Go...

Rankings after week three....

1st - Buccs (last week 1st) Record: 3-1
Big win over the Suns was followed by a slip-up against a relatively fresh (and re-surging) Hawks team on Sunday. Despite that loss, they're still showing enough to stay no.1 and should remain that way with an easy victory over Gavin Field this coming weekend.

2nd - Wolves (last week 2nd) Record: 4-0
Pulled away in the second half over a gritty East Perth line-up to stay undefeated. Putting up 35 three-point-attempts per game at the moment, which is second highest in the league behind Lakeside who they play this week. Both teams living and dying by their outside shooting it seems, but it's working as both are undefeated. So we're looking at a shootout on Friday night but I think the Wolves will prevail.

3rd - Flames (last week 3rd) Record: 2-1
Manhandled the Cougars with Hire getting a nice triple-double in his first game of the season. White with an incredible +41 while he was on court for 30mins, but that means the Flames were -11 when he was on the bench for 10mins. This weekend they should get past both the Redbacks (Friday at Belmont) and Giants (Sunday at home) to strengthen their championship credentials.

4th - Hawks (last week 6th) Record: 2-2
The addition of Steindl instantly pushes them two spots up the rankings, and it resulted in two wins over the weekend. They're semi-scary now and will become full-blown scary once Tevin Jackson joins the team. You would expect that they will crush Mandurah on Friday night.

5th - Senators (last week 4th) Record: 1-2
Their 1-2 record is not a true indication of where they are at. Lost a close one to the Giants in Kalgoorlie but still have import Anshilla to arrive, which is rumoured to be this week. Should get the job done against a small Tigers team this week, especially if he plays.

6th - Giants (last week 5th) Record: 3-1
Dropped a spot in the rankings despite their win over Warwick, however this is more to do with the Hawks climbing a couple of spots. Have a big test this week on the road against a surprising East Perth team on Saturday night, and then a championship contender (Flames) at Rocko on Sunday. Would be hoping for a split at a minimum.

7th - Lightning (last week 7th) Record: 3-0
Are undefeated but have not played a team with a winning record yet and also haven't had a double-header weekend like most teams have. That said, they still have two starters to come into the line-up (anybody know when?) so you could say they overachieving. This week they have their biggest test so far in a clash of the two undefeated teams, though my pick is they will get their first loss.

8th - Redbacks (last week 8th) Record: 0-4
Lost Bowen after one week but gained Nelson from the NBL. Still have two (quality) imports to arrive, which is the only reason why they are clinging on to 8th in the rankings. Have a Flames/Slammers double this week, and they need to split that double otherwise I can guarantee they will drop down a few spots. You would hope they can beat the Slammers otherwise a 0-6 start would be tough to recover from.

9th - Eagles (last week 10th) Record: 3-1
Took it to the Wolves on Friday night and then crunched an inept Mandurah the following night, so you could almost say they're legit. However if you take away their game against the Wolves, they have had the easiest schedule so far (Slammers, Cougars, Magic) and those three teams combine for a 1-9 record at the moment. Also they apparently have now lost their leading scorer and rebounder (Dech) to New Zealand. Have moved up to 9th in these rankings, but how long they stay there will depend on the results of their tough double-header this weekend (Tigers away, Giants at home).

10th - Eastern Suns (last week 12th) Record: 2-3
Bounced back with a big win over the Tigers on Friday night before fading in a big way in the second half against the Buccs on Saturday night (outscored 81-44 in the second half after leading by 8 at halftime). Have the Slammers at home this week who have now added Voelkel, so a big test for the Suns. Their second import may not be too far away though unlikely to play this week.

11th - Tigers (last week 9th) Record: 2-2
This year's most disappointing team got beaten easy at home versus the Suns before just getting up against the Slammers on Saturday who were missing an import (Livingston). But WTF is happening with the Tigers line-up?? Firstly their under-siege imports combine for just 15 points against the Suns (it was 14 points the week before) and then one of those imports (Hymon) along with their leading scorer (Hussey) don't even play against the Slammers! Anyone enlighten us? Have the Eagles and Senators this week and will likely be looking at two losses if this form continues.

12th - Cougars (last week 13th) Record: 0-3
Were in it up until halftime against the Flames before lack of depth ultimately ended their chances. Will stay in the bottom 3 or 4 spots in the standings unless someone comes in to help Field, which has not been confirmed. Doesn't get any easier with a trip up to Geraldton on Saturday and will be looking down the barrel of another big loss.


13th - Slammers (last week 14th) Record: 0-3
Voelkel finally joined the team last weekend, but that was countered by the other import (Livingston) not playing against the Tigers. It would have likely resulted in a win if he did so hopefully he's not out for long. Have a Suns/Redbacks double-header this week, and a very realistic chance of getting two wins if both imports play. Need to get a win or two to get some cred back.

14th - Magic (last week 11th) Record: 1-3
Two weeks ago I had the Magic at 14th then bumped them up to 11th after they actually showed something in a 16-point win over the Suns. But after scoring only 48 points in a 51-point loss to the Eagles, they're back down the bottom again. With Durnin hit and miss, and import Smith the Second almost dud-like, they're relying way too much on Stewart who I regard as one of the top imports in the league, unfortunately playing on a bad team. Away at Perry Lakes this week so another huge loss is possible.

