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Years ago
Coaches mid season poll - Maher gets some love
NBL MID-SEASON COACHES POLL RESULTS REVEALED
According to a mid-season poll of all 11 Philips Championship coaches conducted by the National Basketball League (NBL) office, the Wollongong Hawks have replaced the Brisbane Bullets as the favourites to win the title for season 2004/05.
Prior to the season, the coaches tipped the Bullets as the consensus favourites to win the championship, with the Hawks ranked just fourth. The performance of Brendan Joyce's Wollongong team through the first 10 rounds of the season however has seen the Hawks made clear favourites in the mid-season poll, receiving five first-placed votes. Other teams to be named were Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth, Adelaide, Sydney and Townsville, each receiving one vote apiece.
The Hawks are also hot favourites to finish as the minor premiers. Wollongong clearly topped the voting for the teams that would make up the final eight at season's end, appearing on eight ballots as the likely minor premier, and ranking no lower than second on any ballot.
According to the coaches, the likely eight in order will be Wollongong, Brisbane, Perth, Sydney, Adelaide, Melbourne, West Sydney and last season's wooden spooners Hunter.
In more good news for Pirates fans, Hunter import Brian Wethers received the nod from the Philips Championship coaches as the man most likely to win the coveted Most Valuable Player Award. Wethers received votes from four coaches, with Adelaide's Brett Maher, Wollongong's Darnell Mee and Brisbane's Kevin Freeman all receiving two and Jason Smith (Sydney) one.
One of the only unanimous choices by the coaches was in the category of Rookie of the Year, where exciting young Townsville Crocodiles guard Brad Newley was named by all 11 head coaches from around the league as the likely winner.
Full poll results are below:
NBL Philips Championship Mid-Season Coaches Poll
1) List the teams you think will make the top eight, in order (first to eighth), at the end of the regular season.
Wollongong 85
Brisbane 62
Perth 61
Sydney 61
Adelaide 52
Melbourne 28
West Sydney 21
Hunter 14
Cairns 6
Townsville 5
New Zealand 2
Note: Teams that were ranked first on a ballot were awarded eight points, second were given seven and so on down to one point for an eighth-place vote.
2) Which team will then go on to win the 2005 Philips Championship?
Wollongong 5
Brisbane 1
Sydney 1
Melbourne 1
Perth 1
Townsville 1
Adelaide 1
3) What win-loss record will it take to claim EIGHTH position this season (each team plays 32 regular season games)?
14-18 9
12-20 1
13-19 1
4) What win-loss record will it take to claim FIRST position at the end of the regular season?
21-11 3
22-10 3
26-6 2
23-9 2
24-8 1
5) Which player will be named the 2005 NBL Most Valuable Player at the end of the season?
Brian Wethers (Hunter) 4
Brett Maher (Adelaide) 2
Kevin Freeman (Brisbane) 2
Darnell Mee (Wollongong) 2
Jason Smith (Sydney) 1
6) Who will make the 2005 All-NBL First Team (team to comprise of three outside and two inside players)?
Brett Maher (Adelaide) 8
Kevin Freeman (Brisbane) 7
Darnell Mee (Wollongong) 6
Chris Burgess (Cairns) 5
Brian Wethers (Hunter) 5
Nick Horvath (West Sydney)5
Mark Bradtke (Melbourne) 3
Jason Smith (Sydney) 3
Glen Saville (Wollongong) 2
Willie Farley (Adelaide) 2
Casey Calvary (Townsville)1
CJ Bruton (Sydney) 1
Sam Mackinnon (West Sydney1
Adam Ballinger (Wollongong)1
7) Who will be named 2005 NBL Coach of the Year?
Scott Fisher (Perth) 6
Phil Smyth(Adelaide) 3
Brendan Joyce (Wollongong) 2
8) Who will be named 2005 NBL Best Defensive Player?
Darnell Mee (Wollongong) 5
Mat Campbell (Wollongong) 3
Simon Dwight (West Sydney)1
Jason Smith (Sydney) 1
Sam Mackinnon (West Sydney)1
9) Who will be named 2005 NBL Best Sixth Man?
Geordie Cullen (Hunter) 3
Darryl McDonald (Melbourne)2
Mike Kelly (Wollongong) 2
Steven Markovic (West Sydney)1
Scott McGregor (West Sydney)1
Ben Thompson (New Zealand) 1
10) Who will be named 2005 NBL Most Improved Player?
Peter Crawford (Perth) 2
Nathan Crosswell (Cairns) 2
Oscar Forman (Adelaide) 1
Paul Rees (Adelaide) 1
Russell Hinder (Hunter) 1
Darryl Corletto (Melbourne) 1
Steven Markovic (West Sydney)1
Ben Pepper (New Zealand) 1
Adam Ballinger (Wollongong)1
11) Who will be named 2005 Rookie of the Year?
