It may be very premature to put this out there, but is Australian basketball on the up? There’s no denying that the past decade has been a very tough period for basketball in this country.
Since the high point of the mid 1990s, Australian basketball seems to have declined steadily.
The NBL has shrinked from relevance, disappeared off free-to-air TV screens, and is virtually absent from newspapers.
Many NBL clubs have gone under – the Newcastle Falcons, Hunter Pirates, Sydney Kings, West Sydney Razorbacks, Sydney Spirit, Brisbane Bullets – and we’ve seen a string of our greatest players retire – Gaze, Heal, Bradtke and Longley.
But after all the bad things that have happened in basketball in this country in the past ten years, has the sport finally turned the corner? Is it time for some optimism?
Let me set the scene.
At the moment the men’s basketball team is at the World Championships and opened their campaign with a close win over Jordan. Overnight they play Argentina, the world champions.
This is a team that is missing probably Australia’s best player, the NBA’s Andrew Bogut, as well as former NBA big man Nathan Jawai.
Going into this tournament the Boomers have looked very good. They won nine games out of ten, and have a deep roster with some talented and experienced players, especially in the centre/power forward area.
Some players are in the NBA, like Patrick Mills, while others are seasoned veterans from Europe’s best leagues like Matthew Nielsen and Al Maric.
If the Boomers had Bogut and Jawai, who are both injured, they might possess the most talented Australian men’s team ever. Even without them, they have a very good chance of achieving some success at the world championships.
This is a tournament where powerhouse countries like the US, Spain and Germany are under-strength and also missing players. The Boomers have had a great warm up to the world championships, something missing from previous outings, and seem to have developed a strong defensive culture.
In coach Brett Brown they have someone who’s got coaching experience in both the NBA and the NBL before.
Moving away from the Boomers, the NBL seems to be slowly clawing its way back.
The Sydney Kings are back in the competition this year and there are rumblings about the Brisbane Bullets making a comeback.
Both the Kings and Bullets went under largely because of financial trouble, the Kings through the collapse of Firepower and the Bullets through ABC Learning Centres owner Eddy Groves’ bankruptcy.
The flow of playing talent to America and Europe doesn’t seem to have hurt the national league. Australia continues to produce great basketballers, who are going on to gain experience in tougher leagues overseas. Many have gone through the fantastic college system in America.
Has there ever been a time when we had more basketball players starring in the best international leagues? I don’t think so.
At the same time participation rates for basketball in Australia are doing well. The grassroots of the game appear strong.
The launch of Network Ten’s One channel has helped basketball by screening more games. Fox Sports have continued to keep the sport alive with its coverage and women’s basketball in this country continues to soar to great heights.
We have the best female player in the world – Lauren Jackson – probably the second best team in the world, in the Opals, and a strong local league in the WNBL.
I believe if the Boomers can do well at the world championships, say reaching the final or claiming third, then it will be a major coup for the sport.
If the Boomers can back that up with a medal in London in 2012, then basketball will really be on the up and up.
These remain big ifs. But Basketball Australia needs to make sure it capitalizes on the recent momentum the sport has. It needs to ensure the NBL remains viable and stable, and increase the marketing and promotion of the sport.
It needs to attract more sponsors and entice those fans of the mid-1990s who strayed away, back to the fold. And this will all be helped along by some Boomers success in Turkey. Here’s hoping.
JVGO
Guest
Interesting perspective Wayne Drain. You seem pretty well informed about this phenomenon. Never heard of the shows you're talking about however.
Wayne Drain
Guest
There will always be a market for basketball in Australia. It is the same as how there is a market for television shows like Tiela Tequila and the Big Brother House. Why pop stars can earn instant stardom without being able to read music, play an instrument or write a song (and maybe not sing to well either). Modern marketing with the flashy glitz and hype of the NBA will always attract teenagers who idolise all things USA, have most likely failed in mainstream Australian sports and have short attention spans. But scratch a bit deeper and you will see that Teila Tequila is to tv as basketball is to sport and the absence of any substance prevents a long term sustainability for the sport. Both grab the passing attention of teenager boys before they return to playing Street Crimes 3 on their playstation. It is what separates us from certain other cultures is the ability to see through loud bangs, bright lights and slam dunks and desire something more from our sport.
Art Sapphire
Guest
They come from behind to beat Jordan who are very much a minnow 76 - 75 The next day they lead for most of the game and lose 74 -72 to the Argentines. Work that out.
JVGO
Guest
There's no doubt Aussie Basketball is on the way up. In fact Australian basketball is in great shape in every way except for the NBL which simply can't go any lower. I believe the keys to getting people into the NBL is having the NBA on free to air and riding the Boomers for the next 4 or 5 years. If the Boomers can make the final at the next Olympics would be huge. The Argentine coach today described the Boomers as the next Argentina (the Argies are the current world champs aren't they). So other people can see this coming. With ONEHD hopefully this will happen and basketball as a spectator draw can take off again. Also Bogut is not 'probably our best player' he simply is our best player, currently rated no 2 centre in the NBA. He is also Australia's highest paid sportsmen I understand which is a huge marketing tool in itself. Another solid performance from a very young Boomers side against the Argies today is another big step forward. I'm pretty confident that Basketball will grow steadily in this country. The Jordan era boom was simply too big for Basketball Australia to handle and consolidate. Steady growth will be more manageable.
Hammer1
Guest
Bring back The Cannons!
buck
Guest
I am one of those fans of the mid 1990s who have come back in the last couple of years, getting on board the dragons - but who of course are no longer there. I enjoyed last NBL season and whilst i am certainly no expert (in the process of re-learning basketball), it seems players coming back from europe and college help the league a lot - much like our footballers returning to the a-league and raising the quality. hope the nbl comes on stronger with the kings back and back on fta