Would you like to drop some hints Isaac?

just give us his initials please :)

plays in Italy

Ebi that is, not the new import!

black/white? position? any stat?

can you give us where they played last year, or ppg in the nbl, when last played nbl or whether they are a sg or sf, anything like that?

Hasn't played NBL before but has played in the country hasn't he ?

JoJo English?

daniel cioffi

Riley Luettgerodt

I am thinking:

Riley Luettgerodt
Rasheed Tucker
Bruce Bowen
R Ellis

I would love Bonzi Wells but would settle with Donta Smith

My Guess is either Riley Luettgerodt or Kevin Ratzsch. I think there are going to be alot of people questioning the decision but I think either of these guys will work out.

Who's taller out of those 2 ?

but would settle with Donta Smith

Anon how can you say neither of them are import quality, they haven't played in the NBL yet and they have good numbers in the lower comp. Just remeber Redhage played in on of the lower levels and even got dropped by the breakers before starring in Perth. Elite I think Kevin Ratzsch is 2 inches taller and if it was out of these 2 I would prefer him as he is a lot more athletic and can shot the 3 ball better.

isnt it meant to be someone thats been in the NBL before but not last season? which therefore would rule out Riley Luettgerodt and kevin Ratzsh or did i miss something?

Never said they've been in the league. It was said that they are familiar with the league.

If Ratzsch is money from the arc, we'd be a tough team to guard at the perimeter.

He is not money from the arc he is currently shooting 33% he is just a better shooter than Luettgerodt.

Ahh a nice twist of words. well this just got a whole lot more interesting. alot of potential young up and comers on this team i wonder if the last spot will be one as you guys are predicting.

Perhaps kevin Ratzsch is the man. Back in April Clarke and Radford flew interstate to catch up with Nathan Herbert and also to take a look at Jeff Dowdell. Dowdell has since been signed.

"We'll have a look at Jeff and we're tossing up whether to see Kevin Ratzsch," Radford said.

"Marty felt Kevin got better as the week went on," Radford said, refering to the HSH Tournament.

The full article can be found here http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/sport/shooting-for-stars/story-e6frecj3-1225854434586

Ratzsch is 23 and 196cm. Riley Luettgerodt is 24 and 194cm.

Just saw he's a lefty too.

Feel its Riley ,hes been training with Sixers,and is a cheap option he reminds me of Tom Scafer when playing for Forestville,second option would be Kevin Ratszch,playing in Victoria,wait and see tomorrow,hope they dont recuit ellis like groves a good player in the past but age can be a factor.i be surprised if its a new face,but have gut feeling one of those mentioned above.

I hope it isnt Riley, I didnt think much of him in the HSH. Ratszch on the other hand impressed me so hopefully it is him out of those two?!

Trimingham

I like Riley's hustle but realistically is an undersized 4 man in the NBL, where Ratszch is an athletic 3 man that runs the lanes and can finish at the rim and as stated above finished of the HSH very well he started hitting his shots. Check out link to see him in action at the HSH

http://linky.com.au/p6ihs

Tornado, i thought Riley at HSH was quiet good in regards to defending and rebounds, he was in there like a bit of a bull dog, although in saying that i thought Troy Jackson was an awesome player there. but we do need another shooter so i guess in saying that ratszch would be the better option. would have been good to see troy jackson get a run in the nbl.

Announcement is at midday.

On Facebook

The Official Adelaide 36ers Page Import clue #1
I left college as their best 3 point shooter in history.

Going on that clue, I'm think Troy DeVries. played with the pigs a few years back.

and holds the 3 point record at Uni of New Meixco.

These are his current stats in the Spanish league.

http://linky.com.au/s6pdl

Here are some highlights from spain

http://linky.com.au/wpgt9

I hope it is Troy is so a possible line-up of

Winder/Carter
DeVries/Ng
Herbert/Hill
Ballinger/Holmes
Johnson/Dowdell

Remember Herbert played a lot of 3 man last season and again this line up can go big or small depending on who we are playing

If it is infact Troy DeVries im not sure why they wouldn't have gone for Willie Farley instead! Farley could at least play small forward and would be much more entertaining then Devries. This season isnt looking very good. Hope I am wrong

Pretty underwhelming numbers
More than half of his shot attempts were 3 pointers.
231 to 209.
228 to 137 the year before

Even moreso than last year, we're going to live and die at the 3 point line.

