Ellis.
Cody never thought coaching might be for him but he's now starting to change his view and it could be something he fully throws himself into at some point, and he's already helped the Warwick Senators U14s team to the National Championships.
The Brisbane Bullets coaching appointment was always likely to surprise and the announcement of Stu Lash certainly provided that, and Cody was somewhat shocked at the news, but he feels their appointment of Professor Stephen Reid as High-Performance Director is brilliant.
There was no surprise that Bryce Cotton decided to leave the Perth Wildcats but it's still significant news and Cody believes where he will end up next will be signing a lucrative deal in Japan, and there's no chance of him landing at a rival NBL club.
The changes under new ownership look to be ecxiting at the NZ Breakers and it all starts by trying to recreate what was once a winning culture where they had a great connection with New Zealand, and it no longer appears management will be hindering the team's chances of having success.
With NBL free agency now underway, we take a look at the outlook of all 10 clubs including a big off-season for the Adelaide 36ers with a lot of work to do under coach Mike Wells.
The Brisbane Bullets have a lot of pieces locked in but top-level import help for Casey Prather is the focus while the Cairns Taipans have done well to re-sign key talent including Sam Waardenburg but their import signings are also key.
The Illawarra Hawks have most of their championship team locked away and Cody does expect coach Justin Tatum to return while the team they beat, Melbourne United, look set to be undergoing some significant change to their personnel.
The NZ Breakers are changing a lot but the majority of their local personnel are locked while Flynn Cameron looks a key target and they'll be replacing all three imports likely including Tacko Fall.
The Perth Wildcats have big decisions to make on how to replace Bryce Cotton and Keanu Pinder with Kendric Davis and Josh Bannan the leading candidates while re-signing Matt Hurt has to be the focus for the South East Melbourne Phoenix.
The Sydney Kings need to be going with three imports and they'll all be new faces in NBL26 while there could also be significant change afoot at the Tasmania JackJumpers but brining back Milton Doyle should be a priority.
March Madness has got to the Final Four stage and there are all the No. 1 seeds that have made it with Cody predicting an upset with Houston beating Duke while he's sticking with Florida to join them in the NCAA Championship Game with a possible 70,000 crowd at the Alamodome.
We then wrap things up by talking about the NBL1 West season ahead for Cody Ellis at the Warwick Senators with Todd Withers back alongside him along with new signings Elijah Pepper and Mitch Clarke.
Cody also casts his eye across the rest of the competition including Terrico White, Emmett Naar and Isaac White among the arrivals while he is blown away with the talent on the women's side that could have it the strongest conference in Australia.
All made possible thanks to the support of Hoops Heaven (www.hoopsheaven.com.au) and TABtouch (www.tabtouch.com.au).
Cody Ellis on watching Illawarra Hawks triumph, brutal loss again for Melbourne United, frustrating MVP situation for both Davo Hickey/Matthew Dellavedova, NBL Championship Series breakdown and former Saint Louis Billikens captain talks NCAA March Madness.
From the perspective of a former Illawarra Hawks player who went to their last Grand Final appearance, Cody Ellis couldn’t be happier or more proud for the entire Wollongong community to now be celebrating a championship.
We also look at what a mixed week it was for the Froling family with Harry's heartwarming return after a horror two years while it was a heartbreaking achilles injury for Hawks co-captain Sam.
It wasn’t a series without controversies either highlighted by the horribly unfortunate situation of the MVP voting where Matthew Dellavedova won the Larry Sengstock Trophy but surrendered it to Davo Hickey.
It was a horrible situation for both players to be put in but Cody sees an easy solution to make sure it never happens again and that's simply for the votes to be cast at the end of the series and not after each game.
Not only that, but Justin Tatum continued to voice his opinions and the Illawarra Hawks coach was again fined by the NBL while there was an ill-timed leaking of the club owners potentially looking to assume ownership from Larry Kestelman.
All season long the depth has been key to the Hawks success and that was again on show the longer the Championship Series went while their rebounding and hustle became key while Davo Hickey led the charge in all areas to be the hero of the triumph across the series.
There were plenty more heroes for the Illawarra Hawks including Lachlan Olbrich stepping up against the experienced bigs of Melbourne and then his former Warwick Senators teammate Wani Swaka Lo Buluk playing a key role in becoming a four-time NBL champion.
Melbourne United has now lost two straight Championship Series after leading 2-1 and this time it's rebounding that Cody saw as their great weakness, and as demoralising as it must be to lose again, he credits their consistency while acknowledging they might need to now retool.
To wrap up this week's episode, we talk some NCAA March Madness as we enter the Sweet 16 stage with Cody making his predictions on who will make the Elite Eight while also reflecting on his own experiences including a Conference Championship as captain with the Saint Louis Billikens.
All made possible thanks to the support of Hoops Heaven (www.hoopsheaven.com.au) and TABtouch (www.tabtouch.com.au).
Breaking down Illawarra Hawks-Melbourne United NBL Championship Series, fingers crossed for Shea Ili, not good enough from Jack White, Adam Caporn perfect Boomers choice, Andrew Bogut's first step to coaching Sydney Kings, New Orleans Pelicans on the way.
Plenty of other things to discuss along with the Championship Series beginning with Adam Caporn being appointed the Australian Boomers coach and Cody sees him as the perfect choice for the role moving forward.
We then also discuss if Keanu Pinder's social media posting was a farewell to the Perth Wildcats, if Josh Bannan is now the hottest free agent commodity and if Andrew Bogut being a Sydney Kings assistant coach might be his first step towards being head coach.
We also look at the New Orleans Pelicans coming to Melbourne in October with Zion Williamson to play a couple of NBA pre-season games against Melbourne United and South East Melbourne Phoenix.
We then break down Game 1 of the Championship Series in what was the perfect example of a game of two halves with the Hawks having things on their terms in the first half before United turned things on its head for the win.
Melbourne's experience and physicality came to the fore in that second half with Marcus Lee playing a huge role while the back court of Shea Ili and Matthew Dellavedova helped ensure that Trey Kell III and Tyler Harvey had tough starts to the series.
We then turn our focus to Game 2 in Melbourne and the Hawks were in control of a lot of it but there was a lot to dissect in the last 10 seconds with Ian Clark's go ahead foul shots, Tyler Harvey's massive three and then Chris Goulding's three rattling out.
Also in Game 2, the Hawks won the physical battle and going big with Lachlan Olbrich and Sam Froling worked while Harvey and Trey Kell III fired with Jack White not good enough for Melbourne United but Tanner Krebs showed his value.
After wrapping up the first two games, we take a look at the TABtouch odds for Game 3 and then the rest of the series, and Cody is going with the Hawks to win Game 3 and to take the series 3-2 from here.
The WNBL championship has been decided with the Bendigo Spirit led by Sami Whitcomb winning and while the league has a strong on-court product, it needs a big boost in promotion to boost the profile which should begin happening under the NBL banner.
We then rapidly run through some free agents with Cody giving his thoughts on the future of players in the NBL including Bryce Cotton, Keanu Pinder, Kendric Davis, Montrezl Harrell, Tacko Fall, Parker Jackson-Cartwright, Jaylen Adams, Derrick Walton Jr, Milton Doyle and Jordon Crawford.
All made possible thanks to the support of Hoops Heaven (www.hoopsheaven.com.au) and TABtouch (www.tabtouch.com.au).
NBL must find a way to fix block/goaltend calls, Chris Goulding MVP of stunning Melbourne United-Perth Wildcats series, why John Rillie had to sit Keanu Pinder, excitement for Illawarra Hawks from player in their last Championship Series in 2017.
We open up this week's show with Cody Ellis talking about how proud he is of the Illawarra Hawks for what they have achieved so far in NBL, the way the community has got behind them and his reflections on being part of their last Championship Series in 2017.
We then turn our attention to the two Playoff Series where the Hawks dominated the South East Melbourne Phoenix in Game 3 after two tight games while Melbourne United and Perth Wildcats played out an all-time classic over three matches.
While Melbourne and Perth had a standout series, it wasn’t without drama and a lot of that surrounded some controversial calls late in the game including an unacceptable missed goaltend that was counted as a block from Marcus Lee on Ben Henshall with scores tied and 2:30 left.
That wasn’t the only call the Wildcats deserved to feel hard done by about and we look at them all including what appeared a flop from Lee on Jesse Wagstaff, a clear travel from Ian Clark and that was all in the last 2:30 of Game 3.
Away from the controversial, we look at Chris Goulding being the MVP of the series on the back of making 22 three-pointers while Ian Clark made the difference in Game 3 with 38 points and Jack White had a torrid time at the foul line.
From a Wildcats point of view, John Rillie deserves enormous credit for the changes he made from late in the third quarter of Game 2 onwards to give his team a chance and that included benching Keanu Pinder, but Cody Ellis talks about why he was left with no choice.
Then as for the other series, Trey Kell III and Tyler Harvey starred in the Game 1 and 3 wins for the Hawks while Todd Blanchfield came up huge and Derrick Walton Jr didn't quite return for the South East Melbourne Phoenix how he hoped and Matt Hurt's form wildly fluctuated from Wollongong to Melbourne.
With those Playoff Series out of the way, we look ahead to the Hawks-United Championship Series where there is all sorts of match ups to look forward to but might well be veterans Todd Blanchfield and Ian Clark who hold the key for their respective teams.
All made possible thanks to the support of Hoops Heaven (www.hoopsheaven.com.au) and TABtouch (www.tabtouch.com.au).
Farewell Kevin Braswell, Taran Armstrong to Golden State Warriors, Justin Schueller transitioned out of Brisbane Bullets, full TABtouch NBL Playoffs preview with Melbourne United v Perth Wildcats, Illawarra Hawks v South East Melbourne Phoenix.
Before getting stuck into the NBL Playoffs, we talk about the sad passing of 2011 NZ Breakers championship winning guard and former head coach Kevin Braswell.
We then also look at how frustrating it is to have this FIBA break before the Playoffs and talk about Taran Armstrong gong from the Cairns Taipans to the Golden State Warriors in the NBA, and why Justin Schueller appears hard done by to be let go by the Brisbane Bullets.
We then get stuck into previews of the two Playoff series starting with Melbourne United against the Perth Wildcats. History is with Melbourne and so is home court advantage, but there's so much to watch out for including if United's veterans or the Wildcats youth shine.
Then can Bryce Cotton finally break the shackles of Shea Ili, do Melbourne have an answer for the explosive Keanu Pinder and who prevailed in the battle of the two fastest paced teams in the NBL.
Then there's the Illawarra Hawks trying to shake off a three-week break when they take on the South East Melbourne Phoenix in the other series.
The Hawks look to have all the weapons with Tyler Harvey and Trey Kell III in the back court, and Sam Froling, Lachlan Olbrich and Mason Peatling up front, but the Phoenix have a big threat with Matt Hurt and also welcome back Derrick Walton Jr.
Josh King is also yet to lose to Justin Tatum and the Hawks since taking over as coach at the Phoenix while whether or not South East Melbourne can force Illawarra into turning the ball over 10-plus times will be a crucial factor.
To then wrap up this week's show we take a look at the coaching vacancies at the Cairns Taipans and Brisbane Bullets with Cody pinpointing Kerry Williams as the likely appointment at the Snakes and potentially Chase Buford returning to the NBL at the Bullets.
The Adelaide 36ers became the most fascinating story to watch in #NBL25 too and we look back on what they did and why if they can bring back the majority of that eight-man rotation that worked late in the piece they will be tough to deal with next season.
All made possible thanks to the support of Hoops Heaven (www.hoopsheaven.com.au) and TABtouch (www.tabtouch.com.au).
Hoops Heaven's Basketball Hustle wraps up #NBL25 Play-In Tournament with Perth Wildcats & South East Melbourne deserving to advance. Fitting Adelaide 36ers capitulation, Xavier Cooks derailed Sydney Kings and Cody Ellis on Adam Forde, Clint Steindl, Jason Cadee.
Before getting to the NBL, we look back on the NBA trade deadline moves and early signs of Luka Doncic at the Lakers and Anthony Davis at the Mavericks along with Jimmy Butler to the Warriors, how Dalton Knecht fits back in, Khris Middleton leaving the Bucks and Ben Simmons to the Clippers.
Before knuckling down on all the topics, we give our quick thoughts on having the right four teams left in the NBL, the Xavier Cooks suspension derailing the Sydney Kings, not surprised with Adam Forde leaving the Cairns taipans, retirements of Clint Steindl and Jason Cadee, and the Adelaide 36ers capitulation.
Unfortunately the biggest news of the week in the NBL was off the court with Xavier Cook provisionally suspended after his positive test and Cody offers his thoughts on why one potential silly mistake could do irreparable damage to his reputation even if he doesn't miss much court time.
Our entire middle segment breaks down the three Play-In Tournament games beginning with the Play-In Game itself where the Adelaide 36ers had a stunning capitulation and the South East Melbourne Phoenix fully earned their way to the Playoffs by playing terrific selfless basketball in the second half.
We then go back to the 36ers beating the Sydney Kings in the Play-In Qualifier but even in that game they made life more difficult themselves than they should have with the Kings far too reliant on Cam Oliver and Jaylen Adams in the absence of Xavier Cooks and Keli Leaulepe.
Then back in the Seeding Qualifier and it was a game between the Perth Wildcats and South East Melbourne Phoenix ruined by an out of control foul count. But Keanu Pinder was at his match winning best for the Wildcats while the Phoenix dearly missed Jordan Hunter with his foul trouble.
Before the news broke that the Brisbane Bullets were moving on from Justin Schueller, we already knew that Adam Forde was leaving as coach of the Cairns Taipans and we looked at some early candidates to replace him for the toughest coaching job in the NBL.
We pay tribute to a couple of Cody Ellis' contemporaries as well who have announced their retirement firstly Tasmania JackJumpers championship captain Clint Steindl and then one of Cody's favourite ever teammates at the Sydney Kings, Jason Cadee.
We then wrap up this week's show by going through the NBL Award winners announced and there wasn't too much to disagree with and full credit to Simon Mitchell for just about running the full table with his predictions beforehand.
All made possible thanks to the support of Hoops Heaven (www.hoopsheaven.com.au) and TABtouch (www.tabtouch.com.au).
Shocking NBA trade reaction, well done Brisbane Bullets but thumbs down Adelaide 36ers, Perth Wildcats hit back but lose RAC Arena, NZ Breakers should go with Matt Mooney, last NBL round TABtouch preview, who gets fourth South East Melbourne Phoenix or Sydney Kings?
Before we get stuck into the NBL talk, we give our reactions to what might be the biggest NBA trade ever especially with how out of the blue it was with Luka Doncic joining the LA Lakers in exchange for Anthony Davis to the Dallas Mavericks.
We then get stuck into what's happening in the NBL beginning with quick thoughts on the 36ers having a stinker but full credit to the Bullets, the JackJumpers went close, happy for the Taipans to let Rob Edwards go, Phoenix and Kings battling for fourth, and no RAC Arena for the Wildcats.
It's then time for an awards update with Bryce Cotton having locked away the Sports Card World Player of the Year with votes from Simon Mitchell while Shea Ili, Wani Swaka Lo Buluk and Will Magnay are all still a chance for the Best Defensive Player from Damian Martin.
From there, we get into a more in depth discussion beginning at the Perth Wildcats who hit back impressively with better ball movement and their defence continuing to improve as Jesse Wagstaff celebrated his 500th game in style.
The team they beat on Friday night, the South East Melbourne Phoenix bounced back to beat the 36ers but again they continued their trend of opening up a big lead and not being able to hold onto it while if they have to go back to Perth a fourth time, Matt Hurt deserves to hear the whistle more.
Despite missing a handful of key players, the Brisbane Bullets were absolutely awesome in Adelaide for a win against the odds with Mitch Norton leading the way and Tohi Smith-Milner brilliant.
Last week the Adelaide 36ers were looking impressive and imposing. A week later and they delivered two poor performances aside from a 10-minute burst led by Jason Cadee and Montrezl Harrell against the Phoenix but their lack of energy and effort was a real concern.
The New Zealand Breakers have some big recruiting decisions to make, but should Tacko Fall be guaranteed to return, Matt Mooney could very well be the perfect point guard for them to go all in with.
The Cairns Taipans have let star guard Rob Edwards go ahead of the last two games of the season and that can only be a good thing moving forward for both the club and the NBL in recruiting players.
The Perth Wildcats will now be robbed of playing a home Play-In Game at RAC Arena thanks to Kylie Minogue and we give our reaction to that along with owner Mark Arena and the Red Army losing their minds at the news.
We finish off with the TABtouch Preview for the last round including a massive Illawarra-Sydney and Perth-Adelaide Friday, and Tasmania-Cairns and Melbourne-South East Melbourne pair of double headers.
All made possible thanks to the support of Hoops Heaven (www.hoopsheaven.com.au) and TABtouch (www.tabtouch.com.au).
No surprise if Adelaide 36ers or South East Melbourne Phoenix reach NBL Championship Series, Perth Wildcats could be derailed, bravo Cairns Taipans, stop fouling Bul Kuol, Melbourne United ominous, TABtouch #PrideRound Preview.
The teams in the top six might appear set, but it's anyone's guess how those teams will finish with injuries unfortunately derailing hopes of Tasmania JackJumpers/Brisbane Bullets while the Phoenix/36ers emerge, United hit back, Wildcats/Hawks slip up and Kings are the great mysteries.
The Player of the Year award with votes from Simon Mitchell sees Bryce Cotton only leading Kendric Davis by a single vote while Wani Swaka Lo Buluk is just clinging to his lead over Shea Ili in #TheDamo Best Defensive Player from Damian Martin.
The Cairns Taipans beat the top two teams coming into Round 18 in the space of 48 hours with the league's biggest road trip in between and full credit to coach Adam Forde and the players led by Sam Waardenburg.
The Adelaide 36ers are an imposing team right now with Montrezl Harrell leading that intimidation factor and there's no question now that they look locked in to make the top six that they are going to be mighty dangerous come finals time.
The South East Melbourne Phoenix continue to shine and it's by committee with the likes of Joe Wieskamp coming up big as he shows he has plenty to offer in the NBL.
The Perth Wildcats suffered two losses at home in Round 18 and now have slipped all the way to fifth position and it could very well derail their championship prospects with Bryce Cotton having an uncharacteristic inefficient two performances.
Melbourne United had an impressive weekend with Ian Clark starring while their late game execution has them a standout as they now return home for the last two games for the first time in 2025.
The Sydney Kings had another mixed weekend where there was a lot of reliance on Jaylen Adams who had the ball in his hands an almighty amount while Bul Kuol has just refused to learn how to not foul with his aggressive defence.
The Illawarra Hawks had another slip up in Cairns against the Taipans with the quirk that their starters were terrible, and it was their bench that gave them a chance which isn't a recipe for championship success.
The New Zealand Breakers only have two games left in their season and we might not see Parker Jackson-Cartwright again after his rib injury, and we might not see him in the NBL again either.
We then wrap up this week's show with a preview of NBL Pride Round thanks to TABtouch highlighted by a pivotal Sunday double with the Sydney Kings v Perth Wildcats, and then South East Melbourne Phoenix v Adelaide 36ers.
All made possible thanks to the support of Hoops Heaven (www.hoopsheaven.com.au) and TABtouch (www.tabtouch.com.au).
The NBL run home and we predict the final six, no stopping Illawarra Hawks, Melbourne United's stagnant offence, unpredictable Adelaide 36ers, decimated Tasmania JackJumpers/Brisbane Bullets, could be brutal Cairns Taipans finish, on fire Perth Wildcats/South East Melbourne Phoenix.
Cody Ellis is back for Hoops Heaven's Basketball Hustle and we start off with a follow up on the passing of Darryl Pearce with Mike Ellis passing on a tribute and his shock at the passing of his long-time rival.
We open up this week's show wrapping up all the happenings in the last week of the NBL including the hot Hawks, struggling United, Phoenix continuing their charge, Kouat Noi sparking the Sydney Kings, the Wildcats enjoying their home coming, not knowing what to get from the 36ers, injuries hitting the Bullets and JackJumpers, and the fun race to come in the run home.
We get an update on our awards with Bryce Cotton still leading Simon Mitchell's Sports Card World Player of the Year but Kendric Davis still in contention while Wani Swaka Lo Buluk still leading #TheDamo Best Defensive Player despite Dylan Windler's three votes.
This week's dissection begins at the Taipans who put in a fifth straight poor home performance against Adelaide with Adam Forde letting his players know about it afterwards. Cody's not sure if he will stay in Cairns beyond this season and sees Sam Waardenburg as being a hot target.
The Bullets are dealing with a brutal injury run and trying to win without their best two players, Casey Prather and Tyrell Harrison, was a bridge too far in Illawarra and it might have been enough to put them out of genuine top six contention.
The 36ers lost in Perth and won big in Cairns after another dramatic week but they do appear to be a playing group enjoying playing together and who are dangerous even if their defence still needs some work.
The JackJumpers have been struck with three season-ending injuries they could least afford and while it's hard to still see them holding onto sixth spot, you never want to write them off.
South East Melbourne are fun to watch, they are playing well at both ends of the floor and covering well without Derrick Walton Jr with captain Nathan Sobey playing some of the best team basketball of his career.
Melbourne is struggling offensively and they need to find another genuine offensive weapon to take the pressure off Chris Goulding, and Ian Clark does need to be that person but he needs help to get some better shots.
With three rounds to go, we take a look at the run home for all the teams left in contention to make the top six with Cody settling on Illawarra, Perth, South East Melbourne, Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide.
We then preview a monster Wednesday night double-header with the Phoenix hosting the Kings, and then the Wildcats at home to United before the TABtouch Round 18 Preview highlighted by Sydney playing Adelaide on Friday in a must-watch affair.
All made possible thanks to the support of Hoops Heaven (www.hoopsheaven.com.au) and TABtouch (www.tabtouch.com.au).
Darryl Pearce tribute as Simon Mitchell returns to discuss all things South East Melbourne Phoenix, why Perth Wildcats are elite & Adelaide 36ers aren’t, breaking down Sydney Kings, Melbourne United, TABtouch NBL Preview & plenty more.
We start and finish this week's show with a tribute to two-time NBL champion and Hall of Famer Darryl Pearce with Simon Mitchell declaring him one of the best three-point shooters he's ever seen.
Latest on the Player of the Year and Best Defensive Player award voting and a wrap of what's been another dramatic week in the NBL with games every single day.
There's plenty South East Melbourne to discuss including Derrick Walton Jr injury and who needs to step up, why they can still significantly improve, why Matt Hurt deserves more recognition, Nathan Sobey's leadership and why Simon might have cost them a chance at $50,000.
The new import at the Sydney Kings didn’t eventuate but Simon doesn’t necessarily feel it hurts their season prospects while admiring the way Cam Oliver has conducted himself.
Simon gives Melbourne United credit for winning their last two games on well executed last plays but doesn’t feel they are passing the eye test with how they are playing right now despite about to play for top spot.
There's always plenty of drama surrounding the Adelaide 36ers and while they have just beaten the Illawarra Hawks for a third time, Simon is not sold on them and not willing to put them in the elite category even if NBL Media loves them and Montrezl Harrell.
One team that Simon does feel deserves to be put in the elite category is the Perth Wildcats who not only are riding Bryce Cotton's MVP form, but Dylan Windler's delivering, they are tracking well as they head home and have plenty of improvement still left.
We then turn our attention to the TABtouch Round 17 Preview highlighted by the Perth Wildcats returning home to host the Adelaide 36ers, and then the Illawarra Hawks and Melbourne United battling over top spot.
All made possible thanks to the support of Hoops Heaven (www.hoopsheaven.com.au) and TABtouch (www.tabtouch.com.au).
Cairns Taipans miracle, Sydney Kings welcome import as fourth quarter specialists/MVP's firing, Josh King perfect for South East Melbourne Phoenix, Adelaide 36ers back it up, NZ Breakers playing for Tacko Fall, Melbourne United woes, TABtouch NBL Preview.
We open up Hoops Heaven's Basketball Hustle by reflecting on the last week with that remarkable Taipans upset over the Hawks, the Breakers impressing missing their MVP candidate, the 36ers backing it up and the Kings standing out in fourth quarters with their new import having now arrived.
We update our awards for NBL25 with Bryce Cotton still leading Simon Mitchell's Sports Card World Player of the Year but Kendric Davis hot on his hammer, and Jaylen Adams, Derrick Walton Jr and Dylan Windler impressing.
Wani Swaka Lo Buluk is still leading Damian Martin's Best Defensive Player award but it was Windler, Marcus Lee and Mojave King in the votes this week.
We break down the Cairns Taipans snapping of their 15-game losing streak in remarkable fashion against the league-leading Hawks on the back of showing great heart with Taran Armstrong and Rob Edwards standing up, and Alex Higgins-Titsha shining.
There's lots to talk about with the Sydney Kings with former MVP's Xavier Cooks and Jaylen Adams in top form, Cam Oliver playing well but in limited minutes and now they bring in Lamonte Turner on the back of two standout fourth quarter performances.
The Adelaide 36ers backed up their win in Sydney by beating Melbourne at home and they loom as a real threat if they can keep the momentum rolling.
Melbourne United is heading in the opposite direction struggling to find that go to scorer and not getting enough defensive stops to help them run, but they can't be written off.
Their crosstown rivals the South East Melbourne Phoenix went 2 of 3 on the road, playing 11 of 12 strong quarters and with Josh King's style perfectly suiting their players, they are also looming as genuine contenders.
The New Zealand Breakers have played their first two games without Parker Jackson-Cartwright and should have had two wins with Matt Mooney and Tacko Fall benefitting from the different game style.
The Perth Wildcats made it four wins from five games in this road stretch with another 41 points from Bryce Cotton while Dylan Windler is firing in the absence of Kristian Doolittle.
We talk about the Summer Shootout and then turn our attention to the TABtouch Preview for Round 16 highlighted by Melbourne United v Sydney Kings on Thursday, Tasmania JackJumpers v Adelaide 36ers on Friday, and then the 36ers v Illawarra Hawks on Monday.
All made possible thanks to the support of Hoops Heaven (www.hoopsheaven.com.au) and TABtouch (www.tabtouch.com.au).
The bipolar Adelaide 36ers, Josh Adams to Brisbane Bullets, Cam Oliver on the outs but Sydney Kings new import, self-inflicted Parker Jackson-Cartwright blow but NZ Breakers win, Illawarra Hawks, South East Melbourne Phoenix & Casey Prather all shining in NBL25.
There's no shortage of topics for us to catch up on in the NBL on Hoops Heaven's Basketball Hustle with Cody Ellis back after spending a week in Melbourne, a week in Sydney and reporting back from what he saw from two games he attended in each city.
We open up by talking the big talking points including Parker Jackson-Cartwright's suspension, the Cam Oliver drama at the Sydney Kings as they prepare to bring in a new import, Josh Adams has joined the Brisbane Bullets and then the Adelaide 36ers going from imploding to best win of the season.
The best way for us to catch up on everything that has been happening is to run through team by team beginning with the Illawarra Hawks who Cody sees as the team to beat right now with their consistency and having all the pieces.
Then there's Melbourne United who are still second but have been a bit all over the place lately but are still legit and have put themselves in a good position.
The Tasmania JackJumpers have now won eight straight to be up into third but to be genuine threats of defending their championship they do need to get Will Magnay back.
Focus then is on the Sydney Kings who appear to be fractured as a group, Cam Oliver isn’t being given a chance to contribute and now they are about to bring in a new import guard at the last possible moment.
The Perth Wildcats have done well to win three of four games so far on the road with Keanu Pinder making such a difference when aggressive and Izan Almansa and Dylan Windler are coming up big.
The South East Melbourne Phoenix round out the top six and are emerging as genuine contenders with a roster perfectly fit to play the pace that Josh King now has them playing at.
The Brisbane Bullets have been playing some impressive basketball as well despite never being full strength with Casey Prather putting himself in the MVP hunt and now with Josh Adams about to join.
The Adelaide 36ers lost three straight games by 20-plus points and looked set to completely implode before hitting back for a big win in Sydney but now the key is to show that wasn’t just a one off.
The NZ Breakers have now played their first of five games without Parker Jackson-Cartwright and won for the first time with Tacko Fall but face an uphill battle to keep themselves in the mix.
Then there's the Cairns Taipans who have lost 15 straight and Cody can't see where they get another win for the rest of the NBL season.
We wrap things up with a TABtouch Preview of Round 15 highlighted by the highly anticipated first rematch between the Adelaide 36ers and Melbourne United after their scuffle got out of hand last time.
All made possible thanks to the support of Hoops Heaven (www.hoopsheaven.com.au) and TABtouch (www.tabtouch.com.au).
Well done Scott Ninnis but why not more female WNBL coaches? Can Adelaide 36ers and Montrezl Harrell defend? Can Bryce Cotton keep it up? Love for Jordan Hunter, not giving up on NZ Breakers, Melbourne United concerns and more from South East Melbourne Phoenix GM Simon Mitchell.
With Cotton putting up another 44 points, Simon takes a look at what is making him so unstoppable right now with his mid-range and floater game making the difference while as far as his future goes, he thinks it's whatever he wants it to be.
As inaugural South East Melbourne coach and current GM, Simon gives a good insight into life at the Phoenix right now under the coaching of Josh King and he talks about why he's so high on the future of Jordan Hunter along with Derrick Walton Jr, Nathan Sobey and Matt Hurt.
The NZ Breakers have lost six straight and haven’t figured things out with Tacko Fall, but Simon isn't ready to give up on them yet but he saw danger signs from the Cairns Taipans in their fadeout against the Wildcats.
The Tasmania JackJumpers continue to prove that they can't be written off having won five straight and now adding in Ian Hummer as the new import to replace Craig Sword giving them a genuine four man.
While the Adelaide 36ers have Kendric Davis and Montrezl Harrell back and they got a win, Simon is concerned over their defensive abilities especially on the road and with Harrell needing to try to defend Matt Hurt and Casey Prather this week.
Melbourne United has now lost three straight games for the first time in more than two years and Simon is seeing some things within their group that coach Dean Vickerman would be livid about, and expects them to fix that up moving forward.
We wrap up this week's show with the TABtouch Preview highlighted by the two open-air John Cain Arena games firstly with the Phoenix hosting the 36ers on Saturday and United playing the JackJumpers on Monday while the Hawks are also at home to the Wildcats on Sunday.
All made possible thanks to the support of Hoops Heaven (www.hoopsheaven.com.au) and TABtouch (www.tabtouch.com.au).
No reason Bryce Cotton can't keep going in NBL25 for Perth Wildcats, his future, scoring explosion in NBL, Brisbane Bullets, Sydney Kings, Tasmania JackJumpers, South East Melbourne Phoenix all building, NZ Breakers not so much, excitement for Montrezl Harrell return.
We open up with a discussion about NBL Heritage Round and the fun uniforms all round along with the scoring we saw across the league with the winning average score of over 106 points with every team seemingly wanting to now pay at a fast pace.
We then get our votes for Round 11 with Will Magnay from Tasmania JackJumpers the new leader in Damian Martin's Best Defensive Player award while no surprise that Bryce Cotton is now the clear leader from Simon Mitchell in the Sports Card World Player of the Year.
It's then time to discuss Bryce Cotton's remarkable form with another 89 points across two games in Round 11 while only taking 44 shots with that efficiency impressing Cody more than anything else that he is doing right now and he sees no reason for his form to continue.
We also look at the future for Bryce and if it's in the NBL it's hard to see him playing anywhere but the NBL but Japan and China will come with big offers, and the NBA might even still be a chance as he looks to make the most of the biggest payday of his career.
We also talk about the weekend the Wildcats had losing to the Illawarra Hawks and beating the Adelaide 36ers while scoring 226 points but conceding 226 and why to be a real contender their defence and rebounding does need to improve.
Rob Loe had another tremendous weekend for Melbourne United including celebrating like a big kid after a dunk but his former college teammate couldn't be happier to see what he's doing and how well he continues to play.
The Brisbane Bullets had a statement two wins two scoring 224 points against Adelaide and Melbourne with Casey Prather firing, Tyrell Harrison dominant inside and Mitch Norton bringing it all together even if they rightfully rode their starters heavily.
Things aren’t going as well for the New Zealand Breakers ever since they replaced Freddie Gillespie with Tacko Fall with them having now lost four straight but even if the players weren't happy with that, it's no excuse for a lack of effort.
The Sydney Kings have played 11 of 16 games on the road already and with 9 of 13 left at home, they are well placed to still make a run with Cody liking playing Jaylen Adams more off the ball and why the rest of the league can't afford to write them off.
The Cairns Taipans might be out of the finals hunt but Cody expects them to cause some havoc in the run home and could potentially ruin some seasons because now that they have their preferred starting five available, they are going to be dangerous.
Cody then talks about how expects at least two of the South East Melbourne Phoenix, Tasmania JackJumpers and Brisbane Bullets to end up making the top six before we get stuck into the TABtouch Round 12 Preview highlighted by Melbourne v Illawarra on Friday with Cody to be in attendance of.
All made possible thanks to the support of Hoops Heaven (www.hoopsheaven.com.au) and TABtouch (www.tabtouch.com.au).
Bryce Cotton's 59 best ever Perth Wildcats performance, proven right on Tacko Fall at NZ Breakers, can South East Melbourne Phoenix/Tasmania JackJumpers continue momentum, absurd Sydney Kings mistake, NBL schedule discussion, TABtouch Preview.
Before we get to the NBL talk, Cody talks about his son Chase making a winning start to his life in a Warwick Senators WABL uniform as he becomes the fourth generation of the Ellis family to do so.
We then look at the Round 10 awards with Will Magnay the standout defensively in Damian Martin's #TheDamo Best Defensive Player even with one block not counted, while Bryce Cotton and Parker Jackson-Cartwright are joint leaders in Simon Mitchell's Player of the Year from Sports Card World.
Speaking of Cotton, we then discuss his record setting 59-point performance for the Perth Wildcats with Cody feeling it's only fitting he now holds the club's scoring record and that it's the best ever performance by a Wildcats player.
The only thing missing was Bryce hitting the game winner but it did make the win mean more because they were able to get the win against the New Zealand Breakers.
We also talk about the hot shooting form of Chris Goulding who hit another six threes for Melbourne United before he hurt a calf which might stop him being put in the MVP discussion.
We then get to Tacko Fall and all our worst fears were realised with the New Zealand Breakers losing both games with him playing and then with him now also being injured, and the potential of their season unravelling.
The South East Melbourne Phoenix continued their emergence even with Nathan Sobey and Derrick Walton Jr struggling, but Owen Foxwell and Jordan Hunter came up huge in win over Illawarra Hawks.
Then there's the defending champion Tasmania JackJumpers who made it three straight wins with Will Magnay and Sean Macdonald outstanding in ending Adelaide 36ers home streak.
Cody expects at least one of the JackJumpers and/or Phoenix to end up in the top six by the end of the NBL season.
We're still no sure what is going on at the Sydney Kings and if they are going to figure things out or not, but they do appear to have figured that they need one of Shaun Bruce or Izayah Le'afa on court at all times with Jaylen Adams while Cam Oliver is showing better signs.
However, for Brian Goorjian and Jaylen Adams to get caught up talking for an eight-second violation with 24 seconds left in the game is one of the more absurd and baffling things that Cody Ellis has ever seen in basketball.
Before we get to the TABtouch Preview for Round 11, we talk about the NBL scheduling and why one day in between games for them to travel in the same weekend isn't fair, but a way around that might be getting back to playing midweek games.
All made possible thanks to the support of Hoops Heaven (www.hoopsheaven.com.au) and TABtouch (www.tabtouch.com.au).
All the fall out of Adelaide 36ers-Melbourne United-courtside fans from every angle and why NBL has to get better, Tacko Fall joins NZ Breakers, concerns for Perth Wildcats & Sydney Kings, Melbourne United a cut above, world class Chris Goulding, TABtouch preview.
Before we get down to business, we talk about Cody's son Chase now beginning to play his basketball at the Warwick Senators to become the fourth generation of the Ellis family to do so.
We then run through the start to the NBL season and how Melbourne United look a cut above right now, the Sydney Kings and Perth Wildcats have plenty to figure out, and Cody sees the South East Melbourne Phoenix as the best chance to break into a top six spot from here.
We wrap up our awards from the opening nine rounds with Wani Swaka Lo Buluk leading #TheDamo Best Defensive Player while it's Kendric Davis in front in voting from Simon Mitchell in the Player of the Year, but Cody has Parker Jackson-Cartwright ahead in the MVP race right now.
The big drama across the NBL has been all the fallout from the Adelaide 36ers-Melbourne United melee that ended up involving courtside fans.
Cody gives his thoughts on why he didn’t like the single member tribunal, while he understands why Montrezl Harrell and Kendric Davis were suspended, he doesn't necessarily like it and saw it as something that was always going to end up in a lose-lose situation.
Talk then turns to the spectators with one receiving a lifetime ban and the other one for 10 years, and Cody wants those privileged courtside fans to pull their heads in moving forward and stop treating players like zoo animals.
To wrap up things up, Cody wants the spectators who have been banned to have their names made public just like Montrezl Harrell and Kendric Davis have had their names dragged through the mud.
During the FIBA break the Australian Boomers had two big FIBA Asia Cup qualifying wins against Thailand and Korea where Chris Goulding displayed more world-class three-point shooting going 19/30 from three-point land in the two games.
We then discuss the New Zealand Breakers releasing Freddie Gillespie and replacing him with 7'6 giant Tacko Fall for the next two NBL seasons, and how much of a different look it gives them with the biggest player in NBL history.
We wrap up the show with a full preview of the Round 10 action thanks to TABtouch highlighting by a home double for the Perth Wildcats against the Brisbane Bullets and New Zealand Breakers.
All made possible thanks to the support of Hoops Heaven (www.hoopsheaven.com.au) and TABtouch (www.tabtouch.com.au).
Horrors of social media exposed with Cody Ellis adding insights as an NBL player along with Chris Goulding's 46, Rob Loe's 30, Melbourne United's offence, South East Melbourne Phoenix's defence, can Adelaide 36ers hit the road, Jaylen Adams/Cam Oliver at Sydney Kings and TABtouch Preview.
The unfortunate dark side of social media was brought to light by both Scott Roth and Keanu Pinder last week. Clearly something needs to be done but there are no easy answers as to how to put the worst of society back in the hole they crawled out of, and Cody Ellis draws on his own experiences as a player on social media.
Melbourne United dominated the Sports Card World Player of the Year votes this week from Simon Mitchell with Cody Ellis offering insights as to why he wanted Chris Goulding to get to 50 and then what made him so happy to see Rob Loe put up 30 to set a career high.
Melbourne United's offence was mighty impressive with 226 in wins against the Brisbane Bullets and the Perth Wildcats, but conceding 200 at the same time means that despite sitting in top spot, they have plenty of work to do at that end of the floor.
The Adelaide 36ers continue to play almost unstoppable and insatiable basketball at home but now their big test is to take that energy with them especially defensively onto the road and Cody sees no reason why they can't do it.
The Cairns Taipans continue to have a horror injury run, but have self-inflected wounds too after both Rob Edwards and Jonah Antonio have lost their cool with the officials to end up costing their team.
The South East Melbourne Phoenix defence again gave up 74 points in both their Round 8 games and with their full court pressure, they are doing it in a very different way that has Cody super excited for along with the impressive Josh King even if some questioned his instructions to not foul in the dying seconds when down five.
The Sydney Kings look so much better with Jaylen Adams as their point guard and he makes everyone around him better, but things don't seem to be working out with Cam Oliver with Cody thinking he's either given a clearly defined role or maybe it's time to move on.
The Tasmania JackJumpers had an emotional week, but rediscovered some freedom offensively and it all came down to loosening up and now they can look forward to continuing to rise with the pending returns of Will Magnay and Sean Macdonald.