Why isn't T Jackson playing yet?

T Jackson has an injury.

Most likely because they have a couple of very good imports still to arrive. But as Brian said, they are on their last chance as far as being ranked that high.

SBL Slam Radio Show is back

https://sblslamradioshow.podomatic.com

What's with all the cyberbullying of the coaches? I thought that the aim of this forum was to share information about the sbl community not bad mouth coaches.

#OhWeLoveYouUtleyWeDo

Thinking about heading down to Lakeside to watch the top of the table clash for the mens.
Haven't been there for a few years.

How packed does it get and how early should we get there to get reasonable seats?

See Eric Milam is back at the Cougars. Nice support to help Gav

Some observations so far tonight at half time...

Magic stinking it up against the Hawks, 27 down at the half.

Slammers can't play defence, giving up 61 in first half.

Once again the Wolves putting up more threes (21) than twos (19).

Godfrey not playing for the Flames, which is keeping Perth in the contest.

Tigers (47) vs Eagles (44) is the game of the night.

...and Prue out injured after only 6 mins against the Wolves.

Flames outrebound Redbacks 59-28 and still lose by 3. Wow.

Magic shouldn't fold, but it seems there are D league teams that would beat their sbl men’s team.

Andrew did you end up going?

Rankings after week 4....

1st - Buccs (last week 1st) Record: 4-1
Cruised to another victory, this time by 39 points over the Cougars, and their four wins have been by an average of 34 points. Can't see them being troubled by the Redbacks at home this week though the margin will probably be in the 20's.

2nd - Wolves (last week 2nd) Record: 5-0
Were rarely threatened in a 19-point win over Lakeside, though the Lightning fortunes were not helped by Armour finishing with a donut in 30 minutes and Prue getting injured after only 6 minutes. Opposition teams might start beating the Wolves when they realise that Camidge can't score inside the 3-point line - 25/52 threes but only 7/24 two-pointers. Tough weekend coming up with a Hawks/Suns double but I'm expecting two wins.

3rd - Hawks (last week 4th) Record: 3-2
I said they would crush the Magic and 47 points is a crushing in my books. Finally starting to hit their straps but have a tough one this week up at Joondalup. And in the back of their minds will be the 36-point loss they suffered at the hands of the Wolves in round one on the night they unveiled hung up their 2018 Championship Banner. Ouch. Won't be 36 points this time but I feel the Wolves have the edge this week.

4th - Flames (last week 3rd) Record: 3-2
Some questions being asked following a weekend where they were upset by an understrength Redbacks on Friday night, and then just got over the line against a tiring Giants on Sunday, only pulling away in the last few minutes. Travel up to Kalgoorlie this week for the return bout against the Giants which will be a beauty. Are 1-2 on the road this year and I'm picking they will be 1-3 after Saturday night.

5th - Giants (last week 6th) Record: 4-2
Showing they're a genuine team with a solid win over the Egales followed by a close loss at Rockingham, after they led by as many as 12 in the 3rd quarter. In some strange fixturing, they now host the Flames up in Kalgoorlie, and though Rockingham edged them out on Sunday, I'm leaning towards a close Goldfields victory this time around, moving them up to 4th in the rankings.

6th - Senators (last week 5th) Record: 2-2
Got pushed by the Tigers before pulling away in the dying minutes. Their bench is a concern with only one bench player scoring on Saturday and are struggling to get anything out of their guards outside of King. Will be hoping Anshilla gets cleared to play soon, but can breathe easy for now as they shouldn't have a problem getting past Mandurah this weekend at home.

----------------------------------
I feel the above six teams are a class above the other eight teams. And that has showed in the results so far as they hold a 13-1 record against the eight teams below. That one loss was on Friday night when the Redbacks had a 3-point win over the Flames. The Lightning, Eagles, Tigers and Suns all have three wins each. But none of those wins have been against any of the top-6 teams in the rankings.
----------------------------------

7th - Lightning (last week 7th) Record: 3-1
Struggled against the undefeated Wolves, particularly after Prue left the game injured in the first quarter. Armour being held scoreless in 30mins didn't help either. It was the first time they had played a top-6 ranked team and it showed. But luck still on their side as far as their soft schedule is concerned, as they have the Tigers this week followed by the Cougars on Easter Thursday. Tigers have nobody to stop Prue from getting 20+ boards, so it will be a Lakeside win if Prue plays, and a Tigers win if he doesn't.

8th - Redbacks (last week 8th) Record: 2-4
As their victory over the Slammers isn't a good guide, their upset win over the Flames is the only reason they are hanging on to 8th in the rankings. But that may not last for long after they head north to play the Buccs followed by an away game against the Senators five days later. I'm picking a 22-point loss up in Geraldton.

9th - Eastern Suns (last week 10th) Record: 3-3
After struggling in the first two weeks, they have bounced back with two wins in the past three games, both by 20+ points. Their problem is they either win big or lose big - their last two wins have been by 26 points and 20 points, while their three losses have been by 33, 16 and 29 points. So this week we will see a 16-point win over Cockburn on Friday followed by a 22-point loss to the Wolves on Sunday.

