Basketball On The Internet.

ONE of basketball's very few remaining dedicated journalists, the Daily Telegraph's Matt Logue, this week won the Peter Frilingos award for outstanding sports journalism at the Kennedy Awards. It was specifically for his gritty and gutsy coverage of the pre-Olympic events which led to the end of Liz Cambage's career as an Opal.

The Kennedy Awards are for "excellence in journalism" but as an old timer, what made me proudest was the fact Matt had the balls to write the stories when so many other so-called "journos" who knew many of the same facts - one was even given the option of collaborating with him but didn't wish to risk upsetting anyone - shied away.

When "not upsetting people" or fearing the risk of falling off the gravy train, or of potentially making enemies of those authorities who would wish to see the story buried ... when those "considerations" govern - or worse, impair - a journalist's actions, then we are definitely standing at the precipice and staring at oblivion.

If you cannot write without fear or favour, you don't belong in the industry.

Recently pursuing fall-out of the Cambage story myself, a high-ranking Basketball Australia official - you know who you are - scoffed at Logue's story and said it "had many errors" in it.

Really?

Then when are all the libel and defamation suits arriving at the Telegraph and for Matt?

Truth be told - and it was, finally - BA should have been delighted to see the story broken and finally exposed because Liz Cambage has not only controlled but been gifted control of the mainstream narrative since before the Rio Olympics.

By mere coincidence, no doubt, that is also while Jan Stirling has been in BA's High Performance General Manager role.

Stirling has held the reins throughout Cambage's rise and eventual dissolution from the Opals, surrendering control of the public narrative to her throughout, even to the extent of exhorting public support for her.

It was almost as if Stirling or BA feared any backlash from its No.1 superstar through her vast social media presence. And even as the events of the pre-Olympic practice match with Nigeria unfolded, BA again stayed quietly in its lane while she took to social media in search of absolution.

BA had its chance then to "come clean" and take control of the narrative, explain EXACTLY what occurred and jump onto the front foot. Instead it took Matt Logue months later to scratch out the full story.

The emotional pain and stress BA put the Opals through, and most notably prematurely retired captain Jenna O'Hea, is unconscionable.

It wasn't until O'Hea had endured enough bleating from Cambage about the Opals' alleged lack of support for her that breaking the story became inevitable.

When Andrew Gaze, Australia's biggest basketball name and a man who always is thoughtful and reasoned, showed his public disdain for Cambage's commentary, everyone finally could see the light.

Stirling and BA absolutely are and were complicit in the path Cambage took, never having the fibre to step up and say "that's enough". Hell, it even opened the door for her to potentially return ahead of next month's World Cup campaign, only to be embarrassed yet again by her justified social media ridicule.

Stirling's personal claim to fame is pretty good. She played for Australia, for two years was voted SA's best player and as a coach took a star-studded Lightning team to four WNBL titles.

But this was a time when Adelaide was rich with talent, still recruited quality as well and at one stage had a back-up five that included dual-Olympian Marina Moffa, one-time Canberra Capitals captain Cherie Hogg, Trudie Hopgood, Tania Dhu and Simone Scovell. Debbie Copley also was in that squad.

But that quintet could have taken a club to finals, let alone act as the back ups to Jae Kingi, Jo Hill, Carla Boyd, Michelle Brogan and Rachael Sporn.

In 2006, Stirling coached the Opals to gold at the World Cup. That was a team which had Australian basketball G.O.A.T. Lauren Jackson at the peak of her powers and Penny Taylor claiming the championship's MVP award. Historically, LJ and Penny rank #1 and #2 in our women's basketball.

Kristi Harrower also would be in the Opals' all-time best 10 - you can't beat Michele Timms for all-time starting PG honours - so that Australian team wasn't exactly chopped liver.

Beating Russia in the Final was fabulous and memorable, but let's not pretend everyone didn't release a sigh of relief when Russia KO'd the USA in their epic semi final. 

Known by the Lightning players as "Little Hitler", it paid to stay "on her good side" as several have reiterated.

Then in August 2020, the Australian Human Rights Commission was engaged by BA to undertake an independent Racial Equality Review of the sport at a national level. 

The findings were fairly damning. "Progression often depends on who you know and an affinity with those already in leadership," the review said.

It also cited "a significant lack of diversity across the coaching, administrative and Board leadership roles within Basketball Australia. The processes for appointing people to these roles was not always transparent."

The review also said: "Some participants raised concerns that roles at Basketball Australia were not
always advertised transparently or openly, and that biases within the system create barriers to a greater diversity of candidates."

In the review, a participant added: ‘A wider/broader selection process [is needed]. Especially with staff and administration. It’s definitely a ‘who you know’ process.’

‘I have heard about people not applying for state coaching roles because of the process and bias in those processes. There is no diversity on the selection panels.’

Basketball Australia commissioned its own external review of High Performance after the Tokyo Olympics with respondents assured their comments and observations would be strictly confidential.

If you announce a review, surely the results of it should be public, no? All we saw from the outside was the removal of several long-standing key personnel who spoke up about Stirling's stewardship and alleged bullying.

Confidentiality?

Not one to suggest that nepotism is another growing issue at BA because sure, the Opals coach's spouse is clearly the top candidate as an assistant coach at the Worlds. After all, he's done so much for basketball in Australia.

Assistant Paul Goriss held the Opals' reins at 2021's Asia Cup, his brother sent along as strength and conditioning coach. How badly do you need one of those when the schedule is six games in seven days? Maybe a masseuse or physical therapist ...

Then in December, an Independent Hearing Panel comprised of "highly skilled legal counsels" banned Goriss, as Canberra Caps' WNBL coach, along with referee Simon Cosier after finding them in breach of acceptable ethical behaviour following an investigation by BA's Integrity Unit.

Both men were found guilty of: "engaging in prohibited conduct under Basketball Australia’s National Framework for Ethical Behaviour and Integrity in Basketball."

(Cosier supplied Goriss with confidential video clips of a Sydney Uni Flames training scrimmage originally designed for referee education purposes.)

For accepting the footage from Cosier and using it "for opposition scouting", Goriss was banned from all coaching, including Opals duties until January 20 this year. And now he is back on the Opals' staff. Here's a screenshot of BA's National Integrity Framework:

 

 

 

 

 

Don't get a magnifying glass. It says:

VALUES AND PRINCIPLES OF ETHICAL BEHAVIOUR
We are the custodians of the sport of basketball

We manage the game for the benefit of our members and will make decisions that help basketball meet its full potential and that are in the best interests of the sport.

We are ethical, honest and trustworthy

We act with integrity and are committed to fair play both on and off the court. We respect, promote and enforce standards and rules in a consistent manner.

Basketball is a source of national pride

All australians should be proud of how we play the game and conduct ourselves both on and off the court.

Now come on. Goriss being slipped in quietly through the backdoor is no huge surprise. "Ssh. We'll just wait til it all blows over."

As the independent review has shown, it's not what you know, it's who. Being unafraid to call out one of the big hushed-up scandals of the Opals' sabotaged Tokyo Olympic campaign earned Matt Logue an overdue award.

If only BA was transparent instead of transient.