Haha, Funny you should say that Isaac. Ive just recently got all the NBA Jam sounds.

Here's more on the rules:

On two occasions during each game, the coach or on-court captain of each team may opt to use a 'game breaker' phase. Over 3 minutes every three-point shot scored by the 'game breaker' team will count as four points. The backboard at the team's end will be brightly lit in green denoting that the game breaker phase is in process.

In another initiative each individual quarter will be scored separately from the game score. The team that wins each quarter will receive bonus 'elite points' that will be accumulated during the competition and will have an impact on the prize money distribution that reach the Footlocker Elite Classic - High Stakes Hoops Final Four. "This change will mean that teams won't wind down the clock at the end of the quarter because while they want to the win the game they will also want those bonus points for winning the quarter as well," Van Groningen said.

Tuesday 6 April & Wednesday 7 April:
12.30pm – 8.30pm AEST & Bris / 10.30am – 6.30pm Per / 12noon – 8pm Ade

Thursday 8 April:
11.30am – 7.30pm AEST & Bris / 9.30am – 5.30pm Per / 11am – 7pm Ade

Friday 9 April:
4.30pm – 8.30pm AEST & Bris / 2.30pm – 6.30pm Per / 4pm – 8pm Ade

Sunday 11 April:
FINAL: 5pm – 7.30pm AEST & Bris / 3pm – 5.30pm Per / 4.30pm – 7pm Ade

I believe David White is the guy who got screwed over in the old days by past NBL administrators (the Stokes days) and may have held a bit of a grudge since. The complete lack of mention of the NBL in his quote is a bit disturbing to me:

Network Ten Head of Sport, David White said basketball had a passionate following in Australia and this tournament will fill a gap in the current Australian television landscape.

"ONE currently televises NBA and NCAA games each week during the American basketball season and the fans have shown us they are passionate about their sport. We believe this tournament with its big name stars, owners from various sporting codes and the creative rule changes will provide a fast and exciting event for our fans to enjoy LIVE and EXCLUSIVE on ONE."

The logo of the comp:

Do we know how designed the logo so that i never accidentally have them do anything for me.

Love the concept and idea.

Hopefully it brings more media attention (with one HD FTA that is already covered to some extent) and focus in the national sporting landscape.

Interesting to note that the NBA and possibly FIBA have had some involvement in the concept as well. Could we well be seeing the birth of an new brand of basketball being tested right here in Oz?

The dollar-sign and varying fonts/kerning in that logo = wha?!

If they don't have FIBA or BA endorsement (?), could they struggle with visas/immigration for incoming American players? I would like to see them work with BA/NBL - at this stage it's looking a little rogueish. If they can't get NBL players in, besides some expensive stars, who's playing?

I didnt know they contracted my 5 year old to design the logo

Here's the official site: http://highstakeshoops.com/ (I guess HighWellMaybeHighForBasketballInAustraliaStakesHoops.com was taken).

Anyway, that URL has the team names they'll be using (Rush, Ray, Cyclones, etc) and a call for players.

Without any history behind the teams, who does anyone barrack for? Right now, I guess most of us barrack for Brett's team by default? Would this be like watching an And 1 exhibition game? Or Slamball without the trampolines?

I would prefer to see this run with the NBL so existing brands and players could be used. Make it an off-season tournament involving NBL assets and use it to drum up attention for an NBL move to OneHD.

So the players would be Mick Hill, Matt Smith, Geordie Cullen, Josh Jenkins ;), Aaron Trahair, Grant Kruger etc

should be high quality

they need to get John Rillie, Shane Heal, Simon Kerle, Area 51, etc if they can!

I'm not a big fan of the 4pt shot - it encourages outside shooting and surely the fans wanna see dunks.

The more I think about it the more I would like the NBL teams and brands being used as this only helps promote the NBL as a league - whether they use the same players or not...and thus as you have pointed out provides allegiances immediately.

Maybe the One HD thing has something to do with it and the fact David White has a long memory? I do agree that this league does appear to have a bit of a rogue feel about it.

That tournament logo is really quite pathetic too.

Also noticed that radio station Triple M and Spalding are also main sponsors already so it does have a bit of back and not just from One HD and Footlocker.

