Patty Mills Drafted. But...

Congrats Patty Mills on being drafted.

But…It’s clear Patty wasn’t happy that he dropped so low in the draft.

But…He actually went to a team where he has a serious chance of getting minutes.

But…Nate Jawai and Brad Newley are prime example’s of what can happen to your career when you are a second round pick. They certainly weren’t welcomed to the league with open arms.

But…Ben Wallace and Gilbert Arenas are prime example’s of what can happen to your career when you feel like you have been underappreciated or ‘dissed’, and drafted below where evvvverrrryone is saying you should have been.

But…Who knows? Let’s hope he makes the team!

It ain't too hard for me to JAM

A basketball tribute to Michael Jackson.



There is a great scene in “Michael Jordan: Airtime” when Jordan speaks about his nerves in meeting Michael Jackson for the first time to do this video, and gushes about how much he respects and admires him. He also is quick to mention how it is “very rare” that he is ever nervous in any situation.

Couldn’t find the exact clip, but this one is great, it has both guys discussing their feelings about working with each other.

It's a classic clip with both guys trying to teach the other their craft!




Speaking of Jordan dancing, who else remembers the final scene in Playground?

“I know you like to play alone. But you don’t mind if I shoot with you do you?”

This clip is something I could find. Here is the music video from “Michael Jordans Playground.”

How can the NBL reconnect?

The NBL needs to reconnect.

The number one thing I’m hearing is that the Basketball needs to reconnect with the community (see my interview with Michele Timms and John Matthews).

The interest in the sport is huge at grassroots level, but the top tiers of the sport are not making the effort to link to the thousands of junior players and followers.

The NBL is now saying it has to be done, and it WILL be done.

Chris Anstey, Mark Worthington, Sam Mckinnon, are all saying they will do it.

But more concrete commitment is needed. How will it be done?

I highlighted in a previous post the fact that Hummer is still part of many of the NBL logos you will find on their official sites, that is a real worry.

Things like this need to be fixed ASAP.

The AFL has used a number of campaigns recently, to help create exposure and communicate a certain community identity.

Carlton Goes Yellow to raise funds for cancer research



Cancer: Demons’ newest opponent



That is something that the sport of Basketball in Australia and the NBL could use.

I wrote an essay on how the NBA creates and maintains its corporate identity, or image, and the ways that it turned around the way the public viewed the sport after certain "incidents". It is fairly in depth, but worth a look if only to remind yourself all of the changes the NBA has implemented recently to rebuild it's image.

The NBL should certainly be trying to learn from the almighty NBA and how they achieved success in this area.


How the NBA rebuilt their Corporate Identity.

By Ryan Mobilia


Corporate communications are an essential component of managing communications between an organisation and its public. These communications are crucial in creating an identity for the organisation, a set of values and ideals they wish to be associated with, in the mind of their public. (Cornelissen, 2004, p. 185) This essay will discuss the many ways in which the National Basketball Association (NBA) works to build and communicate a corporate identity. It is the intention of this essay to demonstrate, using collected artefacts, the devices used to build and communicate that particular identity to the community. Through critical engagement with those artefacts and a variety of scholarly texts, it will be shown that the NBA uses a number of conventional communication devices, such as rhetorical language and discourse, as well as aspects of non-verbal communication and symbolism, to create their identity. I will also discuss the effectiveness of the devices used by the NBA and how well they persuade and convince us of their ideals and thus forming the basis of their corporate identity.


As an organisation, the NBA is a billion-dollar enterprise, and has gone to great lengths in recent years to rebuild its corporate reputation, in the aftermath of a brawl at a game in 2004, widely recognised as “one of the ugliest scenes in sports history.” (Seitel, 2007 p. 77) The situation brought their corporate reputation and identity to a critical juncture, and the NBA was left to try and turn around the image of their organisation and the community’s growing perception of the NBA as “a halfway house for pampered, self indulgent millionaire athletes, with minimally controlled tempers.” (Seitel, 2007 p. 77)



The NBA brand and its reputation had been significantly damaged. Shortly after the incident, the NBA introduced a number of new rules, regulations and programs to rebuild their corporate identity and communicate their newly formed ideals and initiatives to the community. The most substantial program undertaken was a social responsibility initiative known as ‘NBA Cares’, a way for the NBA to ‘give back’ and engage with the community once more. (Seitel, 2007 p. 79)

An example of the NBA using a communicative device to help establish their identity can be seen through the NBA Cares program, and its use of rhetorical language. According to Marsen (2006, p. 39), “rhetoric is a set of techniques aimed to persuade by using language.” When the discourse of the NBA is examined, many of the written communication messages can be explained as various aspects of rhetorical language.