We wrap up the show with the TABtouch Preview that includes Cody's two former teams the Illawarra Hawks and Sydney Kings locking horns and then including a fascinating Sunday battle between Melbourne United and the Adelaide 36ers.
All made possible thanks to the support of Hoops Heaven (www.hoopsheaven.com.au) and TABtouch (www.tabtouch.com.au).
NZ Breakers and South East Melbourne Phoenix demand respect, Parker Jackson-Cartwright is the NBL's best, coaches must be put back in their box, Jaylen Adams' impact at Sydney Kings, TABtouch #NBL25 Preview and Mitch Norton's 350th milestone.
We begin this week's show with Cody Ellis reflecting on one of his great opponents from his NBL career, Jesse Wagstaff, who has now overtaken Ricky Grace to be the games record holder at the club his dad is such a legend at, the Perth Wildcats.
The votes are then in from Damian Martin in the Best Defensive Player and from Simon Mitchell in the Sports Card World Player of the Year, and both couldn't go past performances from NZ Breakers and South East Melbourne Phoenix players.
We then get stuck into talking about just how impressive it is what the New Zealand Breakers are doing right now and how it all starts with the man who is the best player in the NBL, Parker Jackson-Cartwright.
We also discuss why Sam Mennenga is the Kiwi local to build around and why it's super impressive what the Breakers are doing despite having all the excuses in the world they could fall back on.
The South East Melbourne Phoenix have spectacularly turned their season around firstly under Sam Mackinnon and now Josh King, and it's all coming from the defensive end and if they keep it up, there's no reason they can't be a contender.
The Tasmania JackJumpers are still struggling to score and with so much pressure for Milton Doyle and Jordon Crawford to carry the scoring load, Cody Ellis feels it's time they get them some help before it's too late.
The Sydney Kings had a better weekend and it's no coincidence it went hand in hand with the return of Jaylen Adams even if he's still well short of 100 per cent while Melbourne United had a shocker at home to the Breakers, and it was a wildly contrasting round for the Perth Wildcats.
It was more like the Sunshine Slog in Cairns but the Taipans showed heart despite being so shorthanded while the Brisbane Bullets won a game they needed to ahead of captain Mitch Norton now celebrating his 350th NBL game with a former teammate paying tribute to him.
We then preview Round 8 thanks to TABtouch highlighted by the Adelaide 36ers-Illawarra Hawks Sunday match up before we discuss why it's time the referees put the NBL coaches back in their box, and why celebrating a dunk when your team is down 30 is a bad idea.
All made possible thanks to the support of Hoops Heaven (www.hoopsheaven.com.au) and TABtouch (www.tabtouch.com.au).
Tatum was right but deserved fine, Goulding didn't flop this time, no Adams, no Sydney Kings and doubt over Oliver future, brave Perth Wildcats & NZ Breakers, exciting Adelaide 36ers, big shoes for Josh King, smart move by Brisbane Bullets, TABtouch Preview.
We look back on Round 7 of the NBL season with Cody Ellis struggling to get too enthused about the action we're seeing on the court with team's offences seemingly falling off a cliff and he's not sure exactly why, but he hopes it soon changes.
We then get our votes from Damian Martin in the #TheDamo Best Defensive Player award and from Simon Mitchell for the Sports Card World Player of the Year award with Will Magnay and Montrezl Harrell earning top billing respectively.
We then look at two teams who had courageous and gutsy wins against the Sydney Kings in #NBL25 Round 7, the Perth Wildcats and NZ Breakers.
Keanu Pinder inspired the Wildcats to a gritty win despite horrible shooting and the absence of Bryce Cotton and Tai Webster before the Breakers shook off missing four players and travelling 51,000km already this season with Next Star Karim Lopez delivering a breakout performance.
First segments wraps up with talk about the exciting Adelaide 36ers led by Montrezl Harrell and Kendric Davis, and how good it is to see a coach like Mike Wells willing to spray his players, and for his players to respond in the right way.
It's then time to discuss the most dramatic and finishes between the Illawarra Hawks and Melbourne United where Chris Goulding was again accused of flopping, Justin Tatum received a technical for a player that never actually ended up counting, and things got even more interesting post-match.
Cody Ellis gives his thoughts that while Tatum was right in everything he said and he had every reason to be upset in the officiating, he still deserved a fine for his post-match comments.
We then look at the Sydney Kings who just look a totally disjointed line-up in the absence of former MVP Jaylen Adams while Brian Goorjian's fatigue excuse doesn't wash, and Cody Ellis has raised doubts over Cam Oliver seeing out the season if things keep tracking how they are.
Talk turns to the South East Melbourne Phoenix and why Sam Mackinnon is unlikely to have not kept the role and why Josh King has big shoes to come in and fill, but why it's going to a fun ride to watch how it unfolds.
Emmett Naar has now joined the Brisbane Bullets replacing Sam McDaniel and Cody Ellis is a big fan of the move before we wrap up this week with a full preview of Round 7 in the NBL.
All made possible thanks to the support of Hoops Heaven (www.hoopsheaven.com.au) and TABtouch (www.tabtouch.com.au).
Simon Mitchell on all things South East Melbourne Phoenix – releasing Mike Kelly, Sam Mackinnon’s job, how they got Josh King and then he discusses loving Bul Kuol’s meanness, Trey Kell’s toughness, faith in Tasmania JackJumpers thanks to defence, admiring travelling NZ Breakers.
Given Simon is current GM of basketball at the Phoenix and the club’s inaugural coach, it’s only natural South East Melbourne dominate a lot of this week’s show including the breakthrough Throwdown win against Melbourne United.
Simon also discusses how telling Mike Kelly he would no longer be coach is one of the toughest things he’s ever done, how Josh King ended up being appointed coach despite having a job in Turkey, and why he is such a good fit for this Phoenix group and his style will be exciting for the NBL.
Simon Mitchell gives his Sports Card World Player of the Year votes topped by new leader Kendric Davis from the Adelaide 36ers with Bul Kuol getting top votes in Damian Martin’s Best Defensive Player award as Simon talks about how much he loves he imposes himself, and his meanness.
We then talk about the Perth Wildcats now having to live without Bryce Cotton in the short term and why Simon expects players on the team to relish the challenge, including Tai Webster and Ben Henshall as guards, and Izan Almanza and Keanu Pinder up front.
While Simon doesn’t expect the New Zealand Breakers to be his Phoenix in Christchurch this Thursday, he can’t help but admire how they are holding up despite now passing 51,000km travelled the past six weeks and things they deserve more respect for that.
We then look at why the Illawarra Hawks are the NBL’s best team right now and why Trey Kell III is such a key to that and Simon talks about the recent revelation that he actually had an undiagnosed leg fracture in his season at the South East Melbourne Phoenix.
Simon also talks about why others might be concerned about the Tasmania JackJumpers scoring, he is sure they will find more points and he continues to be amazed by how good their defence is anchored by the world class shot blocking of Will Magnay.
The Adelaide 36ers can now work on their massive line-up with Jarell Martin joining Isaac Humphries and Montrezl Harrell with Simon talking about how exciting and potent they are, he knows they must improve defensively.
We then wrap up this week’s show with a preview of Round 6 in the NBL, whether Shea Ili or Taran Armstrong are missed more by Melbourne United or Cairns Taipans, and Simon talks about his admiration of how Sam Mackinnon has shown leadership over the past week.
All made possible thanks to the support of Hoops Heaven (www.hoopsheaven.com.au) and TABtouch (www.tabtouch.com.au).
Mike Kelly leaving the South East Melbourne Phoenix, could Chase Buford be the quick fix, Tyrell Harrison dominates for Brisbane Bullets, Wani Swaka Lo Buluk does the same for Illawarra Hawks, inbounding the ball woes and Jason Cadee's 400th NBL game.
We open up this week's episode by looking at the major difference in the Cairns Taipans without their young gun of a point guard Taran Armstrong, and how if he hopes to realise his NBA dream he needs to stay on the court more.
The big news of the week was the South East Melbourne Phoenix sacking coach Mike Kelly after going 0-5 to start NBL25. We look at why it was unfortunately the right move, Nathan Sobey's first game up against the Brisbane Bullets and why Chase Buford might be the ideal quick fix.
As for the Bullets who scored their first win of the NBL season, Tyrell Harrison was outstanding, James Batemon stepped up and the leaders, Mitch Norton, Casey Prather and Josh Bannan all stepped up.
The Perth Wildcats snapped their losing slide with Kristian Doolittle every bit as crucial in that as Bryce Cotton while Jesse Wagstaff continues to prove his worth as he closes in on Ricky Grace's games played record.
The Adelaide 36ers might have had a tough double and it showed backing up in Melbourne but they need to be able to back up better while it's good news that Montrezl Harrell appears to be staying.
Wani Swaka Lo Buluk's defensive job for the Illawarra Hawks on Tasmania JackJumpers star Milton Doyle was remarkable while the Hawks continue to show they are the best team in the NBL right now.
The JackJumpers don't have the same depth of talent they did to win the championship last year and someone like Craig Sword might be running out of time to show that he deserves to stay for the rest of NBL25.
Nothing frustrates Cody Ellis more than teams struggling to inbound the ball at the end of games so he gives his thoughts on why it's happening so much, and what needs to happen for teams to fix it up.
We then get Damian Martin's votes in our Best Defensive Player award and Simon Mitchell's Sports Card World Player of the Year votes before previewing Round 5 and look at the 400th NBL game of Cody Ellis' former teammate Jason Cadee.
All made possible thanks to the support of Hoops Heaven (www.hoopsheaven.com.au) and TABtouch (www.tabtouch.com.au).
Big NBL questions on Hoops Heaven's Basketball Hustle. Panic stations for Perth Wildcats? Should Todd Withers be a target? How far can Taran Armstrong take Cairns Taipans? How do Adelaide 36ers keep Montrezl Harrell? Who wins South East Melbourne Phoenix or Brisbane Bullets?
What stood out to Cody Ellis in Round 3 was the statement made with two wins for the Cairns Taipans but the big talking point was the two losses to Melbourne United and Tasmania JackJumpers from the Perth Wildcats.
Cody watched on for what he described as Perth's worst home performance in his memory and then while their effort was better against Tasmania, it was still a loss and now the potential of going 1-4 with a loss in Cairns this Thursday could lead to panic stations.
We also discussed the clever move of the Wildcats to have Todd Withers as an injury replacement player but also if other NBL clubs should look at signing him to their full roster for NBL25.
We then get stuck into discussing big wins for the Taipans with Taran Armstrong back as point guard to run things in impressive fashion as he continues to show why he's one of the brightest young stars in Australian basketball.
We also discuss an intriguing weekend for Melbourne United who won big in Perth with Shea Ili brilliant before they again lost a fourth straight match back home at the hands of the Taipans.
It's then time to dissect the two remaining winless teams who just happen to play each other this weekend with the South East Melbourne continuing to lack direction while the Brisbane Bullets simply need more from their imports and other experienced players.
The Adelaide 36ers were under pressure entering Round 3 but had two terrific wins with Kendric Davis showing out and then big men pair Isaac Humphries and Montrezl Harrell superb.
The Sydney Kings still have to work to do without Jaylen Adams on the floor while we get Damian Martin's Best Defensive Player votes, Simon Mitchell's Player of the Year votes and #TheGalen Best Team Man nominee from Matty Knight.
We have a full NBL25 Round 4 preview including a 450th NBL game for Chris Goulding and look at if there's a point to the current NBLxNBA tour for the New Zealand Breakers.
All made possible thanks to the support of Hoops Heaven (www.hoopsheaven.com.au) and TABtouch (www.tabtouch.com.au).
On Hoops Heaven Basketball Hustle from TABtouch, NBL players mic'd up, unfortunate banner ceremony, Illawarra Hawks standing out, Sydney Kings need bench production, dissecting the winless South East Melbourne Phoenix Brisbane Bullets, Adelaide 36ers.
We open up this week's episode with co-hosts Chris Pike and Cody Ellis paying tribute to Dikembe Mutombo before discussing players wearing microphones during NBL games, and who it might and might not be best suited to after Cam Oliver's blow up.
We then look at another heavyweight Tasmania JackJumpers-Melbourne United and why it's a good thing they don't play again for some time, why the banner ceremony never should have happened that way and how good Will Magnay was in the Tasmania win.
Cody Ellis says the Illawarra Hawks are the standout team two rounds in by a long way while their rivals, the Sydney Kings, look brilliant with Jaylen Adams on the floor and not so much when they go to Izayah Le'afa and Shaun Bruce which he expects to soon sort itself out.
It's then time to get stuck into talking about the three winless teams after two rounds with the South East Melbourne Phoenix, Adelaide 36ers and Brisbane Bullets desperate for a win.
While Cody knows the Phoenix can't afford to go 0-4, he sees enough to suggest they can sort it out while Adelaide just need to figure things out defensively and how to get Isaac Humphries involved while he's feeling for the Bullets who need more from James Batemon and Casey Prather.
Talk then turns to the Perth Wildcats and an out of character off night for Keanu Pinder but Elijah Pepper announcing himself to the NBL while the Cairns Taipans showed what a massive different a point guard can make in a huge home win for the Snakes.
We get votes in the Player of the Year from Simon Mitchell and Best Defensive Player from Damian Martin while look at the New Zealand Breakers and their NBLxNBA tour, full Round 3 NBL preview and get to the bottom of Craig Sword's nickname of Chicken.
All made possible thanks to the support of Hoops Heaven (www.hoopsheaven.com.au) and TABtouch (www.tabtouch.com.au).
HoopsFest is done and Cody Ellis on Hoops Heaven #BasketballHustle from TABtouch talks exciting Montrezl Harrell debut, crazy plus-minus Sydney Kings-Adelaide 36ers numbers, Perth Wildcats impress, NZ Breakers unreal, Brisbane Bullets couldn’t be worse and #NBL25 Round 2 preview.
Cody Ellis and Chris Pike are back after HoopsFest took place in Perth to open the NBL season and we look at what a great concept it is and why for the most part it was a great success, and is something that has to continue but maybe with a break from the Blitz to Round 1.
We then get stuck into the games from Round 1 including a cracking Sydney Kings-Adelaide 36ers match up where Montrezl Harrell shined for the Sixers even with being told by an over officious referee to not interact with the crowd.
There were some remarkable plus-minus numbers in that Sydney-Adelaide game too while the Perth Wildcats with Bryce Cotton and Keanu Pinder leading the way made a more than encouraging start to NBL25.
We discuss the gruelling schedule for the Tasmania JackJumpers coming into the season and also how tough of a start it is for the Cairns Taipans without the injured Taran Armstrong and Kyle Adnam, and suspended Jackson Makoi.
The Illawarra Hawks made a strong start led by big men Lachie Olbrich, Sam Froling and Darius Days along with the defence of Wani Swaka Lo Buluk.
The surprise of Round 1 was how good the New Zealand Breakers looked and how poor the Brisbane Bullets were, or pathetic in the words of coach Justin Schueller at least in the opening 34 minutes.
We then have a full preview of Round 2 including a Thursday night Throwdown between Melbourne United and the South East Melbourne Phoenix, the Perth Wildcats hosting the Sydney Kings, and then the Kings backing up on Sunday against the Hawks with a big Sydney crowd expected.
All made possible thanks to the support of Hoops Heaven (www.hoopsheaven.com.au) and TABtouch (www.tabtouch.com.au).
Cody Ellis and Chris Pike return for Hoops Heaven's Basketball Hustle thanks to TABtouch to talk off-season of NBL1, Paris 2024 and #NBL25 moves before turning attention to a full preview with predictions days out from new NBL season at HoopsFest in Perth.
First episode ahead of 2024/25 NBL season gets underway as Cody reflects on his 2024 NBL1 West season with the Warwick Senators before we take a look at how the Boomers and Opals went at the Paris Olympic Games.
It's then time to look on all the NBL off-season happens and we give our thoughts on the shock coaching move from the Adelaide 36ers to do something that would only happen at the Sixers before we also looking at Freddie Gillespie getting suspended for Round 1 at the NZ Breakers.
We then look at the big player moves highlighted by the departures of Jack McVeigh, Mitch Creek and Gary Clark, but there are some big name returns with Deng Adel, Jack White, Derrick Walton Jr, Xavier Cooks and Cam Oliver, and Cody is especially excited with Montrezl Harrell coming to Adelaide.
With the NBL Blitz on the Gold Coast completed and HoopsFest about to begin in Perth, we then take a team by team breakdown leading into NBL25 and give our thoughts on the moves made by everyone coming into the new season.
Cody then puts his neck on the line to give his predictions for the season ahead, we preview Round 1 with all five matches in Perth and pay tribute to the recently retired Cam Gliddon.
All made possible thanks to the support of Hoops Heaven (www.hoopsheaven.com.au) and TABtouch (www.tabtouch.com.au).
NBL24 is done and we break it all down on Hoops Heaven's Basketball Hustle and how Tasmania JackJumpers conquered Melbourne United to make NBL history while we look at moves towards #NBL25 already and NBL1 action is underway with Cody Ellis back out there.
We give complete rundown of #NBL24 Championship Series and talk Tasmania JackJumpers as best Australian sport expansion club, greatest NBL series ever, Jack McVeigh's best ever shot and why Scott Roth could be best ever one-time championship winning coach.
We look at missed Melbourne United opportunity and where they fell short, Cody Ellis gives insight into inbounding the ball late in games and then we talk Nathan Sobey, Bul Kuol on the move, and talk Warwick Senators in NBL1 West and Mat Wundenberg's 500th game for Geraldton Buccaneers.
For all the ways to listen click here: https://linktr.ee/basketballhustle
We begin our discussion on the NBL Championship Series and why it would have been great for it to go to seven games, how huge the JackJumpers win is for Tasmania and how their even keel approached helped overcome a Melbourne United who increasingly lost their focus and cool.
Inbounding the ball late in games became a massive factor right throughout the playoffs and on the last possession of each of the final three games with Cody Ellis giving his unique insight having been in that situation and why trying to take the obvious option is often best.
We also looked at how the Tasmania JackJumpers could be the best new sporting franchise ever in Australia, why it could well be the best ever NBL Championship Series, Jack McVeigh's shot in Game 3 will go down as the best ever and Scott Roth could be the league's best ever one-time championship winning coach.
Sean Macdonald was another from the JackJumpers to play a massive role in their triumph made all the remarkable that he's a development player but showed how elite he already is at both ends of the floor.
Cody Ellis talks about how he wasn’t surprised that in the end it was the Tasmania JackJumpers who executed better when it mattered most as they kept trusting their process as we broke down the numbers of how precious little really did separate the two teams all series.
Jack McVeigh proved what an elite player he is and really there was no other option for Grand Final MVP with his performances right across five games and the variety of ways he proved he could score, and outplayed NBA draftee Luke Travers.
Jordon Crawford might have been down coming into the Championship Series but kept on getting better and his 27 points in the first half of Game 5 just illustrated his ability to hit big, tough shots when they matter most for his team.
We then reflect on how Melbourne United will look back on what has to be a great missed opportunity for them, but what it shows is that no matter how dominant you can be championships are tough to win. Matthew Dellavedova became their most ball dominant player and maybe that didn’t help them capitalise on the pieces they had.
Wrapping up the NBL24 season and Cody Ellis discusses why it was one of the best and most competitive NBL seasons he can remember and why the Next Star program is going to only help the league go from strength to strength on a global stage.
We look at some early player movements in the NBL prior to free agency with Nathan Sobey and Bul Kuol departing Brisbane Bullets and Cairns Taipans respectively and looking like joining South East Melbourne Phoenix and Sydney Kings.
We wrap up the show with a look at the start of the NBL1 West season with Cody Ellis back at the Warwick Senators with a spectacular start alongside Michael Harris and Todd Withers up against Sunday Dech's East Perth Eagles. We also pay tribute to Mat Wundenberg ahead of 500th game with Geraldton Buccaneers.
All made possible thanks to the support of Hoops Heaven (www.hoopsheaven.com.au) and TABtouch (www.tabtouch.com.au).
Where else but Tasmania JackJumpers' remarkable #NBL24 Championship Series Game 3 win to start on Hoops Heaven Basketball Hustle with Simon Mitchell labelling Jack McVeigh shot the greatest, most important great shot and what could be the best moment in NBL history.
We also get the best breakdown you'll find of what we've seen between Melbourne United and Tasmania JackJumpers in the first three games of NBL Championship Series with Jack McVeigh, Will Magnay, Jordon Crawford, Jo Lual-Acuil, Shea Ili and Matthew Dellavedova all dissected.
From there, we have TABtouch Preview of Game 4 of NBL24 Championship Series while we named The Galen Best Team Man thanks to Sports Card World and draw a winner along with Simon Mitchell's thoughts on plenty more in NBL and WNBL.
For all the ways to listen click here: https://linktr.ee/basketballhustle
Our Championship Series discussion begins with that amazing finish to Game 3 where the small ball line-up helped throw off Matthew Dellavedova's inbounds pass from Melbourne United setting off a dramatic chain of events.
Simon Mitchell breaks it down and gives credit to Tasmania taking away Melbourne's action, Milton Doyle for saving the ball and then for Jack McVeigh making that shot in what he is calling the greatest shot in NBL history, the most important great shot and what could be the greatest NBL moment.
There's already been some movement from the eliminated NBL teams and Simon Mitchell gives his thoughts on Brian Goorjian and Xavier Cooks being back at Sydney Kings, Alan Williams leaving South East Melbourne Phoenix and Sam Mennenga going home to the New Zealand Breakers.
We wrap up the first segment with a look back on the WNBL Grand Final series where Simon Mitchell paid tribute to the efforts of the Southside Flyers but also looked at why it will be so hard to stomach for the Perth Lynx.
It was then time to dissect the first three games of the Championship Series where Melbourne United was right on top after the first six quarters and three minutes, but then Simon Mitchell saw Jack McVeigh stand up to turn the tide in that Game 2.
From there, Simon gives great credit to a phenomenal coaching performance from Scott Roth for the JackJumpers to now be leading two games to one and he has seen a tendency for United to be losing focus and worrying about the wrong things.
JackJumpers coach Scott Roth had a big win by going with a small ball line-up with Majok Deng in the five spot in the fourth quarter of Game 3 and Simon Mitchell saw some confusion as a result from Melbourne United.
Simon has noticed that Melbourne has been aggressive in their intent to isolate Jack McVeigh on defence, but he's been impressed with how the Tasmania star has held up to that so far.
Simon Mitchell feels that United coach Dean Vickerman would reassessing the choices he made to follow with a small ball line-up in Game 3 and getting Jo Lual-Acuil's head right will be crucial to their hopes of forcing a Game 5.
Simon offers his thoughts on the Melbourne United backcourt so far and for as good as Shea Ili and Matthew Dellavedova have been, he wouldn’t mind seeing them move the ball more and ensure their teammates are staying as involved as possible.
We then talk about Jordon Crawford's contributions and why Simon Mitchell couldn't be more impressed with the attitude he's maintained even when not on the floor and staying ready to come out and contribute valuably.
Finishing up the dissection of the NBL Championship Series so far is discussing Tasmania centre Will Magnay who while he might be flopping and flailing, Simon Mitchell has actually been impressed with what he's provided and expects him to be a big factor in Game 4.
The last segment gets underway with the announcement of the winner of The Galen Best #NBL24 Team Man as voted on by our listeners and it goes to Hyrum Harris of the Perth Wildcats with the draw done to see who wins thanks to Sports Card World.
It's then time for the TABtouch Preview of Game 4 of the NBL Championship Series where Simon Mitchell does expect the Tasmania JackJumpers to complete their fairytale story and win the title in what is a Disney movie just waiting to happen.
Simon then finishes off by giving some love to Fabijan Krslovic from the Tasmania JackJumpers for the crucial role in limited minutes he's playing in this series and why he's the exact unsung hero who can win you a championship.
All made possible thanks to the support of Hoops Heaven (www.hoopsheaven.com.au) and TABtouch (www.tabtouch.com.au).
Plenty to cover on Hoops Heaven's Basketball Hustle and we look back on how good Melbourne United were to open #NBL24 Championship Series, how Tasmania JackJumpers struggled and the dominance of Southside Flyers in WNBL Grand Final Game 3 against Perth Lynx.
Also big news on NBL1 front with Cody Ellis back with the Warwick Senators for NBL1 West season while he also gives his thoughts on Lauren Jackson further cementing GOAT status, how Perth Lynx can cope with another devastating ending and why WNBL needs help.
We also breakdown Xavier Cooks back at Sydney Kings, Kristian Doolittle re-signing at Perth Wildcats, Alan Williams gone from South East Melbourne Phoenix, Sam Mennenga to NZ Breakers and TABtouch Preview as NBL Championship Series continues.
For all the ways to listen click here: https://linktr.ee/basketballhustle
Big news out of the Sydney Kings with former NBL MVP and championship winning captain Xavier Cooks back to team up with new coach Brian Goorjian. Cody Ellis looks at why it's such a huge signing for the Kings and why it's a huge boost for their prospects to get back in the NBL championship hunt.
Kristian Doolittle has re-signed at the Perth Wildcats and nobody is happier about that than Cody Ellis but it does leave them with some interesting decisions to make over their third and final import spot already for next season.
There's also big news on the NBL1 West front with Cody Ellis deciding he's not yet ready to retire and he will be continuing his career in 2024 at the Warwick Senators. He talked through that decision, why his six-month break was enough and why he's so excited by his new teammates including Zac Gattorna, Michael Harris and Todd Withers.
It's time to turn our attention to Game 1 of the NBL Championship Series where Tasmania JackJumpers were as bad as they've been all season but Melbourne United deserve a lot of the credit for that.
Matthew Dellavedova led the charge for Melbourne, Chris Goulding hit some unreal shots and Jo Lual-Acuil and Ariel Hukporti dominated their big men match up with Will Magnay and Marcus Lee.
We also take a look at the struggles over the last three games now of JackJumpers import guard Jordon Crawford and how he can snap out of it but why it's going to be tough against such a deep, talented and experienced United line-up.
We look back on the deciding Game 3 of the WNBL Grand Final series with the Southside Flyers proving too good and the remarkable comeback story of Lauren Jackson complete with a sixth championship. We also discuss Anneli Maley finding peace in Perth, the future of the Perth Lynx and why the WNBL needs private ownership whether it's Larry Kestelman or somebody else.
Plenty other news around NBL clubs too and we discuss the move of Sam Mennenga from the Cairns Taipans to the New Zealand Breakers and also the decision from South East Melbourne Phoenix to release Alan Williams and whether or not he might find another NBL home.
We then wrap up this week's show with a TABtouch Preview of the next couple of games of the NBL Championship Series between Melbourne United and Tasmania JackJumpers.
All made possible thanks to the support of Hoops Heaven (www.hoopsheaven.com.au) and TABtouch (www.tabtouch.com.au).
Championship time on Hoops Heaven's Basketball Hustle as we look ahead to #NBL24 Championship Series between Melbourne United and Tasmania JackJumpers, and Game 3 of WNBL Grand Final between Southside Flyers and Perth Lynx.
Plenty more to breakdown this week with Cody Ellis reflecting on NBL Playoffs where Melbourne United and Tasmania JackJumpers prevailed but for Illawarra Hawks and Perth Wildcats, there was a lot to be proud of and we reflect on their #NBL24 campaigns.
Plenty of drama too and we look back on unnecessary Marcus Lee Tasmania JackJumpers suspension and react to focus on Keanu Pinder and John Rillie's defence of Perth Wildcats and preview NBL and WNBL deciders thanks to TABtouch.
For all the ways to listen click here: https://linktr.ee/basketballhustle
We begin this week's show with a reaction to the two NBL Playoffs Series where Melbourne United and Tasmania JackJumpers won in three games to set up their Championship Series match up having just managed to overcome the Illawarra Hawks and Perth Wildcats.
A lot of the drama was in the Tasmania-Perth series beginning with Marcus Lee's eventual suspension for Game 2. We give our reaction to everything surrounding that as well as the focus on the handling of Keanu Pinder and John Rillie's reaction to the attention and defence of the Wildcats.
The Melbourne United-Illawarra Hawks series was a fascinating one with the first two games going to overtime before Melbourne took charge in Game 3 with Matthew Dellavedova and Luke Travers the standouts while Sam Froling, Gary Clark and Davo Hickey were brilliant for the Hawks.
We look back on the remarkable performance of the Illawarra Hawks this season since Justin Tatum took and why everyone involved should be proud, why they connected with the Wollongong community and why their future looks bright.
The other series between the Perth Wildcats and Tasmania JackJumpers saw Keanu Pinder lead the 'Cats to a big Game 1 win. They then started Game 2 well, but the JackJumpers took control the rest of the series led by Milton Doyle, Jack McVeigh and Will Magnay. Sean Macdonald came up huge as well not only with his offence punch but tremendous defence on four-time MVP Bryce Cotton.
To sum things up, we look back on how the Wildcats should reflect back on the season where they might be rightfully disappointed to come up short, at the same time they can take a lot of heart out of their turnaround and pride in what they did to get their season on track.
We then turn our focus to the WNBL Grand Final Series which is going to a Game 3 in Melbourne on Sunday between the Southside Flyers and Perth Lynx. We look at the remarkable similarities for the Lynx to two years ago, how Anneli Maley can bounce back and why it will continue to be a fascinating clash of styles.
We finish off by looking at Game 1 of the NBL Championship Series between Melbourne United and Tasmania JackJumpers, and Cody's prediction of a JackJumpers win and Will Magnay being Grand Final MVP.
All made possible thanks to the support of Hoops Heaven (www.hoopsheaven.com.au) and TABtouch (www.tabtouch.com.au).
Massive Hoops Heaven's Basketball Hustle with NBL Play-In Tournament done, #NBL24 Playoffs set and Brian Goorjian confirmed at Sydney Kings, Jaylin Galloway to Milwaukee Bucks and plenty to breakdown thanks to TABtouch.
This week Cody Ellis is back to discuss Brian Goorjian back at Sydney Kings and looking at that from every angle, why Mahmoud Abdelfattah's departure was inevitable and why the way Angus Glover was treated just wasn’t right.
After #NBL24 Play-In Tournament Cody Ellis couldn’t be more impressed by Davo Hickey/Wani Swaka Lo Buluk at Illawarra Hawks, Will Magnay at Tasmania JackJumpers, we pay tribute to New Zealand Breakers and Tom Abercrombie, and provide TABtouch Preview of NBL Playoffs.
For all the ways to listen click here: https://linktr.ee/basketballhustle
While the Sydney Kings championship defence is over, all the news surrounds them and we breakdown the departure of Mahmoud Abdelfattah as coach and why that was a no-brainer given the way things never clicked between him and his playing group.
We then breakdown the appointment of the legendary Brian Goorjian to return to the Sydney Kings and look at why it appears the perfect fit for both parties, why it's the ideal job for him to end his NBL career and also how he will go juggling that with attempting to win a medal at Paris Olympics with the Australian Boomers.
Also from the Sydney Kings, Jaylin Galloway has joined the Milwaukee Bucks of the NBA and we discuss his prospects and also why this pathway might be better for future prospects rather than the NBA Draft if you won't be a first round pick with Will Magnay the likely next candidate.
The NBL Play-In Tournament is done and we begin our discussion with the JackJumpers beating the Hawks to lock in their semi-final spot on the back of the dominance of Will Magnay, all-round brilliance of Milton Doyle and showing their championship credentials.
We then saw the Sydney Kings' season summed up with their implosion against the New Zealand Breakers. Parker Jackson-Cartwright came up huge for New Zealand, but as good as they were Sydney was equally as bad in a performance summing up their season.
The Hawks and Breakers then played out a stunning Play-In Game where they went blow for blow, but in the end it was Justin Robinson standing up, Davo Hickey bringing the energy and the defence of Wani Swaka Lo Buluk that was massive in Illawarra prevailing.
We reflect on the season of the New Zealand Breakers where they overcame an enormous amount to almost make the final four and while upset to be eliminate deserve to be enormously proud as we also pay tribute to retiring captain and all-time break Tom Abercrombie.
It's then time for our TABtouch Preview of the Playoffs as Cody Ellis gives his thoughts on Melbourne United v Illawarra Hawks, and Perth Wildcats v Tasmania JackJumpers. He expects both series to go to three games but ultimately is expecting a Melbourne v Tasmania Championship Series.
We wrap up this week's show with Cody Ellis talking about if this might finally be time for the Perth Lynx to end their WNBL championship drought that dates back to 1992.
All made possible thanks to the support of Hoops Heaven (www.hoopsheaven.com.au) and TABtouch (www.tabtouch.com.au).
We're gearing up for #NBL24 Finals on Hoops Heaven's Basketball Hustle with Simon Mitchell on deck to see who will make Playoffs out of Tasmania JackJumpers, Illawarra Hawks, Sydney Kings and New Zealand Breakers, and why FIBA break is tough on Melbourne United and Perth Wildcats.
We look back on #NBL24 Awards and why Simon Mitchell wouldn't mind tweaking to a couple from NBL moving forward while we reflect on seasons of Cairns Taipans, Brisbane Bullets and South East Melbourne Phoenix.
We dive into TABtouch Preview of start of #NBL24 Finals while Simon Mitchell is delighted for Scott Ninnis and Justin Tatum to be locked in at Adelaide 36ers and Illawarra Hawks, and ponders what's next for Brian Goorjian after Olympics Boomers campaign in Paris.
For all the ways to listen click here: https://linktr.ee/basketballhustle
We open up this week's show by wrapping up a dramatic finish to the NBL24 regular season with the New Zealand Breakers making it but missing out on a home final or top four spot, the Sydney Kings getting a soft kill to knock out the Brisbane Bullets, and the Illawarra Hawks winning again over the Perth Wildcats.
The two interim coaches are now no more with Scott Ninnis locked in at the Adelaide 36ers and the Illawarra Hawks signing up Justin Tatum before the NBL finals. It also rules out Brian Goorjian out of those two jobs and we discuss where his coaching future might be after the Paris Olympics with the Boomers.
With the Finals in the NBL having to wait to begin until after the FIBA break, we talk about the frustrations that cause while also unavoidable and why it creates an especially tough situations for the top two teams Melbourne United and Perth Wildcats to deal with.
The Cairns Taipans finished their season with a third win over ladder leading Melbourne United as Simon Mitchell reflects on their season that just never quite going as they perhaps were given more respect by the rest of the league and couldn't fly under the radar anymore.
Simon Mitchell looks back on the season of the Brisbane Bullets with mixed feelings but considering how far back they were coming from last year, he can only see it as a positive and that they are heading in the right direction just with a couple of issues to iron out.
It was a rough end to the season for South East Melbourne Phoenix and Simon Mitchell doesn't want them to just write it off due to injury. He wants them to look back on why they didn’t always compete as hard as they perhaps could have and to have honest discussions before moving forward.
The New Zealand Breakers might have had a lot to deal with this season whether it's injury or a rough schedule with back-to-back games after their international travel, but Simon Mitchell doesn’t think they need sympathy and certainly their coach Mody Maor doesn’t want any.
We look back on the NBL Awards that were handed out and give our reaction to how they shaped up to our predictions. While Simon Mitchell agreed with most of the awards handed out, it's the Next Generation and Most Improved awards who wouldn’t mind seeing being tinkered with a little moving forward.
We wrap up the show with our TABtouch Preview of the start of the NBL Finals with Simon Mitchell breaking down what he's expecting in the Seeding Qualifier between the Tasmania JackJumpers and Illawarra Hawks, and the Play-In Qualifier featuring the Sydney Kings and New Zealand Breakers, and then the resulting Play-In Game.
All made possible thanks to the support of Hoops Heaven (www.hoopsheaven.com.au) and TABtouch (www.tabtouch.com.au).
Final #NBL24 Round preview on Hoops Heaven's Basketball Hustle with Cody Ellis back on deck and he's expecting Illawarra Hawks, Brisbane Bullets, Sydney Kings to make it but genuinely can't see anyone but Melbourne United, Perth Wildcats, Tasmania JackJumpers winning NBL championship.
Plenty to dissect in #NBL24 and Cody Ellis baffled by 'worst ever NBL coach ejection' of Mike Kelly for South East Melbourne Phoenix, the happenings at Cairns Taipans with Tahjere McCall discontent likely to lead to mass turnover, and thoughts on Illawarra Hawks, Brisbane Bullets prospects.
TheGalen Best NBL Team Man by Simon Mitchell, impressed by explosive Perth Wildcats, why Sydney Kings can still be a threat despite obvious disconnect, where Brian Goorjian will end up in #NBL25 and full Round 20 #NBL24 TABtouch Preview.
For all the ways to listen click here: https://linktr.ee/basketballhustle
This week's show opens up with discussion about Melbourne, Perth and Tasmania the only genuine championship threats while the other four teams battle over the three other Finals spot while there's the disconnect at the Sydney Kings and things unravelling at the Cairns Taipans.
We might well have seen the worst ever NBL coach ejection with Mike Kelly from the South East Melbourne Phoenix and Cody Ellis was baffled by it. For him, it just proves the inconsistencies within the refereeing this season and why it's infuriating to see a coach ejected for virtually nothing and others not even receive a tech.
It's absolutely no longer the same old Illawarra Hawks under coach Justin Tatum. Cody Ellis can't understand why he hasn't been signed up yet, but either way loves the way they move the ball under him, loves their buy-in defensively and how he's a coach the players get behind with Gary Clark the second best player in the NBL right now.
The Brisbane Bullets inched closer to a return to the Finals but it was through their NBL veterans Nathan Sobey, Sam McDaniel and Mitch Norton leading the charge and not so much struggling imports Shannon Scott and Chris Smith with Casey Prather still working his way back.
The Perth Wildcats showed their explosiveness in the last seven minutes in the win against the Cairns Taipans with Cody Ellis believing that sort of offensive arsenal could very well take them all the way to a championship, provided they buy in defensively at the same time.
The Finals hopes might be over for the Cairns Taipans but there's plenty of fascination surrounding them including what appears a fallout between coach Adam Forde and captain Tahjere McCall. We discuss that as well as Sam Mennenga's role disappearing and why there's going to likely be another mass turnover this off-season for the Snakes.
Talk then talks to the Sydney Kings and the clear disconnect there is between the coaching staff and playing group which is denying them the chance to realise their potential. Cody Ellis sees this Kings group as one that needs a motivational coach which isn't necessarily Mahmoud Abdelfattah's strength but he still sees them as the only team capable of challenging the top three.
Where Brian Goorjian ends up coaching in the NBL next season has become a major talking point and with Cody Ellis expecting Scott Ninnis to remain in charge at the Adelaide 36ers, he expects the legendary coach to return to the Sydney Kings to replace Mahmoud Abdelfattah for #NBL25.
We wrap up the show with a preview of the last round of #NBL24 with Cody Ellis expecting it to come down to the very last game to determine the final top six position, and he expects the Adelaide 36ers to eliminate the New Zealand Breakers and allow the Brisbane Bullets to make it.
All made possible thanks to the support of Hoops Heaven (www.hoopsheaven.com.au) and TABtouch (www.tabtouch.com.au).
Two weeks to go in #NBL24 and Simon Mitchell breaks it down on Hoops Heaven's Basketball Hustle and makes the big calls on who will make the top six with Brisbane Bullets to miss out while he maintains hope for the New Zealand Breakers despite losing Anthony Lamb.
Two big wins has Simon Mitchell high on the Tasmania JackJumpers' prospects for the rest of 2024 as he names Will Magnay his #TheGalen Best NBL Team Man while is concerned for the Perth Wildcats and feels they need to focus on much more than so-called physicality on Bryce Cotton.
Round 19 #NBL24 TABtouch Preview sees Simon Mitchell predict Adelaide 36ers to all but end Brisbane Bullets' season largely because of the lack of support for Nathan Sobey while he hopes Sunday is a preview of a play-in Illawarra Hawks-Sydney Kings match up.
