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WATCHING THE WHEELS
TweetTHE older I get, the more nostalgic I seem to become so today was a treat to see Julie Nykiel, Eddie Murtagh, Huba Nagy, Cass Pujals and Mike McKay once again.
The All Star Five were in attendance at Basketball SA's annual Woollacott and Halls Medal presentations - the individual awards for the fairest and most brilliant players in the state's domestic competition - to receive retrospective medals for ones they had lost on a countback.
Just in case you're not from around these parts, the Woollacott for our best men's player and the Halls for our finest women's, are awarded like the Brownlow Medal in the AFL, with referees casting 3,2,1 votes after every game of the regular season.
There was some inherent notion 50 years ago that if two players had the same amount of votes but one had a first preference (worth 3 points) and the other tied with a second preference (worth 2) and a third (worth 1) to equal that one first preference, that it was somehow inferior.
So the player with the greater number of first preferences was deemed somehow to be "more brilliant" and therefore the winner.
Having now seen a lot of games forced into overtime by a three-point basket and/or by a two, it would be the circumstances only which would determine which of those game-tying shots might have been "more brilliant". Point is, it's a tie!
Driven by former BSA basketball manager Colin Thompson, a thorough investigation has been going on for a decade to find all the countback runners-up and to properly award them their long overdue medals.
Lots of myths and time-worn distortions of "I finished up runner-up six times and three were on countbacks" have sadly (for the various perpetrators) been dispelled but it was brilliant today to see the quintet I mentioned duly rewarded, as McKay aptly told the audience: "for being pretty damn good players".
Yes they were, as were Jackie Aston, Mike Megins and Melvin Need who unfortunately could not attend but also were awarded their restrospective medallions.
Julie Nykiel was a dual Opals Olympian and a two-time winner of the WNBL's Most Valuable Player award. In her prime in the decade of the 80s, she was a force of nature and the most extraordinary centre of her time.
The Noarlunga City Tigers' champion still owns a raft of the national league's records and was a scoring phenomenon. Big, powerful and incredibly fast, she would beat her opponents up the floor and score while they were still crossing centre.
In-and-around the basket she did what most players cannot do today - she scored ... all the time. Not now-and-then or much of the time. She scored ALL of the time. If Nykiel had the ball near the basket, it was going IN the basket.
The only way to stop her was to prevent the ball coming in to her, which in itself was no mean feat as she had players such as Jenny Cheesman and Tracy Morris feeding it in her direction.
The other way was to foul, which put her to the line where she also rarely missed.
That Nykiel could attend two Olympics and three FIBA World Championships, dominate in the WNBL, yet NOT win the Halls Medal in SA was more than an anomaly. It was ridiculous.
Anyone who saw her in her prime knows that, so for her today to collect two long-overdue Halls Medals for the one she lost to exceptionally talented Kathy Foster on a countback in 1985 and a second to guard Sue Collins in 1991 was outstanding work by BSA.
In a move as quick as a Nykiel end-to-end run and layup, she not only became a medallist but a dual-medallist at that.
Eddie Murtagh caused a huge stir when he got a clearance from CY to West Torrens; that sort of thing - players changing clubs!! - just wasn't done in the Sixties.
A tenacious no-nonsense guard, for Victorian fans with memories who are still here reading, he was the SA equivalent of Teddy Graham, pretty much in every way.
Murtagh and North Adelaide's gifted forward Mike Megins - one of the finest gentlemen of the game and one I was lucky enough to know growing up - both lost on countbacks in 1970 to my brother Huba.
He knew their pain too because he had lost on a countback himself a year earlier to the legendary doctor, Werner Linde. Not that any of them took it that hard.
"That was just the way it was so we accepted it," he said.
Eddie was beyond pleased that 43 years after the fact, he could receive a Woollacott Medal he never should have been denied the first time, joining the Eagles' elite, where he belongs.
"I can't believe this is happening," he said, clearly blown away.
Huba won the Woollacott in 1968, 1970 and 1972 and wore the No.10 uniform as did North Adelaide's superstar footballer Barrie Robran who won the SANFL's Magarey Medal in the same three years.
That decades old coincidence ended today when Huba collected his 1969 countback medal to become the only Australian player with four Woollacott Medals, second all-time behind Mark Davis' five Woollacotts at South Adelaide.
He won't be catching Davis anytime soon but growing up watching Huba working out every day to build his body, firing up jumpshot after jumpshot to evolve into the deadly shooter he became was inspirational.
He built a jacket with pockets into which he inserted weights and would wear that while dunking and shooting jumpers, striving to become bigger, better, faster. With dumbells in each hand he would jump onto a reinforced stool before going out to shoot, endlessly.