Read between the lines - this is the beginning of a potential breakaway league. Isaac nailed it - the fact that OneHD release didn't mention the NBL at all (not surprisingly, since the national FTA networks refuse to acknowledge the league even exists) is the pointer to something bigger going on than just some one off (or annual)tournament.

Lots of backalley and backchannel stuff happening - clearly there's a significant faction in the basketball community very unsatisfied with the leadership (or lack thereof) in BA and the NBL. This tournament is just the beginning - wait and see what happens in the next 2-3 months.

Hmm not to sure about this. If Isaac is right it could be the start of a small time rogue league, and we dont need that right now.
If they work with the NBL it will be a great spectacle. Specially since Maher could dominate most teams with Ng in the 3 min power play.

Either way its once again great for Adelaide and shows that we are the base of basketball regardless what the NBL seems to think about other "cities". They want the bigger stadium, and ONEhd will want the biggest crowds. Well done to the supporters for getting us noticed again.

See brett is involved and lanard, as well as buddy franklin as team owners. Interesting to see how this all comes together, its just a shame that we never really seem to get the marketing and presentation thing down as good as we should.

If this is not aligned with the NBL, it will damage the league by grabbing the attention of MSM (via someone like Franklin being involved) and also of the 15 yo kids that love Slamball and start Facebook groups about it.

Marketer-type JVG from his involvement with the Dome + Ch 10 guy potentially out for revenge + meaningless team names + come any and all player invite. Strikes me as a bit opportunistic and flakey.

Could still involve JVG and One, but work with the NBL to make it a three-city off-season tournament using NBL brands and players. Present a united front for basketball.

Always kinda thought we should do a T20 - Besides the serious stuff I.E. the normal NBL and a bit of T20.
Well, at least I been thinking about it for about a year, seeing the success of T20 cricket.

If they have - no F/Ts = side ball, pass or shoot , 3points for dunks and the like, then that was some of my ideas, about a year ago, and we were gonna do something , pre-game at the sixers, but there were a few changes around with the 36ers, owners,staff and the like.

yeah i saw the thing with the game time and jump ball which are two things in particular that have annoyed bball fans.

I think you guys are overplaying the david white thing. I don't think anyo ne at the NBL shafted white or similar. I think he made TEN made a decision to move away from covering the NBL and White was simply their producer/director at the time.

Haha, I just saw the jump ball thing aswell. I'm sold.

Correct me if I am wrong, JVG works for Eddy Groves who owned the stadium until this week which is the same stadium they want to play at.
This sounds way to dodgy, not enough things add up with stupid team names, no NBL or BA involvement and the ability to jump on line and submit interest to play and Camel 31 if you had these ideas a year ago I would not brag about wanting to do something so lame.

Aw - jump balls of course . I had down on my list, but mine was a shortened version. Allow basket tending for PART of the game. This is 48minutes.
Don't feel so bad , now. I.E. they didn't pinch all of my ideas.

Did Ten decide to pull NBL , HO ?
( I thought , MAYBE, that NBL went FOX??????)

HO, there's a pretty distinct and obvious absence of NBL in that release and they're obviously going after disgruntled fans that don't like 40 minutes, possession arrow, etc. The White/Stokes thing I'm talking about didn't involve Ten moving away from the NBL; Stokes screwed them and the NBL copped the flak.

If One wanted to support basketball and fill the gap in the market, why not become a big backer of the NBL? They might have been a basketcase for years, but get involved early and invest time in something that can be easily improved. It's not as easy to broadcast as a tournament at a single venue, but it has history, clubs with distinct brands, and the top players playing basketball in Australia.

Talk about a cash grab! They aren't doing this to further the sport, they are doing this to make some quick dollars. That's why there are no ties to the NBL - as soon as you bring in the clubs and league, you start having to share your money.

As for why it's scheduled for the Dome, that's simple. JVG has strong ties with Eddie (who I believe would also be in on this), and no/low rent leads to maximised profits.

But who is actually going to play? Hard to see NBL clubs letting their star players compete and risk injuries during off-season. Or is it meant to be at a lower level, eg ABA, SEABL players?? T20 works because of the names that are competing.

If they wanted to do something for the lower level players, I would have thought doing something like the UK Nike Midnight Madness would be better, the hype comes from links to the NBA. It has the advantage of starting off small, I can see alot of money being spent on this "high stakes hoops", it not quite catching on and then being dumped after the first go.