10th - Tigers (last week 11th) Record: 3-3
Finally showed something with a 22-point over East Perth before going down in a close one to the Senators. It appears they will live and die off the form of Barrow - he is averaging 20 points and 10 rebounds in their three wins, but only 10 points and 5 rebounds in their three losses. That's a remarkable difference. Have the Lightning this week at Lakeside, and I honestly think they will only win if Prue does not play.

11th - Eagles (last week 9th) Record: 3-3
Brought back down to Earth with a couple of losses and have now lost Dech for the season. Have a chance to right the ship against the Slammers this week, but they are small and the physicality of Voelkel will trouble them. I'm picking an upset 8-point win to the South West.

12th - Cougars (last week 12th) Record: 0-4
Were never in it up in Geraldton, despite the addition of import Milam who fouled out after only 17 minutes. Field only playing 10 minutes is also a concern, so is he injured?? With a Suns/Slammers double-header this week, they would have liked their chances of at least splitting the weekend. But if Field is out they have no chance.

13th - Slammers (last week 13th) Record: 0-5
Had their full team for the first time on the weekend but still ended up with a pair of losses against two other teams outside of the eight. With Voelkel better for the run, they would like their chances against both the Eagles and Cougars this week and I'm picking an upset win over East Perth. And if Field doesn't play, expect them to also get past the Cougars.

14th - Magic (last week 14th) Record: 1-4
A 47-point loss to the Hawks means that the Magic have lost their last 2 games by a total of 98 points. And this was straight after a solid 16-point away win over Kalamunda. Import Smith the Second finally starting to show signs of life, but he is still on the second line of betting as far as which import goes home next (behind Hymon of the Tigers). The Magic need a combined 70 points at a minimum from Smith, Stewart and Durnin to be competitive - they're currently getting around 50 so they are 20 points off the pace. No easier this week and we should expect a 20+ loss to the Senators.

A bit tough on Rockingham given no Godfrey in the loss to Perth then no Hire versus the Giants yesterday. Both you would expect to suit up in Kal along with Robbins to make his Flames debut I'm hearing

Yep, Brian's opinion of the Flames is on the money. The lineup they fielded against Perth should have got them a 10+ point win. And then a fresh Godfrey comes in for Hire against a Giants team who had only played 12 hours earlier, while the Flames hadn't played since Friday night. And they only just got past them at home after trailing for a lot of it. You can also add their big loss in round one against the Buccs despite fielding a full team except for Hire - and they could only manage 70 points. So yes the Flames (on paper) are a top-4 team. But they aren't really playing like it just yet. The game in Kal this week will be a good test as they should have everyone.

Perthworld yeah I made it down there. Carpark was packed and the stadium was 90% full with similar capacity to the new Joondalup stadium. Nice sound system compared to the distorting speakers at Joondalup ha ha

When you can pay players enough for them to make SBL a priority, that might work.

Lochy Cummings is off to NZ ?

its not about the money other than the very few that play wnbl and nbl . lets be honest most of the imports are all on the same coin.

Lacko talking himself up again

Redhage back at the Redbacks.

I haven't listened to the show, but the description saying Lackovic mentioned a possible inclusion and the picture being of Redhage isn't subtle.

We at the Wolves are chuckling at this latest development.

There wasn't any 'bombshell', that's for sure. Basically Lacko said the following....

- Pesava definitely playing for Redbacks.
- Bowen will still be playing at certain times including this week in Gero.
- He is working on Redhage as a possible mid-season addition.
- DeMuynck should be on-court by Easter, and Roberts not long after Easter.

So..

Wagner
Nelson
Coburn
Pesava
DeMuynck
Redhage
Bowen
Gattorna
Roberts

Who starts?

You need like 3 seasons for that group to ever Gel who cares who starts who shoots Nelson getting his shots Demunyck will want his as well in 40 min game and with that lineup everyone needs to be okay with 9-10 shots a game maybe.

daz a stacked line up if they all gel boi

fa sho if ye kno wat im sayin cuz

you tryna play me son? dont be racist, or you can kiss my black assssssssss nahmeannnnnnnnnnnn

EP vs Slammers EP by 5
LL vs WT LL by 3
CC vs KS KS by 8
GB vs PR GB by 15
GG vs RF GG by 3
SW vs CC SW by 5
JW vs PLH PLH by 4
WS vs MM WS by 15
KS vs JW JW by 8

Eagles vs Slammers
No Dech - Slammers by 8

Lightning vs Tigers
No Prue - Tigers by 10

Cougars vs Suns
Suns by 12

Buccs vs Redbacks
Bowen back for Redbacks - Buccs by 10

Giants vs Flames
No Hire - Giants by 6

Slammers vs Cougars
Slammers vs 8

Wolves vs Hawks
Hawks by 10

Senators vs Magic
Senators by 25

Suns vs Wolves
Wolves by 10

His latest rankings are further up the page you doofus

Went to the Wolves vs Hawks game on Saturday.

Wolves lost due to poor shot selection mainly due to Ross (although he did hit some big 3s)
They looked best when they were running it through some hands and getting it inside.

