NBL imports find their feet, but two Aussies stand tall

Scoring was in vogue over the weekend as Rotnei Clarke dropped 36 points for Wollongong and Charles Carmouche had 33 and 27 point games for Sydney.

Indeed, it was a weekend of import coming out parties across the nation thanks to Jermaine Beal’s 21 points from 5-of-9 three-point shooting for Perth in their 40-point drubbing of the Hawks.

But the big numbers certainly weren’t just limited to the imports.

AJ Ogilvy had yet another round of very high quality for the Kings, topped off by his performance against Adelaide – 22 points, 13 rebounds and three blocks.

It was yet another sign that Ogilvy deserves more hype than he’s getting.

The 25 year-old centre, freshly returned from Europe, is averaging 10.6 rebounds a game – over two more than the next ranked player per the NBL website.

He’s averaging 3.2 blocks per game too, despite no one else in the comp averaging more than two.

And all that while ranking fourth for points per game with 17.6.

He makes it hard for other teams to get into the paint and on offence he keeps possessions alive by creating a number of second chance opportunities.

It’s a great coup for both the Kings and the league to have his talent back on our shores at his age.

Another Aussie to make his mark over the weekend was Melbourne’s Chris Goulding, who’s well on the way to making sure his surname is never mispronounced again.

He dropped 34 points to help steer the Tigers to a road win over a quality Cairns outfit.

Injury delayed the start of Goulding’s year but in three games he’s broken free as the NBL’s points leader with 27 per game – ahead of James Ennis on 22.8.

His game on Saturday prompted these comments from Tigers coach Chris Anstey: “How good is he? You know what, he’s very good now, but I think he’s special, he can be something this country hasn’t seen before.”

“The natural flair he’s got (is immense). The scary thing and exciting thing is that he’s got a lot of improvement left in him. He’s got other gears and we’ll give him a good chance to exhibit those tools.”

It was a fair endorsement, but NBL fans who have gradually witnessed his game improve to date would be silently nodding.

Like Ogilvy, he’s just 25. More improvement can’t be ruled out.

The question becomes, however, how far these two men can take their teams.

Right now, Perth are considerably ahead of the pack. Adelaide, after two wins on the weekend, are looking the goods.

These two sides are basically finals locks already.

As for the other two spots? The competition is on.

Cairns are going through a bit of a rough patch while Cam Gliddon is sidelined, but their credentials are solid. Plus New Zealand could evolve to a more serious player after the Gary Wilkinson singing last week.

There’s an argument that Goulding’s numbers will drop off after such a hot start, and you doubt he’ll stay at 27 points per game, but there’s evidence to suggest he’s developed some solid consistency:

You wouldn’t be worried about a major drop-off.

As for the Kings, the big question is whether Carmouche can continue to support Ogilvy with big numbers the way he did on the weekend.

Foul trouble got him earlier in the season, so maybe we’re only now seeing what he’s capable of. If that form is permanent, the Kings become a hard opponent to bring down.

No matter the final outcome, though, we can say this: guys like Ogilvy and Goulding in Australia’s two biggest cities can only be a good thing for the league.