An ‘epideictic discourse’, which aims at enhancing the image of the NBA and celebrating the values of their organisation, is clearly evident in the mission statement of the NBA Cares program. (Marsen, 2006 p. 40) This exert from the NBA Cares mission statement describes the crux of the program, yet also concisely conveys their ideals:

The NBA is dedicated to demonstrating leadership in social responsibility, using the popularity and visibility of its teams, players and the league to effect positive change around the world….motivated by the unique opportunity to make a profound difference. (NBA Cares, 2009)

Another example of rhetorical language adopted by the NBA is the use of ‘allusion’. It is used in this instance by “making an association between two texts so as to produce a memorable impression.” (Marsen, 2006, p. 43) Under the NBA Cares program there are several key initiatives relating to ‘Health and Wellness’, the largest being ‘Basketball without Borders’. (2008) (Figure 2) In naming their program this way, the NBA links their identity and the values of Basketball without Borders, to the identity and values of the international medical humanitarian organization ‘Doctors without Borders’.



Finally, images can also be rhetorical is nature. In the example of the NBA Cares logo, a ‘heart’ is used as a metonym to signify the intended connection between the NBA and their socially responsible ideals of caring for the world. The ‘basketball’ image from the logo also uses the same device to represent the NBA, rather than having to write the word. (Marsen, 2006, p. 43) (Figure 1.)

A second communicative device used by the NBA, to be analysed here, is ‘non-verbal communication’ and the way they attempt to communicate their corporate identity via “messages expressed through non-linguistic means”. (Adler & Rodman, 2009, p. 134) Images used by the NBA are examples of the way non-verbal communication is employed. It is recognised as being a key aspect of their attempt at building corporate identity and is a device that is used extensively throughout the NBA, particularly with logos and symbols.

The corporate identity of an organisation is often reinforced by the use of logos, colours and typefaces, and in this vein, the NBA produced a number of logos for their NBA Cares initiative. (Cornelissen, 2004 p. 185) These images were separate to their individual brand logo, the meaning of which signified the various humanitarian efforts of the NBA Cares program. The NBA logo signifies the brand, but used in this way, it also signifies their ideals and a set of values, thus successfully communicating their corporate identity.

According to van Riel and Fombrun, (2007, p. 103) internally and externally, symbols attempt to fulfil the function of being a “visible object that is meant to increase someone’s ability to identify with the organisation” and something that can “increase the instinctive recognition of the organisation.” For example, when breaking down the NBA Cares logo, it clearly uses three key symbols to communicate the NBA message and identity to the public.

The first is the image of the ‘globe’, a representation of the world which attempts to be understood as making a global connection, attempting to convey responsibility to a broader area than just the United States. The basketball and the heart image, as discussed earlier, are metonyms symbolising the NBA with one image, and the caring and connection between the NBA and the world with the other. The heart is a particularly strong, persuasive image as it brings together both the NBA and the world using the universal symbol for love.

Another example of the NBA using logos to communicate is the ‘NBA Green’ (2009) program, an environmental initiative under the umbrella of the NBA Cares program. It has also been used widely to help build and create a corporate identity. The logo incorporates the image of the NBA brand and the well known symbol for recycling. As with the NBA Cares logo, the NBA is able to create a powerful connection between the NBA and environmental concerns. Among other devices used to emphasize that environmental issues are one of their core values, the NBA incorporated new green coloured uniforms for its teams, which contained the NBA Green logo. (Figure 3)



Sturken and Cartwright (2001, p. 25) believe, the way that images such as the NBA Cares or ‘NBA Green’ logo affect the public and translate to an NBA identity is “dependant on the larger cultural meanings they invoke.” Environmental issues are extremely topical and with the NBA demonstrating, both on and off the court, their commitment to a relationship with issues such as this, their ideals are easily recognisable and translatable into a corporate identity.

When discussing how well the NBA communicates their corporate identity, it should be noted, van Riel and Fombrun (2007, p.70) contend there are four types of corporate identity. The type that is seen most frequently with the NBA is what they call ‘Applied Identity’, which they describe as “The signals that an organisation broadcasts...through behaviours and initiatives at all levels within the organisation.”(2007)

This is most noticeably seen in the variety of symbols used to explain the numerous branches of the NBA Cares program. Whether it is the issue of education, youth and family development, health and wellness or environment, all logos and discourse are tied back to their intended identity as socially responsible.

Therefore, it is evident through the use of communicative devices such as rhetorical language and non-verbal communication, which the NBA, according to the applied identity definition, has succeeded in providing an unwavering message to their public. They have built a corporate identity structured towards the values and ideals of their effort to bring about positive global change through socially responsible endeavours.