In the end it was death by "Sniper".
Clint Steindl was the difference maker. The way he hits the 3's with people in his face (due to his height and shooting technique) was just too much for the Wolves to handle.

Also the Wolfpack crowd is a bit lame. The Hawks supporters (and the players) were much louder and cheered more passionately.

I felt a bit weird chanting defense and clapping only to find I was the only one. C'mon Green Army get a little bit more passionate.

I think Brian Ballbag called it in one of his rankings updates, but the Wolves are really living on the edge with their 3-point shooting. 38 threes launched against the Wolves (and 39 twos), and followed up with an incredible 48 threes against the Suns (28 twos). Huntington scored a donut in 24mins against the Suns but only put up 2 shots. I wonder what he thought of all those missiles flying over his head.

Great, another team thinking they can be like the Golden State Warriors and it's the Wolves. :/

Wolves.

Or to be exact....

http://websites.sportstg.com/assoc_page.cgi?client=0-892-0-0-0&&news_task=DETAIL&articleID=65083636

It seems like if you can't beat them AND can't join them at least you can dob them into the commission. What a dog act.

Let me get this straight. The Wolves breach, don't challenge the breach. They admit, albeit what appears reluctantly, to the breach. And you lay the blame with the player? Did you forget to switch your brain on this morning?

Any other SBL clubs apart from the Buccs and Giants live streaming this year?

Rankings after week 5....

1st - Buccs (last week 1st) Record: 5-1
Were pushed by a young Redbacks team before pulling away late. Have a bye over Easter before playing the Giants in their annual back-to-back regional clash next weekend.

2nd - Wolves (last week 2nd) Record: 6-1
Got rolled by the defending champion Hawks but atoned with a comfortable win over Kalamunda on Sunday. Hanging on to 2nd in the rankings by the barest of margins, but that could change depending on the result of tonight's game-of-the-round against the Flames. If Hire does not play for the Flames, I'm picking the Wolves in a close one, by 6 points. If Hire does play then it will be 6 points in Rockingham's favour.

3rd - Hawks (last week 3rd) Record: 4-2
Had an important win over the Wolves up at Joondalup, which ordinarily would push them up to 2nd in the rankings. However it was their last game with Cummings and he is a big loss, hence why I'm keeping them 3rd for now. Have the Tigers tonight at home, and although it won't be a pushover, I'm predicting a 16-point win.

4th - Flames (last week 4th) Record: 4-2
Passed the test in Kalgoorlie last week (and without Hire), which further strengthened their championship credentials. Another big one tonight up at Joondalup which will see a 6 point margin to one of the teams, depending on whether Hire plays or not.

5th - Senators (last week 6th) Record: 3-2
Comfortable 30-point win over the Magic was predicted, particularly with Anshilla now in the line-up. A lot tougher this week against an improving Redbacks team, but they should get past them by 12 points.

6th - Giants (last week 5th) Record: 4-3
Dropped an important home game against the Flames, which sees them drop a spot in the rankings. Have this weekend off to recover before facing the Buccs twice next weekend.

7th - Lightning (last week 7th) Record: 4-1
Although missing three starters, they still got the job done against Willetton, though a lot of that can be down to the Tiger's (very) poor form. Have only played one team with a winning record and that continues this week with a meeting against the Cougars. Prue should be back which means the Lightning by 12.

8th - Redbacks (last week 8th) Record: 2-5
Pushed the Buccs until the dying minutes. Form is better than their win/loss record shows as they still don't have any imports and have probably had the toughest schedule to date (have only played one team with a losing record). Another tough one this week will see them take it to the the Senators but go down by 12 points.

9th - Eastern Suns (last week 9th) Record: 3-5
Most inconsistent team in the competition and they also struggle on double-header weekends. Chance to get back on the winning list tonight against the Eagles in what will be a shootout. And I'm predicting an upset 8-point win to the Suns.

10th - Eagles (last week 11th) Record: 4-3
Just got past the Slammers but are another team with a soft start to the season in a fixturing sense (five of their 7 games have been against teams with losing records). Another losing-record team tonight in the Suns and I'm picking an 8-point loss.

11th - Cougars (last week 12th) Record: 2-4
Broke the duck last week against Kalamunda and followed that the next night with a win over the Slammers. Though he's not setting the world on fire, adding import Milam takes some load off Field, and that should help tonight against the Lightning though I predict the Cougars will lose by 12.

12th - Tigers (last week 10th) Record: 3-4
Last week I said "It appears they will live and die off the form of Barrow - he is averaging 20 points and 10 rebounds in their three wins, but only 10 points and 5 rebounds in their three losses.".... Well I was spot on. They lost to a Lightning team missing 3 starters and Barrow gets 10pts and 4rebs, and they drop to 12th in the rankings. It gets no easier tonight and they will get done by the Hawks by 16.

13th - Slammers (last week 13th) Record: 0-7
They will be hurting after a pair of close losses against two teams in the bottom half of the standings. A chance to redeem this week against the Magic and get their first win of the season, but there is uncertainty over the fitness of Voelkel. If he plays they will beat the Magic by 6 points. If he does not then they lose by 8 points.

