ELTHAM HIGH SCHOOL ANTHOLOGY
Alsop Lane
Lachie Everett 2019
NBL Report
This is a game report of the NBL1 program that Eltham Wildcats were in a tournament against many other Victorian suburbs and a few interstate teams, I was volunteering for the Wildcats and doing game reports for the Women’s and Men’s senior teams; these pieces are examples of the work I did on the 2th of July 2019.
NBL1 Women
Eltham Wildcats 80 def Nunawading Spectres 73
Top performers: A. Kunek 27 points/9 rebounds/6 assists, C. Schweers 18 points, V. Panousis 13 points
The last home game of the season saw an epic duel between Australian 3×3 teammates Alice Kunek and Maddie Garrick who both combined for 47 points.
Chelsie Schweers took control of the first quarter scoring from all over the court, grabbing steals and rebounds which both lead to assists and play making for the Wildcats. Maggie Mulligan established her self in the post with an array of pump fakes and spinning lay ups while Vanessa Panousis was the floor general controlling the tempo and game style.
Nunawading showed their star duo of Maddie Garrick and Kathleen Scheer who dominated the offence both inside and out to ensure a 25-25 scoreline at quarter time.
The second quarter was Nunawading’s most productive term with 16 team rebounds in the quarter and Scheer having 6 of them. Eltham’s second quarter was an all-around effort with Rihanna Barton and Chelsea Brook who both stretched the floor knocking down three point shots. Alice Kunek began to provide much needed offence but Nunawading’s bench countered scoring 13 points compared to our 2.
Alice Kunek took over the third quarter scoring 15 points and drawing 4 fouls but the brilliance of Garrick and Scheer kept the Spectres in the game. The fourth quarter went back and fourth with the lead changing 13 times and the game being tied 11 times. The three point shooting for Eltham was crucial with Barton, Kunek, and Schweers all making threes and Chelsea Brook hitting a corner three point basket to keep momentum and increase the lead down the stretch.
Drawing eight fouls for the game Kunek said “I had to be aggressive to the ring, draw some contact and kick to my teammates if I open them up.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xi9a29kMJMA
NBL1 Men
Eltham Wildcats 94 def by Nunawading Spectres 97
Top performers: G. McKay 24 points/10 rebounds, A. Doyle 20 points, J. Sykes 13 points
The game started with captain Justin Aver making a three point jump shot off a pin down screen. Aver would say after the game “the effort of everyone was really good.”
Nunawading lead by 17 early but the Wildcats turned to great ball movement getting Adam Doyle open shots. Geremy McKay had a great night with a double-double (24 points/10 rebounds) while Spectres star Centre Simon Conn was scored 8 points and grabbed 4 rebounds in the quarter.
In the second quarter the Wildcats defence stepped up behind the effort of Ovie Magbegor, Geremy McKay and Josh Sykes while Dave Schaffert and Adam Doyle started knocking down perimeter jump shots.
The second half went back and fourth as the fourth quarter came down to the wire. With 9 seconds left on the clock Adam Doyle hit a tough contested long two point shot to cut the Spectres lead to only one (89-90). Nunawading then knocked down two free throws to secure a win in a highly competitive game.
Why the regular season will matter in the 2019-2020 NBA season
Just some brief context to this essay…
‘Load Management’ will be remembered like the term ‘verticality’ with the days of Roy Hibbert’s fundamentally sound but electrifying rim protection in the Big 3 Miami Heat era[1]. Kawhi Leonard’s Raptors stint saw player coming off series ending injury against Golden State in the 2017 Playoffs and ambiguously caused a mostly season injury. Being traded by request from the Spurs and now entering a new country let alone a new city after seven years. Most media guaranteed that Kawhi would leave after his one-year contract was fulfilled and leave for his hometown LA. In Toronto he was expected to fill the shoes of the Raptors all time ‘Best Player’ Demar Derozan. He more than just fill the shoes of Demar he was gaining Michael Jordan comparisons during his playoff run in addition to becoming an internet sensation as just a ‘fun guy’. As many of us saw during his trek through the Eastern conference that had been in an arms race after the departure of Lebron James, The Sixers had depending on who you asked 4 all-stars. The Celtics being deemed as a 60-win team and the Bucks with MVP Giannas Antetokounmpo, Coach of the year coach Bud and All-Star calibre teammates in Bledsoe and Middleton additionally Malcolm Brogdon and free agency steal Brook Lopez. The East had never seen this stacked with talent and backing them with masterful front offices arguably Masai Ujiri pulled off one of the best one season performances, and setting a precedent for the next decade or so what may be called the ‘load management era’
The reason I provide this context is to show what many have described as a copycat league (especially with the “Morey Ball” approach every team has been adjusting too) Is that the leagues teams sees a let’s say ‘disadvantaged’ market due to its non-American appeal. franchisees who are struggling due to poor leadership from NBA team governors, demographic or ‘small market’ issues or a lack of history, strong fan bases or other major sports being more popular NBA franchises may see that the Raptors using their modern approach of regular season success but resting players reasonably might prompt real strides in modernising teams.
I say this as a pretext to my main argument reflecting back on the 2019 playoffs were matchups in seeding genuinely affected post season results (like the Spurs and Nuggets or Sixers and Raptors E.G.) In the league we are approaching now with teams littered with Dynamic duos or three A- players (Like the Jazz with Mike Conley, Donavan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert.[2]) the regular season is the means to making your playoff seeding it seems like that teams will be truly playing for their best matchups. to provide as example, as the Nuggets did in this past season they manipulated the standings to get their best match up against the Spurs. In addition, for a future example I believe Trailblazers should do everything in their power to avoid the Clippers due to team having at least 3 all defensive guard/wings in PG, Kawhi and Pat Bev.
Yes, load management will continue to be an issue and might never leave after Lebron’s other worldly influence he has from super-team forming too resting the league will see parity, a strong regular season (apart from some of the March games that just happen.) I see a huge year for league pass users and eventually, if we get to a point where the regular season is shortened we will always have resting, but right now looking into this next season it looks like a great year for regular season viewers.
…Expect for Knicks Fans
[1] Trey Kerby
[2] Zach Lowe