The best half-time entertainment, i remember was many moons ago when they had gymnastics/acrobats doing tricks, and flips on mini trampolies etc. Its was funny, and entertaining, and something different.

Whatever is decided on, i think the delivery means alot, not just the content. If there is nothing going on, on the court i turn away and have a chat, or get a drink or somethings, but if the delivery of the entertainment is smooth (the annoucner doesn't spend the first 5 minutes explaining the rules of the 'game' to the 8 yr olds,) people remain interested.

What ever it is, the crowd responds better when it all flows smoothly.

We have a talented group of beatboxers, DJs and breakdancers in adelaide as part of "Da Clinic" who im sure would love to get noticed and would put on a brilliant half time show.

I agree with Dr Dunk - it is more in the delivery of what-ever entertainment there is. If there is something happening straight away and it's not just talking people will really get into it.

I like your idea Stephon about the mini-game comp. Would really give the young up-and-comers some exposure and show fans that SA basketball is still alive and well!!!

You can't beat the half-court shot for a prize.

Combine with the mini-game comp. Assign two fans, one to each side. Whosever team wins the mini comp gets the chance to shoot a half-court shot for cash/prizes.

Doesn't have to be a car, Coke could put up $5,000-$10,000. Reality is it might go off once every two or three seasons.

I think the car only ever went off once?

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I think we've discussed this before, but might as well try again:

- dunk competition off a mini-tramp (in the NBA, the cheerleaders give it a go too)
- parachute t-shirts down from the rafters as prizes
- run a 3-on-3 competition, game at each half-court. The winning team returns for the next week, losers vanquished. One half could be mixed-family, the other could be mixed-corporate. Track their progress and profile them on the net. Give a wild-card re-entry to a fan favourite team (novelty uniforms might help garner votes). Cheap prizes during the season (drinks vouchers or food giveaways); winning team at the season-end goes to The Good Guys for some electrical gear.
- read out 36ERS stats (assists and rebounds, at least) at half-time for those who love stats, rather than have everyone wait for the boxscore when they get home.
- themed nights at the game. Best outfits parade during the break (70s, 80s, on safari, polar, nerd, whatever)

In my summary of a recent Spurs game, I neglected to mention perhaps the best time-out entertainment of the night. It was a competition in which an audience member, standing at midcourt, had to catch beach balls which were being dropped from the rafters.

The mulletted dude they selected was getting woodburns diving for these things. It was hillarious watching him line one up, only for it to veer off at the last second and land 10 metres away.

Hey guys!

I have taken Phil up on his offer and just emailed him sharing my view on how ordinary the courtside announcer was last year begging for a replacement - Cozzy back or someone like Mark Aiston? or other sports enthusiasts who know what they are talking about and who you can actually understand when they speak.

I also rattled off the general suggestions which have been posted on here time and time again - dunk comp, 3pt shootout, best of U/16 etc, gymnastics/trampoline stuff - stuff that is spectacular and makes the crowd want to watch! Issac I like your suggestions on having the stats read out - I'm a stat junkie and would love that instead of waiting until 30 secs before the 2nd half starts to read it off the scoreboard!

Anyhoo, would like to know if Phil will:
1) get the email
2) read it
3) understand it
4) reply and say 'thank you'
5) try and implement possible changes

We all live in hope (I think my hope has about one season left!)

I like the idea of young kids playing, like they do in AFL. I concede the problem with them reaching the ring but maybe they could get some small portable rings for it.

It's not that it's all that interesting as a spectator (although many will find it entertaining enough), but it is a great marketing exercise. School kids get the chance to play at a 36ers game. That's got to increase interest in the 36ers among those kids. It could turn a percentage of them into life long fans. And they are kids, so they will bring their family along, and they also might also continue to come back for games.

Give this opportunity to school kids who don't have a stong link to the 36ers already, rather than restrict it to kids that are already a member of a state league club.

What about a "Coach-off"?

Get two of the leading junior coaches in the state and two teams the same age and relatively same ability: for example, Paul Arnott and Liam Flynn coaching their club's respective 18 boys' Div 1 teams.

Then give them different end-game scenarios to plan and strategise in one 60-second timeout per scenario, with their teams then required to go out and enact them:

- Eagles down by 1, but have possession in their backcourt with 10 seconds left in the game (then the teams swap roles).

- Sturt up by 3 with 30 seconds to go but Forestville have two foul shots (with teams then swapping roles)

- etc etc

Does Arnott trap, or even zone? Does Flynn set an on-ball screen or run a 1-4 flat and let his ball-handler try and create?
Do you need to deliberately foul? Who's the worst foul-shooter on the other team?

So many questions, and the Coach-off will provide answers. The coach of the team that wins the majority of the scenarios wins the Coach-off.

The true beauty of it is that afterwards, we can all come on here and bitch about how we would have done this or that better.

A basketball quiz where the likes of Pudd and Al are up against a random from the crowd.

The questions would be all sixers based ala who is the sixers assist leader. They could be put up on the big screen.

This would help educate new comers to the game on sixers history as well as give people in the stands something to talk about.

Particioant wins a signed Brett Maher photo or whatever is available at the merchandising shop. Helps promote this as well

two-on-two jelly wrestling with the Sixer girls. Pull two guys out the crowd to take on two Sixer girls.

cavalo - they are talking to sapwell to be the courtside announcer

Cheers

Sapwell would be awesome.

Thanks for that info Thomo

Sapwell would be great! That was another thought in my mind - an ex-sixer who is a real people person to be the MC. No one came to mind but Saps would be great.

Great move. I say let Rupert do everything!

Just because you can bank three's from any angle doesn't make you a good court announcer.

2 points..Milt Newton!