SRT, I somewhat agree with you but I think he was undersized in that tournament and was exposed on occassion (especially offensively) and I think the same would happen in the NBL.

Ratszch from what I saw offered everything Riley did and then some and really showed what he was capable of in the Finals (when it counts) end of the tournament.

Devries was pretty decent from memory but didnt he play as a 2 guard? Wont he be undersized for a SF?

Strange pickup. Johnson and Ballinger are going to have to carry one hell of a load if the Sixers are going to be competitive.

According to Wikipedia, when he played for the Razorbacks:

75.5 from the strike

Must be going with the Love Bug (Herbie) as a defensive SF in the starting line up and DeVries at the 2?

Definitely going to be a Run n Gun team!

Something worth noting, but not necessarily relevant.
Ratzsch shot 48.4% (62 from 128) from 3 point land in his senior season at college...
Second in the league, could well be best for his college.

http://linky.com.au/cai42

Actually, found here, he was the best 3 point shooter ever for his college.

:D

I think I'd rather Ratzsch's size.

Clue no 2 my last club Marc gasol played for

Latest clue on Facebook indicates that the import will be Troy DeVries.

Clue #2 my last club was the same club that Marc Gasol played for.

After his graduation from Lausanne, Gasol returned to his home country of Spain to play in the Liga ACB. He originally played with FC Barcelona before moving to Akasvayu Girona, where he played two seasons

Small ball it is..... Run Forrest Run !

Troy devries it is

Ng: Only shoots 3s.
DeVries: Only shoots 3s.
Ballinger: Shoots a lot of 3s for a big man.
Winder: Shoots a lot of 3s.
Herbert: Main offensive weapon is 3s.
Hill: Takes a lot more 3s than his capability.
Carter: Doesn't mind a 3.

2 questions: Who's going to chase the rebounds all night?
Who's going to penetrate and draw the defence to force the open man?

Mark Radford in Tasmania

lol @ wikipedia.

so the only 2 guys with any real penetration skill on the team are Brad Hill and Carter? we will finish last without a doubt.

So we basically signed 2 undersized imports at guards who seem to be spot up 3 point shooters. I may be wrong but Darren NG fills this role so why do we need 2 imports who do the same. If Winder shows he can not drive and dish (his assist totals suggest he may struggle in this department) teams will smash us. Marty has to be the greatest coach in the history of the NBL for this team to win the title.

hey lets see how the team plays before writing em off again geez, i dont care what team is out there i just wanna see a competitive hard working team so wait til the season starts an then we can see if we are crap or not lol

Your mum you are a tool

How bout a little bit of faith. Yes we will be small but remember there are budgetary constraints and that the league (apart from Melb and Town) is small. We may struggle defending them but they will struggle keeping up with us. Just give the team a chance, a good coach may bring more out of players than we have seen. Lets be positive and support the team.

Wikipedia has Troy Devires profile, and says that the 6ers deny he is playing with them. A curve ball? Or just b/s. Wait and see I guess. He can play though.

Wiki getting more interesting with 36ers up the top now and club denying it down the bottom.

wikipedia says he ain't signed up just a rumour, this might change tomorrow...

"DeVries was thought to be returning to the league for the 36ers in 2010/11, however this has turned out to be rumour, with the club denying that DeVries will play for them."

No go to guy down the stretch? You are aware that this team has Adam Ballinger on it who was the league MVP runner up last year aren't you. Or are you just another mouth who can't back up your pot shots.

lol RITZ wikipedia can be altered by anyone so I'm assuming someone changed it to be an idiot. Its quite clearly Devries I say with 99.95% certainty

Ok unlike the other thread this time people are writing them off. this is a bit stupid now. i seem to think that no matter who we signed even if we had the USA dream team we still would have people on here saying we wouldnt measure up. i agree that you can voice your opinions but going that bit further to say we are going to wooden spoon is just stupid. names and stats on paper is by no means everything. in every different team the players do have different roles and coach's run different strategies and plays. hears an idea how about we wait for the season to begin and see what happens?? if im wrong feel free to say i told you so ill be happy to take it. if you think we will wooden spoon and are adamant about it feel free to not renew your season ticket.

