Had to check to make sure it wasn't April 1.

Don't know if you missed it but we kinda have one of the best national junior basketball programs in the world (despite it's problems).

I know I shouldn't feed the troll!

haha go watch the best schools in sydney play, and ask the kids where they developed their skills.

Best case, kids should be developing in both worlds...

Take the funding from schools? how do you propose that? run in and steal it one night....funny suggestion

Any more ridiculous suggestions from the intellectually disabled?

So how come if we have one of the best juniors programs in the world why are we shit in the mens?

kids in the usa dont start playing ball in a tough comp till high school

Hardwood, qualify "shit in the mens" for us.

We've got it good, given the circumstances. Country of 22 million, all of the best male athletes play AFL or Rugby, its a miracle that grass-roots basketball is even as big as it currently is.

Making a 'college' system in Australia simply won't work. First of all, there is nothing wrong with the current system we have - all we need to do is work harder to stop the brightest talents from switching codes. The AIS is praised worldwide for being a world-leading facility for producing young talent, basketballers or otherwise. Secondly, America and Australia are two very different places. The only reason that the college system 'works' over there is because they are all utterly and excessively sport crazy. There is no way we'd be getting anyone other then parents and *maybe* close relatives to Australian 'college' games, even if we funded them and tried to make a spectacle of it like they do in America. Culturally we are just too different.

Skill wise, Australian junior players are always up there in terms of the worlds best.
Look at the current Emus team and you will see the skill level evident there.
All can pass, shoot, defend, rebound and all have a 'team first' mentality.

In terms of Skill, Australia's young basketballers are among the worlds best.

Unfortunately, the one thing that distinguishes Oz players from US players is the noticeable difference in athleticism.
We must not forget that alot of the top US High school/college players possess natural athleticism (Speed, VJ, agility).
Don't get me wrong, these US players are highly skillful; But they are born with athleticism and with athleticism like that, teaching the skills/technical aspects of the game becomes much easier.

In Australia, there are only 22 million, compared with 300 million in the US. That is why we don't have an abundance of 7"0 centers coming through or why we don't get alot of 6"6 athletes coming through--And alot of those are lured to AFL anyway.

In Australia, most future athletes are born 'white' and generally without natural athletic ability. So essentially, our athletes are already behind the 8-ball from their day of birth compared with US 'black' athletes.

We don't have the population and alot of our future Emus are born without natural athleticism.

Look at all the very good Aussie potential NBA players, and lack of athleticism and or size is a key component of why they never made it to the NBA.
However, the skill is there.

good post - macdub

also if we could keep all our best talent in oz would be a huge help in popularity.
imagine.....bogut v jawai.....ingles v newely...patty mills v ??? ......maric v andersen..having these guys in the league would set a whole new level of standards.

Consistently top 10 in the world in Mens, top 2 in Women and top 5 in the world overall. We are clearly woeful. Given our population, and the fact basketball is a poorly funded second tier sport, it is amazing that we are as good as we are.

Also worth noting that 'colleges' in America cannot be equated to 'schools' in Australia. Colleges are the equivalent of universities here, but our universities are geared towards education only and not sport and don't have anything of the campus life that makes college sport so huge in the US. Again, this has a lot to do with population sizes.

I actually follow the NBl a lot more than the NBA these days. NBA is all about spending big on big name players and blowing out the salary cap by as much as you can these days.

Ricky Henderson is an example of a basketballer stolen by the AFL. He didnt even consider a footy path but the crows saw him at a NBL try out, looked at his physique, athletic ability, then got him to play a game of footy in a bush league, he kicks 7 goals so they told him not to play any more footy so scouts wont come calling and then drafted him.

Anon 870,
Size is a factor, but you can't deny that Athleticism is the major reason why US players are more successful.

Look at Kemba Walker, Jimmer Fredette, Kyrie Irving, Kalin Lucas, Nolan Smith---All those guys are 6-2 or under..All have had successful NCAA careers..Why?
Because of their speed and agility, not because of their size.

Look at the NBA..Ty Lawson is 5"11, Rajon Rondo is 6"1, Jameer Nelson is 6"0, JJ Barea is 6"0, Nate Robinson is 5"9, Chris Paul is 6"0, Raymond Felton is 5"11, Mo Williams is 6"1.
All those guys have been able to stay in the league and be successful players (Guys like Rondo, Paul have become superstars in fact)
And they are all quick guards with an exceptionally quick first step. Reason why Mills (at just 6 foot) was able to make it to the league and stay there--he had great speed.

Aussie basketball players have had the height, so to say that height is the defining difference between US and Aus basketball is ridicolous.

Newley was a great height for a 3 man/swingman--At 6"7 he could have made a great 3 man at the NBA level but he lacked the athleticism to be a good lateral defender.
Ingles at 6"8!! What a great height for a 3 man! But once again he lacked the athleticism to defend.
MacKinnon another player who could have played the 2 spot at 6"6, but lacked the speed needed to be a SG/Swingman

At the end of the day, height is not the issue, athleticism and the lack thereof is.

At the end of the day, "Newley/Ingles didnt make the NBA not because they were too small for the 4 spot, but because they were too slow for the 2/3 spot"

Go to the USA (NCAA college) and their 6"8 players are just as fast as our PG's in the NBL.
If Newley and Ingles possessed their athleticism, I have no doubt they would be in the NBA.