If you go with the beat boxing entertainment or anything along those lines- how bout having local personalities in the basketball arena part of it and make a regular talent quest, something similar to what is on the footy show. For example the eagles men against the north men one week, and the south men versus the norwood men another. Be funny to watch. Even the women players be apart of it.
Or get someone from the club who has a band to go against someone from another club. Might help to join up the roots bewteen elite and local, and a prize at the end of the season for the best talent exhibited by a club.
Apart from basketball some people do have other talents.

re courtside announcing, I would love to be able to at least HEAR what is being said. Whenever Peter Walsh has done an after game interview, we can't hear what is being said and we sit at row 'N'. New Year interviews also were inaudible. Hence people didn't appear to pay attention. It's 'cos you can't hear what's being said & this is very frustrating when I know that what is being said is probably interesting.

Since I'm a female fan, I'd love to see the likes of Mark Aiston dancing with the girls again. That was a hoot.
I also remember seeing a group of guys doing some half time dancing a few years ago. What about some more of that for all of us loyal female fans???

Lets combine the leaders in all the ABL statistical categories to see if we can find an eventual champion...

The clock counts down from 48 seconds to zero and you have to following:

Jye Watson, Max Papendieck, Damian Scanlon and Matthew Hardiman all competing to see who can launch the most FGA's.

Danny Phillips, Greg Pascoe, Paul Bauer and Jason Warhust launching 3PA's.

Brad Bungey, Simon Kent, Blake Truslove and Steve Pilkinton going at the boards.

Ashley Nitschke, Brad Newley ;), Tom James-Martin and Steven Hasting trying not to turn the ball over.

Best out of 5 with a 30 second break between each round.

And the winner gets a trip to Bonny Doon

Sapwell could also double as the 36ers gorilla, a la Phoenix - this would save the the Sixers money as they wouldn't need to buy him a costume.

I'd also pay good money to see the following 2 on 2 game in a half-time break, featuring any two pairs from the following quartet:

Manute Bol
Sun Ming
Yao Ming
George Muresan

in the first 7-5 or over pickup game of hoops.

Couple more ideas:

Show Me the Money: Spot shooting from various places on the court -- each spot worth a designated amount. Winnings are given as Good Guys vouchers. Something along these lines have already been done but is a little less transparent and "sell-out" than the giant Coke bottles.

Bring Your Bill: People bring their electricity or mobile phone bills (couple hundred dollars max) and on request wave them around. Dancers choose people from the crowd. Winner gets a three point shot which, if they make, means their bill is paid by the club. Although maybe this isn't a good idea if they're already struggling to pay their own bills! Maybe they win the bill's value if tickets or merchandise?

How about the Hoops SA half-time show, featuring lots of laptops being brought on court for the following:

- Numerous posters battling among themselves to win the "Best Bizzy shutdown" title

- Isaac posting his hilarious "don't post under another name to try and reinforce your own argument" shutdown

- Double Clutch racing against the clock to complete a "What's Hot/What's Not" based on the Sixers' first half showing

- Live chat with Manute Bol in Sudan

- Getting the crowd involved by bringing out a masked and hooded poster, and playing the "guess the Hoops SA poster's real identity" game

Gold Satish!

You could also have the Hoops SA starting five to see if the can walk the walk and not just talk the talk.

Also the "where are they now" starting with J Bags

- DC vs Mike McKay beatdown.

- someone posts something about Sturt, and see who out of Liam or Scott will be first to post a rebuttal!

- See how long Isaac could leave a funny post from Satish before Satish posts again saying that it deserved a little basketball. ;)

Masked and hooded? You could bring out most posters without a mask and I'd still have no idea who they are!

As long as no Southern Tigers U/18 Boys assistant coaches are looking at my whiteboard during time outs and reporting my tactics back to Arnie - I'm in!

Satish - re: post #36325

How else can we be sure that you won't be running the Indian play Liam.

Ah the Indian play...we'll be "running circles" around Arnie's team in no time....

Whats with all the reference to Arnie Liam?
Is this an inhouse joke?

See #36325 above, Frank!

Ahh,

Messrs Arnott and Flynn, my bad.

I thought you were reffering to the Southern u18 coach as Arnie...

I'd like to see those mini blimps they have in the NBA games. Advertisers would pay to have 'their blimp' for a game, and get the blimp to drop giveaways related to that sponsor.

Wouldn't exactly be ideal half-time entertainment, but it could be a nice novelty for timeouts.

I have to agree with a previous poster about the jelly wrestling with 36er dancing girls. Only problem is, if I'm not selected to participate, I'll be too busy watching to go to the bar or canteen- the caterers wouild lose money.
The court announcer seems to be interested in himself, not the spectators (like that chick on Big Brother), but I dont think it's his fault nobody can hear him. Perhaps if he was interesting, people might quieten down & actually listen.

It certainly is the same thing week after week, let's use some imagination? I'm sure all sorts of clubs would love the opportunity to showcase their talents for free. i.e. ball room dancing, calisthenics, roller skating, marching bands, aerobics, gymnastics, line dancers.... the list goes on.

Clubs wanting to showcase their talent for free don't pay the bills. The half time entertainment revolves around sponsors like the Good Guys, Coca Cola, Balfours etc. It may not be very entertaining to watch but these sponsors need to advertise their products which is why they offer sponsorship money. I agree however that they could do this in a more entertaining way. It would probably help their cause if they found a way of showing their products in a manner that makes people interested and want to watch.

Freebies are always interesting if they got the players to throw stuff into the crowd im sure people would start taking notice.
The hawks footy club all sign ball and give it to a person in the crowd. generally a junior. i bet as a youngster that would cement there following of that team for life.
we gotta do more to fill the dome.