For all the ways to listen click here: https://linktr.ee/basketballhustle
We add to our fight night discussion from last week adding a mismatch in height and weight between Will Magnay and Tahjere McCall, but Simon Mitchell isn’t too keen on Jesse Wagstaff against Finn Delany.
The New Zealand Breakers put together a brilliant performance to beat the Perth Wildcats with Simon Mitchell labelling it a coaching masterclass from Mody Maor while loving the work of Parker Jackson-Cartwright but acknowledging it's going to be tough now for them without Anthony Lamb.
Simon Mitchell saw some concerning signs from the Perth Wildcats and didn't like the whinging about the so-called physicality directed at Bryce Cotton. He also labelled their defensive transition an abomination and needs to see more from them over the last two weeks.
The Tasmania JackJumpers put together two impressive wins to all but end the seasons of the Taipans and 36ers with Simon Mitchell suitably impressed with a team he feels can challenge the top two. He likes Milton Doyle with the ball in his hands, the career-best season of Jack McVeigh and the others stepping up including Clint Steindl and Sean Macdonald.
We talk about the Illawarra Hawks and while Simon Mitchell isn’t totally sold just yet, he hopes Justin Tatum's team finishes in the top four and is impressed especially with Wani Swaka Lo Buluk's defence and the all-round production Gary Clark is giving them now.
Simon Mitchell casts his eye over the Brisbane Bullets and he's just not seeing a second go-to option behind Nathan Sobey with Casey Prather not yet quite up to it, and he's given up hope of Shannon Scott or Chris Smith doing that. However, he does see this as a building season for them to set them up for future success.
Simon Mitchell gives his thoughts on last Saturday night's Throwdown where he felt both teams would have been reasonably happy with Melbourne United comfortably winning and getting through unscathed. South East Melbourne Phoenix competed hard too despite how shorthanded they were.
We then follow up our Run Home discussion from last week and while we rule out the South East Melbourne Phoenix, Cairns Taipans and Adelaide 36ers, Simon Mitchell runs his rule over the rest of the teams in the finals race. He predicts Melbourne United to finish at 20-8, Perth Wildcats 18-10, Tasmania JackJumpers 16-12, and then all of the Illawarra Hawks, Sydney Kings, New Zealand Breakers and Brisbane Bullets at 13-15.
Simon Mitchell selects his winner of #TheGalen Best NBL Team Man for Round 18 as well and it's going to Tasmania JackJumpers centre Will Magnay for the toughness he showed and what he delivered for his team in the wins against Cairns and Adelaide.
We then go into the TABtouch Preview for Round 19 with six big matches highlighted by the New Zealand Breakers v Illawarra Hawks on Friday and then finishing off with what Simon Mitchell hopes is a play-in game preview between the Sydney Kings and the Hawks.
Simon Mitchell also finishes off by asking for some more transparency into how the NBL comes into their disciplinary findings after the incidents involving Tahjere McCall and Will Magnay from Round 18.
All made possible thanks to the support of Hoops Heaven (www.hoopsheaven.com.au) and TABtouch (www.tabtouch.com.au).
Three rounds of #NBL24 to go and Simon Mitchell breaks down the run home of all 10 teams on Hoops Heaven's Basketball Hustle and makes his top six predictions and that's just the start of what's on this week.
We also look back on last week where Simon Mitchell was thrilled for South East Melbourne Phoenix spirit, can't figure out Sydney Kings, saw Illawarra Hawks set the blueprint v Perth Wildcats and mixed feelings on full strength Melbourne United.
With Scott Ninnis doing well Simon Mitchell is fascinated by Adelaide 36ers coaching situation, full TABtouch Round 18 #NBL24 Preview and we book a hypothetical NBL boxing card highlighted by the expected very short main event of Mitch Creek v Mason Peatling.
For all the ways to listen click here: https://linktr.ee/basketballhustle
Simon Mitchell starts off this week's show disappointed in his predictions last week but he needn’t be considering the size of the Thursday night upsets where the South East Melbourne Phoenix beat the Sydney Kings, and Illawarra Hawks beat the Perth Wildcats, which he gives his thoughts on along with how tight the NBL season is and how some ugly records will be playing finals.
We then discuss the remarkable turnaround from the Adelaide 36ers under Scott Ninnis and discuss the prospects of him keeping the job moving forward while there are some high profile candidates also circling with DJ Vasiljevic having thrown his support behind by re-signing for three years.
It's then a fascinating discussion about the Sydney Kings who Simon Mitchell labelled as dreadful to lose to the undermanned South East Melbourne Phoenix but then delivered perhaps their best performance of the season to beat Melbourne United. He credited coach Mahmoud Abdelfattah for the changes made but isn't quite sold it will last just yet.
Simon Mitchell then looks at what he liked about a much improved South East Melbourne Phoenix despite missing five key players. He loved what Ben Ayre, Owen Foxwell and Luke Rosendale did, and was pleasantly surprised by Kody Stattmann with Mitch Creek showing the way.
Melbourne United were back to full strength with the returns of Jo Lual-Acuil and Shea Ili but Simon Mitchell wasn’t totally convinced they are at their best after loss in Sydney even with seeing how tough Lual-Acuil showed himself to be to guard.
It's then time for us to look at the run home of all 10 teams for NBL24 with Simon Mitchell ending up predicting a top six of Melbourne United, Perth Wildcats, Tasmania JackJumpers, Sydney Kings, Brisbane Bullets and New Zealand Breakers.
Simon Mitchell names his winner of #TheGalen Best Team Man for Round 17, gives his thoughts on Damian Martin's Best Defensive Player votes in #TheDamo and also we discuss his jersey being retired by the Perth Wildcats on Sunday at RAC Arena after his remarkable career.
We dissect the six games across Round 18 of #NBL24 thanks to TABtouch and then finish off with some hypothetical boxing fights where Simon Mitchell likens Matthew Dellavedova v Shaun Bruce to Sam Solomon v Anthony Mundine, Aron Baynes v Lat Mayen to Tommy Morrison v Roy Jones Jr, and Kouat Noi just being like Arturo Gatti. But he'd most like to see Mitch Creek v Mason Peatling.
All made possible thanks to the support of Hoops Heaven (www.hoopsheaven.com.au) and TABtouch (www.tabtouch.com.au).
Plenty to cover on Hoops Heaven Basketball Hustle and Simon Mitchell has Perth Wildcats as #NBL24 title favourites right now as he dissects Melbourne United's struggles minus Shea Ili, and does a deep dive into what Scott Ninnis has done so well to turn Adelaide 36ers around.
Also this week sees Simon Mitchell look at Tasmania JackJumpers dominance over Melbourne United, what Perth Wildcats are doing so well, why he is impressed with Brisbane Bullets and why he doesn’t have Illawarra Hawks making NBL top six.
Difficult conversation about South East Melbourne Phoenix from their inaugural NBL coach while Simon Mitchell picks Kyrin Galloway as #TheGalen Best NBL Team Man, choose worst decision of #NBL24 Round 16 and full TABtouch Preview of Round 17.
For all the ways to listen click here: https://linktr.ee/basketballhustle
Simon Mitchell experienced coaching against Melbourne United with and without Shea Ili, and now he's delved into it and the difference of him there and not is significant as he likens his defensive influence to Damian Martin or Dennis Rodman or even Deion Sanders and has concerns both for his health and Melbourne without him.
Simon Mitchell would have Perth Wildcats as his championship favourites right now on the back of their improved defence, offensive rebounding that makes Bryce Cotton even harder to stop, and he sees plenty more good times ahead for the Red Army.
Despite a big loss in Perth for the Brisbane Bullets, Simon Mitchell continues to like the job Justin Schueller is doing after their bounce back win in Cairns. He's especially impressed with what Tyrell Harrison is producing and still sees an important role backing him up for Aron Baynes, and saw encouraging signs from Casey Prather.
Given he was coach of South East Melbourne Phoenix for their first four seasons, Simon Mitchell has a unique perspective on their struggles right now. He's devastated with what he's seeing and wants to see some fight out of them and while he wants Mike Kelly to succeed, he's realistic to know it's unsustainable with what they are currently dishing while acknowledging no other coach could do more with what he's working with.
The Illawarra Hawks have now lost three straight and Simon Mitchell can't see them breaking back into the top six as he has concerns over the form of Justin Robinson at the point but does expect Kyle Adnam to get a bit of a look in now that he's settled in as an injury replacement player.
Simon Mitchell casts his eyes over what Scott Ninnis has done with the Adelaide 36ers with the faith put in Trey Kell and Isaac Humphries instrumental while he likes their improvement defensively and offensive work in the early secondary transition especially as they make the most unlikely late season run.
We then wrap up the show with a preview of Round 17 in the NBL with plenty on the line with every game having playoff implications before we close things out with Simon having to decide which was the worst call we saw from a wide field back in Round 16 and why he believes Kyle Bowen deserves an apology.
All made possible thanks to the support of Hoops Heaven (www.hoopsheaven.com.au) and TABtouch (www.tabtouch.com.au).
Plenty to like from #NBL24 Round 15 to dissect on Hoops Heaven Basketball and a lot to look forward to in @NBL Round 16 but Cody Ellis was shocked with what he saw with Kristian Doolittle at Perth Wildcats while Shea Ili continues to struggle with concussion symptoms.
On the #NBL24 floor, Cody Ellis looks at how Sydney Kings were as bad and then as good as can be with Jaylen Adams illustrating that while he isn’t sure New Zealand Breakers or South East Melbourne Phoenix can stay alive in NBL, but he is high on Brisbane Bullets prospects.
As good as Bryce Cotton is for Perth Wildcats, Cody Ellis puts Tai Webster as the man instrumental in their @NBL title charge while heaping praise on Mitch Creek, rollercoaster rides for Tasmania JackJumpers and Cairns Taipans, and we preview #NBL24 Round 16 thanks to TABtouch.
For all the ways to listen click here: https://linktr.ee/basketballhustle
We reflect on the double overtime classic between the Tasmania JackJumpers and Illawarra Hawks where Tasmania almost pulled it out thanks to Milton Doyle but then Tyler Harvey showed his big game nature once more before the Hawks struggled to bounce back two days later.
There was a lot to like from an exciting Round 15 in #NBL24 but one not so positive thing was the concussion suffered by Kristian Doolittle for Perth Wildcats and how long he was allowed to stay on the court. Cody Ellis questions the club's medical staff for not being on to it sooner and was shocked by the lack of action as Shea Ili for Melbourne United continues his struggles to highlight the importance.
What a weekend for the Sydney. They were as bad as they could be on Thursday in Adelaide but then as good as they can be on Sunday to hammer the New Zealand Breakers. Jaylen Adams fully illustrated that and returned to MVP form on Sunday as they put on a stunning shooting display.
The New Zealand Breakers were unlucky to lose to Melbourne United and Zylan Cheatham's brain snap didn't help, but what happened in Sydney two days later might have ended their top six hopes as Cody Ellis reflects on the challenges they continue to face this NBL season.
The Perth Wildcats have the brilliance of Bryce Cotton but Cody Ellis points to the importance of Tai Webster in getting them to the position they are in, and how valuable he is to not only Bryce's form but how the 'Cats are performing overall.
While the Tasmania JackJumpers have lost six of the last eight games, they remain in third position and Cody Ellis expects them to stay there with the improvements they've made defensively with the rim protection of Will Magnay despite their offensive spluttering a little.
The Brisbane Bullets are now on a four-game winning streak with a well balanced team who continue to prove they can win while missing key players, and Cody Ellis expects them to make the top four from here and keep their momentum going.
Focus then turns to the Cairns Taipans and while they are unpredictable and can be their own worst enemy, their best is still exciting and overall their young group might be better than Cody Ellis expected. AK Gak was especially exciting against the Adelaide 36ers with 21 points and 14 rebounds while Bul Kuol's foul troubles continued, Tahjere McCall was brilliant and also finally got a flopping tech.
Cody Ellis also made an observation that Mitch Creek's 36-point performance for the South East Melbourne Phoenix against the Perth Wildcats might have gone a little underappreciated as well.
We then wrap up this week's show with a preview of Round 16 in #NBL24 and there's plenty at stake in every match beginning Wednesday night with the South East Melbourne Phoenix playing Adelaide 36ers with a massive Friday night double and an especially tantalising Sunday double-header to wrap things up.
All made possible thanks to the support of Hoops Heaven (www.hoopsheaven.com.au) and TABtouch (www.tabtouch.com.au).
NBL24 is heating up and we dissect it all on Hoops Heaven Basketball Hustle with Cody Ellis trying to crystal ball the NBL top six, why Bryce Cotton is unbackable as MVP, why South East Melbourne Phoenix might be done and it's make or break time for Sydney Kings.
We also get Cody Ellis thoughts on what's making Perth Wildcats click beyond Bryce Cotton, if we'll see Alex Sarr again in NBL and a look at Brisbane Bullets with Casey Prather, Rocco Zikarsky's rim protection and Nathan Sobey likely in career best form in #NBL24.
We continue with Tom Vodanovich joining Tasmania JackJumpers, why Scott Ninnis is doing encouraging things with Adelaide 36ers and we preview Round 15 in #NBL24 thanks to TABtouch with every game having top six implications.
For all the ways to listen click here: https://linktr.ee/basketballhustle
We start off this week's show looking back on the contributions of co-host Simon Mitchell last week and discuss why he would be a perfect fit for any future NBL coaching jobs that might pop up.
Cody Ellis then casts his eye over the NBL and why expects Melbourne United and Perth Wildcats to remain top two, he thinks Tasmania JackJumpers should finish third and if he had to guess, he'd have the Illawarra Hawks, Sydney Kings and either the Brisbane Bullets or New Zealand Breakers rounding out the top six.
The South East Melbourne Phoenix were missing all three imports, Alan Williams, Gary Browne and Abdel Nader, and couldn’t compete as a result as any team wouldn’t be able to. But it's an on-going issue with the Phoenix and Cody Ellis questions why it's happening and why it might be too late for them to save this season, but Mike Kelly can't be the one blamed.
Cody Ellis takes a look at his former Sydney Kings team after losses to Melbourne United and Brisbane Bullets. He discusses how they are playing like a group of individuals, why coach Mahmoud Abdelfattah doesn't seem to be clicking and why their rotations remain somewhat baffling.
The MVP discussion for NBL24 is no longer a discussion with the remarkable form of Perth Wildcats superstar Bryce Cotton. Cody Ellis knows all about how hard he is to stop and continues to marvel at the stunning level he's playing at, why it's so hard to avoid fouling him and why $1.40 on TABtouch might not be low enough.
It's more than just Cotton who is lifting the Wildcats into championship calculations, though, and we look at how an oddly constructed roster is coming together tremendously with the roles of Keanu Pinder, Kristian Doolittle, Tai Webster, Hyrum Harris and captain Jesse Wagstaff but we might have seen the last of likely No. 1 NBA Draft pick Alex Sarr.
Next up we look at the Brisbane Bullets and what the introduction of Casey Prather provides them on top of the rim protection from 17-year-old Next Star Rocco Zikarsky and the career best form of Olympian Nathan Sobey who Cody Ellis describes as being in a zone right now.
We also discuss a surprising late season roster move at the Tasmania JackJumpers as they cut loose guard Junior Madut and bring in championship winning enforcer Tom Vodanovich for the rest of #NBL24.
Before moving on from what we saw in Round 14, we talk about the Adelaide 36ers and their spirit lifting win over Melbourne United where the big three of DJ Vasiljevic, Isaac Humphries and Trey Kell III starred but role players stepped up led by Jason Cadee to celebrate the 25-year championship anniversary.
We then wrap up this week's show with a preview of Round 15 in the NBL where every game has ramifications for the fight for playoff positions starting with Brisbane Bullets v Tasmania JackJumpers on Wednesday and finishing with a Grand Final rematch between Sydney Kings and New Zealand Breakers.
All made possible thanks to the support of Hoops Heaven (www.hoopsheaven.com.au) and TABtouch (www.tabtouch.com.au).
Simon Mitchell back on Hoops Heaven #BasketballHustle for first episode of 2024 to give his thoughts on South East Melbourne Phoenix and Gary Browne brain snap, why Cairns Taipans do so well v Melbourne United and Casey Prather back in NBL at Brisbane Bullets.
To continue Simon Mitchell looks at why he sees Sydney Kings as biggest threat to Melbourne United, thoughts of Trey Kell's triple-double for Adelaide 36ers and names Bul Kuol from Cairns Taipans as #TheGalen Best NBL Team.
Simon Mitchell wants Justin Tatum locked in at Illawarra Hawks, why Adelaide 36ers is a good fit for any number of people and his frustrations over coach's challenges in NBL before turning attention to previewing #NBL24 Round 14 thanks to TABtouch.
For all the ways to listen click here: https://linktr.ee/basketballhustle
Simon Mitchell gives his overview of the NBL after Round 13 with Melbourne United still a cut above but he is starting to warm to the Perth Wildcats as a challenger while he sees the Sydney Kings as their biggest threat and he has the New Zealand Breakers knocking on the door as a contender.
Simon Mitchell was responsible for bringing Gary Browne to the NBL and he was disappointed in him and for him after his ejection for South East Melbourne Phoenix against Brisbane Bullets, and believes he was lucky to not end up suspended just to top it all off.
We also get the thoughts from Simon Mitchell on the league's two newest imports, Abdel Nader thrown in the deep end at the South East Melbourne Phoenix and Casey Prather's return to the NBL with the Brisbane Bullets.
Simon Mitchell breaks down what the Cairns Taipans have done so well now twice against Melbourne United and it all starts with their targeting of Chris Goulding on the defensive end. He also thinks Sydney can do something similar and continues to be impressed with what Patrick Miller is doing.
We take a look at the Sydney Kings and how Denzel Valentine found his best form of the season, and why Simon Mitchell still sees them as genuine championship threats particularly with the advantages they could potentially create against Melbourne United.
Unfortunately another talking point is the coach's challenges in the NBL and Simon Mitchell lets his feelings known about how he never wanted them introduced, he doesn’t like them and he wants them scrapped. He sees them as a blight on the game and embarrassing for the league, and wants it to go back to the drawing board to be fixed.
Simon Mitchell selects his winner of #TheGalen Best NBL Team Man for Round 13 and it goes to the Cairns Taipans with Bul Kuol after the impact he had in the win against Melbourne United for the Snakes.
We then talk about the coaching situation in the NBL right now with Simon Mitchell wanting the Illawarra Hawks to lock in Justin Tatum for the future while he sees Brian Goorjian as a perfect candidate at the Adelaide 36ers, but it could be a good fit for a number of people.
It's then time to get stuck into our preview of Round 14 in the NBL with Simon Mitchell especially looking forward to seeing the New Zealand Breakers host the Perth Wildcats, and seeing if Sydney Kings can make a statement against Melbourne United.
All made possible thanks to the support of Hoops Heaven (www.hoopsheaven.com.au) and TABtouch (www.tabtouch.com.au).
Post-Christmas Hoops Heaven's Basketball Hustle and we talk Christmas Day games in the NBL, look at how far Melbourne United and Perth Wildcats are ahead in #NBL24, and why they need to meet in a playoff series.
We look at what Casey Prather joining Brisbane Bullets means for rest of NBL24, Zylan Cheatham's spectacular return with New Zealand Breakers and what an NBL threat they are, and look at South East Melbourne Phoenix's bounce back and the foul woes of Alan Williams.
Also Cody Ellis talks why he is so happy with what Justin Tatum is doing at Illawarra Hawks, why Kristian Doolittle from Perth Wildcats is quickly becoming his favourite player, concerns for Sydney Kings, Trevor Gleeson of NBL running and Simon Mitchell names #TheGalen Best NBL Team Man.
For all the ways to listen click here: https://linktr.ee/basketballhustle
We discussed the Christmas Day games in the NBL and the crowds that were impressive which turned out in Sydney and Hobart but we just don't quite know if it reached the TV audience hoped to make it a raging success to draw in the casual fans.
The Melbourne United v Perth Wildcats open air game at John Cain Arena could well have been the game of the NBL season so far with a bit of everything, including going to overtime and a remarkable Bryce Cotton performance but the collection of stars from Melbourne United got them home as we look at what a series between the two would look like.
The Brisbane Bullets are now in a bit of a hole at 7-11 having lost four straight but they will welcome three-time NBL champion Casey Prather to give them a much-needed boost for the rest of the season as they look to stay in the playoff hunt.
Zylan Cheatham made a spectacular return as the New Zealand Breakers beat the Brisbane Bullets and we talk about what a force they can be the rest of NBL24 with the combination Cheatham has with Will McDowell-White feeding him, and playing alongside Anthony Lamb.
South East Melbourne Phoenix showed tremendous heart to beat Tasmania JackJumpers on Christmas Day but the saga of Alan Williams and his foul trouble continues to be fascinating to follow which we discuss.
Talk then turns to the Illawarra Hawks who bounced back tremendously from a loss to Tasmania JackJumpers to beat the Sydney Kings on Christmas Day but concerns are growing over the Kings and underperforming import Denzel Valentine and coach Mahmoud Abdelfattah.
We also look back on the Cairns Taipans v Perth Wildcats Boxing Day game which featured 79 free-throws where Bryce Cotton got the 'Cats over the line and while the Snakes are doing a lot right, they're also their own worst enemy at times.
After we get this week's The Galen Best NBL Team Man from Simon Mitchell and it's Lachlan Olbrich from the Illawarra Hawks, Cody Ellis also discusses why Kristian Doolittle has quickly become one of his favourite players and wants to see him receive a lot more credit for his contributions to Perth Wildcats.
Attention then turns to the New Year's Round of NBL action to come and we preview each upcoming game to end 2023 and bring in 2024 thanks to TABtouch.
To wrap things up this week we also talk about the news that Trevor Gleeson has returned to the NBA with the Milwaukee Bucks likely ruling him out of a return to the NBL next season.
All made possible thanks to the support of Hoops Heaven (www.hoopsheaven.com.au) and TABtouch (www.tabtouch.com.au).
Where else but Melbourne United to start Hoops Heaven Basketball Hustle this week with Cody Ellis discussing how far ahead of the rest of #NBL24 teams they are right now while dominating at both ends, and we try to find their biggest NBL challenger.
From there, Cody Ellis looks at his former Illawarra Hawks team and believes Justin Tatum is putting himself in prime position to coach beyond #NBL24 while we look at a tough weekend for South East Melbourne Phoenix, and Cody asks if Rocco Zikarsky or Aron Baynes deserve more minutes.
We get #TheGalen Best NBL Team Man from Simon Mitchell, talk about the overreaction to a physio helping out DJ Vasiljevic, seeing big men allowed to defend and look ahead to the Christmas #NBL24 action to come.
For all the ways to listen click here: https://linktr.ee/basketballhustle
We open up this week's show with Cody Ellis talking about just how far Melbourne United is ahead of the rest of the NBL after 11 rounds. How potent they are offensively and how far ahead of other NBL24 teams they are at both ends of the floor with such a star studded yet well rounded team, and we try to come up with who is their biggest threat from the other nine teams.
The Illawarra Hawks have instantly improved under the coaching of Justin Tatum with Cody Ellis noticing the increased freedom they are playing with, how they are getting out to run and it's on the back of humming defensively. We talked about a more efficient and under control Tyler Harvey and why Justin Tatum isn’t far away from securing the job moving forward.
Sydney Kings talked about having to improve their defence and they did that led by Jaylin Galloway in a win against the Tasmania JackJumpers after a couple of bonding days during the week at Sydney's beaches.
It was a rough weekend for the South East Melbourne Phoenix with back-to-back 28-point losses at the hands of Melbourne United and Illawarra Hawks with the loss of Mitch Creek to injury despite the arrival of new import Abdel Nader.
Mitch Norton had a chance at the game winner denied by a split second much to Cody Ellis' chagrin while it opens an interesting discussion over who should be getting more minutes at the Brisbane Bullets – NBA champion and Olympic bronze medallist Aron Baynes or Next Star Rocco Zikarsky.
This week's show continues with a look at an improved New Zealand Breakers performance backing up the 'Anthony Lamb Guarantee' with Zylan Cheatham about to return, and how the Adelaide 36ers appear to also be giving better effort under new coach Scott Ninnis despite some intriguing rotation decisions.
Our discussion continues with the NBL's overreaction to a physio sitting courtside helping out a cramping DJ Vasiljevic and look at how pleasing it is to finally see some big men allowed to play defence, and rack up some blocked shots across the Round 11 action.
We then talk about Simon Mitchell's choice as #TheGalen Best NBL Team Man for Round 11 before turning our attention to Round 12 including the two Christmas Day games highlighting the fixtures as the Tasmania JackJumpers host the South East Melbourne Phoenix, and Sydney Kings battle Illawarra Hawks.
All made possible thanks to the support of Hoops Heaven (www.hoopsheaven.com.au) and TABtouch (www.tabtouch.com.au).
Huge ground to cover after dramatic #NBL24 week on Hoops Heaven's Basketball Hustle as we breakdown that crazy night in Cairns from every angle, look at Scott Ninnis replacing CJ Bruton at Adelaide 36ers and Abdel Nader in, Will Cummings out at South East Melbourne Phoenix.
With Cody Ellis back on deck, he offers unique insight into why management shouldn’t be dictating Sunday Dech, Jason Cadee and Mitch McCarron's role with Adelaide 36ers and thoughts on the 'Anthony Lamb Guarantee', John Rillie on Tai Webster's Perth Wildcats importance.
We get Simon Mitchell's #TheGalen Best NBL Team Man, #TheDamo from Damian Martin, Matty Knight's Player of the Year votes, look ahead to massive #NBL24 Round 11 and wish Cairns Taipans and everyone in the Far North the best this week.
For all the ways to listen click here: https://linktr.ee/basketballhustle
First up on this week's Hoops Heaven's Basketball Hustle is a breakdown of everything that happened in Cairns when the power went out. We talk about playing in the Tropics with no air conditioning, if playing on was the right thing, the rundown the clock tactics of the Sydney Kings, why the Taipans can feel hard done by and why no shot clock can't happen again.
Next up and our attention turns to the Adelaide 36ers and the axing of CJ Bruton to be replaced by Scott Ninnis. We discuss Bruton's two and-a-half seasons, remarkable story of Ninnis returning to the job and then why Cody Ellis is well placed to talk about why management shouldn’t be getting involved in who does and doesn't play moving forward.
After our first break, we get stuck into what's happened over the South East Melbourne Phoenix with the release of import guard Will Cummings, arrival of former NBA forward Abdel Nader and how impressive their win was in Sydney with all that as a backdrop.
Next up is the New Zealand Breakers who saw their rollercoaster continue with a rough showing at home to the Tasmania JackJumpers with an 'Anthony Lamb Guarantee' that they will fix their rebounding woes.
From that same game, the JackJumpers were terrific despite Marcus Lee's struggles with Will Magnay coming up huge and then we discuss the merits of the Perth Wildcats struggling in a loss to the Illawarra Hawks in the absence of Tai Webster.
Following our last break, we get Simon Mitchell's winner of #TheGalen Best NBL Team Man, we get Damian Martin's Best Defensive Player votes, Matty Knight's Player of the Year votes and then we get stuck into a preview of Round 11 in #NBL24 and discuss the league's Multiverse uniforms and the standard of refereeing.
All made possible thanks to the support of Hoops Heaven (www.hoopsheaven.com.au) and TABtouch (www.tabtouch.com.au).
NBL24 returned with a bang in Round 9 and Simon Mitchell breaks it all down on Hoops Heaven Basketball Hustle including Adam Forde's masterful coaching performance, why Mody Maor was hard done by, no excuses for Adelaide 36ers and feeling for Craig Moller.
The former South East Melbourne Phoenix coach discusses why replacing Craig Moller won't be easy, why we should be thankful for Bryce Cotton and Milton Doyle, how Cairns Taipans would have left Dean Vickerman furious, and the NBL travel debate.
Before departure of CJ Bruton we discuss what's happening at Adelaide 36ers, continued growth of Izayah Le'afa at NZ Breakers, Josh Roberts at Cairns Taipans named #TheGalen Best NBL Team Man and we preview #NBL24 Round 10 thanks to TABtouch.
For all the ways to listen click here: https://linktr.ee/basketballhustle
We open up this week's show by looking back on last week's discussion about jersey retirements and Simon Mitchell gives his verdict on Darryl McDonald at Melbourne United and Eric Cooks at the Illawarra Hawks.
Before we get stuck into the hot topics, Simon Mitchell opens up the show talking about what he loved most from NBL Round 9 and it was being thankful that we have Bryce Cotton and Milton Doyle in the league doing what they do best.
The Cairns Taipans used the FIBA break to change things up and there were good signs against Brisbane, then it all came together against Melbourne with Simon Mitchell talking about Adam Forde's outstanding coaching performance, what he did so well and why Dean Vickerman would be furious with his team.
It was an eventful weekend for New Zealand Breakers coach Mody Maor and Simon Mitchell talks about why he didn't deserve to be ejected in win over Adelaide and has nothing to answer for with post-match comments, and his genuine care for the NBL needs to be embraced. He might want to send the league his own please explain letter.
The NBL travel schedule became a hot talking point after tough doubles for the New Zealand Breakers and Adelaide 36ers against fresh opponents coming out of Christchurch. While Simon Mitchell felt the Breakers could still hold their heads high, he couldn’t say the same for the Sixers.
There's plenty going on at the Adelaide 36ers on the back of two tough road losses to New Zealand and Tasmania, with the Sixers then putting the blame on the travel schedule. Simon Mitchell thinks now it's time to give the kids a go, park some guys not getting the job done and take a stance with the starting line-up.
The Brisbane Bullets shook off three tough losses from winning positions for two wins in Round 9 with Simon Mitchell sure that Justin Schueller would be thrilled but at the same time still looking for ways to close out games better moving forward.
Izayah Le'afa is playing some tremendous basketball for the New Zealand Breakers and he needs to in the absence of Will McDowell-White and Simon Mitchell is in a good position to discuss him given he gave him his first start in the NBL at the South East Melbourne Phoenix.
How could we do a show and not discuss Bryce Cotton's 41-point, seven-assist performance for the Perth Wildcats against the Sydney Kings, which Simon Mitchell marvels at thinking what the best game would be in a career for mere mortals might not even crack his top 20.
The unfortunate news out of Round 9 was the season-ending knee injury to Craig Moller and Simon Mitchell talks about his history with the South East Melbourne Phoenix forward, why he hopes for the best for him and also why he's going to be so hard for his team to replace.
Simon Mitchell selects his winner of The Galen Best NBL Team Man for this week and he stays in Cairns and it goes to import big Josh Roberts who went from virtually not playing to a starring role in the stunning win for the Snakes against Melbourne United.
We then wrap up this week's show with Simon Mitchell agreeing with Taipans coach Adam Forde on calling out why he wants his team to ignore all the opinions floating around through NBL Media and then we preview Round 10 in the NBL from Thursday through Sunday with Simon looking forward to the Taipans' two games against Sydney and Adelaide.
All made possible thanks to the support of Hoops Heaven (www.hoopsheaven.com.au) and TABtouch (www.tabtouch.com.au).
A break in NBL24 didn’t stop us having plenty to talk about on Hoops Heaven's Basketball Hustle with Cody Ellis and Simon Mitchell teaming up to discuss NBL season to date, update their predictions, find some jersey retirements at each club and to preview what's to come.
For all the ways to listen click here: https://linktr.ee/basketballhustle
This week's episode begins with a bit of a look back on the opening eight weeks of the season and we get Simon Mitchell's thoughts on what it's like watching on after years of involvement as a coach, why he's got the itch back and why that has included cutting up some vision and doing plenty of analysis.
We go back to our pre-season predictions too and update our thoughts eight rounds into the NBL season, but one thing that stays the same is that we're all sticking with Melbourne United as our championship favourites.
We've all gone with different picks for the MVP award showing how tight that race is while we agree on Luke Travers for the Next Gen Award at this point along with his Melbourne United teammate Shea Ili for Best Defensive Player.
It's a sweep for Melbourne United with Dean Vickerman our choice for Coach of the Year while things get interesting again for Most Improved Player with Sydney Kings centre Jordan Hunter leading the way.
On the back of the news the Perth Wildcats are retiring Damian Martin's No. 53 jersey, we had a fascinating discussion over who will be the next player at each NBL team to go up into the rafters.
With some obvious names like Chris Anstey, Mika Vukona, Tim Coenraad and Jesse Wagstaff, some more interesting names were thrown up Scott Ninnis to Mike McKay, Alex Loughton, Oscar Forman, Kevin Lisch, and some crystal balling for Nathan Sobey, Bul Kuol, Chris Goulding, Bryce Cotton, Mitch Creek and even Clint Steindl.
We then wrap up this week's episode with Simon and Cody giving their thoughts and predictions for the games in Round 9 beginning on Thursday with the Breakers hosting the 36ers, and highlighted with the Wildcats and Kings clash on Friday night.
All made possible thanks to the support of Hoops Heaven (www.hoopsheaven.com.au) and TABtouch (www.tabtouch.com.au).
Time to take a deep breath in #NBL24 but no rest on Hoops Heaven Basketball Hustle and Cody Ellis says it's Melbourne United's championship to lose, shortening rotation key to Perth Wildcats revival and talks about why he loves Jack McVeigh so much.
That's just the tipping point of what we cover this week as NBL takes a break as Cody Ellis focuses on some of his favourite players Shea Ili, Kristian Doolittle and Jack McVeigh while happy for improved Illawarra Hawks, and looks at what's happening at NZ Breakers and Brisbane Bullets.
We have #TheGalen from Simon Mitchell, #TheDamo from Damian Martin and Cody Ellis tells us if he expects Corey Webster or Jordan Usher to see out #NBL24 at Perth Wildcats, same with Josh Roberts at Cairns Taipans, if NZ Breakers need to replace Will McDowell-White, and why you won't see better than Daniel Johnson or Rob Loe.
For all the ways to listen click here: https://linktr.ee/basketballhustle
Cody Ellis talks about the championship being Melbourne United's to lose right now after their 67-point second half performance to beat the Sydney Kings where Chris Goulding put up 35 points, but they have such great offensive weapons and they are led by Shea Ili who was unbelievable at both ends.
The Perth Wildcats were on the brink three weeks ago, they've now won five straight going into the FIBA break and Cody Ellis looks at why shortening the rotation and focusing on Hyrum Harris, Jesse Wagstaff and Kristian Doolittle has been crucial to them so they can do the dirty work, and let the likes of Bryce Cotton, Keanu Pinder and Alex Sarr shine.
We wrap up the first segment of this week's show with a look at Jack McVeigh's stunning game winner for the Tasmania JackJumpers against the Cairns Taipans. We break down the play from the perspective of both teams but also talk about why McVeigh is made for those moments and what a perfect role model he is.
The New Zealand Breakers continue to have the worst run of luck with Will McDowell-White joining Zylan Cheatham out injured and Cody Ellis looks at why they need to find a way to get some more offensive help for Anthony Lamb and Parker Jackson-Cartwright who are carrying too much of the load.
There were some encouraging signs from the Illawarra Hawks in the first game under new coach Justin Tatum especially defensively in the win over the NZ Breakers. Former Hawks forward Cody Ellis talks about why building on those defensive principles could be just what they need for the rest of this NBL season.
Talk then turns to the Brisbane Bullets who have now suffered three straight tough losses having been in winning positions and Cody Ellis looks at what's going wrong for them late in games, but why they need to stick with what they're doing despite the frustrations.
Our discussion from Round 8 in #NBL24 wraps up with a look at quite the dramatic tale of two halves between the Adelaide 36ers and South East Melbourne Phoenix, where DJ Vasiljevic fired the Sixers in the second half and some cracks continue to show in the Phoenix.
It's then time for our awards from Round 8 in the NBL with Simon Mitchell's selection of Hyrum Harris from the Perth Wildcats as #TheGalen Best Team Man while top votes from Damian Martin in Best Defensive Player Award goes to Shea Ili of Melbourne United.
Without a round to preview in the NBL this weekend, we finish off the show by looking at some hot talking points including whether or not Corey Webster and Jordan Usher see out the season at the Perth Wildcats, if Josh Roberts sticks with Cairns Taipans, should the NZ Breakers replace Will McDowell-White, do the Adelaide 36ers need a third import and if there'll ever be better injury replacement players than Daniel Johnson and Rob Loe.
All made possible thanks to the support of Hoops Heaven (www.hoopsheaven.com.au) and TABtouch (www.tabtouch.com.au).
Hoops Heaven's Basketball Hustle looks at Illawarra Hawks making their coaching change while Perth Wildcats have found their groove, Melbourne United kept winning and it's getting to make or break time for the New Zealand Breakers.
Former Illawarra Hawks forward Cody Ellis is back to dissect the coaching change at his old team with Justin Tatum stepping up to replace Jacob Jackomas while also looking at why Tyler Harvey/Justin Robinson are too similar and why the fans deserve a good product.
Other topics include Shane Heal's banner, Wagstaff/Doolittle/Harris key to Perth Wildcats, Melbourne United's system, Brisbane Bullets could be 5-0, #NBL24 Round 8 Preview and Simon Mitchell's #TheGalen headlines our awards.
For all the ways to listen click here: https://linktr.ee/basketballhustle
We begin this week's show with a discussion about the Illawarra Hawks parting ways with coach Jacob Jackomas after he won just 5 of 32 games in charge. We analyse it from every angle with Cody Ellis not surprised by the decision and feels in the long run it might be the best thing for all parties. We also discussed why having Justin Robinson and Tyler Harvey is part of the problem, why it's a free hit for caretaker coach Justin Tatum and why the Hawks faithful deserve a good product to support.
We also get Cody Ellis' thoughts on his former coach Shane Heal being removed from the rafters at Qudos Bank Arena and why he was shocked by it and a little dumbfounded that the Sydney Kings organisation took things that far.
Talk then moves to Melbourne United and why it was the faith in their system, what's implemented by their coaching staff and their depth that allowed them to keep winning to beat the South East Melbourne Phoenix despite being without Luke Travers, Ian Clark and Matthew Dellavedova.
The discussion then turns to the Perth Wildcats as Cody Ellis looks at why shortening the rotation and changing things up has worked wonders for them, especially the extra faith and responsibilities for Jesse Wagstaff, Hyrum Harris and Kristian Doolittle which is allowing Bryce Cotton and Keanu Pinder to thrive.
Things aren’t looking as good with the New Zealand Breakers right now and Cody Ellis talks about if the players are playing like they are a little on edge right now and scared to make a mistake under coach Mody Maor, and why their season is hanging by a thread right now with a lot of things to fix.
Cody Ellis then dissects why there was such a difference in quality of games from Saturday to Sunday, and focuses on the Sydney Kings-Brisbane Bullets match up as a highlight of Round 7 with the Kings firing in bursts with the Bullets missing a golden opportunity despite the good signs and why they could so easily be 5-0 in the last five games.
We then look at the plights of Jacob Wiley at the Adelaide 36ers, Josh Roberts at the Cairns Taipans and Simon Mitchell selects his #TheGalen Best NBL Team Man with Matty Knight casting his Player of the Year votes and Damian Martin's giving his votes in #TheDamo Best Defensive Player before we preview Round 8 in #NBL24.
All made possible thanks to the support of Hoops Heaven (www.hoopsheaven.com.au) and TABtouch (www.tabtouch.com.au).
Hoops Heaven's Basketball Hustle this week with Simon Mitchell and the former South East Melbourne Phoenix coach talks #NBL24 TV coverage, wild Melbourne Cup eve game and Perth Wildcats hitting back but why he's not convinced of them just yet.
More #NBL24 discussion from Simon Mitchell as he wants to hear less whistles and for the NBL to protect their product better, talks about how well his signings Alan Williams, Gary Browne and Trey Kell III are playing, and he selects his #TheGalen winner from New Zealand Breakers.