One final point in terms of measuring the effectiveness of the way the NBA communicates its corporate identity, it is important to observe, that the NBA Cares program is continuously kept in the consciousness of the media, those who dictate the news agenda, on account of constant television and website features, and in each team’s media guide where, “…the league is able to make sure the messaging is consistent and available to all members of the media.” (Favorito, 2007, p.177)

In this essay I have discussed the various ways in which the NBA overcame a significant corporate identity issue, and the steps they have taken and continue to take to rectify that issue. Early in the decade, the NBA was faced with a crisis. I have discussed the communicative action taken, implementing the NBA Cares program in response to a perceived lack of positive corporate identity. As the Commissioner of the NBA, David Stern stated shortly after, “You would have to be living someplace else not to realise our players are better than their reputations were described this past season.” (Seitel, 2007 p. 79)

I believe the NBA took specific, swift steps to ensure that organisation turned around the adversity and built and communicated a strong corporate identity. As Hannington comments, “The role of effective communication is important in any organisation at any time but when you are trying to implement change, it is critical.” (2004, p. 40) I believe the NBA communicated concisely, convincing the public of their ideals, and demonstrated their importance and consistency in this area through action and continued innovation and development.



References

2008/09 NBA Community Report (2009)
http://www.nba.com/media/nba_cares/NBA_Cares_Brochure_lowres_version.pdf

ADLER, R.B and RODMAN, G. (2009) The Self, Perception and Communication IN ‘CONTEMPORARY COMMUNICATION’ South Melbourne, Oxford University Press.

Basketball Without Borders (2008) http://www.nba.com/bwb/

CORNELISSON, J. (2004) Corporate Communications, Theory and Practice, Sage Publications, London, Thousand Oaks, New Delhi.
Doctors Without Borders http://doctorswithoutborders.org/
FAVORITO, J. (2007) Sports Publicity, A Practical Approach, Elsevier Inc.

HANNINGTON, T. (2004) How to measure and manage your corporate reputation, Gower Publishing Ltd.

MARSEN, S. (2006) Communication Studies, Basingstoke, Hampshire; Palgrave Macmillan.

NBA Cares Mission Statement (2009) http://www.nba.com/nba_cares/keyissues.html

NBA Green Mission Statement (2009) http://www.nba.com/green/mission.html

SEITEL, F. (2007) The Practice of Public Relations, 10th Edn, HarperCollins, New York.

STURKEN, M and CARTWRIGHT, L. (2001) Practices of Looking; Image, Power and Politics IN ‘CONTEMPORARY COMMUNICATION’ South Melbourne, Oxford University Press.

VAN RIEL, C.B.M and FOMBRUN, C.J (2007) Essentials of Corporate Communication, Implementing practices for effective reputation management, Routledge, London and New York.

Opals Boom Recruit

By Ryan Mobilia

It is not every day you receive an email that promises to change your life, and it actually does - but so it was for Bulleen Boomers star centre Elyse Penaluna in 2009.

“I just checked my email one afternoon and got the fright of my life basically.”

“So I started screaming and my brothers were looking at me like ‘what’s going on?’”

The 21 year old member of the Bulleen Boomers WNBL team had just been told of her inclusion in the Australian women’s national basketball squad, the World Champion Opals.

The contents of that email would alter Elyse Penaluna’s life forever and send her on a worldwide adventure.

She was to spend her May travelling with the Opals team to compete in China, Italy, France and the Czech Republic.

As I sat down with Elyse to discuss the whirlwind events of her past few months, she explained her initial reaction to the National team inclusion. “I was very shocked, I suppose you could say.”

Her voice rises as she continues with obvious enthusiasm, “I was very excited, I was very nervous as well. I wasn’t expecting it at all. To have that come up was just fantastic.”

As she begins to recount the tale of her trip, it is tough not to notice the contrasting environments. The sights, sounds and sweat of competing in the Northern Hemisphere, seem far removed from the rugged up figure I found her this day. We spoke amid the sounds of balls bouncing, whistles blowing and scoreboards sounding around us.

The trip started in China, at a location of which Elyse admits (not surprisingly in such a hectic tour) to have forgotten the name. The Opals played three games against the Chinese National Team, which boasted six Olympians. She confesses playing against that level of competition was certainly tough, but was proud of their results, ending with one win and two losses (one by only a single point) in the three encounters.

It becomes evident that China was also the location for the highlight of her trip. She was promoted to the starting line up in the third game and had what she describes as “probably the best game I’ve had internationally.” It was a culmination of the faith shown with her selection to the squad and Head Coach Carrie Graf and her coaching staff’s recognition of her positive approach to the game. “To start that game and basically have Graffy’s confidence to go out there and do it, that was definitely my highlight and I played really good that day.”

Next stop for the Opals was a three day training camp in Italy, just out of Milan. The camp incorporated two gruelling training sessions for two hours each day, and despite minimising sight seeing opportunities, provided Elyse with some invaluable experience.

“The girls were fantastic, just great to train against.” She explains, recalling her opportunity to practice against and learn from the likes of a tough, experienced trio in Emma Randall, Abby Bishop and Hollie Grima. “I’ve never really had a big person to train against, so it was great to be able to bash and box people out and push people.”

From Italy the team headed to Brno in the Czech Republic and played their national team twice, another mixed result of one win, one loss.