Brad Newley (Townsville) 11
12) Who is the best import player in the Philips Championship at the moment?
Brian Wethers (Hunter) 3
Kevin Freeman (Brisbane) 3
Nick Horvath (West Sydney) 2
Willie Farley (Adelaide) 2
Darnell Mee (Wollongong) 1
13) Who is the best Australian player in the Philips Championship at the moment?
Brett Maher (Adelaide) 6
Jason Smith (Sydney) 2
CJ Bruton (Sydney) 1
Jason Smith (Sydney) 1
Sam Mackinnon (West Sydney) 1
Mark Bradtke (Melbourne) 1
14) If you had to name a 10-man Boomers team, who would you choose (one naturalised player allowed)?
Glen Saville (Wollongong) 11
Brett Maher (Adelaide) 10
Jason Smith (Sydney) 9
Sam Mackinnon (West Sydney) 8
Simon Dwight (West Sydney) 7
Andrew Bogut 7
Chris Anstey 6
John Rillie (Townsville) 5
Mark Bradtke (Melbourne) 4
David Andersen 4
Ben Pepper (New Zealand) 3
Mat Campbell (Wollongong) 3
Matt Nielsen (Sydney) 3
Stephen Black (Brisbane) 3
Others receiving votes: Luke Kendall (2), Tony Ronaldson (2), Luke Schenscher (2), Brad Newley (2), Frank Drmic (1), Stephen Hoare (1), Ben Melmeth (1), Nathan Crosswell (1), Andrew Rice (1), Ian Crosswhite (1), Ben Castle (1), Paul Rogers (1), Martin Cattalini (1).
Note: Sydney's Brian Goorjian and Wollongong's Brendan Joyce chose not to participate in this question and answers were instead provided by their assistants.
15) Who would you want taking a potential game-winning shot if you could nominate any Philips Championship player?
Brett Maher (Adelaide) 4
Jason Smith (Sydney) 2
Darnell Mee (Wollongong) 2
Rob Rose (Townsville) 1
Mike Chappell (New Zealand) 1
Brian Wethers (Hunter) 1
16) What game rule would you change in the Philips Championship?
Possession Arrow/jump ball 7
Advantage rule/breakaway foul 2
Charges under the basket 2
17) If you had to choose one player currently playing in the Philips Championship for a team other than your own around which to build a club, who would it be?
Jason Smith (Sydney) 4
Brad Newley (Townsville) 2
Darnell Mee (Wollongong) 2
Mark Bradtke (Melbourne) 1
Brett Maher (Adelaide) 1
Sam Mackinnon (West Sydney) 1
18) Who is the most underrated player in the NBL?
Stephen Hoare (Melbourne) 2
Dave Thomas (Melbourne) 1
Russell Hinder (Hunter) 1
Simon Dwight (West Sydney) 1
Liam Rush (Perth) 1
Peter Crawford (Perth) 1
Ben Castle (Brisbane) 1
Ben Pepper (New Zealand) 1
Darnell Mee (Wollongong) 1
19) Which player will make the biggest impact in the second half of the season?
Mike Chappell (New Zealand) 2
Steven Markovic (West Sydney) 2
Glen Saville (Wollongong) 1
Simon Dwight (West Sydney) 1
Dave Thomas (Melbourne) 1
Rolan Roberts (Sydney) 1
Casey Calvary (Townsville) 1
Sam Mackinnon (West Sydney) 1
Marcus Timmons (New Zealand) 1
20) If the NBL had to compete against other League's around the world, and you could select a 10-man rep. team from players currently competing in 2004/05 (both Australian players and imports) without restriction, who would you choose?
Darnell Mee (Wollongong) 9
Brett Maher (Adelaide) 8
Kevin Freeman (Brisbane) 8
Jason Smith (Sydney) 8
Nick Horvath (West Sydney) 7
Chris Burgess (Cairns) 7
Mark Bradtke (Melbourne) 6
Sam Mackinnon (West Sydney) 6
Glen Saville (Wollongong) 6
Brian Wethers (Hunter) 5
Simon Dwight (West Sydney) 5
CJ Bruton (Sydney) 5
Others receiving votes: Willie Farley (3), Dusty Rychart (2), John Rillie (2), Mat Campbell (2), Bobby Brannen (2), Tony Ronaldson (1), Ben Knight (1), Pero Cameron (1), Peter Crawford (1), Dave Thomas (1), Rosell Ellis (1), Casey Calvary (1), Rolan Roberts (1), Adam Ballinger (1), Jacob Holmes (1).