14th - Magic (last week 14th) Record: 1-5
A 31-point loss to the Senators means that the Magic have lost their last 3 games by a total of 129 points. No better chance of bouncing back than this week when they go up against the winless Slammers. It will be either an 8-point Magic win or 6-point loss, depending if Voelkel suits up for the Slammers.

42 points off 22 shots is pretty efficient.

Would Camidge be the worst import in the League this season?

Feel free to volunteer your time to do the stats yourself then

Red74 if they are going to do stats then they should get them right. Otherwise why bother, we should just make them up

I am a statistician for the sbl and nbl and if you think you can do better, we are always on the lookout for more volunteers. No one is perfect and as humans we do make mistakes

Leave the stats people alone. Like the scorebench 'sisterhood' (shoutout to all the guys doing score bench also!), the wabl kids wiping floors, the mums cooking post-game meals - the SBL needs volunteers for there to be a League. As Red said, if you feel so comfortable in your ability to identify how many rebounds or blocks Player X has each week, then either contact your local association or even BWA and say you would like to get formally qualified to do stats or jump on a scorebench (Word of advice, its not as easy as it may seem from the bleachers and you probably want to ease yourself in with a few wabl games first!) - who knows you may end up doing NBL some day. Otherwise leave the people who donate countless hours each season alone - god knows we need them alot more than some of the clowns on here.

R@ndom reread my post. I did not attack these volunteers simply suggested an effort should be made to their accuracy.. why so touchy?!

And perhaps the fact they aren't given some type of remuneration for their time is part of the problem here

Most of us dont get paid for our time, however this wouldnt/shouldnt effect the stats recording. The position of the stats bench also has an influence on the recording. Sometimes we have to look around mulitple players, refs and coaches!

And I have done stats before and have even been commended by players for accurately charting the assists they get, they commonly complain of them being missed.. so been there, done that

Red74 I take your point but if all of the stats people were remunerated then they wouldn't mind reviewing the video and correcting any omissions, albeit minor as I am sure they would be.
My point is players rely on these to pick up their next contract in the case of all imported players and other or to get to play NCAA in the case of notable juniors. It has a bigger impact than you could imagine.

JR I'm with you but everyone loves to be outraged these days. Accuracy matters no matter paid or volunteer.

Perthworld I was going to say the same but feared it may fuel the fire. So because the canteen lady is a volunteer and say you buy a drink for $3.60 you would accept $4.20 change from $10 just because she is a volunteer, thereby making errors and omissions acceptable. Long story short, I agree

I see both sides to the argument but agree that if that is your job, the minimum requirement is that you should do it to a decent level at the very least - as was said, people's futures whether it be contracts or college ball, depend on those very stats.

On a different note, if you could make three changes to the league - what would they be and why?

Haha.. dangerous question Moose.. could open Pandora's box here

Moose I'll bite.
1. Referees held more accountable when they do a bad game yet still seem to be given decent games the following weeks
2. 4/6 & 5/7 to become the Saturday norm for game times. 730 being latest for men only Buccs/Giants games; Makes it far more family/wabl friendly
3. Grand Final to be a best of 3 in a HHA format. Lower ranked team has to win one away from home to earn the right to get decider played on their court

That is the worst idea for a playoff series I've ever heard.

Well isn't it great then nobody really values your outspoken opinions then KR

HHA Spectator you're a moron.

At least give me an alternative rather than just label me a moron. Higher seed gets the biggest advantage, lower seed if they pull off an upset gets to host the decider. It's not horrible. Better than two three game series into a one off grand final on the worst rings in the state.

"Lower seed gets to host the decider" is absurd.

Why do we need to provide an alternative when literally every other playoff format ever designed is a better option?

When every team gets a venue with the capacity of Bendat, a HAH or AHH series might be plausible, but until then Bendat is going to continue to host even if it does expand to best of three.

Imagine trying to host a grand final game at one of the venues that doesn't even have seats.

Home, Bendat, Bendat (if required)?

No need for alternative.

They tried a 3 game series years ago, everyone hated it and attendance wasn't very good. Giants vs Slammers 1995 IIRC

Isn't it fantastic to see so many of the 2000-2001 WABL Group transitioning through to SBL level...

COCKBURN COUGARS (1)
Logan Franich

EAST PERTH EAGLES (0)
Nil

JOONDALUP WOLVES (0)
Nil

KALAMUNDA EASTERN SUNS (0)
Nil

LAKESIDE LIGHTNING (4)
Nick Blight
Josh Davey
Isaac Grida
Liam Hislop

MANDURAH MAGIC (1)
Chad Miegel

PERTH REDBACKS (4)
Kyle Bowen
Lach Forrest
Jordan Herbert
Derek Igbenoba

PERRY LAKES HAWKS (2)
Denzel Jackson
Adrian Nobensi

ROCKINGHAM FLAMES (2)
Callum Beard
Luke Travers

SOUTH WEST SLAMMERS (1)
Lucas Goff

WILLETTON TIGERS (4)
Hamish Cummings
Travis Fee
Dylan Hampson
Connor Micherton

WARWICK SENATORS (3)
Ollie Cross
Jordan Deegan
Wani Swaka Lo Buluk

That is a total of 22 players who are 18 & 19 years of age playing in the league.