The final destination was France, and after a practice game against Hungary, the Opals competed in a three game mini tournament. “We won three of the four games there and lost to France on the last day.”

When asked to evaluate her experience, with a beaming smile she sums up why so many sacrifice so much when pursuing their dream of wearing the green and gold.

“There are no words to describe how you feel when you’re wearing that uniform and playing for your country.”

“I’ve learned so much in a three week gap, with the skills that Graffy has picked up over a number of years and from the other assistant coaches that were there.”

Michele Timms, Assistant Coach with the Opals, explained that Elyse showed a mentally and physically tough side to her game while on tour, something not seen in the previous WNBL season.

“She really got an idea of what it’s going to take to be an Opal and make the World Championship team,” said Timms.

Elyse realises that she has a lot of improvement in her.

“I definitely know I need to work on a lot before my next Opals thing. I need to get stronger… the international game is completely different to the WNBL.”

Throughout the tour Elyse, along with Abby Bishop, wrote a blog for the fans back home on the progress of the team. But juggling gym, individual and team training, with her new educational endeavour of studying Child Services at TAFE, a media career is not exactly the next step in her plans.


Her aspirations for the immediate future revolve firmly around basketball and after her most sought after goal of becoming an Opals regular, Elyse is looking to accomplish even more.

“I definitely want to head over to Europe, in the next two years probably. And hopefully get a contract over there. I want to make the 2012 Olympics and then hopefully make it into the WNBA.”

“I definitely want to make this my career and see where it can take me.”

One of her many ambitions is to follow in the biggest footsteps of Australian women’s basketball, Lauren Jackson, who embodies everything Elyse is striving to achieve in her game.

“I look up to Lauren Jackson. She is just an amazing player and I definitely want to mould my game around hers. She is just so aggressive and wants to be the best and wants to win a gold medal. That is the ultimate goal I suppose for any elite athlete.”

Her high spirits and energy shine through like the sun on this wintry Melbourne day, and it is clear there are no clouds on the horizon.

“Over the past two years I’ve really found my passion for the game and have really just wanted to be the best I can be.”

Elyse has also found, much like the email she opened on that life altering day, that she has been opened up to a world of possibility and opportunity.

“I’m enjoying every moment.”

I won't stand for Tigers 'Sneaky' tactics.

It is a sad state of affairs when I am left to question the day to day actions of my beloved Melbourne Tigers.

I think they are currently a perfect example of the NBL mentality as a whole.

I applauded their decision to initially stand out of the upcoming NBL season with the South Dragons, and believed them when they stated they would not stand for more mismanagement.

Then they stabbed us all in the back and rejoined the league, stating change had occurred, but then wouldn’t tell us what?

I was immediately sent an email from the Tigers celebrating the fact that they will field a team in 09/10 and asking me to sign up as a member.

What will I get for my membership I ask?

Where is the stability? I feel if I had sent that cheque and they changed their minds again I would never get it back.

I have lost trust and faith in the Melbourne Tigers.

What will keep fans coming to see a league that can’t afford imports, Brian Goorjian, or to take the naming rights sponsor FROM TWO YEARS AGO off the current logo.
They don’t even have a rival anymore! (a blog for another day)

Anyway, the reasoning behind this post are many, Firstly – in today’s economic climate, does it look like the Melbourne Tigers are doing there part to help the sport of Basketball grow in this country?

Are they offering anything that says ‘Basketball is the way to go!’?

Obviously this isn’t an in depth financial analysis but a simple break down of current membership pricing.

Cheapest Seating prices

Collingwood Magpies 2009 – Adult Membership $170.00

Melbourne Victory 2009/10 – Adult membership $185.00

Melbourne Tigers 2009/10 – Adult membership $324 ($306 early bird ‘special’) (no parking included)

The average fan has been completely priced out.

I was told yesterday by someone who sponsors a box at The Cage, that no notice was given to them as a corporate sponsor when the team decided to sit out the season. They heard through the media. When the team announced it was back, they were promptly sent an invoice with no explanation.

Seems eerily similar to the fate of poor old Stephen ‘Sneaky’ Hoare, as Grantley Bernard writes in the Herald Sun today.

http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,25657777-10914,00.html

POPULAR veteran forward Stephen Hoare feels like a forgotten man as the Melbourne Tigers build a championship-calibre roster without him.

A winner of two NBL championships in nine seasons with the Tigers, Hoare is unlikely to be offered a new contract and is waiting to gauge interest from Cairns Taipans, Townsville Crocodiles and Wollongong Hawks before considering retirement.

His greatest hurt is that he heard the news that his time with the Tigers was over from somebody other than the club, which has scheduled a meeting with him tomorrow.

"If the Tigers want to go in a different direction, I can understand that," Hoare said.

"I'm just disappointed that I still had a year to go on my contract and that after nine years, nobody called me and I found out from somewhere else."



That is pathetic.

It's lonely at the top... for Kobe anyway.

I haven't written anything about the NBA Finals this year.

