Basketball On The Internet.

*FLASHBACKS, my weekly "lucky dip" where I just reach into my drawers of old Australian basketball stuff and transcribe whatever I find for you.

FORGOT I had a drawer full of old club yearbooks, mostly from the 36ers, of course. But there are others from the Bullets and Cannons and even a few others across the ages. This time around, it was Adelaide's 1995 Official Yearbook, Mark Davis' lean and hungry countenance on the cover and all the promise for the year to come. It sold for $3 so yes, inflation was catching up to basketball.

 

Giant-size woes overcome in a memorable year

WHAT an amazing year 1994 turned out to be for the National Basketball League's Mitsubishi Challenge.

It started with North Melbourne's franchise being saved at the eleventh hour from its burgeoning financial woes - the Giants surviving by the skin of their teeth.

They then flung their tattered old maroon uniforms on the nearest sanitation truck and switched to the colours of the NBA's most marketable outfit, the Charlotte Hornets.

That set tongues buzzing but not nearly as much as the new face on the scene, Darryl McDonald, who eventually would hit the winning bucket at the end of overtime in Game 1 of the grand final against Adelaide before steering the Giants all the way to the championship.

He had an MVP season but the league's award went instead to Andrew Gaze and the Finals MVP went to teammate Paul Rees, another man in whom Coach of the Year, Brett Brown, had shown enormous faith.

North suporters knew something was up early in the season when the Giants avenged a home loss to Perth before holding off Adelaide at the Clipsal Powerhouse - the first successful negotiation of the Doomsday Double since before the Sixers last won the championship!

But this season was always going to be a weird season, the year Perth, after another imposing start, finally started slumping ... the year Brisbane, Sydney, North, South East Melbourne and Melbourne all tasted the league's leadership at some point.

A year in which nine players and/or officials from Brisbane and Illawarra were cited for a "basketbrawl" clash at Wollongong and the year in which Robert Rose incredibly was overlooked for the All Star Game.

The Sixers suffered their own off-court setbacks with a record fine for alleged salary cap breaches but, if anything, that helped further focus the team on its grand mission.

"We were prepared to take pay cuts if that's what it took to keep the side together," skipper Mark Davis declared in a show of solidarity.

Canberra mid-season sacked import Fred Herzog - in his second year - and replaced him with Fred Cofield.

But then nothing should have surprised in the nation's capital where, earlier in the season, they shunted out Australian coach Barry Barnes. He had his own back when he steered his first Australian team to fifth at the world championship, equalling the nation's best world series finish at his first attempt. But a 74-130 loss to the USA savagely ripped the Boomers' confidence and reputation.

No sooner had the NBl season resumed than Gold Coast captain Andre La Fleur walked out on the Rollers after feeling he had been set up as the scapegoat for the club's crash from playoff contention.

Tony Ronaldson, due to be out-of-contract with the Magic at season's end, allegedly made a play to become the league's first $1million man at the same time as Channel 10 re-signed as the league's telecaster for a further three years.

Sydney opened the quarter-finals with an absolute blitz of the Giants before falling in three games. The Sixers lost their opener to Brisbane in overtime, then bounced back in three games and bundled out Melbourne, who had cruised past Illawarra, the Hawks only qualifying for the Final 8 in the last round.

South East swept Perth, then similarly was swept by North in the semis, Adonis Jordan missing a three-point heave at the game's death which could have forced a third game. Better still, he could have found an open David Graham for a better shot but missed him. US point guards aren't supposed to panic, are they?

No, as McDonald showed with his Game 1 grand final game-winner at the end of overtime after Robert Rose had dragged the Sixers back into the match when they still had trailed by 14 inside the last six minutes of regulation.

His 32-point Game 2 also was memorable but Adelaide, with Mark Davis in serious pain, never was going to graft out the fairytale win it needed to force a decider. It was a heck of a finale to an extraordinary year for the NBL, which, for the first time passed the one-million spectator mark during the regular season.

And 1995 is only going to be better.

 

Adelaide Pura Milk 36ers

00 Chris Blakemore, 14 Tim Brenton, 33 Mark Davis, 7 Nathan Hawkes, 5 Brett Maher, 10 Michael McKay, 9 Scott Ninnis, 21 Robert Rose, 22 Matt Scalzi, 50 Willie Simmons, 13 Brett Wheeler. Coach: Mike Dunlap. Assistants: Steve Spencer, Graham Kubank. Manager/Trainer: David Rehn

 

1995 Mitsubishi Challenge - 36ers' Opponents

Newcastle - The Falcons

Coach: Tom Wisman. Top Returnees: Mike Johnson, Tonny Jensen, Grant Kruger, Matt Alexander. Top Newcomers: Reggie Smith (NBA), Butch Hays (Illawarra), Craig Adams (Illawarra). Chief Losses: Derek Rucker (Townsville), Terry Dozier (free agent). Time-Out: Starters are genuine but where to after that?

North Melbourne - The Giants

Coach: Brett Brown. Top Returnees: Darryl McDonald, Paul Rees, Pat Reidy, Paul Maley, Larry Sengstock, Rod Johnson, John Stelzer, Darryl Pearce, Mark Leader. Top Newcomers: - Chief Losses: - Time-Out: The reigning champs have been there, done that. Can they repeat or will youthful legs catch up to wise old heads?