Talking points continue as Simon Mitchell casts his eyes over Adelaide 36ers needing to ensure Isaac Humphries is more involved, why Tyler Harvey, Justin Robinson and Sam Froling need to do better for Illawarra Hawks, and we preview #NBL24 Round 7 thanks to TABtouch.
For all the ways to listen click here: https://linktr.ee/basketballhustle
We start off the show this week with Simon Mitchell giving his thoughts on the NBL TV product this season and why he'd like to hear more analysis and less chit chat in the broadcast.
It's then time to talk about a dramatic Melbourne Cup Eve contest with the Perth Wildcats beating Melbourne United in overtime before our 'Cats discussion takes in why Simon Mitchell wants to see more of Hyrum Harris and Jesse Wagstaff, less of Corey Webster and maybe even Jordan Usher moving forward.
Late game execution became a talking point across Round 6 and Simon Mitchell mused about how not having enough time with your full group over pre-season could be a factor in that and why the teams who messed up the least tended to win.
The amount of fouls called in the NBL are becoming a big talking point and Simon Mitchell talks about how it's taking away from the spectacle of the game, why there's too many off the ball and rebounding calls being game, and it's hurting the flow and overall product right now.
The former Phoenix coach discusses the two men he brought in last NBL season too and how well Alan Williams and Gary Browne are playing for South East Melbourne, and why 'Big Sauce' could be an MVP candidate if he stays out of foul trouble and why Browne still has room to grow.
We talk about the Adelaide 36ers with Simon Mitchell talking about how happy he is to see Trey Kell III playing so well but why we still haven't seen the best of him while his eyebrows were raised when he came out late in the game. He also wants to see the Sixers ensure Isaac Humphries stays more involved.
Our last talking point is the Illawarra Hawks and Simon Mitchell talks about their two tough losses to Tasmania and Adelaide back in Round 3 as when his concerns really came to light. He put the torch on Justin Robinson and Tyler Harvey to lift their efforts defensively to lead the way and also wants more from co-captain Sam Froling.
Simon Mitchell then selects his winner of #TheGalen Best NBL Team for Round 6 and it's Anthony Lamb from the New Zealand Breakers before we preview the five games to come in Round 7 of #NBL24.
All made possible thanks to the support of Hoops Heaven (www.hoopsheaven.com.au) and TABtouch (www.tabtouch.com.au).
So much to unpack on Hoops Heaven's Basketball Hustle after Round 5 in #NBL24 starting at the Perth Wildcats and we dissect everything going on there along with the brilliant weekend of Brisbane Bullets, and Bul Kuol inspiring Cairns Taipans.
Cody Ellis breaks down everything at Perth Wildcats including what he described as the mind boggling mistake to not play Jesse Wagstaff, if John Rillie's job is safe and if it should be, and there plenty to discuss regarding the Red Army, Ben Henshall, Jordan Usher and Bryce Cotton.
There was a lot to like in #NBL24 Round 5 and Cody Ellis couldn’t be happier for old teammate Mitch Norton on a number of fronts, Melbourne United and South East Melbourne Phoenix kept shining, and we get #TheGalen Best NBL Team Man from Simon Mitchell, Matty Knight's Player of the Year, and Damian Martin's #TheDamo votes.
We begin this week's show by looking at the good out of Round 5 in #NBL24 with Melbourne United showing how deep, talented and well coached they are with South East Melbourne Phoenix showing good they are at full strength, and how the Adelaide 36ers have saved CJ Bruton's job.
It's then time to focus on the Perth Wildcats after a disappointing loss to the Brisbane Bullets and there's lots to unpack starting with Cody Ellis discussing how he didn't see any adjustments he was hoping for if they were to turn things around.
Jesse Wagstaff not playing on the week his 450-game milestone was celebrated has created quite the public backlash and we discussed that mistake of coach John Rillie not playing his captain and why it boggled the mind of Cody Ellis and left him confused.
We then talk about the Red Army turning on their team, whether or not John Rillie's job is safe and if it would have been under previous management, and ask the questions over why Ben Henshall still isn’t playing, why is Jordan Usher struggling and then everything surround Bryce Cotton.
The Brisbane Bullets were awesome in wins against Perth and Tasmania with Cody Ellis talking about how it rights their season with Mitch Norton and Sam McDaniel unbelievable setting the tone defensively, and why he couldn’t be happier on a number of fronts this week for his old teammate Norton.
The New Zealand Breakers just can't take a break with the loss of Zylan Cheatham and Cody Ellis talks about how much it sucks for him to go down with a broken foot, but why they continue to impress with their fight and can still make noise in #NBL24.
Melbourne United kept on winning in Round 5 even with losing Ian Clark and still being without Matthew Dellavedova, but they dominated the boards remarkably and just kept on doing what's needed to improve to 8-1.
Last up in our look back on Round 5 is the Cairns Taipans and despite losing Patrick Miller and being without Tahjere McCall and Taran Armstrong, they knocked off the Sydney Kings with Bul Kuol unbelievable and before getting hurt, Miller kept on stepping up big time.
Speaking of the Kings, Cody Ellis isn’t concerned after some tough shooting and expects the defending champs to still come good.
Once we've covered all that, we get our winner of #TheGalen from Simon Mitchell, look at the votes in #TheDamo from Damian Martin and also the Player of the Year votes from Matty Knight before a preview of Round 6 in the NBL from Thursday through Monday.
All made possible thanks to the support of Hoops Heaven (www.hoopsheaven.com.au) and TABtouch (www.tabtouch.com.au).
No shortage of hot NBL24 topics again for us on Hoops Heaven's Basketball Hustle from those big men dominating and those struggling with the whistle to an impressive Adelaide 36ers response and a breakdown of the woes at the Perth Wildcats.
We also look at the offensively dynamic Tasmania JackJumpers, Cody Ellis labels the deep Melbourne United as the NBL team to beat and the tough weekend that is ahead for Brisbane Bullets minute Shannon Scott and Aron Baynes.
We also discuss futures of Xavier Cooks, Duop Reath and Jack White, give a full #NBL24 Round 5 Preview and you'll get plenty of breakdown of what worked for Adelaide 36ers, what's not for Perth Wildcats and why we wish big men were allowed to play defence more.
We begin this week's episode talking about how much fun it is to see the Tasmania JackJumpers playing with their extra firepower this season with Jordon Crawford added to Jack McVeigh and Milton Doyle, and why that extra scoring punch could take them a long way in NBL24.
We then have a fascinating discussion about some of the big men in the NBL. We talk about how good it was to see Alan Williams come back and dominate for the South East Melbourne Phoenix, Isaac Humphries hit back for the Adelaide 36ers and then Marcus Lee and Mangok Mathiang struggling to stay out of foul trouble and with the way the league is officiated.
The Adelaide 36ers had a tough night on Thursday against the Phoenix but to their credit hit back against the Perth Wildcats 48 hours later after a players meeting. Coach CJ Bruton shortened his rotation too, they looked a desperate team and their response was impressive but maybe the 'Cats made them look better?
Speaking of the Wildcats, there's lots there for us to dissect including it not being ideal for Alex Sarr playing 12 minutes and not understanding not using Corey Webster in the fourth quarter, and Hyrum Harris, Ben Henshall or David Okwera at all. The overuse of Michael Harris, struggles defensively of Jordan Usher and the whole team, and then an out of form Bryce Cotton are all part of the discussion.
The Wildcats will face the Brisbane Bullets this Friday night and we look at a Brisbane team without Aron Baynes and Shannon Scott which puts more pressure on Nathan Sobey.
We also discuss how deep and impressive Melbourne United are looking and especially so considering they are yet to play a game at full strength in NBL24. According to Cody Ellis, they are the team to beat.
It's then time for a full preview of Round 5 in the NBL and then we look at what's next for Duop Reath, Jack White and Xavier Cooks after they were waived by their respective NBA teams.
All made possible thanks to the support of Hoops Heaven (www.hoopsheaven.com.au) and TABtouch (www.tabtouch.com.au).
DJ Vasiljevic has landed at Adelaide 36ers and we cover that on Hoops Heaven Basketball Hustle on top of Aron Baynes suspension, Trentyn Flowers explosion, where to for Tyler Cook, can Rob Loe stay and plenty more ahead of #NBL24 Round 4.
Co-hosts Chris Pike and Cody Ellis look at Melbourne United, Sydney Kings and Tasmania JackJumpers standing out in NBL, Illawarra Hawks, Adelaide 36ers and Perth Wildcats not so much, and discuss Cairns Taipans and New Zealand Breakers in NBLxNBA.
Other topics covered include Matthew Dellavedova's troubling concussion, being pleasantly surprised by Jonah Bolden's return to Sydney Kings, and Simon Mitchell names his #TheGalen Best NBL Team Man and Matty Knight casts his Player of the Year #NBL24 votes.
We begin this week's episode by discussing the Sydney Kings releasing two-time championship winner DJ Vasiljevic to allow him to join the Adelaide 36ers, and we talk about why that instantly makes the Sixers better in a whole host of ways.
We then look back on the five-game suspension of Brisbane Bullets centre Aron Baynes, the footage leaked of his backstage confrontation with Cairns Taipans coach Adam Forde and our take on the whole situation, and how it was handled and how Baynes can come back and enjoy his basketball again.
It's then time to discuss Next Star Trentyn Flowers stunning breakout fourth quarter with 18 points as the Adelaide 36ers beat the Illawarra Hawks, and why putting him a flourish to succeed was behind his performance.
Unfortunately it was more of the 'Same old Hawks' in their two losses to the Tasmania JackJumpers and Adelaide 36ers in Round 3 and we talked about how the Illawarra Hawks can try to stop this slide and let another season get away from them.
Cody Ellis also offered his thoughts on how far Melbourne United, Sydney Kings and Tasmania JackJumpers are ahead of the pack so far in #NBL24, and why the Adelaide 36ers, Illawarra Hawks and even the Perth Wildcats are a fair way behind the rest.
We discuss the troubling concussion to Melbourne United superstar Melbourne United and also if there's a way United could keep Rob Loe around even with the pending return of Jo Lual-Acuil.
We talk about how impressive the Sydney Kings are looking already even without DJ Hogg in the line-up with Jonah Bolden pleasantly surprising with how well he's playing and Jaylen Adams picking right back where he left off two seasons ago.
Talk then turns to playing against former teams with Luke Travers up against Perth Wildcats and Matt Kenyon facing Tasmania JackJumpers, and we discuss if there's a chance Tyler Cooks joins the Wildcats or another NBL team for the rest of the season.
We get our winner of #TheGalen Best Team Man aware for NBL Round 3 from Simon Mitchell, Matty Knight casts his Player of the Year votes, and we preview Round 4 and discuss the NBLxNBA trips for Cairns Taipans and New Zealand Breakers.
All made possible thanks to the support of Hoops Heaven (www.hoopsheaven.com.au) and TABtouch (www.tabtouch.com.au).
Plenty to cover on Hoops Heaven's Basketball Hustle after Round 2 of NBL24 with an Angry Aron Baynes and his altercation with the Cairns Taipans, a new import at the New Zealand Breakers and Tasmania JackJumpers and Milton Doyle making a statement.
Chris Pike is joined by Simon Mitchell on this week's show with the former South East Melbourne Phoenix coach talking about what it's like watching his former team this season while also enjoying this break from basketball, what life is like right now and why he doesn't want to stay away too long.
Plenty more to cover with former NBL head coach Simon Mitchell comparing great v very good players in #NBL24, what's needed at Adelaide 36ers and why he hopes for the best for CJ Bruton and a full preview of NBL Round 3 and NBLxNBA action for Cairns Taipans and New Zealand Breakers.
First up on this week's Hoops Heaven's Basketball Hustle and we run through the incidents involving Aron Baynes, Lat Mayen and Adam Forde from the Brisbane Bullets-Cairns Taipans Sunshine Stoush, and look at what we do and don't know, what we expect to happen and the comments coming out of the Bullets camp in regards to the Taipans coach.
Simon Mitchell then responds to the question if Milton Doyle is the best player in the NBL right now and if the Tasmania JackJumpers are the best team. He might necessarily degree but there is a lot about what the JackJumpers are doing with Scott Roth at the helm.
We then discuss the New Zealand Breakers replacing the injured Justinian Jessup with Anthony Lamb before Simon Mitchell has a look at the Adelaide 36ers and the concerns he has for them, what sort of import he'd like to see them add and why he hopes for success with coach CJ Bruton.
Simon Mitchell also talks about what it's like watching the South East Melbourne Phoenix this season after coaching them the last four years and looks at the difference between a great player in Bryce Cotton and a very good player in Nathan Sobey.
Simon then talks about what life is like for him now and how much he's enjoying the break from full-time basketball coaching but why he doesn't want to stay out of the game too long even though the family time he's experiencing right now is irreplaceable.
We wrap things up with a preview of Round 3 in the NBL and why the NBLxNBA trips for the Cairns Taipans and New Zealand Breakers have turned out to work out to have perfect timing.
All made possible thanks to the support of Hoops Heaven (www.hoopsheaven.com.au) and TABtouch (www.tabtouch.com.au).
One round into #NBL24 and we're full of talking points on Hoops Heaven #BasketballHustle thanks to TABtouch with Melbourne United impressive, Adelaide 36ers not so, young guns shining and others not so much, and we try to cover it all.
Co-hosts Chris Pike and Cody Ellis talk about the differences in Jordan Usher home and away for Perth Wildcats, why Alex Sarr needs to expect to keep being challenged and how impressive Ben Henshall, Ariel Hukporti, Sam Mennenga and Jaylin Galloway were as young players.
We named Parker Jackson-Cartwright winner of the #TheGalen thanks to Simon Mitchell while Cody Ellis makes some statements – Melbourne United look well ahead of the rest while concerned for everything at Adelaide 36ers, wants AJ Johnson and Trentyn Flowers to prove him wrong, and wonders where Gary Clark fits at Illawarra Hawks.
Our discussion after the opening round of the NBL season begins by looking at the contrasting form home and away for new Perth Wildcats star Jordan Usher, and also the fascinating contest at and above the rim of Tyler Cook and Alex Sarr, and why Sarr can expect to be challenged plenty more.
We take a look at the young players who stood out in the opening round with Ben Henshall the only Wildcat to look comfortable on Sunday, Ariel Hukporti looking unbelievable, Alex Toohey showing good signs, Sam Mennenga a shining spot for Cairns and Jaylin Galloway looking awesome.
On the other side of things, Trentyn Flowers at the Adelaide 36ers doesn't quite look ready for the NBL, it was a surprise AJ Johnson didn’t hit the floor for the Illawarra Hawks and it's possible those two aren’t suited to the NBL, but they have the chance to prove us wrong.
As for the new imports, Will Cummings looked totally different across the two games for South East Melbourne Phoenix, Denzel Valentine was very solid for Sydney Kings, Parker Jackson-Cartwright starred for New Zealand Breakers without Will McDowell-White, Jordon Crawford was aggressive for Tasmania JackJumpers and Chris Smith is going to be awesome for Brisbane Bullets. How Gary Clark fits at Illawarra Hawks is going to be a work in progress.
We then take a look at how impressive Melbourne United were considering they didn’t shoot the ball well, but were emphatic in wins over South East Melbourne Phoenix and Adelaide 36ers. Cody Ellis talks about how far ahead of everyone else they look and how Ian Clark will slot back in moving forward.
It's then time for the unfortunate discussion about the Adelaide 36ers and how hard it is to imagine them not being 0-4 ahead of their NBA trip. Cody Ellis feels everything is a concern with them and how they do have missing pieces everywhere while trying to decide on what sort of import they need.
We announce the winner of The Galen award for Round 1 too thanks to former South East Melbourne Phoenix coach Simon Mitchell. He selected Parker Jackson-Cartwright from the NZ Breakers on the back of his brilliant performance in the win against the Cairns Taipans.
It's then time for our Round 2 NBL Preview thanks to TABtouch where we hope to help find you a winner in this week's action.
All made possible thanks to the support of Hoops Heaven (www.hoopsheaven.com.au) and TABtouch (www.tabtouch.com.au).
The NBL season is upon us and Hoops Heaven's Basketball Hustle is back for #NBL24 starting off looking back at #NBLBlitz while looking ahead to the season with all of our predictions for what lies ahead and the matches in Round 1 thanks to TABtouch.
Co-hosts Chris Pike and Cody Ellis have teamed up for the season preview episode of Hoops Heaven's Basketball Hustle with topics including why Melbourne United were so impressive at the #NBLBlitz, Adelaide 36ers are a bit of a mess entering #NBL24 and then how exciting Perth Wildcats are looking with a bit of drama thrown in.
We also discuss how exciting Tyler Cook is looking as the injury replacement for Alan Williams at the South East Melbourne Phoenix and if he could find another home, discuss if #NBL24 is starting a week too early and plenty more ahead of the beginning of the NBL season.
Then thanks to TABtouch, we try to make some predictions on what is to come in #NBL24 by breaking down all 10 NBL clubs while providing our season predictions and how TABtouch odds stack up, and then provide a full preview of Round 1 starting Thursday night.
All made possible thanks to the support of Hoops Heaven (www.hoopsheaven.com.au) and TABtouch (www.tabtouch.com.au).
We are back on Hoops Heaven Basketball Hustle to talk about the build up to NBL24 while looking back on the NBL1 seasons around the country, the Boomers at the World Cup and the retirement announcement of Cody Ellis.
It's a jam packed show as Hoops Heaven's Basketball Hustle returns ahead of #NBL24 and co-hosts Chris Pike and Cody Ellis gear up for the NBL season looking at the new arrivals, players returning, those changing clubs, those departing and how the teams are shaping up.
We then get into the discussion about the retirement announcement of co-host Cody Ellis after playing 127 NBL games at the Sydney Kings and Illawarra Hawks, 112 at college with the Saint Louis Billikens, and 211 in SBL/NBL1 West at the Warwick Senators.
Cody reflects on his journey growing up the son of Perth Wildcats legend Mike Ellis and why he chose basketball in the end, why selecting Saint Louis as his college was the best decision he ever made, and looks back on all the good and bad aspects of his 20-plus years of life dedicated to the game.
We then look back on the NBL1 seasons around the country focusing on the NBL1 West season that Cody Ellis and his Warwick Senators were part of. We discuss Liam Hunt and the Geraldton Buccaneers winning the NBL1 West championship and discuss the merits of the NBL1 National Finals.
We also take a look at the Boomers campaign at the FIBA World Cup and what changes might be needed ahead of the Paris Olympic Games to get back in the medal hunt and finish off with a shoutout to Corey 'Homicide' Williams and wish him the best in his cancer battle.
All made possible thanks to the support of Hoops Heaven (www.hoopsheaven.com.au).
We are back to catch up on the basketball world on Hoops Heaven's Basketball Hustle with Cody Ellis breaking down the big NBL news ahead of #NBL24 highlighted by Matthew Dellavedova back to Melbourne United and Chase Buford leaving Sydney Kings along with plenty of NBL1 West discussion.
There's plenty for NBL writer Chris Pike and former Sydney Kings and Illawarra Hawks forward Cody Ellis to catch up including the #NBL24 off-season movement with Luke Travers out/Keanu Pinder in at the Perth Wildcats, Todd Blanchfield/Mitch Norton out and we break it down club by club.
The NBL1 seasons are heating up around the country too and Cody Ellis talks his NBL1 West campaign where he's captain of Warwick Senators and preparing for 200-game milestone. He talks his team, standout players, National Championships coming out west and plenty more.
We begin this episode of Hoops Heaven's Basketball Hustle by talking the biggest NBL off-season talking points in recent times which has seen Matthew Dellavedova announced to return to Melbourne United and Chase Buford's departure as two-time championship winning coach Sydney Kings.
We then turn our attention to the Perth Wildcats where the changes have been significant. Luke Travers has gone to join Melbourne United, Keanu Pinder is on board along with Next Star Alex Starr. Todd Blanchfield and Mitch Norton have also been released to join the Illawarra Hawks Brisbane Bullets respectively.
It's then time to knuckle down on a club by club breakdown of the NBL off-season movements including Scott Ninnis returning to the Adelaide 36ers as assistant coach with Jason Cadee and Isaac Humphries back to play.
The Brisbane Bullets have stacked up their backcourt adding Shannon Scott, Mitch Norton and Isaac White while the Cairns Taipans have been decimated, but Cody Ellis talks about why that isn’t necessarily a bad thing for coach Adam Forde.
The Illawarra Hawks have got significantly younger again while Melbourne United is stacked with the returns of Matthew Dellavedova, Jo Lual-Acuil and Ariel Hukporti, and Luke Travers, Flynn Cameron and Tanner Krebs on board.
It's quiet at the New Zealand Breakers but that's likely a good thing and then there's more news at the Perth Wildcats with the additions of Ben Henshall and David Okwera while Mike Kelly has landed at the South East Melbourne Phoenix with Gorjok Gak and Rhys Vague among those joining him.
It's quiet aside from Chase Buford moving on at the Sydney Kings while the Tasmania JackJumpers will welcome the addition on Anthony Drmic.
It's then then time talk some NBL1 West with Cody Ellis giving an update on the Warwick Senators team he's the captain of, talking about emerging stars George Pearl and Ethan Elliott, and how the rest of the league is looking.
Cody Ellis is also set to play his 200th game for the Warwick Senators so he reflects on that journey before we wrap up the show discussing Jesse Wagstaff and the NBA Finals.
All made possible thanks to the support of Hoops Heaven (www.hoopsheaven.com.au).
The Sydney Kings are the NBL champions and Townsville Fire on brink of WNBL championship. We discuss it all on Heaven's Basketball Hustle including how the 5 #NBL23 games played out, debate the MVP, refereeing and whether the Kings took it or Breakers blew it.
Also on Hoops Heaven's Basketball Hustle, Cody Ellis discusses with Chris Pike how Angus Glover entered legend status in the NBL with Sydney Kings, talked about the contrasting refereeing in Championship Series and just how unlucky was Justin Simon not to be named MVP.
We also take a look at what's next for the Sydney Kings with Xavier Cooks now in the NBA, do Chase Buford or the three imports return and with the New Zealand Breakers, we talk about the love of Mody Maor and how key he will be to who does or doesn't return for #NBL24.
All made possible thanks to the support of Hoops Heaven (www.hoopsheaven.com.au).
The NBL Championship Series is no closer to being decided after the opening two games and we break down the battle between Sydney Kings and New Zealand Breakers on this week's Hoops Heaven's Basketball Hustle and look ahead to Games 3 and 4 this weekend.
Not only that, Cody Ellis and Chris Pike talk about Xavier Cooks signing with the NBA's Washington Wizards and what it means in the battle for the #NBL23 championship with Adelaide 36ers Hall of Famer Scott Ninnis also likening Will McDowell-White to Josh Giddey and declaring the 'unlikable' Sydney Kings as likely champions.
Also on Hoops Heaven's Basketball Hustle this week, we look ahead to the WNBL Finals with Southside Flyers v Melbourne Boomers, and Townsville Fire v Perth Lynx along with Mark Worthington's NBL1 West return at Willetton Tigers, and Warwick Senators update with Cody Ellis and Daniel Johnson signing at South Adelaide Panthers in NBL1 Central.
All made possible thanks to the support of Hoops Heaven (www.hoopsheaven.com.au).
We are now just days away from the NBL23 Championship Series and Hoops Heaven's Basketball Hustle brings you a full preview of the Sydney Kings v New Zealand Breakers battle with all the key match ups, talking points and predictions from Matty Knight and Cody Ellis.
Not only that but this week's episode looks at the FIBA World Cup qualifiers for the Australian Boomers, New Zealand Tall Blacks and South Sudan, Todd Blanchfield's NBL future, Keanu Pinder's big decision, latest on Perth Wildcats and South East Melbourne Phoenix's search for a new coach.
This week's episode of Hoops Heaven's Basketball Hustle opens up by catching up on what we've missed over the past two weeks with the semi finals decided Game 3's with the Sydney Kings and New Zealand Breakers reaching the Championship Series while there's been more movement at the Brisbane Bullets and the South East Melbourne Phoenix need a new coach.
We then get stuck into talking about the final FIBA World Cup qualifying matches over the past week including the wins for the Australian Boomers against Bahrain and Kazakhstan. That included out of favour Perth Wildcats veteran Todd Blanchfield starring with 51 points across the two games and we discussed his NBL future, and why his best interests might be in finding a new home despite remaining contracted at the 'Cats.
We also talk about two other nations full of NBL players who have qualified for the World Cup. We discuss just how competitive the New Zealand Tall Blacks will be when at full strength while South Sudan has become one of the great stories in world basketball qualifying for the World Cup for the first time despite a tinge of controversy.
It's time then to look back on the NBL semi-final series which both were decided in three games with the Sydney Kings overcoming the Cairns Taipans and the New Zealand Breakers defeating the Tasmania JackJumpers. We breakdown both fascinating match ups and also discuss what's next for Cairns Taipans superstar Keanu Pinder in the biggest decision of his career as to where he signs next.
Three-time NBL champion Matty Knight then joins Hoops Heaven's Basketball Hustle to talk about the future of Todd Blanchfield, to look at what's happening at the Perth Wildcats, to preview the Championship Series and to talk about the importance of the Tasmania JackJumpers retaining the services of Hoops Heaven Player of the Year Milton Doyle.
After that, Cody Ellis takes a look at the prospective coaching options for the South East Melbourne Phoenix after Simon Mitchell stepped away and then we provide a full preview of the Championship Series between the Sydney Kings and the New Zealand Breakers.
All made possible thanks to the support of Hoops Heaven (www.hoopsheaven.com.au).
The NBL23 Play-In Tournament is done with the Perth Wildcats eliminating the South East Melbourne Phoenix who then got bundled out by the Cairns Taipans as they join the Sydney Kings, NZ Breakers and Tasmania JackJumpers in the final four which we break down on Hoops Heaven's Basketball Hustle.
Cody Ellis and Chris Pike break down the Play-In Tournament and if it was a success or not while also looking back on the now ended NBL seasons of the South East Melbourne Phoenix and Perth Wildcats as well as the outlook for the Brisbane Bullets under new coach Justin Schueller.
We also look ahead to what's to come in the two NBL23 Playoffs Series and discuss whether there's any hope for the Tasmania JackJumpers against the NZ Breakers without Josh Magette and just why having some less talent available might give Cairns Taipans a sniff against the Sydney Kings.
We open up this week's Hoops Heaven's Basketball Hustle with an update on how Cody Ellis' NBL1 West season is shaping up at the Warwick Senators with the coaching staff headed up by former Joondalup Wolves' championship masterminds Luke Brennan and Ben Ettridge.
We then get stuck into talking about the opening to the NBL23 Finals where we discuss an epic collapse by the South East Melbourne Phoenix but dazzling fourth quarter led by Bryce Cotton from the Perth Wildcats.
That led into Sunday's Play-In Game where the Cairns Taipans continued to prove the doubters wrong by beating the Perth Wildcats despite the absence of Tahjere McCall and Keanu Pinder. We talk about why that might have actually been a positive to allow DJ Hogg and Bul Kuol to shine.
We discuss the beginning of the first semi-final series and just how dominant and impressive the New Zealand Breakers were and why the Tasmania JackJumpers face such an uphill battle without their point guard Josh Magette.
Also on this week's Hoops Heaven's Basketball Hustle, we look back on our own awards throughout NBL23 with Matty Knight naming Milton Doyle the Player of the Year, Damian Martin naming Justin Simon the Best Defensive Player and Scott Ninnis narrowing down The Best Team Man winner of #TheGalen down to Xavier Cooks and Antonius Cleveland.
We then transition into giving our reaction to the #NBL23 award winners announced last week and then wrap up the seasons of the South East Melbourne Phoenix and Perth Wildcats.
We talk about the season of the Phoenix where they never quite fully clicked largely through to a tough injury run again and the absence of Zhou Qi. We then talk about their prospects moving forward, whether Simon Mitchell should remain in charge and if Tyler Johnson should be their recruiting target.
It's then onto the Perth Wildcats where we go through their roster and Cody Ellis gives a yes or no to who he thinks should be brought back, why this season never quite reached its potential and what the outlook is moving forward.
We then discuss the Brisbane Bullets announcing Justin Schueller as their new coach and wrap up the show by previewing the two Playoffs Series between the New Zealand Breakers and Tasmania JackJumpers, and Sydney Kings and Cairns Taipans.
All made possible thanks to the support of Hoops Heaven (www.hoopsheaven.com.au).
Adelaide 36ers Hall of Famer Scott Ninnis has selected his Round 18 #TheGalen winner and selected his two nominees for #NBL23 Best Team Man thanks to Sports Card World and we discuss all that and plenty more on bonus episode of Hoops Heaven's Basketball Hustle.
We catch up with Adelaide 36ers Hall of Famer and the only man involved with every NBL championship of the Sixers Scott Ninnis this week and we begin by looking back on the dramatic and frenetic finish to the NBL23 season.
That ended up seeing the Adelaide 36ers not making the finals for a fifth straight season and Scott gives his thoughts on what went wrong for the Sixers in #NBL23, what positives they can take, what the outlook looks like and even what the future might hold for seven-time club MVP Daniel Johnson.
We then move onto the #TheGalen Best NBL Team Man Award thanks to Sports Card World. We begin with Scott Ninnis name Luke Travers of the Perth Wildcats as the winner of the award for Round 18 of the NBL season.
Scott then selects Xavier Cooks of Sydney Kings and Antonius Cleveland of Adelaide 36ers as his two nominees for the winner of The Galen Best NBL Team Man for #NBL23 to be decided by our listeners and with a prize to be awarded thanks to Sports Card World.
Before wrapping up this bonus show, we get Scott's thoughts and predictions for the finals beginning with the play-in tournament starting on Thursday night with the South East Melbourne Phoenix against the Perth Wildcats, and Cairns Taipans hosting the Tasmania JackJumpers.
Scott Ninnis also talks about Mike McKay being inducted into the Adelaide 36ers Hall of Fame and reflects on that same honour being bestowed on him last year and what it meant to him.
All made possible thanks to the support of Hoops Heaven (www.hoopsheaven.com.au).
Three-time NBL champion Matty Knight has cast his votes for #NBL23 Player of the Year all season and his winner is announced on special Hoops Heaven's Basketball Hustle episode along with his award winners, finals predictions and thoughts on how a dramatic season ended.
On the back of the wild finish to the NBL23 regular season, the awards night this week from the NBL and the finals beginning on Thursday night, we catch up with three-time NBL champion from the Perth Wildcats, former 236-game power forward Matty Knight to get all his thoughts.
We begin by talking about that finish to the regular season where it all came down to the Perth Wildcats needing to beat the Sydney Kings by 11 points at RAC Arena to make the finals ahead of Melbourne United, and they ended up winning by 12.
Matty Knight gives his thoughts on that and also his thoughts on the play-in tournament and if he likes to new format from the NBL for this season or not.
We then move into discussing the Hoops Heaven Player of the Year Award. Matty Knight has cast his votes all season long and he gives his Round 18 votes before we discuss his final leaderboard and announce Tasmania JackJumpers guard Milton Doyle as the winner for the NBL23 season.
It's then time to get Matty Knight's award predictions where he gives his thoughts on the winners of the MVP, Most Improved Player, Next Generation, Coach of the Year, Best Defensive Player, Best Sixth Man and All-NBL First and Second team awards.
Before wrapping up this bonus show, we get Matty Knight's thoughts and predictions for the finals beginning with the play-in tournament starting on Thursday night with the South East Melbourne Phoenix against the Perth Wildcats, and Cairns Taipans hosting the Tasmania JackJumpers.
All made possible thanks to the support of Hoops Heaven (www.hoopsheaven.com.au).
Just a wild finish to #NBL23 regular season and we break it all down on Hoops Heaven's Basketball Hustle as we discuss Perth Wildcats bumping out Melbourne United, if the current system is the right one and the merits of how important it is to play out games to the very end in the NBL.
Not only do Cody Ellis and Chris Pike breakdown the finish to #NBL23 and teams who made finals but also look at Melbourne United, Adelaide 36ers, Brisbane Bullets and Illawarra Hawks who didn't make and summing up their NBL seasons.
We then make our #NBL23 award predictions before taking ap review at the finals beginning with the play-in tournament and Cody Ellis predicts South East Melbourne Phoenix and Cairns Taipans to join New Zealand Breakers and Sydney Kings in semi finals.
We started this week's episode of Hoops Heaven's Basketball Hustle by looking back on the wild finish to the NBL season which saw the Perth Wildcats beat the Sydney Kings by 12 when 11 was the magic number to eliminate Melbourne United.
We discuss that along with why playing games out to the end all season long has been so important when ultimately a finals position was decided by two points between the Wildcats and United. We also talk about the merits of percentage deciding finals spot and if that's the right way to go.
We then have a full rundown of the last round action starting with the New Zealand Breakers and Cairns Taipans battling over second spot, and ultimately New Zealand getting that thanks to beating the Brisbane Bullets in overtime.
The Tasmania JackJumpers secured fourth spot meaning it was just those fifth and sixth spots that would be decided on Sunday. Melbourne United and Adelaide 36ers played a shootout at John Cain Arena, and eventually Melbourne won by nine to mean they would reach the finals unless the Wildcats beat the Kings by 11 points or more.
The Wildcats did open up a 23-point lead in the fourth quarter but the regular season champion Kings fired back to bring it back to eight until Perth scored the game's last four points to lock in that sixth position.
We discuss all of that and why that Wildcats' miracle after trailing United by eight points with 45 seconds to go earlier in the season was so crucial, and talk about if the top six teams are the ones most deserving of taking part in the finals.
We then look at the quick turnaround to the finals starting this Thursday night and look back on the seasons of those four teams not taking part – Melbourne United, Adelaide 36ers, Brisbane Bullets and Illawarra Hawks.
We then turn our attention to the NBL end of season awards and make our selection on the winners of the MVP, Next Generation, Best Sixth Man, Best Defensive, Coach of the Year and Most Improved awards along with selecting out All-NBL First and Second teams.
Before wrapping up, we preview the NBL Finals starting on Thursday night with the Cairns Taipans against the Tasmania JackJumpers, and the South East Melbourne Phoenix against the Perth Wildcats with the Sydney Kings and New Zealand Breakers waiting in the wings.
All made possible thanks to the support of Hoops Heaven (www.hoopsheaven.com.au).
Cody Ellis is back on Hoops Heaven's Basketball Hustle this week to look back on all the latest NBL23 happenings and to look ahead to the last round with the playoff spots to be confirmed and to give his reaction to the NBL award nominees and plenty more.
With the Sydney Kings locked into top spot, the Cairns Taipans and NZ Breakers are fighting over second, and Tasmania JackJumpers, Perth Wildcats, South East Melbourne Phoenix, Melbourne United and even Adelaide 36ers fighting over last three places with Cody Ellis breaking it down on Hoops Heaven's Basketball Hustle.
We also catch up on Harry Froling, Pride Round, potential end of Tim Coenraad's remarkable NBL career and Scott Ninnis with the latest on the Adelaide 36ers, a Gold Coast team and #TheGalen Best #NBL23 Team Man while we catch up on #TheDamo Award with a runaway Best Defensive leader.
All made possible thanks to the support of Hoops Heaven (www.hoopsheaven.com.au).
Matty Knight returns on Hoops Heaven's Basketball Hustle with our thoughts out to Harry Froling while we breakdown the race for #NBL23 playoff spots with two rounds to go including South East Melbourne Phoenix and Melbourne United's impressing but key injuries at the wrong time.
We also discuss top two teams Sydney Kings and Cairns Taipans losing in Round 16, Tyler Harvey's halfcourt game winner for Illawarra Hawks, Brisbane Bullets winning, Adelaide 36ers falling off a cliff, and Perth Wildcats short rotation.
Matty Knight also gives us his rundown on a trip to Tasmania to embrace the JackJumpers, we talk the NBL Pride Round and Scott Ninnis drops by to announce #NBL23 Round 16 #TheGalen winner and to give his thoughts on what's gone wrong at the Adelaide 36ers this season.
All made possible thanks to the support of Hoops Heaven (www.hoopsheaven.com.au).
NBL23 really heating up and we've got you covered on Hoops Heaven's Basketball Hustle looking at Sydney Kings and Cairns Taipans breaking away, Perth Wildcats and Melbourne United warming up, and New Zealand Breakers, South East Melbourne Phoenix and Adelaide 36ers struggling.
Chris Pike and Cody Ellis also take a look at the Brisbane Bullets bizarre season continuing, the NBL replacing the Rookie of the Year just three weeks out from the end of the season, we breakdown the run home of all playoff teams and Adelaide 36ers Hall of Famer Scott Ninnis selects #TheGalen winner.
We begin this week's episode of Hoops Heaven's Basketball Hustle with Cody filling us in on what it was like for him to get back to watching a game live at RAC Arena last week when the Perth Wildcats took on the New Zealand Breakers.
We then get stuck into the NBL action after Round 15 starting with looking at just how impressive the Sydney Kings and Cairns Taipans are looking right now clear in the top two spots and both on six-game winning streaks.
We then discuss two more teams in good form and getting closer to secure a spot in the top six as well, the Perth Wildcats and Melbourne.
We break down the Wildcats' impressive wins against New Zealand and Adelaide including John Rillie shortening his rotation and backing in his non-Australian contingent and also how United could well have a championship contending team but could still miss the playoffs.
Three teams not going as well right now are the Adelaide 36ers, South East Melbourne Phoenix and New Zealand Breakers. We discuss their fortunes, what's going wrong and if they are going to be able to get back on track in time.
The bizarre season of the Brisbane Bullets was summed up in their Round 15 with a record loss to Sydney, a better showing against Melbourne and then upset win against South East Melbourne. We discuss that and their continued baffling moves off-court.
The NBL announced it was getting rid of the Rookie of the Year Award this season in favour of a Next Generation Award for any player under 25 years of age, and we discussed everything surrounding that.
It's then time to catch up with Adelaide 36ers Hall of Famer Scott Ninnis to discuss the fortunes of the Sixers and for him to select #TheGalen Best NBL Team Man for Round 15.
Cody Ellis is then back to go through the run home for each of the teams in playoff contention, predicting how many games they will win and who will make the playoffs before we finish off with a full preview of Round 16.
All made possible thanks to the support of Hoops Heaven (www.hoopsheaven.com.au).
On this week's Hoops Heaven's Basketball Hustle we talk about the top three teams breaking away in #NBL23, the other five teams fighting over three spots and just what is making the Sydney Kings, New Zealand Breakers and Cairns Taipans stand out right now.
Chris Pike and Cody Ellis then look at the other five teams fighting over the remaining three spots and look at another blow for the Illawarra Hawks, the lack of fight in the Brisbane Bullets, the heroics of Antonius Cleveland, Tai Webster's Perth Wildcats debut and we hear from Adelaide 36ers Hall of Famer Scott Ninnis.
On this week's Hoops Heaven's Basketball Hustle, we open up the show by looking at the impressive Round 14 performances from the top three teams, the Sydney Kings, New Zealand Breakers and Cairns Taipans.
We discuss what's making the Kings so good with everything stemming from Xavier Cooks but at the same time they are so deep with an impressive second unit and then they get a performance like 42 points and 10 three-pointers out of DJ Vasiljevic.
Then the Taipans kept winning even going a game without coach Adam Forde and still missing superstar Keanu Pinder. Cody pinpointed Shannon Scott as the key to leading that group with support from Tahjere McCall, Sam Waardenburg, DJ Hogg and the underappreciated Bul Kuol.
Then there is the Breakers who finally got their full roster available for the first time this season and maintained second spot ahead of three games now this coming week with plenty of travel thrown in along the way.
Then we take a look at the two teams out of the playoff race and their contrasting fortunes. The Illawarra Hawks continue to fight hard but have now lost a fourth import to a season-ending injury, while the Bullets are showing a lack of fight outside of former NBA star Tyler Johnson.
