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Is the time right for Australian basketball to Boom?

16th July, 2014
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Patty Mills is getting better and better for the Spurs. (Source: Wiki Commons)
Roar Guru
16th July, 2014
19
1205 Reads

Australian basketball is booming, at least in some senses.

Patty Mills and Aron Baynes are currently touring the nation, and punking Fox Sports reporters with the NBA trophy.

Next week, freshly minted number five pick Dante Exum will return to Canberra for a pre-world cup Boomers camp after his successful debut for the Utah Jazz in Las Vegas Summer League play.

Elsewhere in the NBA, Andrew ‘if he can stay healthy’ Bogut remains a highly respected defensive force and Matthew Dellavedova had a solid rookie campaign for the Cavaliers.

In addition to those established NBA players Australia can also claim a number of highly rated prospects. Ben Simmons is, like Exum, the son of an American ex-NBL player exceeding his father’s legacy.

In his Simmons’ case father David was a ten year star for the Melbourne Tigers. Simmons, now playing high school ball in Florida is not only currently rated the number two prospect of the 2015 College basketball recruiting class but also has the potential to provide ESPN’s Bill Simmons with an endless supply of jokes.

Go deeper into the prospects pool and you can find Sudanese refugee Thon Maker, who spent time in Australia, is now the number one prospect for the 2016 college recruiting class after moving to Virginia.

Thon is reported to be a legitimate seven feet tall and an incredibly skilful athlete to go with it. Thon is a force on court, swatting shots and dropping beautiful step-back jump shots.

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Meanwhile, the popularity of the NBA seems as high as it ever was, perhaps even above and beyond the Jordan years. NBA games are readily available on ESPN or via the outstanding online NBA League Pass, of which Australia is reported to be a world leader in take up.

Not only is the NBA popular with sports fans in this country Australia’s own professional athletes all seem to be NBA fans. One only need to trawl Instagram and you’ll very quickly find photos of NRL and AFL players rocking LeBron, Durant, Kobe and Derrick Rose jerseys.

Now I won’t claim to be a basketball devotee but I follow the NBA and my team, the Knicks, almost as closely as I follow Australian sports. Many of my friends are also basketball fans. Indeed this article originates in a long email chain with two of my mates who are equally interested in the sport.

Many more of my friends watch the NBA, play fantasy NBA or NBA video games and wear NBA apparel.

Yet when I began thinking about how well Australian’s are doing in the NBA – with champions, and lottery picks and prospects – I began to wonder what that meant for domestic basketball.

Yet for all the interest in the NBA and record junior participation, interest in basketball in Australia, including the Boomers, is moribund.

The Boomers should be at the peak of their popularity with a World Cup coming up and exciting young players in Exum, Dellavedova and Baynes ready to lead the charge. Yet the Boomers don’t even have a major shirt sponsor and interest is low among the basketball fans I know.

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Obviously it’s possible that my friends aren’t representative of all basketball fans, but I suspect that many NBA fans have little to no interest in the Boomers.

When it comes to club level basketball in Australia, the first thing I had to do was google the NBL to find out what the status of that league is. I had no idea when the season was or where the teams are located.

As a Canberran I knew the Cannons were long gone but it seems crazy to me that there are teams in both Cairns and Townsville, but none in Brisbane?

Perhaps I am way off base and the Roar community will correct me but it does feels like basketball is in a similar position now to that of soccer, pre-2006 World Cup qualification and pre A-League. Interest in the Socceroos was limited to brief surges and a dedicated minority at that time.

Since Germany 2006 there has been sustained interest in the Socceroos and international stars like Tim Cahill and Lucas Neill.

Before the A-League, there was no credible domestic path to success in the game that didn’t involve travelling to Europe at a young age. Is there much difference between a young Harry Kewell leaving for Leeds and a young Ben Simmons or Thon Maker heading for Florida and Virginia?

Now the A-League is a recognised pathway to success.

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It is clear though that the potential for basketball in this country is huge but how does Basketball Australia capitalise on the success of Australians in the NBA and fan interest in the NBA to spark the domestic game?

Short of having a fanatic billionaire shopping mall owner donate his time to review the whole sport and create a comp. from scratch, what are the best options?

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