Are there any other notable omissions from this list? Noteable exceptions would include Luke Jackson - Willetton Tigers (AFL) and Marshall Kearing - Mandurah Magic (Big V).

Obviously some clubs have better development pathways than others?

Who are the next batch of talent coming through?

^^ 2000 / 2001 Birth Year ^^

That makes 25 players in the SBL competition who are 2000 / 2001 Birth Year...

COCKBURN COUGARS (1)
Logan Franich

EAST PERTH EAGLES (3)
Archie Hal
Matt Leary
Chuatwech Reath

JOONDALUP WOLVES (0)
Nil

KALAMUNDA EASTERN SUNS (0)
Nil

LAKESIDE LIGHTNING (4)
Nick Blight
Josh Davey
Isaac Grida
Liam Hislop

MANDURAH MAGIC (1)
Chad Miegel

PERTH REDBACKS (4)
Kyle Bowen
Lach Forrest
Jordan Herbert
Derek Igbenoba

PERRY LAKES HAWKS (2)
Denzel Jackson
Adrian Nobensi

ROCKINGHAM FLAMES (2)
Callum Beard
Luke Travers

SOUTH WEST SLAMMERS (1)
Lucas Goff

WILLETTON TIGERS (4)
Hamish Cummings
Travis Fee
Dylan Hampson
Connor Micherton

WARWICK SENATORS (3)
Ollie Cross
Jordan Deegan
Wani Swaka Lo Buluk

Taylor Land suiting up for the suns on Thursday night, back to the Utley grit and grind, surely land would be past it??

Land will provide some great leadership for a relatively young Suns squad. Won't score much but will definitely free up the likes of Braun, Easley & Timms

Is their anyone more cunning and conniving than I Nik Lackovic in the SBL community?

#PESAVA IS MINE

Isn't Pesava a done deal? As announced by Lako himself on SBL Slam

Pesava already been sighted at Cockburn since his return.

Lacko still sprouting the used car salesman pitch, don't be surprised if the Hawks jump in on the fun too (Lachy who?).

Not a done deal.

It is a done deal! Pesava is mine, he just wants to ball with his Brochacho Marty and make the biggest paycheck he can!

A break from the team rankings this week, so instead let's rank this year's imports:

QUALITY:
Braun (Suns)
League-leading scorer at a very good clip and Suns would be 0-9 without him.

Stewart (Magic)
Quality player in a poor team. Imagine him in one of the top teams.


SOLID:
Anshila (Senators)
Only been here a couple of weeks but has been more than serviceable and the Senators are 3-0 since he joined the line-up.

Bowie (Giants)
Been a quality import in this league for a while now and showing no signs of stopping in a resurgent Giants line-up.

Burke (Giants)
Filling that workhorse role nicely for the Giants.

Davis (Wolves)
Started the season slow but now showing why he's one of the toughest interior defenders in the league.

King (Senators)
A lone hand in the Senators backcourt at the moment. Would probably be in the 'Quality' category if he had a decent PG alongside him.

Lasher (Buccs)
Putting up good numbers in a top-of-the-table Buccs line-up full of scorers.

Livington (Slammers)
Similar situation to Stewart but not quite dragging his team behind him like Stewart is.

Ritchart (Flames)
Slow start to the season but entrenched as one of the best 4/5's in the comp.

Voelkel (Slammers)
Almost averaging a triple-double but his team needs wins so he could drop to 'Underwhelming' if they don't start getting some.

Wall (Lightning)
Him and Armour doing the job for Lightning, and he could come into his own once the other import is here.

Williams (Eagles)
A little bit inconsistent but for the most part is helping his team keep in touch with the top-8.


UNDERWHELMING:
Barrow (Tigers)
Seems a shadow of what we saw at the Redbacks and Buccs, which isn't a good result for a struggling Tigers team that is undermanned as it is.

Camidge (Wolves)
As he doesn't have much outside of 3-point shooting, coaches have started to work him out as can be seen with his 11ppg in his past 3 games.

White (Flames)
Came here with big wraps and a big rep but is under-performing how I see it. But that is hidden by the fact the Flames have so many other options.

Conner (Buccs)
Pretty much say the same about Conner as what I said about White.


DUD:
Hymon (Tigers)
Arrived undersized as it was, and is the only 'big' of note in the Tigers line-up, but 8ppg just isn't going to cut it for what should be one of their marquee players.

Milam (Cougars)
As the Cougars only inside player, and their only import, they need way better than 9pts and 5rebs per game.

Smith (Magic)
Is is a team crying out for two stud imports. They have one but Smith is the dud and not the stud.

Sovine (Hawks)
Is a vastly different player to the 20/10 player at the Giants last year. Seems to be a 'role' player at the Hawks which is not where you want to see an import.


NOT HERE YET:
DeMuynck (Redbacks)
Isenberger (Lightning)
Roberts (Redbacks)
Cougars 2nd import ???
Eagles 2nd import ???
Hawks 2nd import ???
Suns 2nd import ???