We wrap up the opening segment by talking about Antonius Cleveland putting on his Superman cape to lead the Adelaide 36ers to a brilliant comeback win over the Illawarra Hawks.
It's then time to hear from Adelaide 36ers Hall of Famer Scott Ninnis. He discusses the sell out crowds at the Adelaide Entertainment Centre, mixed fortunes of the Sixers and picks his winner of #TheGalen Best NBL Team Man for Round 14.
Cody Ellis then returns to look at the race for playoff positions and the two teams who look like they'll miss out before a full preview of the Round 15 action to come and talking about the Webster brothers following in the footsteps of the Ellis brothers at the Perth Wildcats.
All made possible thanks to the support of Hoops Heaven (www.hoopsheaven.com.au).
Tai Webster joins Perth Wildcats, Cairns Taipans' NYE miracle over Adelaide 36ers, Mitch Creek takes blame for South East Melbourne Phoenix loss, Illawarra Hawks lose Peyton Siva and accusations aplenty against Melbourne United.
That's just some of what we cover on Hoops Heaven's Basketball Hustle with #NBL23 heating up. Cody Ellis also offers his thoughts on landing space under the rim, post-game interviews, Chase Buford suspension and Scott Ninnis names #TheGalen Best NBL Team Man.
Cody Ellis and Chris Pike are back for another Hoops Heaven's Basketball Hustle episode with no shortage of drama right across the NBL to dissect.
We open up by talking about Tai Webster joining the Perth Wildcats and what he potentially brings, whether or not it's a good fit and just how he'll work alongside his brother, Bryce Cotton, Luke Travers, TaShawn Thomas and Brady Manek, and what it means for Todd Blanchfield, Mitch Norton and Corey Shervill.
We then take a look at the remarkable comeback from the Cairns Taipans to beat the Adelaide 36ers on New Year's Eve, how it happened and what it means for both teams moving forward.
There are injuries mounting across the NBL too with the Illawarra Hawks losing Peyton Siva for the rest of the season with the South East Melbourne Phoenix losing Trey Kell III while Mitch Creek took their loss to the Tasmania JackJumpers to heart.
We talk about the suspension of Sydney Kings coach Chase Buford and Kevin Lisch's heading coaching debut and discuss the claims by both Taipans coach Adam Forde and the Phoenix around the physical tactics of Melbourne United and Mason Peatling.
Cody Ellis also raises the issue of protecting players with their landing space under the rim, we talk about Xavier Cooks' reluctance to do post-match interviews and look ahead to Round 14 in the NBL.
All made possible thanks to the support of Hoops Heaven (www.hoopsheaven.com.au).
Christmas Day in the NBL is now in the history books, New Year's Eve is upon us and the Sydney Kings are firing but we look at who their biggest challenger is on this week's Hoops Heaven's Basketball Hustle.
Co-hosts Chris Pike and Cody Ellis break down #NBL23 Christmas Day, Cody discusses refereeing and we look at building Adelaide 36ers, improved Tasmania JackJumpers, Brisbane Bullets getting a win and Perth Wildcats blowing one, and New Zealand Breakers, South East Melbourne Phoenix and Melbourne United situations.
We open up this week's Hoops Heaven's Basketball Hustle by catching up on our Christmases and then getting stuck right into the NBL making history with the Christmas Day game where the Sydney Kings beat Melbourne United. We talk about the pros and cons of it all, and then look ahead to why it looks a near certainty for a double-header now in 2023.
On the back of that, we look at how the Sydney Kings do appear the standout team in the NBL right now but who their biggest challenger is isn't easy to determine. The Breakers, Phoenix and Taipans are directly behind them and are having their challenges, the Wildcats just had a slip up and then there's the JackJumpers and 36ers. We take a look at all those potential contenders.
Following that, we talk about the Brisbane Bullets breaking through for their first win with Greg Vanderjagt as coach but in the same game, the Perth Wildcats missed 18 free-throws and missed a golden chance to make it five consecutive wins to keep their momentum going.
The conversation continues by talking about the horror luck for the New Zealand Breakers who didn’t play a game for 18 days, now have 8 days in between games and are without three key players.
We talk the South East Melbourne Phoenix who finally got a break after 6 games in 17 days while playing on Christmas Eve without four key players and discuss if Melbourne United's season is now already done at 9-12.
We break up this week's show by then catch up with Adelaide 36ers Hall of Famer to get his thoughts on the current 3-game winning streak of the Sixers and then he selects his winner of the #TheGalen Best NBL Team for Round 12.
We're back then for Cody Ellis to talk about the current state of refereeing in the NBL before getting stuck into our preview of Round 13 including a double-header in Cairns and Wollongong on New Year's Eve.
All made possible thanks to the support of Hoops Heaven (www.hoopsheaven.com.au).
It's the Christmas episode of Hoops Heaven's Basketball Hustle and we look ahead to the historic Christmas Day NBL23 game, look back on one of the most remarkable NBL games ever, talk Adelaide 36ers getting their man, baffling Brisbane Bullets and so much more.
Ahead of the NBL's first ever Christmas Day game, Chris Pike and Cody Ellis break down the Sydney Kings playing Melbourne United, look back on South East Melbourne Phoenix v Kings with incredible Mitch Creek and Derrick Walton Jr performances, Scott Ninnis selects #TheGalen options and so much more.
We open up this week's episode of Hoops Heaven's Basketball Hustle with nothing else but looking back one of the more remarkable NBL games ever. The Phoenix and Kings went to two overtimes in a game featuring three injuries, five foul outs, 79 free throws and Creek and Walton combining for 91 points on 29/54 shooting, 9/21 from deep and 24/26 at the foul line.
We also discuss how much the Sydney Kings missed Xavier Cooks in trying to stop Mitch Creek and the flow on effect of that double overtime game delaying the start to the Melbourne United-Illawarra Hawks and how it's an unfortunate reality.
We then move on to the outstanding performances of Keanu Pinder and Rayjon Tucker earlier in the round before discussing the Adelaide 36ers signing NBA and NBL championship winner Ian Clark.
One thing we can't avoid is how bizarre the whole situation at the Brisbane Bullets is now with Greg Vanderjagt the new interim head coach and how tough it must be for players like Aron Baynes, Nathan Sobey and Jason Cadee who put their careers in the hands of the club.
We also discuss the two tough fourth quarters for the Tasmania JackJumpers in very un-JackJumper like performances.
It's then time to hear from Adelaide 36ers Hall of Famer Scott Ninnis to get his thoughts on that Kings-Phoenix battle, two impressive wins from his Sixers, the signing of Ian Clark and then he nominates Antonius Cleveland and Mitch Creek as the two options to win #TheGalen Best NBL Team Man with one lucky listener to win big thanks to Sports Card World.
We wrap up this Christmas episode by previewing the upcoming round including the tough situation the South East Melbourne Phoenix are in and then the first ever Christmas Day game between the Sydney Kings and Melbourne United.
All made possible thanks to the support of Hoops Heaven (www.hoopsheaven.com.au).
Cody Ellis is back on Hoops Heaven's Basketball Hustle this week as we talk drama over not dribbling out the clock, Perth Wildcats snatching the unwinnable from Melbourne United, Tasmania JackJumpers continuing Sydney Kings' fourth quarter struggles and Cairns Taipans' double overtime win.
And that's just the start of this week's episode of Hoops Heaven's Basketball Hustle talking everything #NBL23. We discuss Kings/Breakers coming back to the pack, Corey Webster's heroics, DJ Hogg starring with Cairns Taipans, JackJumpers emerging, looking ahead to big Round 11 milestones, full preview and Scott Ninnis names #TheGalen winner.
We open up this week's show by welcoming back Cody Ellis to his co-hosting role alongside Chris Pike after COVID struck him down last week and we look at those incredible Round 10 NBL wins for the Perth Wildcats, Tasmania JackJumpers and Cairns Taipans.
We then open up the debate over whether teams should play the games out to the final whistle or dribble out the clock before taking a look at the remarkable comeback Perth Wildcats win over Melbourne United, but also if they can survive this season without fixing their rebounding.
We discuss how costly that loss could be for Melbourne United and then talk the JackJumpers' 26-4 finish to beat the Sydney Kings where Tasmania again impressed and Sydney once more struggled in a fourth quarter.
We also talk about the cool heads at the Cairns Taipans DJ Hogg and Shannon Scott, TaShawn Thomas stepping up for the Perth Wildcats and give an update on the import situations at the Brisbane Bullets and Adelaide 36ers.
Adelaide 36ers legend Scott Ninnis drops by to give an update on the Sixers, his thoughts on the Bullets coaching situation and he picks his #TheGalen Best NBL Team Man for Round 10.
Before getting to the Round 11 NBL preview we talk about the big upcoming milestones for Brad Newley, Chris Goulding, Shea Ili and Cam Gliddon.
All made possible thanks to the support of Hoops Heaven (www.hoopsheaven.com.au).
Different look through necessity on Hoops Heaven's Basketball Hustle this week but between Matty Knight, Scott Ninnis, Shawn Redhage and Brett Maher, we hope we satisfy your fix what's happening in the world of the NBL.
With regular co-host Cody Ellis struck by a bout of COVID, it's a bit of a makeshift Hoops Heaven's Basketball Hustle this week, but with 1471 NBL games and 14 championships between the four men on this week's show, Chris Pike is in good company to discuss everything #NBL23 and beyond.
First up on the show is three-time NBL champion Matty Knight to give his thoughts on what stood out to him in Round 9 of the NBL, to give his votes in the Player of the Year award and why he's so impressed with Milton Doyle and believing the Tasmania JackJumpers are just about title favourites.
He also talked about his battles over his career with Daniel Johnson who is set to play his 400th NBL game this Friday night with the Adelaide 36ers hosting the Perth Wildcats.
Speaking of the 36ers, two of the club's Hall of Famers Scott Ninnis and Brett Maher are up next. They both discuss the 400-game milestone of DJ as well as giving their thoughts on the Sixers' search for a third import and Scott selects his winner of #TheGalen Best Team Man in the NBL for Round 9.
The Scoring Machine Shawn Redhage then drops by to reflect on his remarkable career that will now see his No. 42 retired by the Perth Wildcats.
All made possible thanks to the support of Hoops Heaven (www.hoopsheaven.com.au).
We catch up with Hoops Heaven's Basketball Hustle's original host The Scoring Machine Shawn Redhage to reflect on his remarkable life in basketball with the announcement of his No. 42 being retired by the Perth Wildcats.
Shawn Redhage started Hoops Heaven's Basketball Hustle alongside NBL writer Chris Pike four years ago and now the pair catch up once more with mission accomplished with the famous Wildcats No. 42 about the hanging in the rafters in The Jungle for eternity.
We begin the bonus episode by talking about the way the announcement was made to Shawn about the decision and how Andrew Vlahov delivered it, and how everyone did a remarkably good job keeping it a secret from him.
Discussion then turns to the emotions Shawn felt knowing that something never felt was in the realm of possibility was now going to happen as he reflected on his playing career which included the NBL championships, playing at the Olympics and then receiving the dream finish.
Shawn reflects on coming from the Cornfields of Nebraska to the Beach of Perth, and what a ride it has been including the highs of being 'The Scoring Machine' and winning championships to the horror career-threatening injury.
He also talks about those nicknames from Charlie Hustle to The Scoring Machine, reflects on his relationship with Damian Martin among other teammates, and of course sharing the whole ride with his family, wife Gretchen, daughter Hayley and son Dylan.
All made possible thanks to the support of Hoops Heaven (www.hoopsheaven.com.au).
Huge week in #NBL23 again to cover in Hoops Heaven's Basketball Hustle with Chris Pike and Cody Ellis breaking down all the results and news while hearing from championship winning greats Matty Knight and Scott Ninnis.
We take a look at the standout top four teams with their dominant bigs in #NBL23, the Adelaide 36ers import dilemma, Brisbane Bullets coaching situation, why it's make or break time for Melbourne United and Perth Wildcats on Hoops Heaven's Basketball Hustle.
Matty Knight gives his thoughts and Player of the Year votes, Scott Ninnis announces #TheGalen Best NBL Team Man while updating on Adelaide 36ers with Damian Martin giving votes in #TheDamo while Cody Ellis and Chris Pike review/preview everything in NBL23.
This week's episode of Hoops Heaven's Basketball Hustle begins by looking at why the New Zealand Breakers, Sydney Kings, Cairns Taipans and South East Melbourne Phoenix are the standout teams right now with their big men leading the charge.
We then transition into talking about how the Adelaide 36ers are starting to click and play with the greater chemistry but then weigh up whether or not bringing a new import in at this point is a good or bad thing.
The Brisbane Bullets sacked coach James Duncan last week and we discuss everything surrounding that situation with Sam Mackinnon taking over and not Peter Crawford or Greg Vanderjagt, and if Anthony Petrie might be the one and only candidate to bring in.
We discuss the Illawarra Hawks still missing that physical presence, the Tasmania JackJumpers finding a way to beat Melbourne United and Cody continues to ask why teams feel like they need to take a three at the end of games when it's unnecessary and such a low percentage.
It's then time to hear from three-time NBL champion Matty Knight for his Player of the Year votes for Round 8 along with giving his thoughts on the Xavier Cooks-Keanu Pinder match up and their futures, and more.
We then hear from Adelaide 36ers Hall of Famer Scott Ninnis to get the latest on the Sixers, Sam Mackinnon as coach and he names his winner of #TheGalen Best Team Man for Round 8.
We then wrap up Hoops Heaven's Basketball Hustle with a full preview of a tantalising Round 9 in the NBL.
All made possible thanks to the support of Hoops Heaven (www.hoopsheaven.com.au).
The NBL might have been on a break but that doesn't mean there's a shortage of things to talk about on Hoops Heaven's Basketball Hustle with The Scoring Machine #42 retired, Isaac Humphries' announcement, Melbourne United's new import, Dean Vickerman's comments and so much more as #NBL23 resumes.
Hoops Heaven's Basketball Hustle is again co-hosted by NBL writer Chris Pike and former Illawarra Hawks and Sydney Kings forward Cody Ellis as we break down all the big news in #NBL23 along with reviewing the opening six rounds, giving out our awards, previewing Round 7, talking Boomers and we hear from three-time champion Matty Knight as well.
We open up this week's show talking about the Perth Wildcats retiring the No. 42 worn by original co-host of this show Shawn Redhage. We talk about the career of The Scoring Machine and the tribute to him following the announcements.
Speaking of announcements, we then discuss Melbourne United centre Isaac Humphries reveal that he is gay and the troubles it has caused him as a result, and the courageous decision he has taken to make it public and everything that goes along with it.
Speaking of Melbourne United, we talk about Dean Vickerman's comments calling for more balance in the NBL media coverage and commentary teams along with the arrival of new import big man Marcus Lee.
We also discuss the Australian Boomers qualifying for the FIBA World Cup by beating Kazakhstan before then following the government's advice to not travel to Iran to play on Monday night.
It's then time this week to reflect back on the NBL23 season following the opening six rounds. Cody Ellis gives his rundown on each team's performance so far and then reflects on his championship prediction, the top six teams, MVP, Best Defensive Player, Most Improved, Rookie of the Year, Coach of the Year, and his All-NBL Team up to the break.
We then hear from three-time NBL champion Matty Knight this week as he refeclts on the NBL season so far, gives an update on his predictions from the start of the season now, and also talks Craig Randall's departure from the Adelaide 36ers and why he feels Brady Manek is still a liability to the Perth Wildcats.
All made possible thanks to the support of Hoops Heaven (www.hoopsheaven.com.au).
The NBL might have been on a break but that doesn't mean there's a shortage of things to talk about on Hoops Heaven's Basketball Hustle with The Scoring Machine #42 retired, Isaac Humphries' announcement, Melbourne United's new import, Dean Vickerman's comments and so much more as #NBL23 resumes.
Hoops Heaven's Basketball Hustle is again co-hosted by NBL writer Chris Pike and former Illawarra Hawks and Sydney Kings forward Cody Ellis as we break down all the big news in #NBL23 along with reviewing the opening six rounds, giving out our awards, previewing Round 7, talking Boomers and we hear from three-time champion Matty Knight as well.
We open up this week's show talking about the Perth Wildcats retiring the No. 42 worn by original co-host of this show Shawn Redhage. We talk about the career of The Scoring Machine and the tribute to him following the announcements.
Speaking of announcements, we then discuss Melbourne United centre Isaac Humphries reveal that he is gay and the troubles it has caused him as a result, and the courageous decision he has taken to make it public and everything that goes along with it.
Speaking of Melbourne United, we talk about Dean Vickerman's comments calling for more balance in the NBL media coverage and commentary teams along with the arrival of new import big man Marcus Lee.
We also discuss the Australian Boomers qualifying for the FIBA World Cup by beating Kazakhstan before then following the government's advice to not travel to Iran to play on Monday night.
It's then time this week to reflect back on the NBL23 season following the opening six rounds. Cody Ellis gives his rundown on each team's performance so far and then reflects on his championship prediction, the top six teams, MVP, Best Defensive Player, Most Improved, Rookie of the Year, Coach of the Year, and his All-NBL Team up to the break.
We then hear from three-time NBL champion Matty Knight this week as he refeclts on the NBL season so far, gives an update on his predictions from the start of the season now, and also talks Craig Randall's departure from the Adelaide 36ers and why he feels Brady Manek is still a liability to the Perth Wildcats.
All made possible thanks to the support of Hoops Heaven (www.hoopsheaven.com.au).
There might be no #NBL23 games to preview but no shortage of hot topics to dissect with Craig Randall gone from Adelaide 36ers, Brady Manek saving himself with Perth Wildcats and so much more happening in the NBL as well as The Galen, The Damo and Player of the Year awards.
Huge episode of Hoops Heaven's Basketball Hustle this week with Chris Pike joined by Cody Ellis to dissect Randall leaving the Sixers, Devondrick Walker released by the Brisbane Bullets, Jaylen Adams' potential return, Brady Manek saving his Wildcats career and whatever other FIBA window moves we'll see.
Where else but we open this week's show by talking about Craig Randall's unceremonious departure from the Adelaide 36ers following the loss to the Perth Wildcats. We talk about why the 36ers just ran out of patience on the hugely talented guard and why they had to put culture ahead of talent, and why it could end up being the best thing for the team moving forward.
We then get to the possibility of reigning MVP Jaylen Adams returning to the NBL. He has said he'd only return to the Sydney Kings, but he's currently out of a job and the Adelaide 36ers, Brisbane Bullets and Melbourne United all loom as potential new homes.
It's then time to look at the huge, career-saving performance from Brady Manek for the Wildcats against the 36ers where he knocked down six three-pointers for 25 points to help the 'Cats snap a six-game losing streak heading into this FIBA window.
We then continue the discussion on the Perth Wildcats, take a look at the impressive Cairns Taipans thrashing Melbourne United despite being shorthanded, the Brisbane Bullets cutting Devondrick Walker and what's next for them, Melbourne United's rollercoaster ride, the Sydney Kings' free-throw struggles and Rayan Rupert's wrist injury for the New Zealand Breakers and what it means for the Next Star program.
We then run through our awards this week with the Player of the Year votes from Matty Knight, #TheDamo Best Defensive Player votes from Damian Martin, and we catch up with Adelaide 36ers Hall of Famer Scott Ninnis to select #TheGalen Best Team and talk Brady Manek and Craig Randall, and the 36ers.
We wrap up the show by talking about the Australian Boomers matches this weekend against Kazakhstan and Iran.
All made possible thanks to the support of Hoops Heaven (www.hoopsheaven.com.au).
There might be no #NBL23 games to preview but no shortage of hot topics to dissect with Craig Randall gone from Adelaide 36ers, Brady Manek saving himself with Perth Wildcats and so much more happening in the NBL as well as The Galen, The Damo and Player of the Year awards.
Huge episode of Hoops Heaven's Basketball Hustle this week with Chris Pike joined by Cody Ellis to dissect Randall leaving the Sixers, Devondrick Walker released by the Brisbane Bullets, Jaylen Adams' potential return, Brady Manek saving his Wildcats career and whatever other FIBA window moves we'll see.
Where else but we open this week's show by talking about Craig Randall's unceremonious departure from the Adelaide 36ers following the loss to the Perth Wildcats. We talk about why the 36ers just ran out of patience on the hugely talented guard and why they had to put culture ahead of talent, and why it could end up being the best thing for the team moving forward.
We then get to the possibility of reigning MVP Jaylen Adams returning to the NBL. He has said he'd only return to the Sydney Kings, but he's currently out of a job and the Adelaide 36ers, Brisbane Bullets and Melbourne United all loom as potential new homes.
It's then time to look at the huge, career-saving performance from Brady Manek for the Wildcats against the 36ers where he knocked down six three-pointers for 25 points to help the 'Cats snap a six-game losing streak heading into this FIBA window.
We then continue the discussion on the Perth Wildcats, take a look at the impressive Cairns Taipans thrashing Melbourne United despite being shorthanded, the Brisbane Bullets cutting Devondrick Walker and what's next for them, Melbourne United's rollercoaster ride, the Sydney Kings' free-throw struggles and Rayan Rupert's wrist injury for the New Zealand Breakers and what it means for the Next Star program.
We then run through our awards this week with the Player of the Year votes from Matty Knight, #TheDamo Best Defensive Player votes from Damian Martin, and we catch up with Adelaide 36ers Hall of Famer Scott Ninnis to select #TheGalen Best Team and talk Brady Manek and Craig Randall, and the 36ers.
We wrap up the show by talking about the Australian Boomers matches this weekend against Kazakhstan and Iran.
All made possible thanks to the support of Hoops Heaven (www.hoopsheaven.com.au).
After both playing for differing results on Thursday night, the stage is set for a telling Adelaide 36ers-Perth Wildcats match up on Saturday so we have a Hoops Heaven's Basketball Hustle Bonus Show with Scott Ninnis and Cody Ellis to break it all down.
Ninnis and Ellis join Chris Pike to look ahead to the Saturday night match up with so much at stake for both old NBL rivals and we look back on the Adelaide 36ers' Thursday win over the Illawarra Hawks without Craig Randall and Perth Wildcats' rough home loss to the Tasmania JackJumpers.
We open up the discussion by talking about how the 36ers looked against the Hawks without import point guard Craig Randall where Daniel Johnson, Robert Franks and Anthony Drmic all played their best games of NBL23.
We talk about if Franks and Johnson can still dominate that way with Randall back in the line-up and Scott Ninnis talks about how it was a good thing for the team to play that game without Randall just to figure some things out, and see what works before adding him back in.
Scott talks about how the Sixers have been awful defensively so far this season but have the biggest room for improvement of all NBL clubs.
Talk then turns to the Perth Wildcats and their fifth straight loss for the first time since 2005 where again import forward Brady Manek underperforming leaving his position moving forward in serious doubt.
Cody Ellis has an ideal potential replacement for him in the form of former 36ers excitement machine Jacob Wiley before discussion on what Scott describes as a Wildcats team that has 'got old quick' and who are playing with a significant lack of effort right now.
We wrap up the discussion with a look at the Saturday night match up between the Adelaide 36ers and Perth Wildcats at Adelaide Entertainment Centre.
All made possible thanks to the support of Hoops Heaven (www.hoopsheaven.com.au).
After both playing for differing results on Thursday night, the stage is set for a telling Adelaide 36ers-Perth Wildcats match up on Saturday so we have a Hoops Heaven's Basketball Hustle Bonus Show with Scott Ninnis and Cody Ellis to break it all down.
Ninnis and Ellis join Chris Pike to look ahead to the Saturday night match up with so much at stake for both old NBL rivals and we look back on the Adelaide 36ers' Thursday win over the Illawarra Hawks without Craig Randall and Perth Wildcats' rough home loss to the Tasmania JackJumpers.
We open up the discussion by talking about how the 36ers looked against the Hawks without import point guard Craig Randall where Daniel Johnson, Robert Franks and Anthony Drmic all played their best games of NBL23.
We talk about if Franks and Johnson can still dominate that way with Randall back in the line-up and Scott Ninnis talks about how it was a good thing for the team to play that game without Randall just to figure some things out, and see what works before adding him back in.
Scott talks about how the Sixers have been awful defensively so far this season but have the biggest room for improvement of all NBL clubs.
Talk then turns to the Perth Wildcats and their fifth straight loss for the first time since 2005 where again import forward Brady Manek underperforming leaving his position moving forward in serious doubt.
Cody Ellis has an ideal potential replacement for him in the form of former 36ers excitement machine Jacob Wiley before discussion on what Scott describes as a Wildcats team that has 'got old quick' and who are playing with a significant lack of effort right now.
We wrap up the discussion with a look at the Saturday night match up between the Adelaide 36ers and Perth Wildcats at Adelaide Entertainment Centre.
All made possible thanks to the support of Hoops Heaven (www.hoopsheaven.com.au).
Plenty to dissect and get off our chests on this week's Hoops Heaven's Basketball Hustle where we break down firing New Zealand Breakers, struggling Perth Wildcats and Illawarra Hawks, fortunes of the two Melbourne clubs and the enigmatic Adelaide 36ers.
Cody Ellis is back to join Chris Pike for this week's Hoops Heaven's Basketball Hustle and he has some things to get off his chest – starting with the delay of game enforcement and his bafflement over teams taking unnecessary three-point shots at end of games and not even getting a shot off at all.
We open up this week's show with Cody talking about those things that he just couldn’t understand from NBL Round 6 including those delay of game calls, teams going for threes when they don’t need to and Melbourne United not shooting at all with the game tied with seconds remaining.
We then talk about Kouat Noi hitting the game winner on his 25th birthday for the Sydney Kings against the Cairns Taipans. Speaking of the Taipans, we also talk about the great self-belief that Keanu Pinder has and the front court he is forming at the Snakes.
It's then time to dive further into the firing New Zealand Breakers and how well they are coming together as a unit, and then the struggles of the Perth Wildcats and the future prospects of import forward Brady Manek.
We then continue with Cody Ellis talking about if there's any hope for the Illawarra Hawks, how good the South East Melbourne Phoenix are looking, the Adelaide 36ers not clicking yet and Melbourne United getting a couple of wins and welcoming back Shea Ili.
It's then time for our awards this week with Scott Ninnis selection #TheGalen Best Team Man, Damian Martin giving his votes in #TheDamo and we chat with Matty Knight for his Player of the Year votes along with his thoughts on the Perth Wildcats and NZ Breakers.
We wrap up this week's show with a preview of Round 6 in the NBL running from Thursday through Sunday before the FIBA break with a focus on Jason Cadee's 350th game and the return of Breakers captain Tom Abercrombie.
All made possible thanks to the support of Hoops Heaven (www.hoopsheaven.com.au).
Special co-host for this week's Hoops Heaven's Basketball Hustle and a three-time NBL champion drops by to discuss Tasmania JackJumpers' thriving, Brisbane Bullets breaking through, Illawarra Hawks struggles, Melbourne United's import move and we have The Galen, The Damo and Player of the Year Awards.
Matty Knight joins Chris Pike for this week's show to discuss all of that plus look back on #NBL23 Round 4, preview Round 5 and go into an in depth culture where he gives his take on the Perth Wildcats culture he was so proud of being part of and where he might see it now on and off court.
We begin this week's episode of Hoops Heaven's Basketball Hustle by catching up with Matty on what he's up to now before getting stuck into NBL talk and starting on the positives right now beginning with the Tasmania JackJumpers fresh off their record win over the Perth Wildcats.
Talk then turns to the New Zealand Breakers overcoming plenty to bounce back to win in Cairns despite a record slow start with a five-point first before also discussing a South East Melbourne Phoenix now looking good on the back of having a full squad available. We also discuss the Brisbane Bullets scoring their breakthrough first win of the season.
We then get stuck into the dramatic parts of the past week where Melbourne United coach Dean Vickerman made it clear that power forward import Jordan Caroline wasn't part of future plans. Matty Knight gives his thoughts on the comments, if United do need to replace Caroline and the sort of player they need.
We then look at Tim Coenraad's comments on the Illawarra Hawks who have now lost their last four games with Matty Knight giving his insights into the concerns he has for them for the rest of the season.
It's then time for our awards for this week and we run through Damian Martin's votes in #TheDamo Best Defensive Player Award before selecting #TheGalen Best Team Man winner for Round 4 thanks to Sports Card World and Matty Knight gives his votes for the Player of the Year.
It's then time for Matty Knight to give his insights into the current culture he sees on and off the court at the Perth Wildcats, how it compares to what he was so proud of being part of and responding to comments by Corey 'Homicide' Williams.
We wrap up this week's show with a preview of Round 5 in the NBL running from Thursday through Monday night.
All made possible thanks to the support of Hoops Heaven (www.hoopsheaven.com.au).
So much to cover surrounding #NBL23 on this week's Hoops Heaven's Basketball Hustle from that screen from Jesse Wagstaff, salary cap revelations, trouble at Brisbane Bullets, NZ Breakers and Tasmania JackJumpers firing, and that's just the tip of the ice berg.
It's been a massive week in the world of the NBL and we try to cover it all on this week's Hoops Heaven's Basketball Hustle with NBL writer Chris Pike joined by former Sydney Kings and Illawarra Hawks forward Cody Ellis.
We begin by discussing some of the big talking points including the troubles at the Brisbane Bullets who remain winless after four games of the season, and look at the immediate future of coach James Duncan.
We then discuss the screen from Perth Wildcats captain Jesse Wagstaff which left Melbourne United guard Lachie Barker concussed. He was initially suspended before challenging and we discuss everything surrounding that.
Talk then turns to the impressive form of the New Zealand Breakers, Tasmania JackJumpers and Cairns Taipans, but then also the struggles of the Illawarra Hawks and the situation with struggling power forwards Alan Williams and Jordan Caroline at South East Melbourne Phoenix and Melbourne United.
It's then awards time on this week's show with the winner of #TheGalen Best Team Man from Scott Ninnis announced along with #TheDamo Best Defensive Player votes from Damian Martin. We then chat with Matty Knight and get his Player of the Year votes for Round 3.
Talk then focuses on the release of the salary cap spends of the NBL teams last season and all the different talking points surrounding that before a preview of Round 4 and then wrapping up the show.
All made possible thanks to the support of Hoops Heaven (www.hoopsheaven.com.au).
Our first bonus episode of Hoops Heaven's Basketball Hustle for NBL23 couldn’t be timed better as we catch up with Kevin White ahead of his 300th NBL game with the Illawarra Hawks against the team he was captain at, the Adelaide 36ers.
It's a fascinating chat that we have as part of Hoops Heaven's Basketball Hustle as co-host Cody Ellis catches up with a man who he spent his entire NBL career with at the Sydney Kings and then the Illawarra Hawks, and formed a lifelong bond.
We have a fascinating discussion with Kevin White who is about to reach his 300-game milestone in the NBL having been signed to return to the Illawarra Hawks this season following time at the Adelaide 36ers and Perth Wildcats since his last sting in the 'Gong.
We talk about how he feels coming back to Illawarra having previously been captain at the club and talks abouts the things that have changed, and improved, but also what's stayed the same and the familiar faces he sees from Tyson Demos to Oscar Forman, and the fans in the stands and around the community.
Kev reflects on leaving the Hawks the first time, going to Adelaide and then Perth, and reflects on the journey he's been on and the challenges he has faced, but also the highs he's experienced along the way especially playing under Rob Beveridge at the Hawks and the relationships he formed with that team.
While not quite ready to turn to reflection mode while still playing, he does think about the journey that sees him now as a 35-year-old about to play his 300th and being back at Illawarra having hated them growing as a Sydney Kings fan, and then playing at arch-rivals Adelaide and Perth.
Kev talks about being appreciative of the support he's received along the way, talks about wanting to make things right with his 36ers coach Joey Wright one day and more importantly, how important it is to be sharing his journey with his wife and their two sons.
All made possible thanks to the support of Hoops Heaven (www.hoopsheaven.com.au).
Are the Sydney Kings better than last season? Is it time to worry for Melbourne United and Brisbane Bullets? There's Xavier Cooks' dunk and plenty more in the #NBL23 to dissect on Hoops Heaven's Basketball Hustle this week.
Cody Ellis joins up with Chris Pike to look at everything happening after two rounds of the NBL season while Matty Knight gives his Player of the Year votes, Scott Ninnis names his Best Team Man #TheGalen winner thanks to Sports Card World and we get Damian Martin's votes in #TheDamo.
We open this week's Hoops Heaven's Basketball Hustle by discussing the standout starts to the season from both the Sydney Kings and Perth Wildcats while also discussing Xavier Cooks' Dunk of the Year and talking about his continued growth into MVP candidate and potential NBA player.
It's then time to discuss the Illawarra Hawks needing a new import following the injury to Justin Robinson along with the winless start to the season for the Brisbane Bullets and Melbourne United's big loss to Sydney and if they need to consider making a move or not.
We then get to our awards segment of the show with Damian Martin's votes in #TheDamo Best Defensive Player Award while Matty Knight gives his Player of the Year votes and Scott Ninnis drops by to nominate his #TheGalen Best Team man nominees thanks to Sports Card World.
We then have a discussion over Cairns Taipans coach holding people to account and discuss milestones of Todd Blanchfield and Kevin White before getting stuck into our preview of Round 3 in the NBL.
All made possible thanks to the support of Hoops Heaven (www.hoopsheaven.com.au).
NBL23 season has started and we break it all down on Hoops Heaven's Basketball Hustle including getting the awards from Matty Knight and Scott Ninnis along with discussing Adelaide 36ers beating an NBA team and the Australian Opals winning bronze.
It has been a massive week in the world of Australian basketball and we are back to discuss it all on Hoops Heaven's Basketball Hustle with co-hosts NBL writer Chris Pike and former Illawarra Hawks and Sydney Kings forward, and Warwick Senators NBL1 captain Cody Ellis.
We open up this week's show by taking a look at the remarkable performance from the Adelaide 36ers to beat the NBA's Phoenix Suns in an NBLxNBA contest where they showed just what NBL teams are capable of.
We then take a look at the FIBA Women's World Cup held in Sydney where the Australian Opals went on to win bronze thanks to a stunning outburst from Lauren Jackson while Team USA won gold.
It's then time to turn our focus to Round 1 of the NBL where we lock in on the undermanned South East Melbourne Phoenix impressing, the Cairns Taipans catching fire, Derrick Walton Jr, Bryce Cotton and Xavier Rathan-Mayes catching fire, and plenty more.
It's then time to get into rewards segment starting with three-time NBL championship winner Matty Knight dropping by to give his Round 1 Player of the Year votes. He also offers some thoughts on the Tasmania JackJumpers' 0-2 start to #NBL23.
We then chat with Scott Ninnis about his beloved Adelaide 36ers along with winning the NBL1 Central championship in his first season as coach at the South Adelaide Panthers, and he gives us his Round 1 winner of The Galen Award as the NBL's Best Team Man.
To wrap up the show this week we take a look at all the upcoming Round 2 NBL action along with the Adelaide 36ers taking on Josh Giddey and the Oklahoma City Thunder.
All made possible thanks to the support of Hoops Heaven (www.hoopsheaven.com.au).
We are back on Hoops Heaven's Basketball Hustle for a fourth season and our first episode sees Chris Pike and Cody Ellis run through the off-season happenings latest news and then run through every team for NBL23 and then offer some predictions.
The NBL season for 2022/23 gets underway on Saturday October 1 and with the NBL Blitz in Darwin now over won by the Adelaide 36ers, Hoops Heaven's Basketball Hustle is back to get you ready for NBL23.
NBL writer Chris Pike is joined by former Illawarra Hawks and Sydney Kings forward Cody Ellis, and they open up the show looking at all the latest news including Ariel Hukporti's season-ending injury, Tom Abercrombie's horrible luck, South East Melbourne Phoenix's injury troubles, returns of Kevin White, Tim Coenraad and Dave Barlow, and the standouts at the NBL Blitz.
We then take a look back at the off-season including the Boomers campaign, Jack White and Matthew Dellavedova going to the NBA from Melbourne United, the movements at the Perth Wildcats, the talent leaving the NBL, the talent still unsigned and plenty more.
It's then time to deep dive into how all 10 teams are shaping up for the upcoming NBL season and we give our predictions to close out the show.
We also discussed plans for the show this season including the Player of the Year Award with Matty Knight, The Galen Award with Scott Ninnis and #TheDamo Best Defensive Player Award along with regular special episodes featuring Adam Gibson, AJ Ogilvy, Kevin White and Alex Loughton.
All made possible thanks to the support of Hoops Heaven (www.hoopsheaven.com.au).
Our last episode of Hoops Heaven's Basketball Hustle for #NBL22 and it's a huge one as Cody Ellis joins Chris Pike to breakdown Sydney Kings' championship win, the Tasmania JackJumpers effort, we announce the winner of the #TheGalen, take a look at NBL Free Agency, NBL1 West and we catch up with Cairns Taipans great Alex Loughton.
Where else but the Grand Final is where we start this week's episode by looking at the Sydney Kings securing their fourth NBL championship by beating the Tasmania JackJumpers 3-0.
Cody gives his thoughts on the absences of Fabijan Krslovic, Jack McVeigh and Jaylen Adams, the efforts of Xavier Cooks, Jarell Martin, Shaun Bruce, Ian Clark, Josh Adams and more in what he still rates as a high quality Grand Final Series despite the 3-0 scoreline.
We announce the winner of the inaugural The Galen Award as the Best NBL Team Man as well on this episode with the listeners deciding between Antonius Cleveland of the Illawarra Hawks, Shea Ili of Melbourne United and Keanu Pinder of the Cairns Taipans.
It's then time to catch up with Cairns Taipans legend Alex Loughton for the final time this season. We chat with Loughz about joining the NBL TV commentary team, his history with Cody Ellis, his thoughts on the NBL season and the Sydney Kings' championship triumph, and then the Cairns Taipans. He talks the Bul Kuol, Keanu Pinder re-signings, futures of Scott Machado, Tahjere McCall and Nate Jawai, and plenty more in a fun discussion.
Once we finish chatting with Loughz, it's time to cast an eye forward to look at the 2022/23 NBL season. We begin by looking at the players currently re-signed and then Cody offers his thoughts on the potential of Xavier Cooks and Jo Lual-Acuil reaching the NBA.
We then run through a list of the biggest names about to go on the free agent markets with Cody Ellis providing his thoughts on the futures of everyone from Cam Bairstow to Isaac Humphries to Duop Reath, Harry Froling, Finn Delany, Todd Blanchfield and Cam Gliddon.
We finish off the discussion with some thoughts on Luke Travers, Kai Sotto, Tom Digbeu, Ousmane Dieng and Hugo Besson deciding to nominate for the 2022 NBA Draft.
We then wrap up the season on Hoops Heaven's Basketball Hustle by getting Cody's thoughts on his Warwick Senators team this NBL1 West season and an overall look at the strength of the competition and why he rates it so highly in 2022.
Made possible thanks to the support of Hoops Heaven (www.hoopsheaven.com.au) and TABtouch (www.tabtouch.com.au).
We are here with a special bonus episode of Hoops Heaven's Basketball Hustle with The Scoring Machine to announce the winner of the Redhage Basketball Player of the Year for #NBL22.
Four-time NBL champion, six-time Perth Wildcats MVP and two-time All-NBL First Team member Shawn Redhage has cast his votes in the Redhage Basketball Player of the Year each week of the NBL season and he has come on board to discuss the winner.
The ended up coming down to the final game of the season where the award was decided with the Perth Wildcats losing to miss out on the finals. That meant Bryce Cotton only received the one vote in the last round and Sydney Kings superstar Jaylen Adams won the Redhage Basketball Player of the Year Award.
