I’ve played with some of the greatest PG’s the NBL/Australia has seen, guys such as Brett Maher, CJ Bruton, DMac and Charles Thomas. Over the years I’ve been asked who was the best point guard? I’m basing this purely on my experience with these guys so don’t bite my head off.
I won a championship with CJ, had some great years with Brett in Adelaide and started my young NBL career with DMac but I would have to say Charles Thomas is at the top of my list. The reasoning behind my madness is when I arrived in Adelaide fresh off of being cut by the Victoria Giants CT took me under his wing. We just had this chemistry on and off the court that I haven’t had with anyone since. He was effortless in the way he played and he could pass the hell out of the ball. He used to find me in places on the court that no other PG could. It was so easy to score, establishing myself as a 20-10 guy which allowed me to have a lasting career in the NBL. I don’t think he got the recognition he deserved simply because of his effortless playing style and smooth game. It was a pleasure playing along side CT, a shame it only last 2 seasons.
CT is currently an Asst Coach with the University of Akron in Ohio.
Below is a clip of CT vs Perth. For an old man he could still get above the rim.
Since leaving the Cairns Taipans after the 2012-13 season I have moved to the Brisbane Capitals of the QBL. Opening up the season last night in a 40 point win vs Toowoomba was a good sign of things to come for this young group. The style of game suits the old run and gun Phil Smyth days at Adelaide. I must admit it gets harder and harder every year to keep up but I’m slowly getting into the shape I need to be.
The QBl is a 16 game season plus finals games so it isn’t a long season at all. That’s good news for the body but it will go quick as ever season does. I’m enjoying not having to be on the road for days at a time and most road trips are an hour away. I like our group and hopefully we find that chemistry that will give us success.
On another note: It’s difficult to see the NBL in the state it’s in. I really thought the league turned the corner after the 2010 season when it moved to 40 min games and FIBA rules. The league was so competitive from 1-8 it made for some really good games making it exciting all the way to the end of the season not knowing who would get into the playoffs. Basketball has been good to me and it’s a great sport to play. It’s a shame that it takes such a back seat to all the other codes in Australia. The days of the deep pocket owners are gone and more teams are headed towards community ownership model. I know the community ownership model works since I was apart of it in Cairns. I believe that you have to get out and reach the youth to be able to give them something to look up to and be the role models required to be high level athletes. The negative about community ownership is that you can’t retain the high talented and skilled players needed to make the league compete. When I first arrived in the early 2000′s most of the Boomer’s players were in the league and now you only have 2. Clubs need to be able to spend the money required to get guys such as Ingles, Newely, Jawaii interested in coming back. This may be unachievable now but for the league to compete with NRL,AFL we need the best Aussie’s in it. Money Talks! and I know money doesn’t grow on trees either. I just hope one day the top talent will return and give the Basketball community the top product possible. Just my 2 cents.
People are always asking if I am done playing NBL. A player never wants to give up on a dream they have had since they were a little boy but with the injuries I’ve had the past 2 seasons it gets very frustrating being on the sidelines and not being a piece of the puzzle that helps win games. I always said that I never want to hold on too long and be that guy that everyone wishes would retire because he’s making a fool of himself out there. I still think when healthy I can contribute at a high level. If nothing comes up worth seriously considering I have to move on. The crossroads that I am at is I don’t really know what I want to do for a career after basketball. I have my MBA/Finance and am really passionate about trading bonds/futures/currencies and would love to make that full time but it’s hard work and very few make it. I have the same desire and dreams about trading as I did about basketball when I was younger. I know how hard it was to get a chance and prove myself as a player and I have no doubt it will be the same in whatever career path i choose.
Another year where we ended the season 1 win from the playoffs. Very disappointing to come so close but fail again. To even have a chance at the playoffs was something we didn’t deserve early on in the season but to the credit of the guys we didn’t give up and kept fighting. The support from the community and Cairns was 2nd to none once again. No matter if we were on a 5 game losing streak or a 2 game winner the fans stuck by us through the good and the bad. Can’t say that about too many other places in the league. At least we didn’t get booed off of our home court
More blogging in a few weeks. Mad Monday starts today and who knows where that will lead.
Well my vacation back to Minnesota has come to an end. 7 weeks spent visiting family and friends in Gods Country was fun. The longer I stay home the harder it is to leave.
Now as I sit here in the Brisbane lounge waiting for my flight back to Cairns I can’t help but think about the preseason conditioning that will start July 8. Anyone that has played sports will tell you this is the worst time of the year. You get pushed to your limits to get into shape. At the end it feels good to have put all the hard work I but actually doing the work eats at your brain lol.
I’ll start my preseason by playing a few games with the Cairns Marlins. I want to try to get into game shape and no matter how many suicides you do it never seems to get you into game shape. It’s hard to explain but gAmes demand so much more from an athlete than practice.
Looking forward to the 2012-2013 season. Many new faces along with the old. If we can stay healthy we will make another playoff run. See you during the season.
Snake Diaries is a Channel 7 Cairns production. Each week a player was asked to interview a teammate on the up coming weeks game and a few things that fans didn’t know about them.