@283834, no go to guy?, whose that Ballinger kid we got ive never heard of him, i always laugh at people writing us off before we even have a training session as a team let alone a game.

I equate the "wooden spoon" posters about the same as the Power supporters who think that a successful season is beating the Crwos twice in Showdowns but finishing below the Crows on the Premiership table with about 6 wins less.

A whisper that Troy Devries is our second import,his stats are not great overseas,hope he can deliver or be like Tyndale.My money on this guy is our new import.

Cheers for the scoop Gravity Man.

It would have to be DeVries wouldnt it?, i cant think of any other former nbl import who has led their college in 3pts (deVries has), played in spain for Marc Gasol former team and played for a 36ers coach (DeVries has), given that i reckon the only nbl imports either clark or radford have coached are Radford with Redhage and Devries, it would have to be Devries, going by those clues.

Not a bad signing as long as Winder can penetrate and make plays, and play atleast solid defence as DeVries is a great shooter, which is something we sort of lacked last season especially when Ng was having an 'off' night, as Groves was missing everything and the rest of our players are fairly streaky.

I look forward to seeing the new 36ers squad play.

I think a starting 5 of

C Johnson
PF Ballinger
SF Holmes
SG DeVries
PG Winder
would be quite good,

I'll always support the Sixers and I'm not going to pronounce our impending doom for this season without having seen the team play, but I do think there is reason to question the strategy of going with two import guards.

I'm just sick to death of our team getting smashed by guys like Worthington. Herbert is a solid player but he is a guard and should not be trying to defend much taller SF's. He is also a good bench player and not a starter IMO.

Would much rather have seen an athletic SF who can defend his position, rebound and get to the basket. Failing that, an athletic SF who can rebound, defend and get us a few junk baskets (ie Ratzsch) would be great.

46ers just wait until I am right as usual, who are you to talk shit?

Ballinger is a great player but I feel he needs a good penetrating guard to get him good looks. It seems our backcourt if full of shooters rather than guys who can penetrate and create for others with the exception of Carter. Hopefully Winder can be a pleasant suprise in this area, if not I feel a repeat of last season could be very likely.

What's that smell.... ahh that's right, it's all of the "knowledge" coming out of your mum's mouth....

Most probably a lot easier for a coach to teach players to drive and dish, than teach players to hit open outside shots. A strong coach can enforce his offensive strategies upon a team. With a lot more depth in the backcourt this season, it is a lot easier to discipline players from departing from the offencive instructions by substituting them off the court.

The Coach has obviously been given the opportunity to select players, within budgetry, salary cap and player points restraints, to play the type of game that he thinks will be successful.

Will this team work, who knows. No one has seen them train, let alone play. Who here has definate indepth knowledge of the plays that they will use during the season?

On paper, this team is not a patch on the Championship teams of the early Smyth era. There is a reason why - $$$$$$ and some elastic accounting perhaps akin to that of the Melbourne Storm.

In the mid to late 2000's, Sydney, Brisbane, Dragons, etc all won Championships but where are they now? At least we still have a team in the NBL with heritage going back to 1982. Be thankful for that, and that you can go out and support them in 2010/11.

Your Mum, care to make a bet with me re "we will finish last without a doubt"?

Your mum has gone quiet

Andrej Lemanis just called and said he owns the rights to "live by the 3, die by the 3". If you guys could draw up a new game plan it would be appreciated, kthanxbye

I'll reserve judgement until we've seen the squad in action and have a little more info, but I also won't be putting $$$s on getting near a title anytime soon.

I thought all of Marty's interviews etc. were geared towards an athletic small forward? If we did get DeVries, do people believe he fits that profile?

Re: the Ballinger discussions, he has been the heart and soul of the team in Brett's absence more often than not. That said, I don't consider him a big shot clutch player. As mentioned, he looks much better with someone creating for him from a structured play IMO.