Once the award is taken care of, Shawn gives his thoughts on the Tasmania JackJumpers' remarkable run to the NBL Grand Final, the Perth Wildcats' playoff streak ending that he was such a big part of, Brian Goorjian stepping down as coach of the Illawarra Hawks, Bryce Cotton re-signing at the Perth Wildcats and then he previews the Grand Final between the Kings and JackJumpers.
It's Grand Final time in the NBL and who would have thought the Tasmania JackJumpers are there to face the Sydney Kings. We look ahead to that on this week's Hoops Heaven's Basketball Hustle along with the fallout for Melbourne United and Illawarra Hawks, Brian Goorjian's departure and work out the winner of #TheGalen Best #NBL22 Team Man.
We open up this week's episode of Hoops Heaven's Basketball Hustle with Cody Ellis reflecting on his return to Sydney and Wollongong for Kevin White's wedding and to watch his two former teams in action in Game 1 of the semi-final series.
It's then time to reflect back on the two semi-final series which saw the Tasmania JackJumpers beat Melbourne United and Sydney Kings beat Illawarra Hawks. We talk about just what a remarkable feat it is from the JackJumpers to get to a Grand Final in their first NBL season but also discuss just how good the Kings are and how tough to stop they will be.
After looking at the semi-final winners. we break down the fallout for the losers starting with the Illawarra Hawks and the announcement that coach Brian Goorjian is stepping down to be replaced by Jacob Jackomas. Cody then talks about why it's Melbourne United who will always be the ones who look back on #NBL22 as the great underachievers after losing to the JackJumpers.
We keep moving on Hoops Heaven's Basketball Hustle and get to our three nominees to win the #TheGalen Award as The Best Team Man in #NBL22. The nominees are Antonius Cleveland, Shea Ili and Keanu Pinder, and we announce how the winner will be decided.
We then breakdown the NBL Award winners for #NBL22 and then get stuck into a Grand Final Preview between the Tasmania JackJumpers and Sydney Kings.
Made possible thanks to the support of Hoops Heaven (www.hoopsheaven.com.au) and TABtouch (www.tabtouch.com.au).
The Sydney Kings are into the #NBL22 Grand Final and now on the TABtouch Preview we take a look at Game 3 of the other NBL semi-final series between Melbourne United and Tasmania JackJumpers to determine who they face.
Who better to talk about the JackJumpers' prospects of knocking off the defending champion United than three-time NBL championship winner and Tasmanian native Matty Knight.
Matty Knight breaks down the remarkable job the JackJumpers have done in their inaugural NBL season to be one game away from the Grand Final and he previews the Monday night Game 3 with Melbourne at John Cain Arena.
He also looks back on the other semi-final series where the Sydney Kings defeated the Illawarra Hawks to advance to the Grand Final and now await their opponents.
The former Wildcats champion also gives his take on the playoff streak coming to an end after 35 years to wrap things up.
What a finish to the NBL season and the Perth Wildcats streak is over, the Tasmania JackJumpers join Melbourne United, Illawarra Hawks and Sydney Kings in the #NBL22 finals and we discuss all of that, preview the finals and the award winners on this week's Hoops Heaven's Basketball Hustle.
Cody Ellis and Chris Pike team up again on this week's show and where else to start than the Perth Wildcats' NBL playoff streak ending and the Tasmania JackJumpers making it to #NBL22 finals as a result. We also discuss the Illawarra Hawks-Sydney Kings fallout and the Kings calling out referee Chris Reed.
We also take a look at the Cairns Taipans finishing their season on a high thanks to 42 points from Tahjere McCall and the disappointing end for the Brisbane Bullets with coach James Duncan admitting he had some players not willing to play their final game of the season.
We then announce our winner of #TheGalen Best Team Man Award for Round 21 before breaking down all the potential NBL award winners with Cody selecting his MVP, Best Sixth Man, Best Defensive Player, Rookie of the Year, Coach of the Year and Most Improved Player.
It's then time to preview the upcoming pair of semi-final match ups with the Illawarra Hawks playing the Sydney Kings, and Melbourne United taking on the Tasmania JackJumpers.
Made possible thanks to the support of Hoops Heaven (www.hoopsheaven.com.au) and TABtouch (www.tabtouch.com.au).
As part of the Hoops Heaven's Basketball Hustle family, we bring you the TABtouch Preview looking ahead to a massive final round of the #NBL22 season where the positions in the finals will be determined.
On top of our regular weekly episode of Hoops Heaven's Basketball Hustle, each week during the 2021/22 NBL season we'll be bringing you the TABtouch Preview hosted by three-time champion Matty Knight.
Matty will join Chris Pike to take a look at all the action upcoming in the round ahead of #NBL22 where he provides his insights, predictions and also tries to help you find a winner thanks to www.tabtouch.com.au.
This week's show sees us take a close look at whether or not the Perth Wildcats can still reach the playoffs for a 36th straight year despite the loss of superstar Vic Law or if they will lose their remaining two matches and leave the door open for the Tasmania JackJumpers fairytale inaugural season end in the finals.
Matty also looks at the battle between the Sydney Kings and Illawarra Hawks over fourth position while also previewing games between South East Melbourne Phoenix-Adelaide 36ers, Cairns Taipans-Brisbane Bullets, and New Zealand Breakers-Adelaide 36ers.
We also take a look back on the Round 21 opening clash where the Sydney Kings beat the Cairns Taipans.
Another jam packed episode of Hoops Heaven's Basketball Hustle with Cody Ellis joining Chris Pike to break down the race to the NBL Finals while looking at all of the hot topics across the league, looking at the big questions moving forward and naming #NBL22 Round 20 winner of #TheGalen Award.
This week's episode of Hoops Heaven's Basketball Hustle opens up with co-hosts Chris Pike and Cody Ellis breaking down what happened in #NBL22 Round 20 and looking ahead to the last round of the regular season with the Perth Wildcats and Tasmania JackJumpers fighting over fourth spot.
We also discuss Michael Frazier's resilience, Vic Law's injury, Sunday Dech's near perfect game, Jack McVeigh's importance to JackJumpers, Ben Ayre grabbing chance at Cairns Taipans, Zac Gattorna showing potential and Rob Loe sending a reminder with New Zealand Breakers.
We name our latest winner in #TheGalen Best Team Man in the NBL for Round 20 and then provide a full preview of the Round 21 action where the final positions will be decided while Cody also takes a look at the NBL1 West season so far and in particular his Warwick Senators.
We close this week's show by looking ahead and Cody giving his thoughts on which imports club's should bring back next season, which free agents are the hottest property, if young guns should stay another season or go to NBA and then thoughts on futures of Mitch Creek, Scott Machado, Duop Reath, Jo Lual-Acuil, Vice, Zhou Qi, Jaylen Adams and Will Magnay.
Made possible thanks to the support of Hoops Heaven (www.hoopsheaven.com.au) and TABtouch (www.tabtouch.com.au).
No shortage of hot topics once again on Hoops Heaven's Basketball Hustle and Cody Ellis joins Chris Pike to break down the top 4 race while looking in depth at the bottom 4, the Asian stars, Ousmane Diegn's stocks, Duop Reath's motivation and WNBL Grand Final and NBL1 West while we also catch up with the legend himself Damian Martin.
We open up this week's episode by taking a look back on Round 19 in #NBL22 and how the race for the top four is shaping up with Melbourne United, Sydney Kings and Illawarra Hawks locked in but Perth Wildcats and Tasmania JackJumpers battling over that remaining playoff position.
We also discuss Duop Reath's near perfect game for the Hawks and his motivation, the rising NBA draft stocks of Ousmane Dieng and then we discuss whether bottom four teams Brisbane Bullets, Cairns Taipans, Adelaide 36ers and New Zealand Breakers should stay the course or blow things up looking towards next season.
We also award our winner of #TheGalen Best NBL Team Man for Round 19 before catching up with six-time NBL champion, six-time Best Defensive Player and Perth Wildcats 40th Anniversary Team captain Damian Martin. We discuss his recent COVID battle, Pacific Sports Management, his return to the TV screens, Alex Loughton on TV, the Bryce Cotton/Jaylen Adams MVP race and get his thoughts on the Wildcats heading into the finals.
We are then back with Cody and we take a look at the Melbourne Boomers beating Perth Lynx for the WNBL championship, get his thoughts on the Warwick Senators and the opening round of the NBL1 West season and preview the upcoming Round 20 in #NBL22.
Made possible thanks to the support of Hoops Heaven (www.hoopsheaven.com.au) and TABtouch (www.tabtouch.com.au).
Monster episode of Hoops Heaven's Basketball Hustle with so much to cover in #NBL22 with the Illawarra Hawks and Sydney Kings firing, Melbourne United steadying, Perth Wildcats hanging on, Tasmania JackJumpers and South East Melbourne Phoenix floundering plus we have all our awards, WNBL Grand Final, NBL1 West starting and Cody Ellis in the hot seat.
We open up this week's episode with Chris Pike and Cody Ellis diving into what's happening with the NBL starting with the Illawarra Hawks winning minus Tyler Harvey, the Sydney Kings rolling on with Xavier Cooks back, Melbourne United's important Shea Ili-led win out west and then Perth Wildcats woes at home minus Mitch Norton and the whole John Brown/Michael Frazier situation.
We then get Cody's thoughts on if there's any life left in the playoff run for the South East Melbourne Phoenix and Tasmania JackJumpers and look at Ryan Broekhoff's absence, Jason Cadee's shooting outburst for Brisbane Bullets and Cairns Taipans thriving with Keanu Pinder leading the way.
We then move into our awards part of our show for this week with Damian Martin providing the votes in #TheDamo Best Defensive Player thanks to Everlast Beverages and Shawn Redhage giving his votes for the Redhage Basketball Player of the Year Award before we decide our nominee for The Galen Best Team Man for Round 18.
We then take a look at the WNBL Grand Final Series, the NBL1 West season starting and then Cody Ellis is put on the spot with questions over the retiring class for this season, which coaches and players are under the pump, who's the MVP and plenty more as well as a full preview of Round 19 in #NBL22.
Made possible thanks to the support of Hoops Heaven (www.hoopsheaven.com.au) and TABtouch (www.tabtouch.com.au).
So much for us to cover on this week's Hoops Heaven's Basketball Hustle and Chris Pike and Cody Ellis try to look at it all wrapping up #NBL22 Round 17, previewing Round 18, covering all the hot topics around the NBL, looking at the upcoming WNBL Grand Final series and updating our #TheDamo, #TheRedhage and #TheGalen awards.
We open up this week's episode of Hoops Heaven's Basketball Hustle with hosts Chris Pike and Cody Ellis discussing the hot form the Illawarra Hawks and Sydney Kings are in, the impact of Tim Coenraad, the dramas at the Perth Wildcats, Melbourne United's big loss but addition of Yudai Baba, South East Melbourne Phoenix losing 5 of the past 6 and Tasmania JackJumpers keeping their #NBL22 hopes alive.
Cody Ellis then provides some unique insight only a former NBL player can provide into the game clinching steal from Josh Magette for the JackJumpers, the remarkable finish with an Anthony Drmic buzzer beater for the Brisbane Bullets but capitulation from the New Zealand Breakers, and then a look at the impressive future NBA stars right now in the NBL.
It's then time for an update on our awards with the votes from Damian Martin the Best Defensive Player thanks to Everlast Beverage, from Shawn Redhage in the Redhage Basketball Player of the Year and we select this week's winner of The Galen Best Team Man award for Round 17 in the NBL.
Before getting to a full preview of all the upcoming Round 18 action in NBL22, we take a look at the way the WNBL semi finals played out to set up the Melbourne Boomers and Perth Lynx meeting in the Grand Final series starting this Saturday in Melbourne.
Made possible thanks to the support of Hoops Heaven (www.hoopsheaven.com.au) and TABtouch (www.tabtouch.com.au).
As part of the Hoops Heaven's Basketball Hustle family, we bring you the TABtouch Preview looking ahead to the rest of Round 17 of the NBL season and look back on a remarkable two games on Thursday night to open things up.
On top of our regular weekly episode of Hoops Heaven's Basketball Hustle, each week during the 2021/22 NBL season we'll be bringing you the TABtouch Preview hosted by three-time champion Matty Knight.
Matty will join Chris Pike to take a look at all the action upcoming in the round ahead of #NBL22 where he provides his insights, predictions and also tries to help you find a winner thanks to www.tabtouch.com.au.
This week's show sees us beginning by looking back on the two games on Thursday night where the Brisbane Bullets hit three threes in the last 16 seconds to snatch the win from the New Zealand Breakers. The Tasmania JackJumpers then beat the Perth Wildcats and there's plenty to breakdown from that including Scott Morrison's post-game reaction.
It's then time to get stuck into the rest of the Round 17 action beginning on Friday night with the Cairns Taipans at home to the South East Melbourne Phoenix.
That leads into two games on Saturday with the Bullets at home to the JackJumpers, and then a monster clash between the Wildcats and Kings out west.
There's then a Sunday triple-header with the Adelaide 36ers hosting the Phoenix, United up against the Hawks and the Breakers playing the Taipans in Cairns.
Jam packed episode of Hoops Heaven's Basketball Hustle this week as Cody Ellis and Chris Pike breakdown everything happening in #NBL22 including the movement at Perth Wildcats and heat between Illawarra Hawks and Scott Roth while also joined by two special guests, Alex Loughton and Rob Beveridge.
Plenty to get through on this week's Hoops Heaven's Basketball Hustle with Cody Ellis and Chris Pike beginning with the likelihood of the Perth Wildcats about to sign John Brown III. We look at all of the sides to that before talking about Antonius Cleveland and Scott Roth's run in after the Illawarra Hawks beat the Tasmania JackJumpers, the struggles of South East Melbourne Phoenix and update the Redhage Basketball Player of the Year award and name The Galen Best Team Man for #NBL22 Round 17.
Our first guest this week is the Master Coach himself Rob Beveridge. We chat about his trip to Perth to begin his job as high performance manager with the Rockingham Flames. He discusses what that job entails and why he's so excited to be moving back to Perth. We also talk about his upcoming NZ NBL season coaching the Southland Sharks and look back on his successful tour of Japan coaching the Australian Boomers.
It's then time to catch up with Cairns Taipans legend Alex Loughton. He discusses the ups and downs with the Snakes this NBL season including that breakthrough win against the Bullets. He talks about why he's so impressed with Bul Kuol and Keanu Pinder and what the Taipans should still be trying to get out of this season and looking ahead to their two games in Round 17 against the South East Melbourne Phoenix and New Zealand Breakers.
Following our guest appearances, Cody and Chris are back to wrap up the show with a look at the WNBL playoffs and then Round 17 in the NBL beginning with a double-header on Thursday night.
Made possible thanks to the support of Hoops Heaven (www.hoopsheaven.com.au) and TABtouch (www.tabtouch.com.au).
It's with a heavy heart that we bring you this week's Hoops Heaven's Basketball Hustle as we pay our respects to co-host Cody Ellis' Warwick Senators NBL1 West teammate Alier Riak, but we also have all our latest recap, preview, awards, thoughts and views on what's happening in #NBL22.
Before we get to #NBL22 on this week's Hoops Heaven's Basketball Hustle, Cody Ellis gives an update to testing positive to COVID and then we have the tragic death of 23-year-old emerging basketball star Alier Riak to cover. Cody was his captain with the Warwick Senators in NBL1 West and we do our best to pay our respects to him after his life was so senselessly taken.
We then turn our attention back to #NBL22 and discuss the dynamic Perth Wildcats duo of Vic Law and Bryce Cotton ahead of their return to RAC Arena, the Tasmania JackJumpers putting themselves in the playoff hunt, MiKyle McIntosh's press break attempt, Mitch Creek's ejection, precarious positions for South East Melbourne Phoenix and Illawarra Hawks, and why the Cairns Taipans and Hawks should be using Stephen Zimmerman and Duop Reath more.
It's then time for our awards from #NBL22 Round 15 with Damian Martin updating #TheDamo Best Defensive Player thanks to Everlast Beverages, Shawn Redhage giving his votes in Redhage Basketball Player of the Year and then we announce the latest winner of #TheGalen as the Best Team Man while Cody Ellis debates who belongs in the All-NBL First Team.
We keep rolling on Hoops Heaven's Basketball Hustle by discussing the struggles the Cairns Taipans and Adelaide 36ers are going through as we wrap up the show with a full preview of what appears a season-defining Round 16 in the NBL.
Made possible thanks to the support of Hoops Heaven (www.hoopsheaven.com.au) and TABtouch (www.tabtouch.com.au).
So much for us to cover again on Hoops Heaven's Basketball Hustle and Cody Ellis and Chris Pike look back on #NBL22 Round 14, preview Round 15, discuss all the big talking points of who impressed and who didn't, and we catch up with Perth Wildcats and NBL legend Damian Martin.
Co-hosts Cody Ellis and Chris Pike open this week's show talking about the big talking points in #NBL22 including the impressive Indigenous Round recognition, if the playoff race is a battle in five, the Sydney Kings dynamic Jaylen Adams/Xavier Cooks duo, Mitch Creek v Daniel Johnson battle, MiKyle McIntosh's rise and impressive #NextStars Ousmane Dieng, Tom Digbeu, Ariel Hukporti and Justinian Jessup.
We also further breakdown Round 14 in the NBL discussing the struggles of Adelaide 36ers, Cairns Taipans and New Zealand Breakers, the impressive wins for Melbourne United, Perth Wildcats, Illawarra Hawks and Sydney Kings, and select our winner of The Galen Best Team Man Award for this week.
It's then time to reconnect with former co-host of the show and six-time NBL champion and six-time Best Defensive Player Damian Martin. Not only do we discuss his new life as a radio host, his past battles with Cody Ellis and an update of his life, but get his votes in #TheDamo Best Defensive Player Award, discuss Melbourne United v Perth Wildcats, and talk about the changes for the Wildcats under a new coach Scott Morrison.
We are then back to talk about the potential of the Adelaide 36ers bringing in Casper Ware and take an in-depth look at Round 15 in the NBL highlighted by Melbourne United facing both the Perth Wildcats and South East Melbourne Phoenix.
Made possible thanks to the support of Hoops Heaven (www.hoopsheaven.com.au) and TABtouch (www.tabtouch.com.au).
As part of the Hoops Heaven's Basketball Hustle family, we bring you the TABtouch Preview looking ahead to Round 14 of the NBL season.
On top of our regular weekly episode of Hoops Heaven's Basketball Hustle, each week during the 2021/22 NBL season we'll be bringing you the TABtouch Preview hosted by three-time champion Matty Knight.
Matty will join Chris Pike to take a look at all the action upcoming in the round ahead of #NBL22 where he provides his insights, predictions and also tries to help you find a winner thanks to www.tabtouch.com.au.
This week's show sees us preview all the games in Round 14 but firstly we get Matty's thoughts on the pass of former Perth Wildcats owner Dr Jack Bendat.
We then begin our preview by looking at the challenge for the Adelaide 36ers without their head coach to come up against the South East Melbourne Phoenix on Friday night.
There's two games on Saturday with Melbourne United against the Brisbane Bullets, and the Tasmania JackJumpers against the New Zealand Breakers.
Then on Sunday, the 36ers host the Perth Wildcats, the Sydney Kings are at home to the Cairns Taipans and the South East Melbourne Phoenix face the Illawarra Hawks. Lastly on Monday night, the Breakers play the Bullets.
To say there's plenty to cover with Hoops Heaven's Basketball Hustle this week would be the greatest of understatements. Cody Ellis and Chris Pike breakdown everything happening in #NBL22 as well as Nathan Sobey's bronze medal being stolen, we pay tribute to Jack Bendat, the dramas at Adelaide 36ers and we catch up with The Scoring Machine Shawn Redhage.
Co-hosts Cody Ellis and Chris Pike open this week's show talking about the dreadful house break in of Nathan Sobey and his family, and the theft of Olympic bronze medal. We then pay tribute to the late Dr Jack Bendat and then then discuss the Perth Wildcats finally returning home.
We then get stuck into Round 13 in the NBL and raise the prospect of the Sydney Kings being the best team and Jaylen Adams being the best player in the league. We talk about what's happening at the Tasmania JackJumpers, the Cairns Taipans and discuss that horrible last play from the Adelaide 36ers against the Kings before awarding #TheGalen Best Team Man award.
Four-time NBL champion and member of the Perth Wildcats 40th Anniversary Starting Five Shawn Redhage then joins us to discuss the Wildcats returning home, his Jack Bendat memories, playing against Cody Ellis, how he sees #NBL22 shaping up and Adelaide 36ers going coachless this weekend.
Cody Ellis is then back to discuss whether the Adelaide 36ers, Perth Wildcats or Brisbane Bullets should make an import move, we talk about the Boomers and Tall Blacks in the FIBA World Cup Qualifiers, and wonder why Alex Loughton is not on our TV screens and get a Warwick Senators NBL1 West update.
It's then time to wrap up the show with a preview of Round 14 in the NBL and look ahead to next week's show with Damian Martin.
Made possible thanks to the support of Hoops Heaven (www.hoopsheaven.com.au) and TABtouch (www.tabtouch.com.au).
Cody Ellis is back on Hoops Heaven's Basketball Hustle this week and we have lots to cover from around #NBL22 on and off the court, and who's travelling well and who isn't, and we also catch up with 460 or 461-game NBL great Adam Gibson.
Former Saint Louis, Illawarra Hawks and Sydney Kings forward, and Warwick Senators NBL1 West captain Cody Ellis joins Chris Pike for this week's show and we begin by discussing the Perth Wildcats' need for a big, the Cairns Taipans struggles and then breakdown all the action from Round 12 in the NBL.
We discuss the impressive depth at Melbourne United, the momentum building at the Sydney Kings, the South East Melbourne Phoenix finding some shooting, the Tasmania JackJumpers getting even hotter, important Adelaide 36ers and struggles of New Zealand Breakers and Cairns Taipans.
Next up we deliver our votes for #TheDamo Best Defensive Player award thanks to Everlast given by Damian Martin, #TheRedhage Player of the year award given by Shawn Redhage and announce the Round 12 winner of the #TheGalen Best Team Man award.
We then catch up with two-time NBL champion Adam Gibson for his regular appearance on Hoops Heaven's #BasketballHustle. We discuss his brief return to the South East Melbourne Phoenix roster and get his thoughts on the Phoenix, the shooting of Cam Gliddon and Ryan Broekhoff, why their defence must improve and he also updates on his career taking off and even about Cody Ellis almost joining the Brisbane Bullets.
We then continue this week's show with Cody discussing his couple of potential options to extend his NBL career after leaving the Hawks before we knuckle down on the latest on and off-court happenings at the Adelaide 36ers, the coaching methods of Adam Forde with the struggling Cairns Taipans, and also the Rob Loe situation at the New Zealand Breakers before previewing Round 13 in #NBL22 and looking to the Boomers games in Japan this week.
Made possible thanks to the support of Hoops Heaven (www.hoopsheaven.com.au) and TABtouch (www.tabtouch.com.au).
Another shake up for this week on Hoops Heaven's Basketball Hustle with another all-time great, Matty Knight, stepping into the hosting chair to discuss all the latest with #NBL22 with the insights only he can provide while we also catch up with Cairns Taipans legend Alex Loughton.
Three-time NBL champion and three-time All-NBL Team member Matty Knight is the co-host alongside Chris Pike for this week's Hoops Heaven's Basketball Hustle and there's plenty for us to get through after Round 11 of the NBL.
We begin discussing the remarkable finish to the Sydney Kings-Brisbane Bullets game on Sunday with the Jaylen Adams game winning dunk, offensive rebound and dish off to Jarell Martin. We discuss the implications of that on both the winning Kings and losing Bullets.
We also discuss Melbourne United's win over the Perth Wildcats with Matty believing Melbourne need to stick with the team they've got but perhaps the Wildcats need to add a big while he also pays tribute to 400-game former teammate Jesse Wagstaff.
Other topics covered include the Tasmania JackJumeprs without Will Magnay, the struggles of the Illawarra Hawks and the signing of NBA champion Ian Clark for the Sydney Kings.
It's then time to catch up with former 311-game NBL great Alex Loughton. We discuss his thoughts on his beloved Cairns Taipans after a couple of rough losses in Round 11. He offers his insights into the return of Scott Machado and what it means for the likes of Tahjere McCall and Bul Kuol. He also helps us select the winner of #TheGalen Best Team Man for this week and offers his perspective on the Perth Wildcats 40th Anniversary Team.
Matty Knight is then back on deck to preview Round 12 in the NBL and to wrap up the show.
Made possible thanks to the support of Hoops Heaven (www.hoopsheaven.com.au) and TABtouch (www.tabtouch.com.au).
New life on Hoops Heaven's Basketball Hustle continues as Cody Ellis joins Chris Pike to breakdown all the latest in #NBL22 before we chat with Boomers coach Rob Beveridge and 400-game milestone man Jesse Wagstaff.
Former Illawarra Hawks and Sydney Kings NBL forward, Warwick Senators NBL1 captain and son of a legend Cody Ellis is now on deck as regular co-host and he joins Chris Pike to breakdown all of the latest in the NBL including marching Tasmania JackJumpers, Melbourne United's quandary, Illawarra Hawks' struggles and plenty more out of Round 10.
We also give our reactions to the Perth Wildcats 40th Anniversary Team including a heartfelt response about Mike Ellis missing the team and also the latest on the Matt Hodgson situation with the NBL judiciary.
It's then time to catch up with the Master Coach Rob Beveridge who is preparing to lead the Australian Boomers for a three-game trip to Japan later this month. We discuss everything surrounding that before Cody and Bevo reflect back on their time together at the Illawarra Hawks and both pour their hearts out before Bevo gives his thoughts on Jesse Wagstaff's 400th game.
Speaking of Wagstaff, he then joins the show to talk about how he's feeling about his 400th NBL game as he drops by for a quick drop in from Hobart by the Perth Wildcats captain ahead of his milestone on Saturday night.
We also have the votes in #TheDamo award thanks to Everlast Drinks and announce the latest winner of #TheGalen thanks to Hoops Heaven.
Made possible thanks to the support of Hoops Heaven (www.hoopsheaven.com.au) and TABtouch (www.tabtouch.com.au).
As part of the Hoops Heaven's Basketball Hustle family, we bring you the TABtouch Preview looking ahead to the rest of Round 10 of the NBL season.
On top of our regular weekly episode of Hoops Heaven's Basketball Hustle, each week during the 2021/22 NBL season we'll be bringing you the TABtouch Preview hosted by three-time champion Matty Knight.
Matty will join Chris Pike to take a look at all the action upcoming in the round ahead of #NBL22 where he provides his insights, predictions and also tries to help you find a winner thanks to www.tabtouch.com.au.
This week's show sees us join Round 10 of #NBL22 after the Illawarra Hawks' shock loss to the New Zealand Breakers on Wednesday night.
Matty gives his thoughts and tips then on Friday's game between the Tasmania JackJumpers and the Sydney Kings, the Saturday double-header starting with Brisbane Bullets v Cairns Taipans, and then South East Melbourne Phoenix v Perth Wildcats.
There's two more games on Sunday with Melbourne United v JackJumpers and Kings v Breakers before the Hawks host the Phoenix on Monday.
Never one to hold back, Matty also gives his honest assessment of the Perth Wildcats 40th Anniversary Team, Matt Hodgson's brain snap and more on this week's show.
All new look for Hoops Heaven's Basketball Hustle with Cody Ellis stepping into the co-host chair and we discuss his life and basketball journey on top of talking all the big #NBL22 topics while wrapping up Round 9 and previewing Round 10.
This is the first episode where Chris Pike is joined by Cody Ellis as co-host with the grandson and son of WA basketball royalty, and former Saint Louis Billikens, Sydney Kings and Illawarra Hawks star, and currently Warwick Senators NBL1 West captain to help dissect the world of the NBL.
First up we discuss whether or not Cody is still hopeful his NBL career might not be over for good at 127 games, if he is ready should a club come calling, if he's disappointed that he's not still in the league and how that all sits with him.
It's then time to get to all the big talking points from #NBL22 including Matt Hodgson's brain snap for the Perth Wildcats against the Sydney Kings, the impressive form of the Kings, Dusty Hannahs' helping Adelaide 36ers upset Melbourne United, losses for Melbourne and Perth, and Josh Magette sparking the Tasmania JackJumpers.
We then dig a bit deeper on the Round 9 NBL results talking about Jo Lual-Acuil's impact for Melbourne United, the South East Melbourne Phoenix building and then we announce our winner of #TheGalen Best Team Man and provide the votes in #TheRedhage Player of the Year.
We then have a deep dive into the life and basketball career of Cody Ellis. We discuss current life after the NBL, feelings for the Perth Wildcats and not getting the chance to follow his dad and uncles playing there, his career at the Sydney Kings and Illawarra Hawks, and the rocky road that was. We then discuss his time at Saint Louis, meeting his now wife Lauren and their son Chase, and his passion for the Warwick Senators.
It's then time to get Cody's thoughts on the Perth Wildcats 40th anniversary team that we discussed on last week's show with Damian Martin and Shawn Redhage. It's then time to preview the Round 10 action and then wrap up a jam packed show.
Made possible thanks to the support of Hoops Heaven (www.hoopsheaven.com.au) and TABtouch (www.tabtouch.com.au).
It's a very special episode of Hoops Heaven's Basketball Hustle for a whole host of reasons as Chris Pike and Damian Martin wrap up all the #NBL22 action, we have a big announcement to make and along with Shawn Redhage, we announce 40th Anniversary Perth Wildcats team.
First up on this week's episode of Hoops Heaven's Basketball Hustle, Chris Pike and Damian Martin talk about the implications of the Western Australia borders no longer opening in early February both in terms of the impact on basketball, but also our personal lives.
We then get stuck into some basketball talk and talk about the rollercoaster Round 8 in the NBL for the Sydney Kings, the continued dominance of Melbourne United, the Cairns Taipans who continue to get games postponed and the Illawarra Hawks being called out by their coach Brian Goorjian.
We discuss the rest of the action we saw in Round 8 of the NBL before then awarding our winner of The Galen Award as the Best Team Man for this week and it's someone Damo doesn't hide his love of.
We really kick things up a gear next with Chris Pike and Damian Martin debating the all-time Perth Wildcats team and then selecting their 10 men they would pick for the 40th anniversary.
On the back of that, it's time for The Scoring Machine Shawn Redhage to drop by and he picks his own Wildcats 40-year anniversary team.
Damian Martin is then back to preview Round 9 and then we make a big announcement on the future of Hoops Heaven's Basketball Hustle and wrap things up for this week.
Made possible thanks to the support of Hoops Heaven (www.hoopsheaven.com.au) and TABtouch (www.tabtouch.com.au).
We are back with another episode of Hoops Heaven's Basketball Hustle with Chris Pike and Damian Martin looking at everything in #NBL22 and beyond along with being joined by Alex Loughton.
Just about regular transmission resumed in the NBL for Round 7 with six games for us to look back on in this week's show. But there were some big talking points to get stuck into first including the impact of COVID around the league, Matthew Dellavedova's stunning shooting performance on his way to 33 points and the struggles with the Sydney Kings.
Damian Martin not only gives some insights into the replacement import that he believes the Sydney Kings need, but why he likes the Brisbane Bullets big three of Nathan Sobey, Lamar Patterson and Robert Franks so much.
We then break down all the matches across Round 7 in #NBL22 with Damo giving particular insight into the Adelaide 36ers beating the Perth Wildcats, and the return of Sixers guard Sunday Dech for his first appearance of the NBL season.
We then also discuss why Melbourne United are looking to be the team to beat right now before announcing the winner of #TheGalen Award for this week as the NBL's Best Team Man.
It's then time for us to catch up with former 311-game NBL great Alex Loughton live from Cairns. We discuss everything from the COVID situation in Cairns, his family and across the league befoe taking a look at how the Cairns Taipans performed in their last game, their subsequent long layoff and now return to action this coming weekend.
We also discuss with Loughz his thoughts on the coaches he had in the NBL especially what he liked and didn't like with Aaron Fearne along with him giving his perspective on three things any good coach needs and also his opinion on why recruiters of young talent need to be looking for a basketball IQ and not just the physical gifts.
Loughz also gives his thoughts on what will and won't be working in Melbourne United's benefit this season, why he won't be taking Rob Beveridge's call to play for Boomers and plenty more.
We then wrap up the show by previewing a full Round 8 of action in the NBL.
Made possible thanks to the support of Hoops Heaven (www.hoopsheaven.com.au) and TABtouch (www.tabtouch.com.au).
As part of the Hoops Heaven's Basketball Hustle family, we bring you the TABtouch Preview looking ahead to the rest of Round 7 of the NBL season.
On top of our regular weekly episode of Hoops Heaven's Basketball Hustle, each week during the 2021/22 NBL season we'll be bringing you the TABtouch Preview hosted by three-time champion Matty Knight.
Matty will join Chris Pike to take a look at all the action upcoming in the round ahead of #NBL22 where he provides his insights, predictions and also tries to help you find a winner thanks to www.tabtouch.com.au.
This week's show sees us join Round 7 of #NBL22 right in the middle of it so we begin by reviewing Illawarra Hawks beating the Sydney Kings, Melbourne United defeating the New Zealand Breakers, the Brisbane Bullets winning over the South East Melbourne Phoenix, United downing the Hawks and then the Kings losing to the Breakers.
We talk about the COVID impact across the league, potential replacement players and then get stuck into the Tuesday night eagerly awaited match up between the Adelaide 36ers and Perth Wildcats to wrap up this episode.
We are back with another episode of Hoops Heaven's Basketball Hustle with Chris Pike and Damian Martin looking at everything in #NBL22 and beyond along with being joined by Adam Gibson.
Round 6 of the NBL only ended up having one game played but we break down that win for the New Zealand Breakers over the Brisbane Bullets with a Breakers big man named the winner of #TheGalen Award and also being talked about as a future NBA prospect.
Damian Martin also gives his thoughts on the situation between Breakers owner Matt Walsh and coach Dan Shamir before we discuss the COVID-related chaos across the league and how it's impacting teams, and who it might hurt or help the most along with a look at Rob Beveridge coaching the Australian Boomers.
We continue on this week's Hoops Heaven's Basketball Hustle by talking about Hoops Heaven's ambassadorship with Sami Whitcomb and work into more a discussion about the Perth Lynx, Brad Robbins and the WNBL in general.
Damian Martin gives his insights into Klay Thompson's return for the Golden State Warriors after two ruptured Achilles tendon injuries before we move into a preview of Round 7 in #NBL22.
During that preview, we are joined by two-time NBL champion and 460-game veteran Adam Gibson.
Damo and Gibbo start off by catching up and discussing the potential of Gibbo still play in this NBL season and what his plans are beyond that along with an update on the South East Melbourne Phoenix, Mitch Creek and COVID across the team and league.
After Damo races off, Gibbo stays for a chat about Anthony Petrie as NBL1 coach, his potential to play in the Boomers team next month, enjoying a break for the first time in forever over Christmas and New Year, and then he offers his insights for the rest of the Round 7 games and tells us how Adam Gibson 1 Basketball is going (www.adamgibson1.com).
Made possible thanks to the support of Hoops Heaven (www.hoopsheaven.com.au) and TABtouch (www.tabtouch.com.au).
There again might have been only two NBL games to look back on but no shortage of hot talking points for us to dissect on this week's Hoops Heaven's Basketball Hustle along with catch up with the Master Coach, Rob Beveridge.
Hosts Chris Pike and Damian Martin open up the show by discussing welcoming in the New Year and then taking a look at the history-making exploits of Josh Giddey as a rookie in the NBA with the Oklahoma City Thunder.
We stick with the NBA theme and take a look at Keifer Sykes with the Indiana Pacers, Cam Oliver with the Atlanta Hawks and Scotty Hopson to OKC. We also look at Brad Newley bizarrely having his draft rights traded from the LA Lakers to the New York Knicks.
Our focus then turns back onto #NBL22 and the two matches we saw in Round 5 with the Perth Wildcats beating the Cairns Taipans on New Year's Eve and then Melbourne United defeating the Tasmania JackJumpers on New Year's Day.
We then discuss the votes in #TheRedhage for the Redhage Basketball Player of the Year and announce this week's winner of the Hoops Heaven #TheGalen Best Team Man for Round 5.
Our guest for this week's show is then championship winning coach Rob Beveridge. We start off by discussing how a trip to Queensland was ruined by COVID and how he and his family are now in isolation.
We then get onto some basketball talk and discuss everything from Bevo's upcoming NZ NBL season with Southland Sharks and his championship mission, his thoughts on the NBL at the moment and especially putting his coaching hat on to take a look at the Adelaide 36ers, NZ Breakers and Tasmania JackJumpers.
It's a fascinating chat with one of the country's great basketball minds.
We then wrap up the show by look at the first import sacked this NBL season and who else might be on the chopping block along with Marshall Nelson joining the Cairns Taipans and who else might soon find themselves in the league.
We then preview Round 6 in the NBL and wrap up another jam packed show that we hope you all enjoy.
Made possible thanks to the support of Hoops Heaven (www.hoopsheaven.com.au) and TABtouch (www.tabtouch.com.au).
As part of the Hoops Heaven's Basketball Hustle family, we bring you the TABtouch Preview looking ahead to Round 5 of the NBL season.
On top of our regular weekly episode of Hoops Heaven's Basketball Hustle, each week during the 2021/22 NBL season we'll be bringing you the TABtouch Preview hosted by three-time champion Matty Knight.
Matty will join Chris Pike to take a look at all the action upcoming in the round ahead of #NBL22 where he provides his insights, predictions and also tries to help you find a winner thanks to www.tabtouch.com.au.
This week's show sees us catch up with Matty to find out what his thoughts are on all the chaos currently created by COVID, the lack of games we've got to look forward to in Round 5 and then looking ahead to the two matches we do have to preview.
Matty also reflects on who he thinks are the championship favourites and winning the MVP race right now as well as some Christmas and New Year discussion.
We might be short on NBL games right now but there are no shortage of big talking points across #NBL22 and the basketball world that we dig into on the latest Hoops Heaven's Basketball Hustle.
Hosts Chris Pike and Damian Martin open up the show by discussing the festive season and then getting in some basketball talk and the chaos created by COVID right now with the postponing of games right across the league.
We take a look at how it's impacting on each club and the long break it means several clubs will now have before their next game and who that could be a positive and negative on.
We then reflect back on the games we have seen since our last show including the Kings beating the JackJumpers, Tasmania then beating the New Zealand Breakers and Melbourne United scoring another win against Melbourne United.
It's then time for our guest for this episode and it's our old friend, The Scoring Machine Shawn Redhage.
Shawn lets us know a summer Christmas is like for him in Perth and gives an update on how Redhage Basketball is taking off, but there's plenty more to discuss including a big claim he makes about where he sees basketball getting to in Australia.
We then get Shawn's thoughts on the teams he has been impressed with so far this season, the teams that are struggling and what might be wrong at the Adelaide 36ers, and his early impressions of some of the imports across the league.
The discussion continues with Shawn and Damo offering their thoughts on the NBA potential of Luke Travers and we announce the latest winner of #TheGalen Award as the Best Team Man for Round 4 named in honour of the late, great Galen Young.
After our chat with The Scoring Machine, Damo offers his thoughts on the WNBL Integrity Breach involving UC Capitals coach Paul Goriss and referee Simon Cosier along with a look at the former NBL talents now getting a chance in the NBA before we take a look ahead to the two matches to come in Round 5 of the NBL season.
Made possible thanks to the support of Hoops Heaven (www.hoopsheaven.com.au) and TABtouch (www.tabtouch.com.au).
It's a jam packed Christmas episode of Hoops Heaven's Basketball Hustle where we breakdown another exciting and dramatic week in the NBL and speak to another former all-time great of the league for the first time, Alex Loughton.