Redbacks do not, I repeat DO NOT have the finances for two imports. Also heard that Nik has been told by the Board that he has to choose between an import or Pesava and that he can not have both. Isenbarger is here but no guarantee of suiting up at all this season. Ankle has not healed as well as he or the Lightning heirarchy would have liked and he is 40/60 at best to play this year. Hymon not suiting up today - Has he been given his flight home?? How serious was the injury to Steindl today? Could it cause the Cats to pull rank and order him not to play the rest of the season? MVP race almost a one act affair at the moment with G Field in one race and the likes of Braun, Lasher and K Davis leading the chasing pack a fair way behind

Demuynck playing his first game next week

Just back spasms for Steindl - all good.

Josh Braun is the effing game pal. MVP by a long shot.

Jaarod Holmes is by far the most improved player in the league. He has such a juicy rig with the soft touch to match #fondletheball

To be fair to the Flames they did not have Godfrey or Roberts playing, so effectively no PG of note. Still should have won though based off of the rest of the lineups

In response to the anonymous post about the sbl commission doing something about uncompetitive teams- I believe we should have about 8-10 more clubs and a two tiered competition. This would mean the best 10-12 clubs would play in the highest division whereas the other 10-12 would be in the lower division. Promotion and demotion each year for the highest and lowest teams respectively. Obviously sponsorship would be harder to get at the lower level but it's about time the clubs that are mismanaged and constantly down the bottom get a kick in the rear end.
Pinjarra for one could use a club and I bet you they are better than the Magic within a short time frame.

Agreed. The D league would no longer be in this case. In essence the D league would be the lower division but with extra clubs making up the numbers rather than existing sbl clubs.

And it's not like they are a regional team, they are in a heavily populated area. There should be a steady stream of potential players to look at to boost their team.
And has their import packed it in for the year or is she injured? 0 mins in one game and not listed in the other.

If BWA is serious about the League actually being a semi-professional League then East Perth needs to be put on notice. If it wasn't for Forde that Men's program would be a shamozzle as well and quite frankly the Commission needs to grow a pair and threaten that if they don't start to drastically improve their two senior programs on and off the court, then their licenses will be revoked and given to a Hills Raiders or even look at an Albany getting a Men's and Women's license. 27 points in a game isn't acceptable at WABL level, let alone SBL and it really is overdue that this clear lack of development plan or wanting to even be competitive is called out for what it really is. They were kicked out of Morley by the YMCA and you wonder how long they last at Herb Graham.

Of course it would be good for development.. especially once u consider that there would be many more wabl clubs. What's the difference between extra wabl clubs or Wolves/ tigers fielding 3-4 teams per age group? Participation would be better and we would see much more of a level playing field in time

Conner about to go home as well from the Buccs? Only 7mins in their win over the Giants yesterday.

Have Kalamunda improved their playing stocks over last year or is it just the coaching is so much better? I thought they had two decent imports last year.
Willeton look like being light-weights again. Is it chemistry?

Re Kalamunda... Braun replaced Belger. Both very good players but their defence is still ordinary so they need plenty of points on the board. And Braun does that better than Belger.

The big difference is Timms. He was only at 50% last year after coming off that major knee injury, and the Suns rarely got a good game out of him. This year it's the Timms of old and he is putting up import-level numbers.

The coaching side of it is difficult to compare as we are talking two completely different coaches with differing styles.

But let's also not forget the Suns' easy schedule so far - 7 of their 10 games have been against teams with losing records and those teams have a combined 13-33 record. Their other three games (all losses) were to the Giants (33 points), Buccs (29 points) and Wolves (23 points).

So let's not get too carried away. Their next 3 games (Hawks, Lightning, Buccs) will make them or break them.

Rankings after week 7....

1st - Buccs (last week 1st) Record: 6-2
Split their Giants double-header on the weekend. Lost a thriller in Kal before bouncing back with a comfortable win up in Gero yesterday. Let me say that I agonised over dropping them down to 2nd but I still can't find a case for a team to take over top spot. Will be getting Mandurah to walk the plank this week so should stay first in the rankings for a little while longer. Buccs by 30.

2nd - Wolves (last week 2nd) Record: 7-2
A little bit hit and miss at the moment and that's why they haven't removed the Buccs from top spot. Pulled away from East Perth on Friday, a week after a surprise home loss to Rockingham dented their pride a little. Have a tough rivalry game at Warwick this Saturday and will have to bring their A-game against a Senators team now at full strength. Should be enough as I see a 6-point win over a tired Stirling team who played a tough one the night before.

3rd - Flames (last week 4th) Record: 6-3
Secured a big scalp on Easter Thursday with a close win over the Wolves, which was followed by mixed results the weekend just gone (loss to Lakeside, big win over Cougars). We'll call the Lightning loss an aberration as the Flames were without Godfrey and Lakeside couldn't miss from outside. Have a Senators/Tigers double-header this week and I can see them going 2-0.

4rd - Hawks (last week 3rd) Record: 6-3
They're a hard team to gauge at the moment, particularly after losing Cummings. And now Steindl is out with a back injury so they will be hoping that is short term. But a 30-point win over the Eagles on Saturday without either of them means they're still a contender and they should continue that form with a 18-point win over the Suns on Friday night.

5th - Senators (last week 5th) Record: 5-2
A team on the rise with the arrival of second import Anshilla. They are 3-0 (average winning margin 20 points) since he got here, but it's pretty tough this weekend with a Flames/Wolves double. Unfortunately for Stirling, their Flames game on Friday night is at Rockingham (equals a loss) and their home game on Saturday is against a fresh Wolves (also a loss).

