Hawks Defy The Odds
In a major upset, when the Big Barrel Hawks took down the Mills Albert Wellington Saints on Sunday in the capital it again signaled that there are no easy games in the Sal's NBL. Already without Darnell Cowart (back) and then sideswiped by the loss of leading scorer Dan Grida (hamstring cramps) in warm-ups, the Hawks put in a masterful display with many of their younger local stars playing vital roles. Once again it goes to show - there are no easy games in the Sal's NBL.
Jets Are No Longer Pretenders
With a 7-4 record and consecutive wins against the Airs, Hawks, Whai and Panthers, the Property Brokers Manawatu Jets have moved into the top half of the ladder and are starting to turn heads. After just one win in 2024, the totally re-built Jets have an engine-room like few other teams, their starting unit of Webster, Russo-Nance, Gibson, Miller-Jose and Goins looking like the perfect pieces to finally bring hope to the team's legion of fans. The first half of the season has been impressive enough to finally class the Jets as genuine contenders.
The Turnover Punishers
Let's stay with the Jets and look at an area of their game that is unquestionably driving them to wins. The Jets look after the ball better than any team in the competition, averaging just 9 turnovers per game, but it's defensively where they are burning teams and forcing a lot of turnovers back the other way. The strength of the Jets comes from the number of points they score from opposition turnovers - the highest in the League. If you look at their current run of four successive wins you will see just how impactful points-from-turnovers is working for them.
vs Panthers - 21 turnovers converted into 33 points - Jets win 106-70
vs Whai - 16 turnovers converted into 29 points - Jets win 107-85
vs Hawks - 20 turnovers converted into 34 points - Jets win 103-91
vs Airs - 19 turnovers converted into 29 points - Jets win 111-106
Panthers Need To Lift
It's been a rollercoaster start to life in the Sal's NBL for the Indian Panthers, but the honeymoon period is over. The grand vision has never been questioned, bringing two nations together through basketball and embracing New Zealand's rapidly growing Indian community is definitely visionary, but you still need to do the hard yards and prove yourself. In the Sal's NBL the team is winless after nine games, though in many games have been very competitive for a half and usually fade in the second half. In the Sky Broadband Rapid League they have four wins from nine games and sit mid-table, which is commendable. There are of course success stories, like 16-year-old Kiwi Cooper Lepou scoring 27 points last Saturday against a formidable Jets outfit - the opportunity given to previously unsigned Kiwis has been a success, in an inadvertent quirky kind of way. To quote Adam Ant (look him up all you young folk) .... it's time to Stand and Deliver.
A Dark Day For Tuatara
Where did it all go wrong for the Jadcup Auckland Tuatara last Saturday afternoon at home against the Wheeler Motor Company Canterbury Rams? Did anyone see a 53-point thumping coming? Not only was it the Tuatara's biggest ever defeat, but giving up 131 points was also a new high. Sure, no Rob Loe (ankle), but the loss of one key player can't possibly have this much of an impact, can it? And yes, sometimes the opposition has a day out and these things happen, it is sport after all, but this loss will cut deeper than that. There was an element of waving the white flag in this one. Davo Hickey played less than 20 minutes and exited the game three-minutes into the second half when it looked like he had decided to hang up the boots for the day, while Charles Pride put up just four shots in over 30 minutes and did little else. We know Dan Fotu is still to arrive, and of course Loe will be back, and the Tuatara have been quite vocal around the League in their desire to grab Zach Riley via a sign and trade scenario in the upcoming Trade Window, however the loss to the Rams opened up a lot of cracks and a response is needed on Wednesday night when the Nuggets come to visit.
Giants Finally Break Through
It's been a tough start to the season for the NBS Nelson Giants - very un-Giants like - but finally some smiles after a solid win against the Night n Day Otago Nuggets, subjecting the Nuggets to a slump of their own. Some false starts with imports has now seemingly been rectified with the inclusion of American Jeremy Combs, who immediately made an impact on the Southern Swing and was huge against the Nuggets - but is his arrival too little, too late? The Giants will need a massive run of wins from here, and quite a bit of luck, to make the playoffs. For now, at least they have a win to build from.