Straight off the bat on this week's Hoops Heaven's Basketball Hustle, co-hosts Chris Pike and Damian Martin speak with 311-game NBL star, former Perth Wildcats big man and Cairns Taipans captain Alex Loughton.
Loughz provides his insights into how the Cairns Taipans are going early in the season including their big win over the Adelaide 36ers in Round 3. But it's a discussion about much more including his views on the big men in #NBL22 and then we do some reflecting on Loughz' career, talk about his post-basketball career, playing NBL1 North at Cairns Marlins, him joining the NBL television broadcast, and so much more.
Following that, Damo is back to breakdown everything we saw in Round 3 including a horror showing from the Sydney Kings but a worse one from the 36ers, the acting performance of Deng Deng, the shooting of Chris Goulding, returns of DJ Vasiljevic and Jack White, and a look at the potential of the three Wildcats imports.
Damo then gives his votes in the #TheDamo Award thanks to Everlast Drinks and we award another winner of #TheGalen before looking at Round 4 in the NBL and wrapping up our special Christmas edition.
Made possible thanks to the support of Hoops Heaven (www.hoopsheaven.com.au) and TABtouch (www.tabtouch.com.au).
As part of the Hoops Heaven's Basketball Hustle family, we bring you the TABtouch Preview looking ahead to Round 3 of the NBL season.
On top of our regular weekly episode of Hoops Heaven's Basketball Hustle, each week during the 2021/22 NBL season we'll be bringing you the TABtouch Preview hosted by three-time champion Matty Knight.
Matty will join Chris Pike to take a look at all the action upcoming in the round ahead of #NBL22 where he provides his insights, predictions and also tries to help you find a winner thanks to www.tabtouch.com.au.
This week's show sees us catch up with Matty to find out what his thoughts were on a dramatic Round 2 in the NBL, his insights and predictions for Round 3 and much more including him trying to keep his streak going of raising money for the Brain Cancer Foundation.
It's hard to imagine a more exciting and dramatic round in the NBL and we break it all down on this week's episode of Hoops Heaven's Basketball Hustle.
The NBL season caught fire in remarkable fashion in Round 2 with the Illawarra Hawks-Sydney Kings rivalry continuing, the Adelaide 36ers delivering a huge comeback win, the Perth Wildcats-Brisbane Bullets playing a double overtime thriller, but all the talk was around the Melbourne Throwdown.
South East Melbourne Phoenix beat Melbourne United but all the talk was around Mitch Creek dunking over Matthew Dellavedova, his celebration afterwards and then Mason Peatling coming in to flatten him. We break all that down on this week's show.
Not only that, Damian Martin gives his opinion on controversial comments towards Zhou Qi, Dean Vickerman's words on Kyle Adnam's defence and that's just one game!
Not only do we break down all the action from Round 2, but Damian Martin gives his votes in #TheDamo Best Defensive Player award thanks to Everlast Drinks, Shawn Redhage gives his votes in #TheRedhage Player of the Year and we announce the latest winner of #TheGalen Best Team Man.
It's then time for this week's guest and it's the one and only Adam Gibson. He talks about why he's not ready to call time after his 460-game, two-time championship winning playing career in the NBL. He also offers insights into the Phoenix-United clash on Sunday, his role at South East Melbourne, living with Mitch Creek, seeing Zhou Qi up close, not being signed by Tasmania JackJumpers and an update on Adam Gibson 1 Basketball Coaching (www.adamgibson1.com).
We then preview Round 3 in #NBL22 and look ahead to next week where we'll be joined by Alex Loughton.
Made possible thanks to the support of Hoops Heaven (www.hoopsheaven.com.au) and TABtouch (www.tabtouch.com.au).
As part of the Hoops Heaven's Basketball Hustle family, we bring you the TABtouch Preview looking ahead to Round 2 of the NBL season.
On top of our regular weekly episode of Hoops Heaven's Basketball Hustle, each week during the 2021/22 NBL season we'll be bringing you the TABtouch Preview hosted by three-time champion Matty Knight.
Matty will join Chris Pike to take a look at all the action upcoming in the round ahead of #NBL22 where he provides his insights, predictions and also tries to help you find a winner thanks to www.tabtouch.com.au.
This week's show sees us catch up with Matty to find out what life is like, what his thoughts are on this NBL season and what he made of the opening round action.
We then take a look at the Round 2 match ups with Matty predicting his winners and hoping to help you find a winner, and also raise some money for charity!
The first round of the 2021/22 NBL season is in the books and we are here to wrap it up on Hoops Heaven's Basketball Hustle along with a lot more including speaking to the one and only Rob Beveridge.
Co-hosts 'The Never Was' Chris Pike and 'The Has Been' Damian Martin are back to take a look back at the opening round of the #NBL22 season, with plenty to like from some clubs, concerns for others and we have it all covered.
We have three awards that we are running this season and Damian Martin starts things off by delivering his first lot of votes for #TheDamo Award for the Best Defensive Player.
We then run through the votes in #TheRedhage for the MVP on Hoops Heaven's Basketball Hustle and then we announce a brand new award, #TheGalen. It's named in honour of the late Galen Young and goes to the Best Team Man in the NBL this week.
It's then time for our special guest and for the first time this season we catch up with Master Coach Rob Beveridge. With a history with both co-hosts dating back well over a decade, it's a lot of fun catching up with the man still calling Wollongong home, who is about to head back to Perth to become head of basketball with the Rockingham Flames and who is still coaching the Southland Sharks in the NZ NBL.
It's a fascinating chat with a mix of serious basketball and life talk, and a bit of fun before Damian Martin is back to wrap up the show with his Round 2 preview and predictions.
Made possible thanks to the support of Hoops Heaven (www.hoopsheaven.com.au) and TABtouch (www.tabtouch.com.au).
We are back with the second episode of the third season of Hoops Heaven's Basketball Hustle just days away from the opening night of the 2021/22 NBL season.
NBL22 begins this Friday night and the #NBLBlitz has been run and won by the Adelaide leading into the opening round.
Chris Pike and Damian Martin are back with another episode of Hoops Heaven's Basketball Hustle to break down all the latest happenings in the NBL from the Blitz and leading into Round 1.
We are then joined by Perth Wildcats Legend, The Scoring Machine Shawn Redhage. We discuss everything from the growth of Redhage Basketball, celebrating Thanksgiving, what he made of the NBL Blitz, what his thoughts are coming into the NBL season and he provides all his season prediction.
Damian Martin is then back to reflect on his season predictions and to preview Round 1 this weekend highlighted by his TV appearance on Sunday with the Perth Wildcats hosting the Cairns Taipans.
Made possible thanks to the support of Hoops Heaven (www.hoopsheaven.com.au) and TABtouch (www.tabtouch.com.au).
We are back for a third season of Hoops Heaven's Basketball Hustle and there is plenty of ground to cover in this first episode a week out from the beginning of the #NBL22 season.
This season, Hoops Heaven's Basketball Hustle will be co-hosted by 'The Never Was' Chris Pike and 'The Has Been' Damian Martin. With the combination of a 15-year NBL writer and six-time NBL champion and six-time Best Defensive Player, we are looking forward to keeping you updated on everything happening in the 2021/22 NBL season.
We also announce our plans for Hoops Heaven's Basketball Hustle this season which will include Shawn Redhage, Rob Beveridge, Adam Gibson and Alex Loughton all being part of team. We will speak to each man once a month and rotate between them on each episode during the season.
We also take a close look at all 10 NBL clubs ahead of the #NBL22 season while both co-hosts put their necks on the line by making their predictions for the season ahead.
All made possible thanks to the support of Hoops Heaven (www.hoopsheaven.com.au) and TABtouch (www.tabtouch.com.au).
The #NBL21 season is done and we are here to wrap it all up on Hoops Heaven's Basketball Hustle along with looking at the coaching changes, free agency moves, the NBA Finals and of course, the Boomers campaign at the Tokyo Olympic Games.
The NBL season wrapped up with Melbourne United beating the Perth Wildcats 3-0 in the Grand Final Series and we wrap up that contest on Hoops Heaven's Basketball Hustle.
Starting with NBL Writer Chris Pike and The Scoring Machine Shawn Redhage, we breakdown the Grand Final Series and then transition into discussing the new ownership of the Perth Wildcats and talking about the legacy of Dr Jack Bendat with those talking speaking from first hand experience with him and the organisation.
It's then time to discuss the latest moves heading towards the 2022 season with Adam Forde named Cairns Taipans coach and Chase Buford coach of the Sydney Kings along with the early free agency moves headlined by Mitch McCarron joining the Adelaide 36ers.
It's then time to hear from three-time championship winning big man Matty Knight thanks to TABtouch. We discuss the Grand Final Series, the latest movements including at the Tasmania JackJumpers and he picks his Boomers team for the Olympics in Tokyo starting later this month.
The Scoring Machine Shawn Redhage is then back on deck to talk about the latest NBL player movements, to talk about the Boomers' Olympics squad and then to discuss his excitement over the Phoenix Suns reaching the NBA Finals.
Grand Final edition of Hoops Heaven Basketball Hustle and we have all of the latest from the NBL and basketball world with Shawn Redhage, Damian Martin and Matty Knight.
Chris Pike and The Scoring Machine Shawn Redhage open up this week's show by discussing the opening two games of the #NBL21 Grand Final Series between Melbourne United and the Perth Wildcats. We discuss the injuries to hit the Wildcats, the impressiveness of United and breakdown what happened in those opening two games.
Shawn Redhage then offers his thoughts on the potential new owners of the Perth Wildcats and whether he'd be in favour or not before he takes a look at the dramas surrounding Ben Simmons and the Australian Boomers for the Tokyo Olympics.
The Scoring Machine also picks his final 12 for the Boomers team before it's time to hear from Damian Martin thanks to Boomering.
Damo talks about being courtside for the NBL Grand Final Series at RAC Arena and breaks down what he saw in the opening two games, and what he expects to happen the rest of the series.
Damo also talks about Cairns Taipans superstar Scott Machado playing in the NBL1 West competition at the Mandurah Magic and offers his own thoughts on the Ben Simmons Olympics situation.
It's then time for the TABtouch Preview with Matty Knight for this week. The three-time championship winning big man casts his eye over the Grand Final Series as well and offers his prediction of he thinks it's all over after Game 3.
He also talks about who he'd like to see sign at the Tasmania JackJumpers and much more.
The Scoring Machine Shawn Redhage is then back to announce our Hoops Heaven MVP winner for #NBL21, to talk about his excitement around the Phoenix Suns in the NBA and then we wrap up a jam packed episode.
It's a special Grand Final Preview episode of Hoops Heaven's Basketball Hustle and who better to look ahead to the NBL decider with than two men with nine championships between them, Matty Knight and Damian Martin.
This week's Hoops Heaven Basketball Hustle begins with Chris Pike joined by the defensive legend himself Damian Martin and we look back on the two semi-final series that saw the Perth Wildcats beat the Illawarra Hawks, and Melbourne United overcome South East Melbourne Phoenix.
We then take a look at the NBL Awards handed out during the week with Damian Martin casting his keen eye over all those and giving his opinion before he finishes up preview the Grand Final Series between Melbourne United and Perth Wildcats, including the late breaking new that Luke Travers won't be there for Perth in Game 1.
It's then time for the TABtouch Preview with Matty Knight. He starts off looking back also on the semi-final series and the NBL Awards before giving the best and biggest NBL Grand Final preview you are going to find. He gives a unique perspective and especially is looking forward to seeing if the Wildcats have an answer for Jock Landale.
It's a fascinating discussion and breakdown of what's to come in the Grand Final with Matty Knight on the TABtouch Preview as we wrap up another week of Hoops Heaven Basketball Hustle.
Huge episode of Hoops Heaven's Basketball Hustle as we preview the NBL Finals, announce our winners of the MVP and #TheDamo awards and it's all dedicated to the late Galen Young.
This is an emotional Hoops Heaven's Basketball Hustle in tribute to 2010 Perth Wildcats NBL championship winner Galen Young. The 45-year-old was a special guest on the show in 2020, is a championship teammate of Shawn Redhage and Damian Martin, and shared a bond with co-host Chris Pike. There was only one way to start this week's show and that to discuss Galen's memory and talk about his tragic passing.
But we had to move on with business and The Scoring Machine talked about the last round of the #NBL21 season which saw Melbourne United, Perth Wildcats, Illawarra Hawks and South East Melbourne Phoenix finish in the top four positions. Shawn Redhage also gives his votes in the MVP Award for Round 21.
We also discuss the coaching vacancies now with Adam Forde leaving the Sydney Kings, Andrej Lemanis finishing at the Brisbane Bullets and Mike Kelly given his marching orders from the Cairns Taipans.
Next up is #TheDamo Award with Damian Martin thanks to Boomering. Damo reflects on the life of Galen Young and previews the semi finals, but this segment is all about him announcing his winner of the Best Defensive Player for #NBL21.
Following that is time for the TABtouch Preview with three-time NBL championship winning big man Matty Knight to give you your best preview of the two semi-final contests upcoming over the next week.
We then finish off the show with Shawn Redhage announcing our Hoops Heaven MVP Award winner for the season.
He also pays tribute to new Perth Redbacks games record holder Joel Wagner before we wrap up the show on the eve of the NBL Finals.
All made possible thanks to Hoops Heaven, TABtouch and Boomering.
We are back on Hoops Heaven's Basketball Hustle for the best and most detailed look you will get at the finish to the #NBL21 regular season over the coming days.
There might be no Scoring Machine Shawn Redhage joining Chris Pike on this week's show, but we're sure that you will accept his replacement in six-time NBL champions and six-time NBL Best Defensive Player Damian Martin.
There is plenty of ground for us to cover and we get underway with Damian Martin providing his first reaction to the news that Bryce Cotton has ruled himself out of being any chance of a miracle return for the Perth Wildcats.
We then get Damian Martin's insight into the Friday night clash between the Perth Wildcats and Melbourne United which will go a long way to deciding top spot on the NBL ladder.
We then take a look at the massive Saturday double-header with the New Zealand Breakers hosting the South East Melbourne Phoenix before the Sydney Kings and Brisbane Bullets battle. These two games could decide the fourth team to reach the finals and Damo let's you know who he expects to win and to make it.
We then take a look at Melbourne playing the Adelaide 36ers on Sunday with Damo giving his thoughts on the season of the Sixers, and why he is excited for the future of Josh Giddey.
The last game for us to look at is then on Tuesday between the Bullets and Phoenix.
The legend himself Damian Martin breaks down how he sees the final few games of the season playing out, and who he expects to play finals.
We then discuss the three outgoing coaches Adam Forde, Andrej Lemanis and Mike Kelly, and why the firing of Kelly from the Taipans wasn't necessarily what surprised Damian Martin the most.
We then look ahead to the announcement of the winner of #TheDamo Award next week thanks to Boomering before the TABtouch Preview wraps up another big episode of Hoops Heaven's Basketball Hustle.
We are back! After a bit of an unexpected hiatus we are back with Hoops Heaven's Basketball Hustle and there is so much for us to catch you up on in the world of the NBL!
NBL Writer Chris Pike and the legendary Scoring Machine Shawn Redhage are back with Hoops Heaven's Basketball Hustle to catch up on everything happening in #NBL21 and to gear up for a big finish to the season.
We open up our return episode by breaking down the big talking points right now with Shawn Redhage declaring what the signing of Will Magnay means for the Perth Wildcats and the same with David Andersen for Melbourne United.
We take a look at the race for top spot and then the battle over third and fourth, and also take a look at the remarkable performances of Josh Giddey and his three triple-doubles in the next four games as he looks ahead to the NBA Draft.
We then breakdown the Round 17 NBL results and also take a look at the first four games of Round 18 before we go in depth on catching up on what's happening all nine clubs and there prospects for the last three weeks of the season.
The big discussion points include Bryce Cotton's shooting slump, Andrej Lemanis departing the Brisbane Bullets and plenty more.
It's then time for the TABtouch Preview as we break down the rest of the games in NBL Round 18 and then finish off talking about Cam Oliver and Didi Louzada's presence straight from the NBL into the NBA.
It's another huge episode of Hoops Heaven's Basketball Hustle with Shawn Redhage breaking down everything happening in #NBL21 and Damian Martin back with #TheDamo Award thanks to Boomering.
There's so much to talk about in the world of NBL coming off Round 13 of the 2021 season and with Round 14 having already got underway as we go to air.
Co-hosts Chris Pike and The Scoring Machine Shawn Redhage are with you to break it all down including taking a loo at the heroics of Bryce Cotton for the Perth Wildcats, that made free-throw that was costly from William McDowell-White for the New Zealand Breakers and the string of injuries to the likes of DJ Vasiljevic, Jack White, Tai Webster, Vic Law and others.
The Scoring Machine then takes us through his latest votes in the Hoops Heaven Player of the Year award before Damian Martin is back with the latest in the Best Defensive Player award thanks to Boomering.
It's then time for the TABtouch Preview as we take a close look at the rest of the Round 14 matches to come in the #NBL21 season.
Matty Knight and Damian Martin step into the void of Shawn Redhage on this week's Hoops Heaven's Basketball Hustle to discuss all of the big news currently surrounding the NBL.
It's a bit of a change in format to this week's Hoops Heaven's Basketball Hustle with the unavailability of The Scoring Machine Shawn Redhage opening the door for an even bigger role for both Damian Martin and Matty Knight.
First up is Damian Martin and we begin by discussing the results from Round 12 of #NBL21 and why he believes it's going to be hard to see the top four change for the rest of this season.
It's then time to tackle some of the NBL's biggest current issues starting with Adam Forde's outburst post-match in Perth in last week about the officiating. That saw him cop a fine but Damo has some interesting insights into the whole situation on how he sees things now, how he saw it as a Wildcats player and then as an opposition player.
We then talk about the Perth Wildcats and their eight-game winning streak and Melbourne United's five-game winning run, but also what they need to do now that Jack White has gone down with a ruptured Achilles.
Next up and Damo discusses the Brisbane Bullets who now have welcomed back Lamar Patterson but have lost Vic Law before looking at the Illawarra Hawks and their challenging roster decision now that Daniel Grida is back healthy and playing.
Damo also offers his thoughts on the growth of Josh Giddey ahead of the NBA Draft and the similarities he sees with LaMelo Ball from last year.
Damian Martin then provides an update on #TheDamo Best Defensive Player Award thanks to Boomering. This week it was a couple of impressive big man who grab his attention for the votes.
We then welcome Matty Knight to the show for an extended TABtouch Preview.
Matty gives his thoughts on the opening to Round 13 with the Bullets beating the Hawks before he casts his expert eye over the rest of the games to come this week in the NBL.
Not only that but Matty gives some forthright opinions on why he felt Adam Forde was harshly treated by the NBL and gives his own thoughts on the officiating while also updating us on why he's in Melbourne right now with the WA Country Team for the National Under-18s Championships.
All that and plenty more brought to you by Hoops Heaven (www.hoopsheaven.com.au), TABtouch (www.tabtouch.com.au) and Boomering (www.boomering.com.au).
There seems to be more and more to talk about in the NBL world each week and we've got it all covered here on another jam packed episode of Hoops Heaven's Basketball Hustle starring Shawn Redhage and Damian Martin.
The two Perth Wildcats legends join together to bring you this week's Hoops Heaven's Basketball Hustle alongside NBL Writer Chris Pike and there is plenty of ground to cover.
We start off looking back on Round 11 in the NBL with The Scoring Machine breaking down the results and the way he sees the #NBL21 season shaping up so far.
We then get stuck into some of the hot topics including the Perth Wildcats. What's making them so good, what are the Trevor Gleeson trademarks, players like Clint Steindl, Luke Travers and Corey Shervill stepping up, and Shawn offers his thoughts on if they need another import if it becomes an option
We then discuss Melbourne United's stifling defence and then the use of Brandon Paul at the Adelaide 36ers by Conner Henry and also whether the Brisbane Bullets should have kept Orlando Johnson until Lamar Patterson was healthy.
The New Zealand Breakers are up next and we couldn't be more impressed with their fighting spirit before we update the leaderboard on the Hoops Heaven Player of the Year Award.
It's then time for The Damo Award thanks to Boomering and the NBL's all-time greatest defender casts his votes again on the Best Defensive Player while also looking ahead to the game he'll be shortly courtside for on the microphone between the Perth Wildcats and Sydney Kings.
We then have the TABtouch Preview to look ahead to Round 12 in the NBL before a big finish as we discuss the the hot topics of South East Melbourne Phoenix reinstating Mitch Creek, health scare for Alex Pledger and Mika Vukona joining the Tasmania JackJumpers.
This is a Hoops Heaven's Basketball Hustle you don't want to miss with the insights from three NBL champions Shawn Redhage, Matty Knight and Damian Martin that you can't get anywhere else and it's all thanks to Hoops Heaven, TABtouch and Boomering.
This week's show takes a look at the last round in the NBL with unique insights from the birds eye view of Shawn for the Perth Wildcats game against the Cairns Taipans and then Damian Martin who oversaw the Wildcats take on the Adelaide 36ers.
Hoops Heaven's Basketball Hustle gets underway with The Scoring Machine breaking down Round 10 of #NBL21 and why he already feels like the NBL season could be down to six clubs vying for finals positions.
Shawn then offers his thoughts on why the Wildcats are playing so well as a team and turn our attention to the greatness that is Bryce Cotton.
Redhage also offers insights into what's happening with the Cairns Taipans and if Brian Goorjian deserves to be unhappy with the treatment of the Illawarra Hawks this season.
We then get an update on the Hoops Heaven Player of the Year Award with Shawn Redhage's votes from the last two weeks.
Next up and it's time for #TheDamo Best Defensive Player Award thanks to Boomering. Damian Martin gives his thoughts on the best defensive performances again but it's also a fascinating insight into his thoughts on how the Adelaide 36ers are using Brandon Paul, how much he's willing to tell the TV audience and plenty more.
We then move onto the TABtouch Preview with Matty Knight. The three-time NBL champion breaks down the Round 11 games in the NBL games and gives his views and predictions as he prepares to lead the WA State Country team to the National Championships.
The Scoring Machine is then back with his Round 11 tips, thoughts on catching up with Brian Goorjian and we say farewell for another episode.
So much happening in the NBL world as we prepare to return to the regular season and we have it all covered on this episode of Hoops Heaven's Basketball Hustle.
Co-hosts Chris Pike and Shawn Redhage talk all the hot topics in the NBL right now and breakdown the NBL Cup but Damian Martin is back with The Damo Award thanks to Boomering and we have the TABtouch Preview of Round 10 as well.
This episode gets underway with a look at the conclusion of the NBL Cup that saw the Perth Wildcats prevail to win the inaugural trophy ahead of the South East Melbourne Phoenix and Brisbane Bullets.
The Scoring Machine offers his thoughts on what he liked and didn't like about the NBL Cup and offers his views on what he'd like to see moving forward to make it an annual event.
We also breakdown that remarkable comeback from the Wildcats against the 36ers and then turn our attention to the big news around the NBL.
Shawn Redhage offers his views on Lamar Patterson's release from the New Zealand Breakers to rejoin the Brisbane Bullets, provides his feedback on a suggestion about Orlando Johnson's potential future and then we discuss the unfortunate situation involving Mitch Creek and what it means for the South East Melbourne Phoenix.
It's then time to take a deep breath for this week's The Damo Award with Damian Martin thanks to Boomering. The NBL's greatest ever defender had some unique votes for Best Defensive Player award this week while offering insights into the NBL Cup and what lies ahead for the rest of #NBL21.
The Scoring Machine is then back for the TABtouch Preview this week as we take a look at all the Round 10 match ups in the NBL.
It's all made possible thanks to Hoops Heaven (www.hoopsheaven.com.au), TABtouch (www.tabtouch.com.au) and Boomering (www.boomering.com.au).
We are now entering the final week at the NBL Cup with the trophy and prizemoney on the line and we dissect it all on Hoops Heaven's Basketball Hustle while Damian Martin is back with The Damo Boomering Award and we'll have the TABtouch Preview with Matty Knight.
NBL Writer Chris Pike and five-time NBL champion The Scoring Machine Shawn Redhage are back with another edition of Hoops Heaven's Basketball Hustle and it all begins with discussions around what we are seeing in the NBL Cup in Melbourne.
First off we discuss Tom Abercrombie's stunning game winner for the New Zealand Breakers against the Cairns Taipans with Shawn providing some unique insight into a man he went to war with on plenty of occasions.
We then discuss the efforts of the South East Melbourne Phoenix to win while severely undermanned and dissect the struggles of both the Cairns Taipans and Illawarra Hawks.
Shawn talks about whether or not Melbourne United needs a second import and discusses the remarkable form of Nathan Sobey and how much it's influence from his Boomers snub.
We then provide an update on our Hoops Heaven Player of the Year award and we have a new leader.
It's then time for the Boomering Damian Martin Best Defensive Player Award with the NBL's all-time greatest defender breaking down what he's seeing at the NBL Cup, updating his leaderboard and previewing Sunday Dech's challenge against Nathan Sobey and Bryce Cotton.
We then move straight into the TABtouch Preview with triple NBL champion Matty Knight breaking down and previewing the rest of the action at the NBL Cup for us.
It's then back with Shawn Redhage to wrap up the show and to give his thoughts on the finish to the NBL Cup and also final thoughts on the New Zealand Breakers.
We are back for another episode of Hoops Heaven's Basketball Hustle smack bang in the middle of the NBL Cup and The Scoring Machine breaks it all down while we have The Damo Award thanks to Boomering as usual and the TABtouch Preview with Matty Knight.
With so much NBL action happening on the court in Melbourne at the NBL Cup, there's plenty for us to breakdown on Hoops Heaven's Basketball Hustle and the legendary Scoring Machine Shawn Redhage runs his rule over how things are shaping up.
He takes a look at the struggles of the Adelaide 36ers, sees some hope in the Cairns Taipans, still rates the Illawarra Hawks, is impressed by Bryce Cotton and John Mooney at the Perth Wildcats, likes Melbourne United and was buoyed by the New Zealand Breakers revival.
He also provides his thoughts on what Ryan Broekhoff and Brandon Paul will provide to their respective teams before providing his votes for Round 7 in the Hoops Heaven Player of the Year Award.
It's then time for The Damo Award as we present the Boomering Best Defensive Player with Damian Martin. He provides his votes for Round 7 while also discussing what he's enjoying seeing right now and looking ahead to finding out if Justin Simon can put the clamps on Bryce Cotton.
We then move into the TABtouch Preview with Matty Knight as the triple NBL champion talks about what he is seeing at the NBL Cup and then provides his insights and selections for the way the rest of Round 8 in #NBL21 is going to play out.
The Scoring Machine is then back with his thoughts on the weekend's action, the court decals situation and then looks forward to the resumption of the regular NBL season in two weeks in front of big crowds.
The NBL Cup is underway and we are back with the latest episode of Hoops Heaven's Basketball Hustle and it's another packed show with Shawn Redhage breaking everything down along with #TheDamo from Boomering and TABtouch Preview with Matty Knight.
The NBL Cup is now underway after the first 8 games in 4 days and all of that is broken down by the one and only Scoring Machine Shawn Redhage. He gives his thoughts on what he's liked about the NBL Cup so far, who has impressed him and what's stood out to him.
We then discuss his thoughts on Bryce Cotton's performance that he likened to Michael Jordan's famous flu game in the NBA Finals and then also talks about his Australian citizenship taking a step forward and what it means for him and the Perth Wildcats.
Talk then turns to key injuries to Lamar Patterson, Majok Deng and Jarell Martin with Shawn offering some thoughts on the plight of the New Zealand Breakers.
It's then time for Shawn to provide his votes in the Hoops Heaven Player of the Year award as things tighten up on the leaderboard.
Next up and it's #TheDamo Award as Boomering presents the Best Defensive Player from Damian Martin. We discuss his thoughts on the NBL Cup so far, why he is so excited about it and then we get his latest votes in the award named in his honour.
It's then time for the TABtouch Preview with Matty Knight. The three-time NBL champion breaks down all of the games coming up in the NBL Cup while also talking about how hungry he is to raise money for charity thanks to TABtouch after Shawn Redhage got off the mark last week.
The Scoring Machine is then back to wrap up the show and to turn the spotlight on Didi Louzada.
Another cracking episode of Hoops Heaven's Basketball Hustle with a wrap of the first five #NBL21 rounds, look ahead to the NBL Cup and of course the Player of the Year votes, #TheDamo thanks to Boomering and TABtouch Preview with Matty Knight.
So much to cover on this week's show and it all starts with hosts Chris Pike and Shawn Redhage looking back on the opening five rounds of the season as all nine clubs prepare to enter Melbourne for the NBL Cup. Who is well placed, who is in trouble and how things are shaping up.
We then talk about some of the big news of the week highlighted by Ryan Broekhoff signing with the South East Melbourne Phoenix and the Adelaide 36ers signing new import Brandon Paul, and what that means for the NBL.
We then discuss another hot topic and that is the court decals and The Scoring Machine provides some unique insight from his playing career before we turn our attention to the votes in the Hoops Heaven Player of the Year Award.
It's then time for #TheDamo Award with Damian Martin back to present the Boomering Best Defensive Player Award. He provides his latest votes for the best defenders in Round 5 while also providing some of his stories from life and basketball that make him one of Australia's all-time favourite athletes.
Next up and it's the TABtouch Preview for another week with Matty Knight on board to take a look at the NBL Cup, run his rule over the eight matches over the space of four days and make some bold predictions.
The Scoring Machine is then back to offer his own insight into the NBL Cup as we sign off for another week on Hoops Heaven's Basketball Hustle.
It's all made possible thanks to Hoops Heaven (www.hoopsheaven.com.au), Boomering (www.boomering.com.au) and TABtouch (www.tabtouch.com.au).
Plenty happening in the NBL world and we have it all covered on Hoops Heaven's Basketball Hustle as Shawn Redhage breaks down all the latest in #NBL21 while Damian Martin presents #TheDamo thanks to Boomering and Matty Knight is on board to provide the TABtouch Preview.
The Writer Chris Pike and The Scoring Machine Shawn Redhage are back as hosts of Hoops Heaven's Basketball Hustle. This week's show all begins with talking about the latest happening in the NBL including Adelaide 36ers' import change, Melbourne United's charge led by a Japanese sensation, the Hawks getting back their Illawarra name and the latest on how Lamar Patterson and Scotty Hopson are performing.
The Scoring Machine then presents his votes in the Hoops Heaven Player of the Year award for Round 4 before breaking down the results from the previous week in a bit more detail and then taking a close look at the Perth Wildcats and the extra support Bryce Cotton requires.
It's then time for this week's #TheDamo award as Damian Martin presents the Boomers Best Defensive Player award. The NBL's best defender all-time provides his votes for Round 4 and offers his insights into the defensive performances he's seeing, and how his first season in retirement is treating him.
It's then time for the TABtouch Preview with three-time NBL champion Matty Knight breaking down all the games to come in Round 5 and trying to help you find a winner.
It's then back to The Scoring Machine who offers some insight into record-setting Perth Wildcats coach Trevor Gleeson and the upcoming NBL Cup as we sign off for another week.
It's all brought to you by Hoops Heaven (www.hoopsheaven.com.au), Boomering (www.boomering.com.au) and TABtouch (www.tabtouch.com.au).
Another jam packed episode of Hoops Heaven's Basketball Hustle as we look back on Round 3 in the NBL, update our Player of the Year voting, get the latest votes for #TheDamo from the man himself, TABtouch Preview with Matty Knight and that's just the tip of the iceberg.
Hoops Heaven's Basketball Hustle is brought to you once again by co-hosts, The Writer Chris Pike and The Scoring Machine Shawn Redhage.
Talk begins with all the hot topics of #NBL21 right including reaction to the Perth Wildcats loss at home, the 'Cats hitting the road for two months, the struggles of Scotty Hopson and Lamar Patterson, Cairns Taipans being 1-5 now, the Sydney Kings injury woes and then the league's dynamic duos - Humphries/Giddey, Law/Sobey, Harvey/Jessup.
The Scoring Machine then provides his votes in the Hoops Heaven Player of the Year award for another week and we have a new leader with Adelaide big man Isaac Humphries taking over at the top of the leaderboard from Tyler Harvey at the Hawks.
It's then time for the #TheDamo for another week proudly brought to you by Boomering. Damian Martin gives his votes in the Damian Martin Best Defensive Player award for Round 3 while also having a chat about the Wildcats and a host of other topics.
We then move straight into our TABtouch Preview for Round 4 with three-time NBL champion Matty Knight. We discuss the Tasmania JackJumpers and lockdown life with four kids before getting all his thoughts on the round ahead.
We are then back with The Scoring Machine as the Beijing Olympian runs his rule of the 24-man Boomers squad named for Tokyo before he offers his Round 4 tips and we wrap up another packed episode.
All made possible by TABtouch (www.tabtouch.com.au), Boomering (www.boomering.com.au) and of course, Hoops Heaven (www.hoopsheaven.com.au).
We will be providing interviews with basketball's biggest names through bonus episodes this year on Hoops Heaven's Basketball Hustle and we are starting off with the NBL's most experienced current player, Adam Gibson.
Hoops Heaven's Basketball Hustle is now jam packed each week of the #NBL21 season with co-hosts Chris Pike and Shawn Redhage breaking down everything going on while Damian Martin provides a recap of each round along with announcing #TheDamo votes each week for the Best Defensive Player.
TABtouch is proudly on board to raise money for charity too pitting Shawn Redhage against Matty Knight with their multi bet selections of the week on top of providing the round previews.
That means in order to bring you the interviews you enjoyed so much in the first season, we will be delivering them as bonus episodes and we couldn't be happier with our first instalment.
Adam Gibson is the most experienced player in the current NBL as he inches closer towards his 450th game.
He sat down with Chris Pike during South East Melbourne Phoenix's recent stay in Perth to discuss why he was able to start this season so well, how he dealt with a whole month on the road and why he is enjoying his current teammates and coach so much.
We also discuss his future plans, his NBL Podcast and then he catches up with former Boomers teammate and long-time rival Damian Martin. The pair reconnect for the first time since Damo's retirement in a fascinating chat between two men whose careers intersected in so many ways.
Basketball Hustle is made possible thanks to Hoops Heaven (www.hoopsheaven.com.au), TABtouch (www.tabtouch.com.au) and Boomering (www.boomering.com.au).
Latest Hoops Heaven's Basketball Hustle and we've found our groove for the #NBL21 season and this week's sees Chris Pike and Shawn Redhage joined by Damian Martin for his #TheDamo Defensive Player Award and Matty Knight is on board for the TABtouch Preview
Hoops Heaven's Basketball Hustle opens up this week with co-hosts Chris Pike and Shawn Redhage breaking down all the latest happenings in the NBL including the on-fire Hawks, struggling Taipans, Lamar Patterson's troubles, Perth Wildcats opener and the spectacular Cam Oliver.
The Scoring Machine then announces his Player of the Week winner for Round 2 and provides his latest votes in the Hoops Heaven's Player of the Year award.
Damian Martin then joins the show for the first instalment of #TheDamo Best Defensive Player award. Damo provides his votes for the first two rounds of the NBL season while also giving insight into what it was like to receive a standing RAC Arena ovation as he raised the Perth Wildcats championship banner and more.
This week's TABtouch Preview is hosted by three-time NBL champion Matty Knight who breaks down all the action ahead in Round 3 while providing his expert tips and gives an update on what his life is like in retirement.
The co-hosts are then back together to close the show with Shawn Redhage giving his thoughts on NBL Round 3 as he we look at what's ahead and wrap up another jam packed show.
Special birthday episode of Hoops Heaven's Basketball Hustle this week as we review Round 1 of the NBL, announce our Player of the Week, give Player of the Year votes, conduct the TABtouch preview and that's just the beginning.
The third edition of our second season of Hoops Heaven's Basketball Hustle just happens to fall on a very special birthday for The Scoring Machine Shawn Redhage. He celebrates his 40th birthday by sitting down to provide another episode here of the show wrapping up everything happening in #NBL21.
First up on this episode and we discuss what stood out in Round 1 which included a double overtime Adelaide-South East Melbourne cracker, a Taipans-Kings thriller and for Shawn, it was The Hawks that were the most exciting part of the opening week's action.
Shawn then announces our first Player of the Week winner and it's no surprise he comes from The Hawks before we also give our first lot of votes in Player of the Year voting before giving a full breakdown of how each game unfolded.
It's then time for the TABtouch Preview and Damian Martin drops by with the Perth Wildcats legend having gone through his first official week of an NBL season since retirement.
The six-time champion offers his insights and preview of Round 2 of the NBL season before he and Shawn make their first multi-bet selections thanks to TABtouch to raise money for their charities this season.
We then wrap up the show by celebrating the 40th birthday of Shawn Redhage and it's all brought to you again by Hoops Heaven (www.hoopsheaven.com.au).
The NBL season for 2021 is now finally upon us and what better way to get yourself ready than the first episode of Hoops Heaven's Basketball Hustle for the New Year!
Basketball writer Chris Pike and Perth Wildcats NBL legend Shawn Redhage are back for their second season of the show and will talk about all the latest news in the basketball world to start off the show before a breakdown on all the NBL clubs heading into the new season and then they are joined by six-time NBL champion Damian Martin to offer full season predictions and their thoughts on Round 1 of the season.
It's all proudly brought to you by Hoops Heaven (www.hoopsheaven.com.au) and TABtouch (www.tabtouch.com.au).
We are back for a second season of Hoops Heaven's Basketball Hustle and just in time for Christmas we are bringing our listeners a very special return episode as we move towards the 2021 NBL season!
The Writer Chris Pike and The Scoring Machine Shawn Redhage are back for a second season of Basketball Hustle and once again it is all made possible through the fantastic support of Hoops Heaven (www.hoopsheaven.com.au).
Our return episode sees us catch up on what's been happening in between our last show of Season 1 and now before our attention turns to all the big news in the NBL heading into the 2021 season beginning on January 10.
We talk fixtures, the NBL Cup to be played in a Melbourne hub and then Shawn gives his thoughts on Melbourne United's impressive signings, feeling for the New Zealand Breakers, how the Perth Wildcats stack up and then some of the big names who aren't returning for #NBL21.
It's then time for our special guest and it's six-time NBL champion, six-time Best Defensive Player, real estate mogul, marriage celebrant and father of two Damian Martin who joins us. And it won't be the only time on Hoops Heaven's Basketball Hustle. We discuss the regular role he'll play on the show and then we chat retirement, his career, infamous secret santa's with the Wildcats and so much more.
We then wrap up the show with an update on our plans for 2021, an update on Redhage Basketball and Shawn's plans for the future, and then of course we say Merry Christmas to you all!
We are back with another off-season episode of Hoops Heaven's Basketball Hustle and once again, just because there's no basketball action on the court, that doesn't mean there isn't a lot for us to talk about as evidence by this packed show with a very special guest.
Basketball Writer Chris Pike and Perth Wildcats NBL Legend Shawn Redhage are back again for another Hoops Heaven's Basketball Hustle and begin the show tackling all the hot recent news in the game including Brian Goorjian named coach at the Hawks, the new owners of the Hawks as they now look to call Illawarra, Canberra and Newcastle home, the retirement of Kevin Lisch, discussion about Andrew Bogut's future, latest on the Perth Wildcats after Bryce Cotton's re-signing, the Cairns Taipans future uncertain thanks to a redevelopment of Cairns Convention Centre and also the appointment of Ryan Petrik as Perth Lynx WNBL coach.
Then it's time for our special guest for this episode and it's four-time championship winning centre from the New Zealand Breakers, and most recently Melbourne United big man Alex Pledger.
It's an open and honest Alex who joins us as we discuss how he's handled dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic while still living in Melbourne and he talks about entering free agency and his willingness to still move to play anywhere if the situation was right to continue his NBL career.