I think everyone who followed the games may have had a similar feeling of inevitability about the impending result.

It was hard to get excited. Certainly not the Celtics V Lakers of 2008, or the Kobe V LeBron that everyone expected this year.

One person that is always intriguing to me however is Kobe Bryant.

He's like my beloved Magpies, you feel like you should love him or hate him.

Bill Simmons generally feels the later. In his lengthy article below he goes into great depth about the Finals of 09 and the Finals MVP #24.

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=simmons/090616&sportCat=nba

I have cut out just an extract of more than a couple of interesting things about Kobe and the finals.

"Again, the lightning rod here is Kobe. If you want to play the "We'll Never See Anyone Like Him Again" card, you're probably right ... but not for the reasons you might think. He grew up atypically from most NBA stars, the only male child of a successful professional player, someone who never had to worry about money and even spent seven formative years abroad (in Italy). The Lakers acquired him when he was 17. He started an All-Star Game when he was 19. He signed a $71 million contract when he was 20. He married when he was 22. He won three titles by the age of 23. He became a father at 24. He also became the most polarizing figure in sports at 24, thanks to whatever happened in Eagle, Colo. The next four years were awkward as hell -- the league's most gifted player struggling on a series of forgettable teams, the most-discussed athlete in any sport, someone who learned to feed off constant negativity much like Barry Bonds did -- before fate intervened in October 2007, when a trade to Chicago fell through and Gasol/Ariza were gift-wrapped for Los Angeles a few months later. The rest is history.


Watching from a distance, what stood out (and still does) was how alone Kobe seemed during that stretch. Unlike Jordan, Shaq, Manning or Tiger, we never saw his parents in the stands. Unlike LeBron or Brady, we never heard about his close-knit group of buddies who had his back and attended every game. Unlike Duncan, Nash, Barkley, Favre or Magic, we never felt like his teammates doubled as his buddies. Unlike Bird, Kareem or Jordan, there wasn't a mystique that went with him, an undeniable force of personality that set him apart.

Who did Kobe have? His wife, his daughters and his agent. That's it. During Sunday night's celebration, when Kobe's family materialized immediately -- almost on cue -- the cynical side of me wanted to throw up, but the rational side was thinking, "Of course, they're here. He doesn't have anyone else." I wouldn't call the situation weird or anything, just atypical for a league in which stars normally surround themselves with longtime friends who knew them before they were famous. And it fits in with the rest of the Kobe package: He's an unconventional superstar in a conventional league. Almost like a successful child actor who beat the odds and turned out relatively normal.


Two months ago, I wrote that Kobe made a mistake playing in the 2008 Olympics because his biggest threats (LeBron, Paul, etc.) were given a glimpse into what made him him -- how hard he worked, how committed he was, how he was consumed by basketball -- and argued that he inadvertently gave away a competitive advantage. When I mentioned this theory to colleague and longtime Kobe expert J.A. Adande during a recent podcast, Adande respectfully disagreed, saying Kobe NEEDED that experience. He needed to fit in with that crew. He needed to be accepted as one of the guys. He craved that social respect from his peers. He wanted to crack jokes, bust chops and everything else. He would absolutely do it again, Adande maintained.

Listening to the argument, I joked Kobe sounded like one of those high school seniors who killed herself finishing with a 4.0, running the newspaper and the yearbook and playing three sports, and only realizing right at the end that she had never bothered to develop any lasting relationships. Like Ione Skye in "Say Anything," actually. But Adande was right. Kobe was making up for lost time. Most superstars prove themselves statistically on inferior teams, work up a healthy hunger for winning and getting over the hump, then make all the necessary sacrifices to make that happen. Kobe went in reverse -- he enjoyed team success early without ever establishing his statistical chops, leading to some serial ball-hogging, four scoring titles and even an 81-point game. After that, maybe he realized there was a better way and awkwardly reinvented himself from there. A little like watching A-Rod, actually -- another "child athlete star" -- only Kobe learned to play the part and A-Rod still can't figure it out."

Boomers Capture Cambage Signature

Last week I had the chance to write my first Press Release.

It is currently running as the lead story on the WNBL website.



Bulleen captures Cambage signature

15.06.09

The Bulleen Boomers are pleased to announce the signing of the next big thing in Australian basketball and current Opal squad member Liz Cambage to their WNBL team.


A towering 203cm and 110kg, the 17 year old centre is looking forward to joining the Boomers for the coming season, and the club is thrilled to welcome her to the fold.

Cambage advised the AIS that she would be leaving the program following the Under-19 World Championships in July and August, making herself available to other clubs for the 2009/10 season, fielding great interest from a number of clubs hoping to lure the teenager to their team.

The Boomers won her signature, Cambage deciding to suit up for last year’s runners-up making Bulleen her next basketball home.

In the end Cambage felt Bulleen was the best place for her to take the next step in her basketball development. She sees the Boomers will best help her to reach her goals of making the Opals team and becoming an Opals regular.