Remember, this was the mid-Sixties and Huba already had a couple of successful brothers he wanted to emulate and surpass.
Werner Linde, quite rightly, is in a category of his own in South Australia. Now Huba is too, and deservedly so.
It took a while for West guard Cass Pujals (nee Dalton) to win a Halls Medal but she quickly then won another, then lost a third on a countback to Rachael Sporn in 1989.
Not anymore, Cass now a triple-medallist and another whose significant contribution to the evolution of the game in SA has been justly rewarded.
Mike McKay was rarely better than in 1987, the West Adelaide tyro unstoppable ... except at the thrilling medal count when his second and third preference votes meant he tied with Mark Davis but he would lose on countback.
Few thought McKay could play better than in 1987 but he was a driven man and each year worked harder on his body until he reached a playing weight and musculature which he carried all the way to his final SBL game.
Did losing that medal in 1987 drive him to greater heights? It is tough to know but it doesn't matter anymore anyway because he now has the Woollacott Medal denied him that night.
With it comes the formal recognition of a greatness most of us are aware of regardless. But now he has the tangible proof. What a shame Davis wasn't there to see his 1986 NBL "Invincibles" championship Adelaide 36ers teammate finally receive what he long-ago achieved.
Me? As a nostalgia buff, I was just sitting there are the Grand Chancellor Hotel, watching the wheels go round and round.
Watching as Adelaide 36ers MVP Daniel Johnson became the first West Adelaide star to win a Woollacott Medal since Leroy Loggins - ever hear of him? - in 1983.
Watching as former Adelaide Lightning captain and returning star Jess Foley won her second Halls Medal but sadly not there to collect the greatest individual honor the game in SA has to offer.
Was it disappointing no footage or even photos of the restrospective medal winners in their prime were offered up by BSA?
Of course. But it is BSA. Just tracking down these worthy recipients was a good effort. Why expect more?
When even the pics on the screens were from the preseason games, you know a few phone calls to the community papers who shoot pics at many rounds was going to be too hard.
But let's not be churlish on a day when someone aptly said: "That wasn't too bad for a change."
No. It was almost OK.
Here are your 2013 winners...!
WOMEN’S LEAGUE
Halls Medal: Jess Foley Norwood
Merv Harris Medal: Olivia Thompson Forestville
Most Valuable Player: Tess Madgen Eastern
All Star Five: Jess Foley Norwood
Tess Madgen Eastern
Jo Hill North Adelaide
Tamika Dukes Central Districts
Olivia Thompson Forestville
Best Defensive Player: Jess Foley Norwood
Coach of the Year: Simon Pritchard Norwood
Phil Yuill Memorial Trophy for Referee of the Year: Michelle Dyson
Statistical Award Winners:
Top Scorer: Tess Madgen Eastern 31.0 ppg
Top Field Goal %: Amy Lewis Norwood 59.8%
Top 3 Point %: Tess Madgen Eastern 43.7%
Top Free Throw %: Jess Foley Norwood 90.1%
Top Offensive Rebounder: Jessica Good Norwood 3.8 orpg
Top Defensive Rebounder: Tess Madgen Eastern 10.8 drpg
Top Rebounder: Tess Madgen Eastern 12.2 rpg
Top Assists: Tess Madgen Eastern 7.5 apg
Top Steals: Jo Hill North Adelaide 3.5 spg
Top Shot Blocker: Rebecca Duke Norwood 2.3 bpg
MEN’S LEAGUE
Woollacott Medal: Daniel Johnson West Adelaide
Frank Angove Medal: Sam Daly Sturt
Most Valuable Player: Daniel Johnson West Adelaide
All Star Five: Adam Doyle Forestville