MM is a bit showy because the players are competing for individual points not just team points, but it's good for the youngsters as they actually get to compete in the early stages. Check out that website http://www.midnight-madness.com/#

One reason the NBL can't really get directly involved is the One-vs-Fox issue. Moderate Stakes Hoops™ will probably try to trade access to players for the "don't ruin future chances with OneHD" carrot.

But I don't like the fact that any submission from the NBL potentially angers Fox and Fox right now are the TV network actually supporting the NBL, not dangling a carrot. They might not be FTA, they might be paying Shane Heal and they might have scaled back their big off-season offer in accordance with the fewer teams, but they did continue their support for the NBL in a time when many had doubts and gave up.

Isaac, mate I'm not sure. But the sequence of TV rights went like this....(i think!)

Seven - Stokes
Ten - White and whoever
Ten and FOX (formative years of fox deal where fox sponsored a knockout cup (14 vs 13 then 13 vs 12 type format)
ABC - which the NBL paid for (while on fox as well)
fox only

methinks that stokes/sven/c7 would have had no play in that sequence to shaft white.

All i am saying is that I think someone has concluded here that white was screwed by nbl and therefore is now trying to screw them back - just not sure its correct.

I am with you on TenHD supporting the mainstream, ergo NBL. My guess is that this mob are paying production costs (which TEN HD traditionally do not pay) and that tenhd have agreed to cover it.

This all looks like a lot of smoke and mirrors - four teams not yet "owned", no player announcements etc etc.

Sares, hadn't heard about that - sounds like it would be very popular, and the name is great too. Another great idea from them is the 'Elite' t-shirt as a status/award thing.

I'm a little confused in digesting this news. Can someone please clarify for me.

Will the NBL still exsist?

Is this something new in the off season?

Either way it's great this will feature in Adelaide.

HO, I think Isaac is talking about the Stokes/Channel 7 'offer' to the NBL in 1997 while Ch 10 was still broadcasting NBL, and that played a large role in the switch to summer.

sure Paul. I always dismissed that as a rumour mate!

HO, has White always been at Ten? I seem to remember Channel 9 possibly being involved? I could well be wrong, but it gels with what seems like a complete aversion from OneHD to all things NBL.

As Dodge Taylor said on Twitter earlier, any owner making use of Adelaide-based players will have a financial advantage as they'll be able to minimise accommodation and transport costs. Could put Maher's team in the box seat.

Anon, teams cost $10k and then the owners have to cover flights, accommodation, etc (probably including things like meals, insurance, etc). If owners can convince players to play for just the prospect of a cash prize alone, I imagine they're allowed. As the early info suggested, the prize split is up to the owner and players. The owner could pay players enough to say he'll take any prize outright, or pay them less but give them a greater share in the cash. It's definitely an interesting idea.

"There are no import restrictions and we'll also have access to NCAA college players who are coming home," Van Groningen said.

If players are getting paid - which you would assume they would be - then NCAA players who are not graduating will not be able to play. Those that do graduate, will they will be free to play obviously. This could include Ben Allen (Saint Mary's) who is a senior this season. But don't expect to see guys like Ater Majok, AJ Ogilvy (expected to go back for another year), Matt Dellavedova, Cody Ellis etc take part in this.

Like Isaac has stated previously, I would rather an affiliation of some sort with the NBL.

I understand this now. Awesome stuff.

Great for the game and our state.

Bring it on.

Hope you're just jumping at shadows Isaac! And I agree, it would be better all around if this were something that at least had the NBL's endorsement.

But the fact some people have gotten off their asses and sold an exciting tournament concept to One HD is awesome. Even better for us hoops junkies that its in Adelaide!

I'm normally a bit of a purist, but I like the idea of the 4pt 'power plays'. Yeah, teams will over-guard the three point shot, but that will just mean smart teams will pump it inside and score more frequently! Then what's the defence gonna do? It'll be pick your poison!

As much as there may be an implied threat to the NBL from 'rogue' promoters, in my view its worth the risk. Basketball NEEDS to be shaken up in this country. The NBL could have done something like this years ago, but it DIDN'T!!!

I hope that it pushes some buttons at NBL/ BA headquarters and makes them respond to whatever 'challenge' there might be!