Michele Timms, assistant coach of the Boomers and Network coach for the Australian Women’s Team, believes the signing of Liz Cambage is exciting for the Boomers program and for the future of Cambage who is hoping to be part of the Opals 2010 World Championship team.

“We've never had a player of her size on the Opals, not a player who had the muscle to match such height, and she's very athletic," Opals Coach Carrie Graf said earlier this month.

“It’s exciting for the Opals and the WNBL.”

Bulleen is a strong team, having made the Grand Final last season and will provide Cambage with the chance to train and compete against quality opposition from the outset of her professional career.

In addition she now has the chance to be coached by one of Australia’s top coaches, recently appointed Bulleen Head Coach Tom Maher.

Cambage was recently announced as part of the Opals squad and travelled on their May 2009 international tour.

She will be heading off on another tour in July, as she embarks with the Gems for the Under 19 World Championships.


Ryan Mobilia for Bulleen Media
Photo courtesy of Eric Li for Canberra Pictorial

Charlie Murphy - Get your basketball on

Charlie Murphy is Leroy Smith

In tenth grade, I beat out MJ for the last spot on our varsity basketball team, igniting a fire that inspired him to greatness. Since then I have motivized countless people with my inspirational DVD series and workshops. Now, with the launch of my revolutionary website, I’m finally able to motivate the world, including Canada.

getyourbasketballon.com



Scoop Jackson of ESPN.com interviewed 'Leroy'

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=jackson/090602

Here is an extract.

I saw that at the time you wore No. 45 at Laney. Now when MJ came out of retirement and wore No. 45, was that a tribute to you?

Yes. You have to understand, Michael Jordan walks like me. He talks like me. He even holds his fork like me. Everything that Leroy Smith projects manifests itself in Michael Jordan.

I see in your office you have a poster of Michael that says "Thanks, Leroy." How special is that poster to you?

That poster is close to my heart. As a matter of fact, I have a tattoo of that poster over my heart. The whole poster. Signed by Michael Jordan. He came down to the tattoo parlor, to sign his name on my chest.

Did you ever think that you taking his spot on that high school team would have this type of effect on him and make him into the man that he's become?

Well that was my plan from the very beginning. I knew that once I lit that fuse … and that fuse is leading to a stick of dynamite … and that stick of dynamite would become what we all know today as … Michael Jordan.



Game… Blouses.

Big V All Star Game 2009

Shark to Attack Big V All Stars

By Ryan Mobilia

Division One Big V player Carl Arts has been rewarded for his outstanding play this season with a place in the 2009 Big V All Star Game.

The 23 year old 210cm (6’6”) forward and Southern Peninsula import is the only player not to be selected from the elite Championship Division.

A four year College basketball standout with the University of Alaska-Anchorage, Arts recently finished his playing career with the Seawolves as the third leading scorer and rebounder of all time.

Arts has starred for the Sharks this season averaging close to 30 points and 14 rebounds a game.

His first game of the season saw him score a season high 46 points against Whittlesea and his 2009 Big V résumé also includes games of 20 and 21 rebounds respectively.



The All Star Game, to be played as part of the McDonald’s National Junior Classic on Sunday June 7, at the Melbourne Sports and Aquatic Centre, will feature the stars of Big V’s Championship Division going head to head.

At first surprised by the news of his inclusion, Arts explains he was excited when told by his coach.

“It is going to be a great chance for me to play against elite competition.” Said Arts.

When asked to describe his thoughts on the opportunity to represent an entire Division, Arts expressed, “It made me feel special.”

“I feel very privileged to play a level above what I’m playing right now. So it certainly makes me feel appreciated a lot more and that they’ve recognised the hard work that you’ve done.”

The All Star teams will be made up of players from the North-West and South-East regions, which will include both current and former National Basketball League stars Daryl Corletto, Rhys Carter and Damon Lowery.

Unfamiliar with most of the players who will be involved in the game, Arts says he does know some of the guys and follows the progress of a couple of the Championship teams.

“I like to see players I played with and against in college, how they’re doing.”

His former college team mate Ivan Platenik, now playing for the Waverley Falcons, will line up alongside Arts.

“It’ll be great to have the opportunity to play one more game with him.”

Player Sam Belt of Ringwood, who will be representing the South-East team, is another person whom Arts has a history.

“I played against him in college. In the ‘Elite Eight’ in my senior year… so that’ll be pretty cool to play him again.”

In terms of the prospects of his Southern Peninsula team so far this season, Arts believes the Sharks could be doing a little better, but sees hope in their 6-7 season thus far.

“I think as a team we are starting to gel a little bit more.”

He understands that Division One is not the highest playing level possible and this is reflected in his basketball goals for the future.

“To get to the next level, whether it’s championship or SEABL, just continue to get better and continue improving.”

And as for his short time living as an import in Australia, Arts admits he is cherishing the opportunity.