Kyle Miller Central Districts
Chris Clausen Central Districts
Pero Vasiljevic North Adelaide
Daniel Johnson West Adelaide
Best Defensive Player: Brad Gerlach Forestville
Coach of the Year: Scott Whitmore Central Districts
Phil Yuill Memorial Trophy for Referee of the Year: Nathan Durant
Statistical Award Winners
Top Scorer: Daniel Johnson West Adelaide 26.0 ppg
Top Field Goal %: John Marriott Sturt 62.2%
Top 3 Point %: Adam Doyle Forestville 40.7%
Top Free Throw %: Darren Ng Woodville 91.0%
Top Offensive Rebounder: John Marriott Sturt 4.0 orpg
Top Defensive Rebounder: Daniel Johnson West Adelaide 8.6 drpg
Top Rebounder: Daniel Johnson West Adelaide 12.2 rpg
Top Assists: Kyle Miller Central Districts 5.9 apg
Top Steals: Brad Gerlach Forestville 2.5 spg
Top Shot Blocker: John Wernham North Adelaide 1.7 bpg
HOW YOUR CLUB POLLED - WOMEN / HALLS
CENTRAL DISTRICTS LIONS SOUTH ADELAIDE PANTHERS
Tamika Dukes 21 Karen Rokicinski 6
Caitlin Arnold 3 Lauren Gibbons 5
Coby Rodda 3 Teresa Kinross 4
Demi Skinner 2 Hajnal Nagy 4
Katrina Evitts 1 Ieva Nagy 3
Danielle Greaves 3
EASTERN MAVERICKS
Tess Madgen 26 SOUTHERN TIGERS
Shannon Tarran 18 Denelle Fawcett 18
Jemma Thacker 7 Stana Zecevic 6
Amanda MacDermot 3 Haley Bunce 4
Tenille Searl 3 Ashley Biddell 1
Alex Wilson 1
Georgia Green 1 STURT SABRES
Hannah Bowley 16
FORESTVILLE EAGLES Molly Lewis 16
Olivia Thompson 22 Amy Shaw 13
Jess Fergus 18 Hannah Richards 11
Mia Newley 15 Aneeka Smith 6
Tara Robinson 7 Kate Gladstone 3
Megan Kermond 3 Brigid Bowley 2
Danielle Angley 3 Isabelle Daniel 2
Alexandra Duncan 2
Sarah Petrie 1 WEST ADELAIDE BEARCATS
Alana Nairn 14
NORTH ADELAIDE ROCKETS Ashlea Vordermaier 9
Jo Hill 29 Alice Gee 7
Jamie-Lee Peris 17 Jessica Mahony 7
Shannon McKay 9 Taya Crockford 3
Genna Anderson 7 Amy Porter 1
Kirsty Williams 6
Tahnee Mansfield 3 WOODVILLE WARRIORS
Kaylee Biddell 2 Katherine Perkas 17
Rebekah Hatchard 2 Jessica Koch 9
Jess Smart 1 Tess Keenan 7
Jasmin Howe 5
NORWOOD FLAMES Ashleigh White 4
Jess Foley 32 Emily Sims 4
Rebecca Duke 23 Kimberley Porplycia 1
Jessica Good 15
Amy Lewis 13
Elizabeth Keane 5
Cara Boothey 3
Dusty Rodda 2
HOW YOUR CLUB POLLED - MEN / WOOLLACOTT
CENTRAL DISTRICTS LIONS SOUTH ADELAIDE PANTHERS
Christopher Clausen 29 Thomas McKenzie 14
Kyle Miller 21 Shane Boal 5
Luke Frost 4 Jamie MacGillivray 4
Matthew Atkins 3 Jordan Robertson 4
Paul Joyce 3 Kyle Howe-Tipene 2
Joel Goodenough 1
SOUTHERN TIGERS
EASTERN MAVERICKS Samuel McDaniel 16
Shane Breheny 8 Michael Florance 12
Daniel Lean 4 Codey Ellison 10
Curtis Scipio 4 Samuel Johns 9
Stuart Breheny 3 Hamish Staude 3
Will Smith 2 Scott O'Connor 3
Haydn Barns 1 Todd Davies 2
Timothy Smyth 1
FORESTVILLE EAGLES
Adam Doyle 24 STURT SABRES
Jake Rios 23 Matthew Dougherty 21
Adam Gibson 10 Sam Daly 19
Brad Gerlach 9 John Marriott 11
Bradley Haydon 5 Adam Gavranich 3
Trent Fildes 3 Hamish Burns 2
Neil Mottram 1
WEST ADELAIDE BEARCATS
NORTH ADEL ROCKETS Daniel Johnson 37
Pero Vasiljevic 21 Patrick Thomas 10
Anthony Petrie 13 Jason Cadee 10
Ryan Franceschinis 10 Blake Truslove 9
John Wernham 5 Anthony Spadavecchia 4
Daniel Goodluck 3 Adam Pearce 3
Joseph Campbell 3 Joshua Knight 2
Thomas Rowe 1 Zane Reeves 1
Tom Kubank 1
NORWOOD FLAMES
Edward Millard 13 WOODVILLE WARRIORS
Andrew Webber 9 Darren Ng 24
Matthew Lycett 4 Aaron Wyatt 22
Daniel Webber 3 Luke Stanbridge 9
Keith Krause 3 Steve Pilkington 8
Jack Jennings 3 Cameron Wilson 3
Ian O'Boyle 3 Adam Miller 2
Matthew Long 2
If some of the above is a bit askew, I put it down to the late hour, NOT the red...