6th - Giants (last week 6th) Record: 5-4
Big win over the Buccs on Saturday was soured a little by then losing to them yesterday in what was a tough weekend for both country rivals. But 6 of their 9 games this year have been against teams currently in the top-5 - their last 4 games being back-to-back contests against the Flames and Buccs. Get a bit of a breather this week and should be 14-points too strong for a visiting Cougars line-up.

7th - Lightning (last week 7th) Record: 6-2
Are surprising some with their start to the season, particularly as they are down a couple of starters. But the reality is that they have only played two teams with a winning record, so they need a good start as their second half of the season is probably the toughest out of all teams. But have it relatively easy again this week as they play a Kalamunda team who will be coming off a tough game the night before against the Hawks. Lightning by 10.

8th - Eastern Suns (last week 9th) Record: 5-5
Exceeding some people expectations, but someone said it further up this message thread that they have had a 'soft run'. And like the Lightning, the facts don't lie - 7 of their 10 games have been against teams in the bottom 6, and their other three games have been big losses against contenders. Have a double this week against two teams above them (Hawks and Lightning), and that means two losses.

9th - Redbacks (last week 8th) Record: 3-6
Finally have an import here (Demuynck) which helped them get over a gritty Mandurah team by one point. They have six losses though (only the Magic and Slammers have more) so are close to being out of playoff contention (would have to go 11-6 from here). Really need Roberts here soon otherwise they might as well save their $$$. Eagles/Slammers double this weekend but I can see them coming away with two wins and keeping their season alive.

10th - Cougars (last week 11th) Record: 3-5
A team on the rise with three wins in their last 4 games, though their last game was a thumping loss to Rockingham. Are 3-2 since since import Milam was added. He's no world beater (9pts & 5rebs per game) but what he's doing is freeing up Field who is averaging 25ppg in his last 4 games. Tough trip to Kalgoorlie this week and though the Cougars will stay in it for three quarters, the Giants firepower will help them to a 14-point win over the visitors.

11th - Eagles (last week 10th) Record: 4-6
Have lost 4 of their last 5, which interestingly have all been since they lost Sunday Dech. And the one win in that stretch was a close 2-point victory over the winless Slammers. And they now come up against a Redbacks team who have just added a quality import. Redbacks by 12.

12th - Tigers (last week 12th) Record: 4-6
Managed to get their 4th win at their last start, though it was only against the Magic. But the big news is the sending home of import Hymon. They weren't a big team to begin with so they could now be crunched by the big teams of the league unless they have a replacement coming in. Are home to one of those big teams this week, and though Rockingham will be coming off a game the night before, I can still see a Flames win by 16 points.

13th - Magic (last week 14th) Record: 2-7
Beat the cellar-dwelling Slammers team on Easter Thursday, and that has got them off the bottom of these rankings. Followed that with a 1-point loss to the Redbacks and a 19-point loss to the Tigers, so they're on the up compared to a few weeks ago. Don't like their chances this week with a trip to Geraldton and a 30-point loss will be handed to them.

14th - Slammers (last week 13th) Record: 0-9
Just can't get that win, but on a positive their last 5 losses have been by 12 points or less, and 7 of their 9 losses this year have been by 12 points or less, so they have been in most games. Could be another close one this week when they face the Redbacks up at Belmont, but the home team should prevail by 14 points.

Leave Me Alone! I'm just a poor coach that loves my dummy. I can't control my emotions at all times and sometimes spit my dummy. I am guilty of this and have now lost my dummy after spitting it like a toddler whom didn't get the tit! So now I am asking if anyone has found my dummy last sighted in Stirling?

Thanks, Lot's of love NICOLASVIICKA

Yes a nice write up by Barry Ballbag. Shame no one does the same for WSBL

It's Brian.
Barry is my douchebag cousin.

Oi!!

Hay guyz just want to say sozza to Nick da slick for bailing on the redbackx and making him look silly on da radio. I did want to ball with ma bro marshy but home is where da heart is plus marshe be turning it ovah way 2 much i want to shoot sum shots!! Plus tyrone is such a nioce guy a not a douche at all.

Ray Turner?
Unlikely seeing he's playing NBL with Bendigo.

NBL1 that is...

He isn't.
He is also the team Captain

To Anonymous poster #742686 regarding Lakeside's ranking. I think at the moment a 7th ranking is very fair. They still have a lot to prove. They may have only lost two games but they have also had the softest schedule of any team - they have only played one double-header (a league low) and played 6 of their 8 games against teams with losing records.

In addition, there are serious doubts whether Isenberger will play at all this year, and to say that Vigor is all-star quality is ludicrous. He averaged 10 and 5 with the Redbacks last year and is at the back end of his career.

Until they start playing the top teams, and also have a full team on the court, I think that a 7th ranking is actually quite generous.

He is here for a family gathering, 100% not playing for Tigers

Just saw Ray at Willetton Stadium, so, he's either here for shits n gigs or he's playing for the tigers

New thread for May is active.....

www.hoops.com.au/forum/45176-wa-sbl-may-2019