“Oh it’s awesome. It’s been everything I’ve expected.

“To play in another country is nice, but to play in am English speaking country is really nice. It makes things a lot easier and you can really bond with your team mates a lot better.”



The All Star teams are;

North / West Men
Coach Steve Smith

Daryl Corletto (Melbourne)
Daniel Johnson (Melbourne
Matt O'Hea (Melbourne)
Ivan Platenik (Waverley)
James Orr (Waverley)
Jermaine Maybank (Hume City)
Michael Petridis (Hume City)
Damon Lowery (Eltham)
Luke Egan (Eltham)
Carl Arts (special inclusion Southern Peninsula)

South / East Men
Coach Ken Harrington (Ringwood)

Adrian Sturt (Melbourne)
Glen Barlow (Latrobe City)
Sam Belt (Ringwood)
Vashon Weaver (Latrobe City)
Luke McMillan (Ringwood)
Luke O'Hea (Ringwood)
Rhys Carter (Latrobe City)
Matthew Snowball (Ringwood)
Jeff Reid (Latrobe City)
Willie Weimer (Ringwood)

North / West Women
Coach Warren Taylor (Hume City)

Sharin Milner (Hume City)
Katrina Hibbert (Hume City)
Tenille Cann (Hume City)
Lauren Bennett (Hume City)
Carmen Weaver (Diamond Valley)
Jayde Tyrrell (Diamond Valley)
Megan McIntyre (Diamond Valley)
Jess Kelly (Eltham)
Hannah Pickford (Eltham)
Danielle Fidge (Diamond Valley)

South / East
Coach Sarah Nobbs (Melbourne)

Julie Brookhouse (Waverley)
Brooke McKay (Waverley)
Alex Lough (Waverley)
Candice Rogers (Bulleen)
Lisa Pardon (Bulleen)
Audrey Muse (Geelong)
Maddy Taylor (Geelong)
Hope Terdich (Melbourne)
Bec Campagli (Melbourne)
Meagan Green (Bulleen)

NBA Finals - Still Standing

And then there were two...

A photographic montage to the remaining stars of 2009/10 NBA season.

For fun. I had planned captions and speech bubbles for the 'fallen' but... due to time constraints, and this economic climate, they were cut.




Left All Others In Their Wake

Dragons Slayed - Cowan signs execution order

The reigning NBL Champion South Dragons are no more.

Here is a selection of the most significant parts and comments of the email sent out to South Dragons members this evening by owner Mark Cowan.


Dear Members,


It is with heavy heart that I sit and write this to you, our loyal members and fans. Today is truly a sad day for myself, club co-owner Raphael Geminder, and for the South Dragons organisation.


I know there has been plenty of speculation in the media about why we chose not to
submit a license for the 2009/2010 NBL season. I’d like to take a minute of your time to explain why we have chosen not to continue. When we started the South Dragons in 2006, we were dedicated to bringing a true element of professionalism to Australian basketball. We wanted to put on the best game night show in the league. We did that. We wanted to have a first class operation. We did that too. And we wanted to win. That took a little longer than we thought, but eventually
resulted in last year’s NBL championship.


But let’s not kid ourselves, despite all of this, the NBL is a mess. In the last two years, teams in Brisbane and Sydney have collapsed. Singapore pulled out of the league. Cairns and the Sydney Spirit had major financial crises and were bailed out using funds that clubs had put aside for other purposes. Fox Sports severely cut its telecasts and mainstream media interest has waned.

Crowds fall every year.

Basketball Australia and the NBL owners decided something had to be done, so we handed in our licenses on the condition that a reform process would be undertaken. We
expected and believed that BA had a mandate for reform and that it would deliver the
following changes:


- Teams in each capital city of Australia plus a NZ team
- A proper television deal (ideally with a free-to-air component on One HD)
- A naming rights sponsor for the league
- A review of the number of games in a season, so we have fan friendly schedules
- A marketing plan for the newNBL, with advertising for our product and game dates
- An adequate marketing budget for the NBL
- A plan and vision for growing attendances at games and delivering a sustainable
business model to clubs


None of these things have yet been delivered.


Itʼs a tragedy that after being given the hope of reform, which promised so much, we instead have been delivered an environment in which we believe clubs will still fall over, where the competition is going backwards, where many good Australian players will choose to go overseas (if not this year, then next), where we will no longer have quality imports and an environment where attendances will continue to fall and corporate sponsorship will go backwards.


Two other sports - netball and soccer - have in recent times, successfully undergone a reform process. Both made fundamental changes and both have improved their situations.


We made a stand at the time when we found out that reform was a non-event and that
further progress was unlikely. We suggested to BA that real reform was still needed and that further time was needed to plan for it. We supported this view by offering to the BA Board new high profile Board members and we would even consider sponsorship of the League in a truly reformed newNBL. We made this offer twice verbally and twice in writing. We hoped that BA would accept our offer of help, take the decision to sit out a season and use that time to properly plan reform. They did not.