In any case, I'll be there with season tickets riding the roller coaster of emotion that is every Sixer's season. Here's hoping it ends on a huge high.

out of curiosity Isaac, what would the terms of the bet be if he is keen?

also on a slightly separate note has the SOS banned Vuvuzela's from the BMC?

Let's see if they're keen first but I suspect they won't be. Head-to-head, money in escrow, decision made by NBL's end of regular season ladder. Your Mum takes "36ers finish regular season last" and I take that they don't. Worth a crack.

This could be a good signing. New coach, some new players blended in with the 'old' - time to take a wait and see approach IMO.

Anon - I love the 'ole "we're a team full of shooters, hate to see what happens if we have an off night" etc etc line.

Um, last time I checked, the game was all about shooting, and trying to put the ball in the hole. The above logic just doesn't make sense - you want shooters on your team or you don't!?! It would be delusional to think that shooters are not going to have an "off night". The hope is that it's not all 10 guys (including the imports) on the one night.

Yes, the game also requires defense, pasisng, team work, communication, boxing out, hustle/heart etc, but when you single one aspect of the game out/or skill and then intimate that they better perform well in it "or look out", can't that be said about any aspect/skill?

I continue to see the unique gifts and talents of the human psyche from the unique individuals that make up this great city of Adelaide here are on hoops (Aurelio Vidmar anyone!) ;P

Bet you love threads like this one Issac!?!? Maybe it's just my weird 'ole brain, but about halfway down this thread, for some reason I start having images of the KKK flash through my mind filling the Dome and hurling flaming mini basketballs at the new team as they walk to the players race at half time of the first game of the new season down by.... 2pts... The crowd ominously chants: "we told you so, we told you so - we posted it on Hoops!!" And then the grandmaster himself of the Hoops forum, Anonymous, rises and declares: "Lynch 'em allllll!!!!!"

Cavolo like to know what you had for breakfast mate certainly affected you in some strange way . WOW
That would have to be wierdest post I have read

This long time Ng supporter is slightly dissappointed. I was hoping Marty's system would mean a bigger opportunity for him. There are a lot of shooting guards to compete with for those minutes as it stands.

Eh. As long as it ends in a W, s'all good.

Out of interest, if anyone has the time, I'd be keen to see where our average height sits against the rest of the leauge. The 'bigs' are going to have to box out hard and hustle their butts off on the boards.

Some thoughts from a non-Adelaide fan:
- The Sixers have the best shooting line-up in the league
- There will be plenty of space inside for Ballinger and Johnson
- There shouldn't be the same troubles getting the ball into the offence this year
- Only Winder and Hill are guys who can genuinely get to the basket
- Very small front line and the team is susceptible to injury or foul trouble to Johnson or Balls
- There is still no one to guard strong, athletic 3s and 4s
- This team could put up a lot of points
- Clarke’s defensive toughness needs to be contagious for the team not to leak points

Agree with paul's appraisal - seems pretty objective to me.

The following three worry me the most out of the above:

- Lack of ability to penetrate and dish
- Small team susceptible to injury or foul trouble to Johnson or Balls (teams will hammer them)
- There is still no one to guard strong, athletic 3s and 4s

it is definitely an interesting concoction that Marty and radford have brought together. I think this team could work and work somewhat well. i think this is going to be an interesting and fast team to watch, and entertaining for that matter.

I would like to point out Perth won with a similar line-up last year

It's official. Announced on Facebook.

Big Sexy you are joking right . They were much much bigger than we will be .

Perth aren't that big this year. Knight as a centre isn't much more than 6'8" or 9". Trueman isn't huge. Wagstaff about the same. Remember they didn't really use Schenscher that much in the finals.

Hawks, besides Behrendorff (not big minutes last year) aren't monstrous either. Gruber, Davidson and Forman all about 203-206cm. Holmes plays at about that height and Balls, Johnson, Dowdell are that too.

We'll see how it pans out.

I heard that the Cats 'settled' for Lisch after they couldn't get DeVries last year.

After I hit the Post button I remembered Catt and the other import.

To confirm here is an article on AdelaideNow

http://linky.com.au/knuon

nice, good to hear. now lets hope winder stays gets here soon and lets get our pre season underway.