Geelong - The Supercats

Coach: Jim Calvin. Top Returnees: Cecil Exum, Simon kerle, Jason Joynes, Justin Cass. Top Newcomers: Joey Wright (USA), Jeff Arnold (USA), Andrew Svaldenis (Adelaide), David Graham (SE Melbourne). Chief Losses: Adrian Branch (cut), Ray Borner (Canberra), Everette Stephens (released), Daren Rowe (released), Vince Hinchen (released). Time-Out: A deeper, more committed group but do they have the necessary talent?

Melbourne - The Tigers

Coach: Lindsay Gaze. Top Returnees: Andrew Gaze, Lanard Copeland, Dave Simmons, Mark Bradtke, Ray Gordon, Warrick Giddey. Top Newcomers: Matt Reece (Gold Coast), Blair Smith (Brisbane). Chief Losses: Chris Anstey (SE Melbourne). Time-Out: With Bradtke in-and-out, form could be erratic.

Sydney - The Kings

Coach: Bob Turner. Top Returnees: Leon Trimmingham, Greg Hubbard, Dean Uthoff, Damian Keogh, Mark Dalton. Top Newcomers: Phil Smyth (Adelaide), Bruce Bolden (SE Melbourne), Justin Withers (Canberra). Chief Losses: Mario Donaldson (released), Tim Morrissey (retired). Time-Out: This veteran team has one shot at it and this is that shot. Must get it right.

Canberra - The Cannons

Coach: Brett Flannigan. Top Returnees: Fred Cofield, Matt Wittkowski, Lachlan Armfield, Simon Cottrell. Top Newcomers: Ray Borner (Geelong), Simon Dwight (AIS). Chief Losses: Fred Herzog (cut), Jason Reese (released), Justin Withers (Sydney). Time-Out: Definitely in a rebuilding mould with a long haul ahead.

Townsville - The Suns

Coach: Mark Bragg. Top Returnees: Cameron Dickinson, David Blades, Lucas Agrums, Brendan LeGassick. Top Newcomers: Derek Rucker (Newcastle), Clarence Tyson (USA), Shane Froling b(Brsibane), Glenn Stump (QSL). Chief Losses: Ricky Jones (released), Jeff Warren (cut), Darryl Johnson (released), Graham Kubank (released). Time-Out: Have bolstered the line-up and David Lindstrom's sideline assistance will ensure a competitive season.

South East Melbourne - The Magic

Coach: Brian Goorjian. Top Returnees: Tony Ronaldson, Darren Lucas, Adonis Jordan, John Dorge, Sam Mackinnon, Rupert Sapwell, Andrew Parkinson. Top Newcomers: Chris Anstey (Melbourne). Chief Losses: Bruce Bolden (Sydney), David Graham (Geelong). Time-Out: One import is a bold move but whether they can squeeze in a second won't matter - the Magic will be around the mark.

Gold Coast - The Rollers

Coach: Dave Claxton. Top Returnees: Peter Hill, Tony DeAmbrosis, John Szigeti. Top Newcomers: Trevor Torrance (Perth), Steve Woodberry (USA), Tony Massop (USA). Chief Losses: Andre La Fleur (quit), Mike Mitchell (Brisbane), Steve Key (knee injury), Matt Reece (Melbourne), Andrew Goodwin (Brisbane). Time-Out: The Rollers may be feisty at home but appear to lack the size and depth to cause any serious grief.

Hobart - The Devils

Coach: Bill Tomlinson. Top Returnees: Darren Perry. Top Newcomers: Jerome Scott (USA), Andre Moore (Brisbane). Chief Losses: Lamont Middleton (cut), Calvin Talford (released), Wayne McDaniel (retired), Anthony Stewart (Perth), Keith Nelson (knee injury). Time-Out: Nelson's season-ending injury is a blow, as is the fact more talent appears to have left than joined.

Brisbane - The Bullets

Coach: Bruce Palmer. Top Returnees: Leroy Loggins, Shane Heal, Rodger Smith, Robert Sibley, Wayne Larkins. Top Newcomers: Mike Mitchell (Gold Coast), Chris Munk (USA), Andrew Goodwin (Gold Coast). Chief Losses: Dave Colbert (released), Andre Moore (released), Shane Froling (Townsville). Time-Out: Mitchell and Munk must produce more than their predecessors for Brisbane to advance past the quarters.

Perth - The Wildcats

Coach: Adrian Hurley. Top Returnees: Andrew Vlahov, Ricky Grace, James Crawford, Scott Fisher, Aaron Trahair. Top Newcomers: Anthony Stewart (Hobart). Chief Losses: CJ Bruton (US college), Eric Watterson (retired), Trevor Torrance (Gold Coast). Time-Out: Rumblings in the West suggest the team must get it done this year or risk wholesale dismantling.

Illawarra - The Hawks

Coach: Alan Black. Top Returnees: Melvin Thomas, Chuck Harmison, Mick Corkeron. Top Newcomers: Tiny Pinder (ex-Perth), Andre La Fleur (Gold Coast). Chief Losses: Butch Hays (Newcastle), Craig Adams (Newcastle). Time-Out: Tough at home, snuff on the road, a first-round playoff contender.