When we took our position that more time was needed, we also believed other clubs would do likewise. In fact two clubs apart from the Melbourne Tigers told us they would support us. Unfortunately these clubs and the Tigers changed their view and submitted for new licenses.


In a cruel twist of fate, when we took the decision to sit out a season, we truly believed we were supporting a much-needed reform and that the Dragons would be there in a newly revamped league, when what we were really doing was signing the execution order for the club. We feel it is unlikely that we will be back in the future as it would be really difficult to start up again after letting all the brilliant people involved in the Dragons go their own ways, and would not even think about it unless true reform occurs.


The Dragons License has a proud history. It was the same license that was represented by many great clubs including the Magic, Giants, Saints and Spectres to name a few. In its time it has won five NBL championships - more than any other license. I would like to thank Brian and our entire coaching staff, our office staff, our volunteers, and of course the playing group for the wonderful memories and for winning a championship in just our third year. I would like to thank our past staff for all they contributed.

Basketball is a great sport and is thriving at the grass roots level in this country. Letʼs look forward to the time when true reform eventually occurs as it inevitably will, and then this league can take its rightful place in the Australian sporting landscape.


Letʼs all hope we donʼt have to wait too long.


Kind regards


Mark Cowan

NBL looks to Comedy Channel for Coverage

Basket Case

I've reserved judgement on the NBL in recent months, waiting to see how things play out.

It's been like waiting to tell a mate you hated his ex-girlfriend, only to have them get back together the next week, and engaged a month later.

It's fair to say it's been a rollarcoaster of a ride... and I'm certainly feeling sick after the experience.

But, I thought I would pass along this video about the NBL from of all places the Comedy Channel on Foxtel.

Ironically this is looking like the best place to see my beloved NBL on TV in 2009, not exactly the 'television deal/package' promised by Leisuresuit Larry Sengstock and the Basketball Australia gang.

Full Steam Ahead For Mills

From ESPN.com

Mills will skip two years for draft

OAKLAND, Calif. -- Patty Mills is prepared to test his talent in the NBA.

The Australian Olympic star and point guard from Saint Mary's College said Monday he will forgo his final two years of college eligibility and keep his name in the NBA draft.

"In my head, I'm 100 percent in," Mills said. "There's a great opportunity for me to play in the NBA this year and I'm trying to make the most of the opportunity."

The 6-foot, 175-pound Mills was among 12 players to work out in two separate sessions Monday for 21 NBA teams at the Golden State Warriors' practice facility. He even campaigned for the Warriors to select him on draft day June 25 so he can stay in the Bay Area.

"It's home away from home for me at the moment," Mills said, wearing navy blue Warriors practice gear and sporting a Golden State towel around his neck.

He said the only way he would return to school would be if enough teams told him before the draft that he should play another college season.

"I haven't heard that as of yet," Mills said.



He is set to leave Wednesday to attend a showcase camp in Italy for European teams, then said he will have workouts with Detroit, Atlanta and Milwaukee.

This draft is heavy with point guards and Mills knows it.

"If you look at it this year, it gives me more motivation," he said.

He is committed to turning pro even if his stock were to drop to the second round, though he is projected as a late first-rounder.

He saw first hand some of the other top players at his position. Wake Forest's Jeff Teague, Eric Maynor of Virginia Commonwealth and Arkansas' Patrick Beverley also participated in his six-player session Monday. About half of the hour-long workout was devoted to drills and the rest to 3-on-3 play.

"They're all great point guards," said Mills, who turns 21 in August. "It's good to come in here and work out with them to see where I'm at and where they're at as well."

Mills, who averaged career highs of 18.7 points, 4.0 assists, 2.6 rebounds and 2.5 steals during his sophomore season at Saint Mary's, broke his hand Jan. 29 against Gonzaga but returned for the West Coast Conference tournament and the Gaels' run to the quarterfinals of the NIT.

He had his hand examined four weeks ago and an X-ray showed it's completely healed.

Mills made a name for himself nationally with his standout freshman season and NCAA appearance with Saint Mary's College. But he became internationally known with his performance in the Beijing Games as the lone college player in the field.

Mills scored 20 points in the quarterfinals against the gold-winning U.S. team full of NBA stars. He also had three assists, two steals and no turnovers. U.S. coach Mike Krzyzewski of Duke took notice.



So did Kobe Bryant, who recently offered Mills some advice.

"I still act like a small kid and get excited," Mills said of talking to Bryant. "He said, 'Look, believe in yourself. You showed it against us in the summer.' ... Obviously my Olympic campaign helped me a lot last summer."




Check out the NBA Draft sites below for updates and Mock Drafts of where Mills may get picked:

Draftexpress.com

NBAdraft.net

Check out my past blogs on Patty and all things Basketball by clicking here and answer my Poll question!

What NBA Team Would You Like To See Mills Play For?