We also chat about reflecting on winning four titles at the Breakers and then dealing with having to leave and find a new home, his bond with Dean Vickerman and his passion for representing the Tall Blacks which will always remain a priority and source of pride for him.
We also discuss the on-going frustration of the lack of funding provided to basketball in New Zealand despite the impressive growth of the sport and we also get Alex's recollections of Shawn Redhage as an opponent and plenty more in a fascinating discussion.
We then wrap up the show with Shawn providing his thoughts on the SBL replacement West Coast Classic and whether he'll be playing for the Perry Lakes Hawks or not, the proposed NBL start date of December 3 and the NBA attempting to restart at Disneyland.
This is all made possible thanks to the support of Hoops Heaven. Check out their new, renovated store on Murray Street in the Perth City or check them out at www.hoopsheaven.com.au for all of the basketball gear you could ever imagine. Please support those who support us!
Next up on Hoops Heaven's Basketball Hustle is a fascinating conversation with Illawarra Hawks 310-game NBL stalwart Tim Coenraad.
As we keep saying, it might be the NBL off-season but there remains plenty to talk about and this week's guest provides plenty of evidence of that as he catches up with NBL Writer Chris Pike and Perth Wildcats legend, The Scoring Machine Shawn Redhage.
There is so much covered in the discussion starting off with the constant rejection Coenraad received early in his career before finding a college home and then even from a rival NBL coach before settling at the then Wollongong Hawks.
Coenraad then talks about what an honour it was to him to play for Australia with the Boomers and the shock he had when some players turned down the chance, and why he gained an enormous amount of respect for Mitch Creek.
He also talks playing 3x3 basketball for Australia and gives an impassioned plea for Basketball Australia to rethink their decision to not fund the teams playing in the Asia Cup which can provide automatic World Cup qualification.
Coenraad then discusses the current ownership situation with the Illawarra Hawks and also provides an update on his own situation. He is currently out of contract and while he'd love to stay at the Hawks, is prepared to go anywhere to continue his NBL career because he has no doubt he still has plenty left to give.
Coenraad also goes on to talk about his impressions of LaMelo Ball, the growth of the NBL during his career and why the Perth Wildcats will also be his fiercest rivals in the league.
Who says there's an off-season! We might have more to talk about than ever on this edition of Hoops Heaven's Basketball Hustle as we bring you all the latest NBL and basketball news, and a very special interview.
The Writer Chris Pike and The Scoring Machine Shawn Redhage are back with another episode and open up discussing 'The Last Dance' documentary featuring Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls that has taken the world by storm with its 10 episodes.
Talk then turns to the latest NBL news including the clouded future of the Illawarra Hawks and the latest player news for #NBL21 including Shawn's thoughts on the chances of Bryce Cotton and Nick Kay remaining in Perth, and where Harry Froling might prove a good fit.
It's then time for our special interview and it's Chicago-native Andre Brown who drops by for a fascinating, in-depth discussion. He looks back on a remarkable career that included becoming a DePaul University Hall of Famer, playing 75 games in the NBA and playing with distinction in Italy, South Korea, Mongolia and indeed Australia in the NBL at the Perth Wildcats where he ended up replacing Shawn Redhage for the remainder of the 2010/11 season.
Andre has some fascinating insights into 'The Last Dance' documentary from the viewpoint of someone from Chicago while also offering an update on what COVID-19 has been like for him and his family in Florida as well as where life has taken him in the nine years since his stint in Perth.
He has plenty of fond memories and terrific stories to share about his time in Perth as well, along with some sage advice he received from Juwan Howard about playing overseas and even talks about being father now to a newborn son and a teenage daughter who has graduated high school.
Chris and Shawn then return to discuss the cancellation of the SBL season in WA and The Scoring Machine then finishes up by announcing the toughest team he has played against, and has a final statement to make about Michael Jordan.
The latest edition of Hoops Heaven's Basketball Hustle is a very special chat with Brisbane Bullets star, and Australian Boomers World Cup member Cam Gliddon.
Hoops Heaven Basketball Hustle co-hosts The Writer Chris Pike and The Scoring Machine Shawn Redhage catch up with the West Australian-native to have a fascinating chat that makes up the full portion of this week's show.
First up is a discussion about how Gliddon is dealing with the isolation created by COVID-19 and the unintended positives of getting to spend the time at home with his wife and their newborn daughter Penny.
In terms of basketball talk, it then turns to discussion about Gliddon reflect back on his personally frustrating #NBL20 season and how motivated he is to bounce back hard at the Brisbane Bullets in #NBL21, why he stayed at the club and what his plans were, and are now, for this off-season.
There's then talk about Gliddon's take on the NBL players being forced to take the pay cut thanks to COVID-19.
There's then some time for some other topics to be broached including where Gliddon now calls home and where he might call home in the future, what he might want to do post-basketball and where he could consider finishing his professional basketball career along with reflecting on past battles with Redhage and the Perth Wildcats.
He also picks the top three hardest players to play against during his NBL career and then he finishes off the episode with some curly questions for Shawn that only serve to highlight that there is a coaches' brain behind the sharpshooting player.
All thanks to Hoops Heaven (www.hoopsheaven.com.au) with support from IDAthletic (www.idathletic.com) and Devlin's (www.devlinsonline.com.au).
What off-season? Plenty happening right now in the world of the NBL and basketball and it's only fitting that we are back with another episode of Hoops Heaven's Basketball Hustle to discuss it all along with providing a very special guest.
COVID-19 has thrown the world into chaos and the NBL is no different and the Perth Wildcats were rocked with the news that Bryce Cotton would opt-out of his contract. This episode was recorded just days before the opt-out deadline as speculation ran rampant over what other big names would join Cotton.
NBL Writer Chris Pike and The Scoring Machine Shawn Redhage dissect all of that with Redhage offering his own unique insight and perspective on the departure of Cotton, what it means for him and the Wildcats, and also the NBL's decision to cut salaries for the upcoming season and indeed the free agency period that has now been delayed until July 1.
It's then time for our special guest of this episode and it's 277-game NBL championship winning star Stephen Weigh. Having split his time in the NBL as a teammate of Shawn's in Perth and then an opponent in Adelaide and Cairns, it's a unique chance to hear the pair reconnect for the first time in several years.
Weigh is open and honest about reflecting on his 10-year professional basketball career, talks about the challenges of transitioning to the next phase of life and how happy he is to be back in Rockhampton and working with his family business, Ian Weigh Toyota.
There's plenty more covered in a fascinating and wide-ranging chat featuring a player that often goes under the radar, but over 277 games in the NBL he was as important, effective and versatile on his teams as anyone not to mention a remarkably hard worker.
All thanks to Hoops Heaven (www.hoopsheaven.com.au) with support from IDAthletic (www.idathletic.com) and Devlin's (www.devlinsonline.com.au).
It might be the off-season but plenty of NBL news to talk about and the most special of guests on the latest episode of Hoops Heaven's Basketball Hustle.
The Writer Chris Pike and The Scoring Machine Shawn Redhage join forces once more discuss the latest NBL news with a cut to the salary cap and roster structures for the 2020/21 season along with the NBL Next Stars program being under threat and Conner Henry's appointment as head coach of the Adelaide 36ers.
Then it's a treat beyond all treats for Ricky Grace to be joined on the show. To hear two of the all-time Perth Wildcats and NBL greats talk is quite the unique opportunity. Considering they combined for 8 NBL championships from 875 games on top of winning 12 Wildcats MVP awards between them along with representing Australia at the Olympic Games after becoming citizens, the pair have plenty in common and it's a once in a lifetime chance to hear them connect.
Everything is covered from what Ricky is up to now, how he stopped his basketball involvement cold turkey and why he's keen to get back involved now on a coaching level coinciding with his son beginning his life as a professional basketball player.
There's also a discussion about Ricky's thoughts on the greatness of Bryce Cotton and his potential Wildcats future while he isn't afraid to offer his opinion on who deserves to be celebrated from his Wildcats career on top of his thoughts on Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant and LeBron James.
Ricky also opens up about some of his own personal struggles in a remarkable chat you just have to listen to and fully appreciate it.
All thanks to Hoops Heaven (www.hoopsheaven.com.au) with support from IDAthletic (www.idathletic.com) and Devlin's (www.devlinsonline.com.au).
A real treat for this special bonus episode of Hoops Heaven's Basketball Hustle with an interview with 2010 NBL championship winner at the Perth Wildcats, Galen Young.
NBL Writer Chris Pike backs up The Scoring Machine Shawn Redhage's interview with Damian Martin as part of these special features during the Coronavirus pandemic by catching up with a man who had a 13-year professional career and has now moved into the coaching chair at college level.
Plenty of ground is covered with Galen including why the Perth Wildcats weren't ready to win that 2010 NBL championship without him and his disappointment he wasn't asked to return to try go back-to-back. But he still has nothing but fond memories of his time in Perth and in Townsville at the Crocodiles before that.
He also discussed how close to a return to the Crocs he was but they wouldn't budge to allow him to remain home for the birth of his twin sons, which ultimately led to his retirement from a professional career that saw him play throughout the United States, Europe, Asia and indeed Australia.
There are his stories of his time in Australia that he tells in his usual entertaining style, while also paying homage to the post-basketball career Corey 'Homicide' Williams has made for himself and even the supposed Kiwi tough man who he found himself in a battle with.
There's also a discussion over what COVID-19 is doing to his life, the pride he has in his sons and a look at his coaching future which now could see him move into the women's side of basketball.
All thanks to Hoops Heaven (www.hoopsheaven.com.au) with support from IDAthletic (www.idathletic.com) and Devlin's (www.devlinsonline.com.au).
During these challenging times, here at Hoops Heaven's Basketball Hustle we have decided to give our listeners a bit of a treat by providing some special bonus episodes featuring guests we hope you all want to hear from.
First up is Perth Wildcats captain, six-time NBL championship winner and six-time NBL Best Defensive Player Damian Martin.
Fresh off his record equalling sixth championship triumph in the most unique of circumstances and now since having Achilles surgery which puts his career future in doubt, there is plenty of ground to cover.
And this is a rare opportunity to hear two of the NBL and Perth Wildcats all-time greats Shawn Redhage and Damian Martin go one on one. Between them they have won 10 championships, played 733 NBL games and both been to the Olympic Games to represent Australia.
So don't miss this chance to listen to Shawn and Damo catch up in the first of our special bonus interview episodes.
All thanks to Hoops Heaven (www.hoopsheaven.com.au) with support from IDAthletic (www.idathletic.com) and Devlin's (www.devlinsonline.com.au).
We might be in lockdown thanks to Coronavirus but plenty of ground to cover on latest episode of Hoops Heaven's Basketball Hustle to wrap up NBL season, announce ID Athletic competition winner, talk the future of Illawarra Hawks, free agency looking ahead to #NBL21 and much more.
NBL Writer Chris Pike and Perth Wildcats legend Shawn Redhage begin the latest episode talking about what impact COVID-19 has had on them so far before turning their attention to all the latest basketball news.
It begins with a reflection on the conclusion to the NBL season with the Perth Wildcats named #NBL20 champions and Bryce Cotton named Grand Final MVP. The pair then also discuss the greatest Perth Wildcats of all-time with The Scoring Machine giving his top three.
Talk then turns to the financial problems the Illawarra Hawks are currently facing and their future in the NBL is discussed.
NBL free agency is then talked about with the futures of the likes of Anthony Drmic, Cam Gliddon, Reuben Te Rangi, Harry Froling, Nick Kay, Terrico White, Rhys Vague and Miles Plumlee all analysed.
The winner of the ID Athletic playing singlet competition is then announced before talk turns to the postponement of the Tokyo Olympic Games and what that means for the Australian Boomers.
All thanks to Hoops Heaven (www.hoopsheaven.com.au) with support from IDAthletic (www.idathletic.com) and Devlin's (www.devlinsonline.com.au).
With the NBL season now officially over and with everything going on in the world, a special treat with a bonus episode of Hoops Heaven's Basketball Hustle this week.
Following the release of our usual weekly episode with NBL Writer Chris Pike and Perth Wildcats legend Shawn Redhage breaking down the end of the NBL Grand Final Series, let's now go to a man at the centre of it all.
Joining us for this special bonus episode is Perth Wildcats vice-captain and a man who should be about to become a six-time NBL championship winner, Jesse Wagstaff.
He candidly opens up about his thoughts on what should happen to the championship, how the group reacted to the end of the Grand Final Series, playing in front of no crowds and also reflects on his decorated playing career, life in general and the building of his life with wife Steph and their three children.
All thanks to Hoops Heaven (www.hoopsheaven.com.au) with support from IDAthletic (www.idathletic.com) and Devlin's (www.devlinsonline.com.au).
Well the news was breaking surrounding the NBL Grand Final Series while recording of this week's Hoops Heaven's Basketball Hustle was taking the place setting the stage for quite the eventful episode.
The Writer Chris Pike and The Scoring Machine began the show discussing Games 2 and 3 of the Grand Final Series between the Sydney Kings and Perth Wildcats, with both teams winning on the opposition's home floor with the 'Cats taking a 2-1 series lead.
There was plenty to dissect include how playing in front of closed stadiums panned out and the hosts thoughts on that on top of how Andrew Bogut led Sydney to a Game 2 win while Nick Kay and Bryce Cotton did the same for Perth in Game 3.
There was then a discussion over the struggles of Casper Ware and Terrico White, and a look at the Jae'Sean Tate/Nick Kay power forward match up.
But then everything changed. News broke that the Sydney Kings wouldn't travel to Perth for Game 4 and the NBL had to cancel the rest of the series with the decision on the championship yet to be determined.
With that breaking news. Redhage offered his unique expert thoughts and analysis on the whole situation include what should be done with the championship, what other options could have been explored to avoid this outcome and most importantly, what decisions just can't be made in relation to the championship.
Redhage also touches on the impact on his SBL season with the Perry Lakes Hawks in a jam packed second last episode for the season of Hoops Heaven's Basketball Hustle.
All thanks to Hoops Heaven (www.hoopsheaven.com.au) with support from IDAthletic (www.idathletic.com) and Devlin's (www.devlinsonline.com.au).
It's NBL Grand Final time and things have really gone up a notch on Hoops Heaven's Basketball Hustle with all the analysis, previews and thoughts of the championship decider including a special interview 20 episodes in the making.
NBL Writer Chris Pike and four-time championship legend Shawn Redhage team up for another episode of Hoops Heaven's Basketball Hustle to take an in-depth look at the NBL Grand Final Series between the Perth Wildcats and Sydney Kings. The Scoring Machine offers his unique insights into what he saw in Game 1, what he expects in Game 2 and beyond.
The pair also take a look back on the conclusion to the two semi-final series' and take a look at why Melbourne United and Cairns Taipans came up just short in Game 3's on the road, and what they need to do moving forward.
There's also a discussion over Bryce Cotton being the great import of all-time and Shawn offers his thoughts on the futures of both Damian Martin and Andrew Bogut after this Grand Final Series.
Then of course is our special interview for this week and it's one of Australian basketball's all-time great coaches, Rob Beveridge. He provides an interview you don't want to miss providing an update on what he's up to now and has been for the past 12 months, a look back on his coaching journeys especially in Perth and Illawarra, how important family is to him and why he is refreshed and ready to throw himself into whatever challenges now lie ahead.
All thanks to Hoops Heaven (www.hoopsheaven.com.au) with support from IDAthletic (www.idathletic.com) and Devlin's (www.devlinsonline.com.au).
The first four NBL semi-final matches couldn't have been more entertaining, exciting and dramatic leading into a monster Thursday night of Game 3 finals basketball, so as a result it's a massive Hoops Heaven's Basketball Hustle with what happened on the court just the beginning of the discussion points.
Basketball Writer Chris Pike and The Scoring Machine Shawn Redhage look back on the opening two games of each of the two NBL semi-final series to start things off, the Perth Wildcats against the Cairns Taipans, and Sydney Kings against Melbourne United.
Discussion then turns to a dramatic last Friday starting with the blow up at the Adelaide 36ers with outgoing coach Joey Wright and disgruntled players led by captain Kevin White. Shawn, as a former NBL captain and four-time championship winner, offers some unique insight into the whole affair.
Shawn also spent a season playing in Tasmania when he first came to Australia so offers some things on the NBL's new team announcement being based in the Apple Isle.
There's then a full preview and predictions for the monster Thursday night of Game 3 NBL semi-final action.
All thanks to Hoops Heaven (www.hoopsheaven.com.au) with support from IDAthletic (www.idathletic.com) and Devlin's (www.devlinsonline.com.au).
It's Finals time in the NBL for the 2019/20 season and things are heating up on the latest episode of Hoops Heaven's Basketball Hustle as a result.
NBL Writer Chris Pike and Perth Wildcats Legend, the Scoring Machine Shawn Redhage breakdown the end to the #NBL20 regular season, how the finals teams got there, the FIBA window with games for the Boomers and Tall Blacks, a look at the NBL award winners and coaching news surrounding Mike Kelly at the Cairns Taipans and Joey Wright at Adelaide 36ers.
There's then a cracking interview you don't want to miss with NBL, Perth Wildcats, Adelaide 36ers, Cairns Taipans and Australian basketball legend Martin Cattalini. We talk his time playing with/against Shawn, talk his time at all three NBL clubs, what he's up to now, his predictions and thoughts on the upcoming NBL finals, and whether or not he expects to be in the 36ers Hall of Fame or have his Taipans No. 6 retired anytime soon.
It's then time for a full breakdown and preview of the semi-final series upcoming between the Perth Wildcats and Cairns Taipans, and Sydney Kings and Melbourne United.
All thanks to Hoops Heaven (www.hoopsheaven.com.au) with support from IDAthletic (www.idathletic.com) and Devlin's (www.devlinsonline.com.au).
EPISODE 17 🎙️ You couldn't ask for a bigger finish to NBL season or episode of Hoops Heaven #BasketballHustle. We really ramp things up as the battle for finals reaches a conclusion on top of the #NBL20 awards night on Sunday. Chris Pike and Shawn Redhage give you:
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Special interview with Brisbane Bullets warrior Mika Vukona
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Full preview of final round and what it means in terms of final finishing positions heading into the finals
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Predictions of all the award winners
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Competition to win full set of singlets thanks to ID Athletic
All thanks to Hoops Heaven (www.hoopsheaven.com.au) with support from IDAthletic (www.idathletic.com) and Devlin's (www.devlinsonline.com.au).
Hoops Heaven's Basketball Hustle joins you mid-round this week fresh off a thrilling New Zealand Breakers win over the Brisbane Bullets and looking ahead to the rest of Round 18 highlighted by the Adelaide 36ers hosting the Cairns Taipans, and the Perth Wildcats taking on the Brisbane Bullets.
NBL Writer Chris Pike and Perth Wildcats legend, The Scoring Machine Shawn Redhage bring you this week's episode that begins with discussion over the Breakers win over the Bullets to open the round which could end up being crucial in the race to end up securing a top four position.
The show then focuses on that dramatic race between Brisbane, New Zealand and Melbourne United over fourth spot while even the Cairns Taipans aren't safe yet.
There's then talk about the hot topics from the NBL this week including the leaking stadium in Wollongong that led to an early finish to the Illawarra Hawks game against the Breakers. There's then also talk about the fines the NBL handed out to Sydney Kings owner Paul Smith and South East Melbourne Phoenix superstar Mitch Creek.
Hoops Heaven's Basketball Hustle then goes through the NBL Award nominees for #NBL20 giving their top three candidates for each award.
There is then the discussion over the potential of Joey Wright finishing up as coach at the Adelaide 36ers to go with a full preview of games between Melbourne United and the Illawarra Hawks, Adelaide 36ers and the Cairns Taipans, South East Melbourne Phoenix and Sydney Kings, and Perth Wildcats and Brisbane Bullets.
All thanks to Hoops Heaven (www.hoopsheaven.com.au) with support from IDAthletic (www.idathletic.com) and Devlin's (www.devlinsonline.com.au).
Hoops Heaven's Basketball Hustle this week takes a look at the Kobe Bryant tragedy, fresh look at Melbourne United-Perth Wildcats game, #NBL20 Finals race, an interview with NZ Breakers captain Tom Abercrombie, a look at NBL Indigenous Round and preview of the rest of Round 18.
Episode 15 begins with NBL Writer Chris Pike and The Scoring Machine Shawn Redhage discussing the tragic loss of Kobe Bryant, his 13-year-old daughter Gianna and the other seven people on the helicopter that crashed.
The hosts then turn their attention to the Round 18 opener where Melbourne United kept their season alive by beating Perth Wildcats. Discussion then focuses on the race for #NBL20 Finals positions with talk about the Cairns Taipans, Brisbane Bullets, Melbourne United, New Zealand Breakers, and the league-leading Sydney Kings.
It's then time for a special, wide-ranging interview with Breakers captain and four-time NBL championship winner Tom Abercrombie. Everything discussed from Shawn Redhage to how the Breakers have come out the other end of a dramatic season still with a playoff chance, why he's excited for this new era at the Breakers, how the Breakers feel they are treated in Australia, how they are perceived back home and his life as a father of three all aged under four.
The show then resumes with talk about the NBL Indigenous Round and a preview of the rest of Round 18.
All brought to you by Hoops Heaven (www.hoopsheaven.com.au) with support from ID Athletic (www.idathletic.com) and Devlin's (www.devlinsonline.com.au).
Bit of a change to the format for this week's Hoops Heaven's Basketball Hustle this week as we immediately review the Friday night NBL matches and preview the rest of Round 16 in #NBL20.
NBL Writer Chris Pike and Perth Wildcats legend Shawn Redhage team up for Episode 14 of Hoops Heaven's Basketball Hustle and it all gets underway with a full wrap up of the Friday night Round 16 NBL action which saw the New Zealand Breakers beat the Sydney Kings to keep their season alive, and the Perth Wildcats thump the South East Melbourne Phoenix.
The hosts give a full breakdown of both those matches and what the results mean, and especially discuss the performance of Mitch Norton for the Wildcats in the absence of Damian Martin and Bryce Cotton in his 100th NBL appearance.
The Scoring Machine also provides some insight into new Phoenix signing Devondrick Walker and why this might be the start of a longer-term role for him at South East Melbourne.
Discussion then turns to the NBL Next Stars program with LaMelo Ball having now played his last game with the Illawarra Hawks and RJ Hampton again sidelined at the Breakers.
The show then finishes off with a full preview of the remaining four matches of Round 16 with the Brisbane Bullets hosting the Illawarra Hawks, Cairns Taipans playing the Adelaide 36ers, Breakers hosting Melbourne United and the Kings backing up at home to the Phoenix.
All brought to you by Hoops Heaven (www.hoopsheaven.com.au) with support from ID Athletic (www.idathletic.com) and Devlins (www.devlinsonline.com.au).
So much to discuss and dissect on the first episode for 2020 of Hoops Heaven's Basketball Hustle and it all starts with the new Perth Wildcats signing and a wrap up of the Cairns Taipans' big win to start Round 15 against the New Zealand Breakers.
The first show of 2020 sees NBL Writer Chris Pike and The Scoring Machine Shawn Redhage open up by discussing the signing for the Wildcats of Miles Plumlee to replace Dario Hunt. Shawn provides some insight into why he thinks it is the right move and then preview's Friday's game against the Illawarra Hawks which he thinks can determine first place on the NBL ladder
There's then a recap of the Cairns Taipans win on Thursday night against the New Zealand Breakers to send them into third position and which according to Shawn, locks them in for a playoff position.
There's then a full breakdown of each team in the NBL as the hosts take a detailed look at the Sydney Kings, Melbourne United, Adelaide 36ers, Brisbane Bullets, NZ Breakers, South East Melbourne Phoenix and Illawarra Hawks, and their prospects.
Talk then turns to a Twenty20 Charity Match organised by Greg Hire to be played at the WACA Ground on Friday February 7 with Shawn sharing some of his past cricket exploits.
Things then get a bit more serious with talk about the NBL introducing a Replay Centre before a full preview of the rest of Round 15 in the NBL.
All brought to you thanks to Hoops Heaven (www.hoopsheaven.com.au) with support from IDAthletic (www.idathletic.com) and Devlin's (www.devlinsonline.com.au).
Latest pre-Christmas edition of Hoops Heaven's Basketball Hustle and there's so much happening for us to discuss in the NBL right now that there's not even room for a guest!
NBL Writer Chris Pike and Perth Wildcats four-time championship winning legend Shawn Redhage are back to dissect everything that happened in a dramatic Round 11 in the NBL and now looking ahead to Round 12 that will lead into Christmas.
First up is a reflection on last week's mid-season predictions and award winners, and talk about why fresh off playing his 300th game for the Wildcats, why others around the country don't still rate Damian Martin as the league's best defensive player.
Talk then turns to the remarkable individual performances from Jerome Randle and John Roberson to win games for the Adelaide 36ers and South East Melbourne Phoenix respectively, along with how Jarrod Kenny would be feeling after two costly turnovers for the Cairns Taipans.
Focus is then on the Perth Wildcats and Sydney Kings who are breaking away from the pack on top of the NBL while Shawn gives his thoughts on Melbourne United and what they should do with Casey Prather following another injury.
The New Zealand Breakers are again in the news as well with the re-signing of coach Dan Shamir and the release of Corey Webster, while the Illawarra Hawks had two new imports make disappointing debuts.
There's then more of a discussion surrounding what has happened with Cam Gliddon at the Brisbane Bullets this season fresh off playing for the Boomers at the World Cup, and what his future might hold.
Attention is then on Christmas and if the NBL is ready to play Christmas Day games, but then the idea turns into one where an expanded Boxing Day schedule might be ideal.
There is then a full preview of Round 12 in the NBL while Shawn reacts to news that the Cairns Taipans will be retiring the No.8 singlet of his old foe, Aaron Grabau.
It's all thanks to Hoops Heaven (www.hoopsheaven.com.au), ID Athletic (www.idathletic.com) and Devlin's (www.devlinsonline.com.au).
We are at the midway point of the 2019/20 NBL season and this week's edition of Hoops Heaven's Basketball Hustle takes stock of what we've seen so far in #NBL20, offers our mid-season award winners and predictions for the rest of the campaign and much more.
Co-hosts NBL writer Chris Pike and Perth Wildcats legend Shawn Redhage open up this week's show dissecting the opening match of Round 11 between the Cairns Taipans and Perth Wildcats.
It's then time to talk about some of the big NBL news right now including Shawn providing his thoughts on the Cairns Taipans, Perth Wildcats, Sydney Kings, Glen Rice Jr and the New Zealand Breakers, if we've seen the last of LaMelo Ball and RJ Hampton in the NBL and plenty more. A potential NBL trade availability is also a hot topic.
Then it's time for the mid-season recap where the hosts talk about who they expect to go on to win the championship, reach the Grand Final and make the top four. They also nominate their award winners after 10 rounds including MVP, All-First and Second NBL Teams, Coach of the Year, Best Defensive Player, Best Sixth Man, Best Next Star, Most Improved and even most disappointing.
There's then a discussion of the 400 and 300-game milestones of Trevor Gleeson and Damian Martin as well as a full preview of the rest of Round 11 in the NBL.
Another week and another jam packed edition of Hoops Heaven's Basketball Hustle with all the hot topics coming out of #NBL20 on top of an interview with Brisbane Bullets centre Matt Hodgson and another Fourth Quarter Segment to get people talking.
Co-hosts NBL writer Chris Pike and Perth Wildcats legend Shawn Redhage open up looking back on last week's Fourth Quarter proposal of a Next Stars team entering the NBL.
They then look at some of the hot topics in the league including LaMelo Ball and the Illawarra Hawks, the emerging Cairns Taipans and Adelaide 36ers, struggles of Perth Wildcats and then the news of Glen Rice Jr rejoining the New Zealand Breakers.
Special guest for Episode 10 is Brisbane centre Matt Hodgson as he discusses how the Bullets season is going so far, how much he enjoys playing under coach Andrej Lemanis and then how married life is treating him so far among plenty other topics.
Shawn Redhage then discusses the Wildcat of the Decade topic on top of providing a full preview of Round 10 in the NBL. All thanks to Hoops Heaven (www.hoopsheaven.com.au) with support from ID Athletic (www.idathletic.com) and Devlin's (www.devlinsonline.com.au).
No shortage of hot topics to cover on Episode 9 of Hoops Heaven's Basketball Hustle as the 2019/20 NBL season heats up while Shawn Redhage is back with a revolutionary idea in his Fourth Quarter Segment and we have a very special interview with Lanard Copeland.
NBL writer Chris Pike and Perth Wildcats legend Shawn Redhage team up for another episode looking at all the big talking points in #NBL20 including the remarkable triple-double from future NBA superstar and discuss why he's shaping as the No. 1 NBA Draft pick and has leaped ahead of RJ Hampton, along with looking at the prospects of Didi Louzada and Kouat Noi.
It's then time to discuss the Sydney Kings signing of Xavier Cooks to already add to a team that is sitting 10-1 and what that means for the rest of the NBL season and the other teams trying to compete.
The featured interview for this week is with Basketball Australia Hall of Famer and NBL legend Lanard Copeland. As a 532-game NBL veteran who won two championships and was a genuine superstar at the Melbourne Tigers, it's an honour to chat with him about Thanksgiving, his football passions, what he's up to now following three seasons as assistant coach at the Sydney Kings, reflecting on his playing days and talking about his golf game and coaching ambitions.
The Scoring Machine is back with another Fourth Quarter Segment with a revolutionary NBA Next Stars idea that you have to hear to believe!
There's all the reviews and previews of the NBL action as well. All thanks to Hoops Heaven (www.hoopsheaven.com.au).
There's no let up on Hoops Heaven's Basketball Hustle as this week we tackle all the big talking points in the NBL and Australian Basketball while also providing special interviews with Corey 'Homicide' Williams and Matty Knight along with Shawn's famous Fourth Quarter segment.
NBL writer Chris Pike and Perth Wildcats legend Shawn Redhage team up again to firstly discuss the two hottest topics of the week - Andrej Lemanis being replaced by Brett Brown as coach of the Australian Boomers and then all of the drama surrounding the New Zealand Breakers before dissecting the action in Round 7 in #NBL20.
Shawn then catches up with an old foe of his from the court and someone's he's enjoyed sharing the commentary booth with, Corey 'Homicide' Williams as they do some reminiscing but also chat about what they are seeing in the NBL of today.
Chris also catches up with triple NBL championship winner Matty Knight to reflect on his outstanding NBL career and to also discuss what he's up to now, the challenges post-basketball provided and how he's now come out the other side to be the happiest he has been in a long time.
It's then time for Shawn's famous Fourth Quarter segment where he proposes the NBL returns to 48 minutes before a full preview of Round 8 in the NBL.
It's all brought to you by Hoops Heaven (www.hoopsheaven.com.au) with support from ID Athletic (www.idathletic.com) and Devlin's (www.devlinsonline.com.au).
Things continue to heat up on Hoops Heaven's Basketball Hustle and Episode 7 features two very special guests, on-fire Sydney Kings guard Shaun Bruce along with former King and Illawarra Hawks forward Cody Ellis along with Shawn Redhage's Fourth Quarter segment.
Co-hosts Chris Pike and Shawn Redhage look back on all the NBL action from Round 6 including Melbourne United winning four straight games, the Sydney Kings continuing to impress and then all the drama surrounding the New Zealand Breakers.
The Next Stars are then a focus headlined by LaMelo Ball and Didi Louzada's game-winning performances, RJ Hampton's ejection and the potential of James Wiseman entering the NBL.
It's then interview time starting with Sydney Kings guard Shaun Bruce who has a fascinating story to share having gone from out of the league last season to now being in career-best form with the ladder leaders.
Then there's a chat with Cody Ellis. Who grew up the son of a Perth Wildcats legend, forged his own college career and played strong basketball over 127 games with the Sydney Kings and Illawarra Hawks but then finding himself out of the league. But with a wife and young son, he's happy with life at present in Perth despite still having plenty to offer the NBL.
Shawn Redhage then offers the Fourth Quarter segment where he provides the four biggest surprises so far in #NBL20.
There's then a full preview of Round 7 action and it's all brought to you by Hoops Heaven (www.hoopsheaven.com.au), ID Athletic (www.idathletic.com) and Devlin's (www.devlinsonline.com.au).
This week's edition of Hoops Heaven's Basketball Hustle is packed full of all the news, reviews and previews of the NBL action from the 2019/20 season on top of a special interview with Adam Gibson along with an extended Q and A segment with The Scoring Machine Shawn Redhage.
The episode begins with co-hosts Chris Pike and Shawn Redhage breaking down all the latest news from #NBL20 including the ejection of Sydney Kings coach Will Weaver, Shawn's thoughts on the current unsportsmanlike interpretation, the arrival of Glen Rice Jr at the New Zealand Breakers and what the Illawarra Hawks need to do and the future of LaMelo Ball. There's then a full rundown of all the Round results.
Up next is the Interview of the Week with 419-game NBL veteran, two-time championship winner and London Olympian Adam Gibson of the South East Melbourne Phoenix. He discusses everything from being back in Melbourne and how unexpected his departure from the Brisbane Bullets was, how well the Phoenix are now run, how far Mitch Creek has come, the challenges of living away from his wife and his post-basketball thoughts.
Then for the first time, we opened the show up to our listeners who sent in some fascinating questions for Shawn Redhage. There was everything covered from his thoughts on flopping, his Mark Worthington rivalry, his toughest opponents and he rated two NBA greats ahead of LeBron James and Kobe Bryant. Other topics covered included why he didn't give Greg Hire the chance to dunk and plenty more things to give an insight into his remarkable career.
The show wraps up with a full preview of the Round 6 NBL action with Shawn's breakdown and tips.
As always, thanks to major sponsor Hoops Heaven (www.hoopsheaven.com.au) for making it all possible with support from ID Athletic (www.idathletic.com) and Devlin's (www.devlinsonline.com.au).
Latest episode of Hoops Heaven's Basketball Hustle is another jam packed show as Chris Pike and Shawn Redhage bring you all the latest on the NBL along with three huge guests - Mitch Norton, Shawn Dennis and Mitch Creek.
Firstly, the co-hosts discuss all the latest news in #NBL20 including the Sydney Kings signing Deshon Taylor, the season-ending injury to Illawarra Hawks star Aaron Brooks and the Perth Wildcats addition of assistant coach Scott Roth.
Then there is a full rundown looking back on all the Round 4 NBL action with all the insight that can only become from one of the all-time greats of the league and the Perth Wildcats, Shawn Redhage.
Then there are the guests. First up is Perth Wildcats championship-winning point guard Mitch Norton ahead of his 200th game. He talks about how excited he is to reach such a milestone, reflects on the start to his career in Townsville and time in Wollongong, coming to Perth and being part of a championship, where he feels he can still get better this season and also provides an update on his beard.
Then there is a very special conversation with 2016 NBL Coach of the Year Shawn Dennis, now coaching in Japan for the Shiga Lakestars. It's a fascinating chat on adjusting to living and coaching in Japan, and the challenges and highlights of it, a reflection of SD's remarkable playing and coaching journey in the NBL and much more.
And finally is the Fourth Quarter segment this week where Shawn Redhage caught with South East Melbourne Phoenix captain Mitch Creek fresh off his stints in the NBA last season with the Brooklyn Nets and Minnesota Timberwolves.
All thanks to major sponsor Hoops Heaven (www.hoopsheaven.com.au) with support from ID Athletic (www.idathletic.com) and Devlin's (www.devlinsonline.com.au).
Episode 4 of Hoops Heaven's Basketball Hustle and it's the biggest yet as co-hosts Chris Pike and Shawn Redhage look back on a fascinating Round 3 of the NBL, look ahead to a monstrous Round 4 of the 2019/20 and discuss all the latest news in the league.
Shawn also answers the question as to whether he would put his hand up for Perth Wildcats assistant coaching job following the departure of Paul Woolpert and also offers some thoughts on who the right replacement would be.
Then there are the special guests and it's a line-up to get excited over starting with Cairns Taipans coach Mike Kelly fresh off leading the Snakes to a record breaking performance in Perth. He also reflects on his thoughts on his similar journey to Shawn Redhage but it's all about getting to know the man and he talks about his family, his path to Australia and now becoming a head coach and plenty more.
Next up Flashback Interview of the Week and we don't need to go far back but this week is an all-time great of the NBL and Australian basketball, Mark Worthington. We discuss everything to his history with Shawn Redhage, why he's now back in Bunbury and coaching the South West Slammers in the SBL, his thoughts on #NBL20 and the biggest issue that the league still needs to deal with to help prepare players for post their careers.
And lastly in the Fourth Quarter is former Perth Wildcats four-time championship winning assistant coach, Adam Forde who is currently in his first season at the Sydney Kings. He reflects on his journey to earning a living as a coach from humble beginnings along with the challenges of being on the other side of the country to his pregnant partner and more.
Then there is all of Shawn Redhage's thoughts and predictions on round ahead in the NBL.
All thanks to major partner Hoops Heaven (www.hoopsheaven.com.au), with support from ID Athletic (www.idathletic.com) and Devlin's (www.devlinsonline.com.au).
The third edition of Hoops Heaven's Basketball Hustle brings you all the news and reviews from Round 2 of #NBL20 along with two big interviews with a head coach and a five-time championship winner along with a full preview of NBL Round 3.
Basketball writer Chris Pike and NBL and Perth Wildcats legend Shawn Redhage are back for the third episode of the new weekly podcast and reflect back on Round 2 which saw the South East Melbourne Phoenix, Sydney Kings and Perth Wildcats continue to impress, and Cairns Taipans remain winless ahead of a trip to Perth.
Chris Pike also caught up with Illawarra Hawks head coach Matt Flinn and it's a fascinating chat to gain some insight behind the man you see on the sidelines, what makes him tick, what means the most to him and also some reflections of those old battles with Shawn Redhage and the Perth Wildcats.
Then Shawn Redhage catches up with a man he played in four NBL championships with, Jesse Wagstaff, for the Fourth Quarter segment as Shawn poses some hard questions to the man he believes is the smartest he ever played with.
There's a full Round 3 NBL preview as well and it's all thank you to major sponsor Hoops Heaven (www.hoopsheaven.com.au) And a big thank you to new partners, ID Athletic (www.idathletic.com) and Devlin's (www.devlinsonline.com.au).
Hoops Heaven's Basketball Hustle is back for its second episode with Chris Pike and Shawn Redhage bringing you all the latest news, results and previews from the NBL along with two big interviews.
The Writer and The Scoring Machine review Round 1 of the 2019/20 NBL season while also providing some insight into how the new broadcast is being organised.
Chris Pike then catches up with South East Melbourne Phoenix star Ben Madgen who is back in the NBL after previously having played 139 games with the Sydney Kings before embarking on four years in Europe and now returning a married father of two.
Shawn Redhage also catches up with a former Perth Wildcats championships teammate of his, Drake U'u, and the pair have a fascinating chat reflecting on their time together but also what Drake is up to now working with both the Sacramento Kings and Stockton Kings, and how well thought of the NBL is now compared to even four years ago.
The team finish off with their predictions and Shawn's finals thoughts. All brought to you by Hoops Heaven (www.hoopsheaven.com.au).
NBL writer Chris Pike and Perth Wildcats NBL legend Shawn Redhage bring you the first episode of Hoops Heaven's Basketball Hustle. The first episode of what will be a weekly podcast provides some insight into what the show will be about and also an update into what Shawn has been up to post his NBL retirement. The episode also features the hosts talking about the upcoming NBL season while making their full predictions on top of a look at the Round 1 action.
The episode features a special interview with recently departed NZ Breakers General Manager Dillon Boucher who has a long history with Shawn as a teammate in New Zealand and Perth, and a long-time rival. There will also be a Two(Seven)-Minute Drill segment with Wildcats captain and five-time NBL championship winner Damian Martin.
All thanks to Hoops Heaven (www.hoopsheaven.com.au).