Would LOVE to see a bunch of hungry young Aussie college players back in Oz to show off their skills. If they could get Dellavedova, Ogilvy, Bose, Allen, Majok, etc that would be awesome.

Not to mention maybe guys like Luke Nevill, Maric, Newley, Ingles, Barlow... don't know if these guys could get permission to play but it would be awesome if they could!

This could be a great starting point. If it can be made a success and One HD stays involved, I would LOVE to see it developed into an international "April Anarchy" Champions League style tournament.

Get the two or even four best Aussie teams each year plus four Asian based teams. Get One HD to broadcast it into Asia and if you can get the advertising dollars to flow then you can really increase the prizes and try to attract world class imports for one month a year. Make it NBA off-season and you'd get a bunch of D-Leaguers and end of bench guys who'd be keen to make some money for a months work! When does the Euro season finish? Could that be worked in?

Sorry if I'm getting carried away, but I'm buzzed just thinking about the possibilities!

Oh yeah, meant to give a hearty thumbs up to you Skip for picking up the NBA Jam sounds - hope to hear them at the game! Can I get a "he's heating up" next time Ng makes two threes in a row?

Also, I took those David White comments you posted positively Isaac. He is clearly implying that he WANTS the Australian national league on ONE and I would expect he would prefer the existing league to one he had to create from scratch!

I'm no fan of Fox and it isn't the solution basketball in this country needs, so as far as I am concerned, the sooner the NBL can get across to ONE the better!

LC, good point about college players! Like I said, got a bit excited and plum forgot about their amateur status! Oh well, hopefully a few seniors!

Beantown - I like your ideas =D

The main problem I can see is that there just wouldn't be enough money coming in from attendances and the like to support it. But a tournament is definitely a sweet idea if it could work...

Bobby - just assuming that it could be done via advertising revenue if you broadcast into Asia. There's a lot of Chinese people out there to sell stuff too!

Hard to get started though - needs some people with deep pockets and vision to subsidise it until the ad revenue can be brought on-stream in a big way.

Agree totally in that this could be great for the sport in this country.

The possibilities are endless and I think most if not all basketball fans would like this to succeed if it helps the sport overall.

Get a few big names or even a few Chinese players involved and the Asian door opens big time...

The European season should be well and truly over by then, as will be the case with the NBA and D-League.

Being a World Champ year I wouldn't be expecting any players headed there to take part, but that still leaves plenty of options, both domestically and overseas.

Marcus Ng is playing over in Singapore and doing well from what I have heard (his singlet sold out after the last game), get him, Darren and a couple of others from the ASEAN league to play and thats a foot in the door of Asia.

Wouldn't it be even more awesome if they combined it with a women's tournament??? C'mon let's not follow in the footsteps of the NBA...........

That was Brett Maher on radio - $10,000 to buy a team, which is paid for by prizemoney,sponsorship.
He's not playing but coaching, mostly Adelaide guys and former Adelaide guys, plus some young ones.
Couldn't speak to players until after today's press release, but obviously will ask 36ers top players,Ballinger and the like, as it's only a week and is hopeful they should be released to play in it, with a few young ones to help out, seeing the games are close together.
As fiveaa said , sounds great and they'd like to buy a team and get into it. If one of their sponsors puts up $10,000 , they'll be in it.
(Hodge - they'd approach first, to play, they said.)

It could have been a rumour HO, but I havent seen a better explanation for the NBL suddenly booting Hobart, Gold Coast and Geelong at the time the supposed offer was made.

And fiveaa getting calls for listeners to chip in to buy a team, and get Tippett to play.
They are gonna follow it up.

I was talking to a 1HD guy who said they try to not have any ties with NBL as they don't trust them.

Paul, Geelong, Gold Coast and Hobart were on and off court basket cases and had one thing in common, apalling stadiums compared to what the rest of the league were playing in at the time - they left the league at the end of 1996 - the league did not go to summer till 98/99. They played a full two seasons of winter after those clubs left and before the switch to summer occurred.

Wortho has come and said in today's Herald-Sun he will not be playing, and that he doubts that any potential Boomer will sign up due to the WC's. (not online).

This could be considered as a good promo to spare a few players for a week in school holidays with FTA coverage. Pretty good community work and the like.

They considered 3points for dunks was gonna be an injury concern.

Only in Australia. good luck