Good call Sturty6ers, I personally don't think it is a good thing for basketball in South Australia. IMO i think if NBL players are going to come over here to play they should be put into a draft. With the weaker clubs getting a choice at these players. I understand that some players from interstate are from here, but players like Dusty for example don't have a junior club here and clubs like centrals or south should be able to pick him up.

I just believe that some of these players would be able to help the weaker clubs, especially with junior development.

I agree with both posts to some degree as it would help even the competition up (potentially).
But i guess being devils advocate for those that disagree, you have to congatulate those clubs for doing a great job recruiting. I would imagine those clubs put together a good package and presented it to those big name players to entice them to play for their club. It is possible that those players would not be interested in even playing in the Central ABA if they were going to come here and play for a second rate team who may not have their shit together. i think that them being here can only bring more interest into the competition and elevate the profile of the comp. Just two ways of looking at it.

You can't put the big name players in a draft. The only way the top players will play in this league is if they get to play for a team that they want to play for..not one that they are drafted to. Most only play here because they are from here and already had a club, or know someone well enough to play here and therefor want to play for the club that their friends either recomend or are apart of.

Eg, Dusty i doubt would have played for anyone but Schueller.

Oakley moved to Adelaide and was looking for a team to play for and from what I have heard he was good friends with Sapwell but Norwood already had Cooper, and the next thing was he is mates and has played with Cambell and Hoban from the eagles from their time at Cairns together and so it was an easy choice for him.

Cooper, who did not have an ABL club before arriving in Adelaide, was too friends with Sapwell and therefore it was an easy choice for him. Would Cooper play in this leaugue if he was drafted to Southern.... doubtful!

Matt Alexander last year was friends with Hopkins so he played there.

and so on....

We cant keep trying to weaken the stronger clubs so they come down to the level of the bottom clubs because that just makes for a third rate competition... we need to riase the level of the bottom clubs to be as good as the strong ones. If we did this, our comp would be as good as most. The thing is getting the players to play.

If Holmes was at Eastern, Ingles was at Southern and not Ballerat, Cunningham at Centrals,Forman back playing(not that Sturt seem to need him), Newley at Forestville, Nash at West, Elder/Bradely stayed at Woodville, Wheeler at South, we would have a much even and talented competition. Just need to find a way to entice these types of players to play here in their off season instead of interstate.

I think that some teams just don't try hard enough or exhaust enough options in the off season in trying to bring big name players to Adelaide. I also think that some coaches don't have the connections as others do and therefor struggle to find people, after all, like I said, its the people that know these good players than ultimaely get these players to a club in the first place.

Not sure what the answer is, but bringing the good teams down is not the answer... we need to find a way to bring the weak teams up.

It really is only Southern, South and Centrals that we are talking about anyway. Both Woodviile and eastern have played in many finals series in recent years, they are just having a bad year this year...Eastern with injuries(Hill, Williams leaving, Younie, Bungey, Trebilcock deciding not to play at the last minute), and Woodviile not having Rees or an import which they generally have more years than they dont,not to mention their appointed coach leaving just into the start of the season.

I think South last made the finals in 1999, Centrals i have no idea when they last made the finals but its got to be 10 years or more, and Southern I think made it in 2000? in 6th spot and 2004 in 5th only to be eary casualties in both years. They won it in 1998 with Willie Joseph. Throw a Willie Joseph in their team this year and you have a finals team. The only problem with Southern is since 1998, they have tried different imports and it has turned out pretty horrible for them so they might be a bit against the whole idea now... but why is Ingles not playing in his home town this year...Did Southern do enough in trying to get him? Does Heath have any connections in the basketball word outside Adelaide? Surely bringing Ingles to Southern would bring them right up to the rest of the pack. Not to sure about South and Centrals. How to bring them up I don't know? Do they not have to money, the connections? I think it is fair to say that they have been bad for a while in seniors, but their juniors have been just as bad. Will these clubs ever turn it around?

Here is a question..Are there too many clubs in Adelaide? Should South merge with Southern to form yet another team from the South? and Centrals merge with West or North to make an Eight team competition? It would create more money for the clubs, it would create a much higher standard at senior level. Imagine if we had an eight team comp, all of at LEAST around as good as list as say West is this year... it would be awesome! The best junior players and coaches would survive the merges whilst the ones that arn't up to it that are bringing these clubs down would not.... cruel? maybe, but I think I like it. Play everyone 3 times for a 21 game season. And no I don't think 8 teams is not enough! I think it is just on the mark. Adelaide does not seem to have the nubers to fill 10 clubs worth. There are players playing ABL today at some clubs that would struggle to make other teams reserves! these players should not be playing! Juniors seem to what a free ride into ABL these days...its crap...only the very best players, usually 1-3 players per age group(none if its a bad bunch, more if it an unusally good group) should even be looked at. If we want a better competiton, we need to make it harder for ordinary players to get a game and the best way of doing that would be for less spots to get a game which means less teams! Go the merge, get more money for the merging clubs, use the best players/coaches and the money to improve junior programs and entice better senior players for a much healthier basketball state alround.

But I need to state one more time that bringing the strong clubs down is not the answer!...We need to bring the weak clubs up!

A draft would be the best option but money rules and a lots of these players will go where the cash is and the junior parents pay for it unfortunately

#135048,

Interesting post. I like your passion. Don't know that I agree with it all. We have to take into account our changing shifts in demographics and population. If clubs were to merge then they should be located in the outlaying areas. The Northern suburbs Waterloo Corner, Elizabeth to Gawler for example will boom over the coming 6 to 7 yrs.

The ABL is a reflection of the issues that have made the Junior district comp largely a 4 and at best a 5 team competition and for exactly the same reasons.
The rubbish that evening out the comp would destroy the top clubs is the premise the clubs approach it from.
Senior and juniors need a competitive competition where teams are stretched and developed. Amateur football and turf cricket went thru this same elitism that destroyed their comps. Benefactors provided funds to buy players and those clubs that benefited were successful and eventually the comp became woefully uncompetitive and clubs folded or played in lower grades only.
Unless we come together to develop zoning, set country player limits per team and develop boundaries for each club to develop players within and foster real competition the district comp will continue to be a 2 or 3 horse race which will eventually kill basketball in this state.
The top clubs are for the top clubs and BSA need to be for basketball despite the pain.
Get the juniors right and the rest is easy.
ABL is not a comp its and 4 club poker game. Unless the other clubs have the conditions to succeed in what hope for developing basketball?
Do you want to play and watch competitive games every week?
It will never happen while rules are not in place to provide for it. Who gives a funky feccle who wins the comp if the winners come from such a small pool that is ultimately killing basketball. Find ways of equalling out the comp or understand our sport will decrease both in popularity and in player numbers and with it the quality.

Interesting post. I like the way you talk, it sounds good but.... Where are Eastern this yr in terms of ABL results? Where are Woodville? Where are Sturt? Where are Centrals? It goes in ebs and flows. The ABL comp is pretty even from what I can see.

I agree that something needs to be done to make the junior competition grow, be more competitive and take into account expanding markets which happen to be in the outer suburbs: Mt Barker and also Northern Suburbs.