The NBL is Australia's main basketball league, though problems after the 2008-09 season resulted in the NBL becoming a new entity called Basketball Australia. Several key NBL teams have dropped out of the league, but as of May 28 it's been determined that there will be a 2009-10 Basketball Australia season, with additional reorganization to happen after the season.

InsideHoops.com will post regular updates about Basketball Australia (NBL) when important news exists.

ADELAIDE 36ERS SOLD TO 'SAVE OUR SIXERS' GROUP
June 9, 2009

Basketball Australia (BA) has confirmed that the illustrious Adelaide 36ers National Basketball League (NBL) team has been sold to the ‘Save Our Sixers’ consortium, which is headed by new club Chairman Mark Lewis.

Basketball Australia Chief Executive Officer Larry Sengstock welcomed the move and said the new ownership group had already started to move forward with planning for the 2009/10 season.

“The sale of the 36ers to the Mark Lewis-led consortium is a major step forward for the team, ensuring the Adelaide club that competes in the NBL in 2009/10 will play as the 36ers,” said Sengstock. “That is clearly important to the people of Adelaide, who have long supported the club and see the 36ers as an iconic local South Australian sporting team. South Australia has long been a stronghold for basketball in Australia and we’re ecstatic that the NBL will continue to have sound representation there through the 36ers brand.

“The Board of BA have worked closely with the incoming group to ensure they have the capacity to lay a foundation of long-term success for the team,” Senstock added. “We are also delighted with the involvement of a member of the distinguished Lewis family in the consortium, with Mark Lewis being a successful South Australian businessman in his own right.

Lewis is the Managing Director of Bernie Lewis Home Loans and Bernie Lewis Wealth Management, as well as the son of former 36ers Chairman the late Bernie Lewis.

The new group have also agreed to a long-term lease plan at the Distinctive Homes Dome to ensure the 36ers can continue to play from their purpose-built home court, which saw a sold-out crowd of more than 8,000 attend captain Brett Maher’s farewell game on 7 February this year.

The NBL season tips-off on September 24, with the 36ers first game scheduled for 26 September on the road against the Cairns Taipans.

Discuss this league on the InsideHoops world basketball message board.


8-TEAM 2009-10 SEASON WILL HAPPEN
May 28, 2009

Basketball Australia (BA) has announced that eight-teams will participate in its upcoming season of elite men’s basketball in 2009/10, with powerhouse club the Melbourne Tigers agreeing to join the competition.

BA recently announced its intention to move ahead with a season of elite men’s basketball in 2009/10, before launching a new national basketball competition in 2010.

Adelaide, Cairns, Gold Coast, New Zealand, Perth, Townsville and Wollongong all made submissions indicating they wished to participate in the league. On Thursday the Melbourne Tigers also formally agreed to join the other seven clubs for an eight-team competition.

Basketball Australia Chief Executive Officer Larry Sengstock welcomed the inclusion of the Tigers and said an eight-team competition was consistent with the recommendations of the sport’s extensive independent review process.

“We are delighted that the Melbourne Tigers have agreed to join the other seven teams and their addition ensures that there will be a strong and vibrant elite men’s basketball competition in Australia in 2009/10,” said Sengstock. “This competition will ensure fans can continue to enjoy world class basketball in Australia, and that players, coaches and referees can pursue their chosen field of professional excellence here at home.

“The 2009/10 season will also be a springboard to a brand new national league in 2010, which will include teams in Sydney and Brisbane to complete our geographic footprint,” added Sengstock. “BA is committed to moving forward with the reform of basketball and will continue to focus on setting up financially viable teams with strong connections to the basketball community in-line with the core recommendations of our independent review process.”

Melbourne Tigers CEO Seamus McPeake said the decision to participate in the NBL this season was in the best interests of the club and the sport.

“The Melbourne Tigers have committed to the 2009/10 season and support Basketball Australia’s united front as we move to achieve a sustainable national competition,” said McPeake. “After receiving a progress report from BA on Wednesday which addressed a number of our initial concerns, including the sport’s governance, the Tigers Board of Directors finalised our decision this morning.”

"The Tigers have a rich tradition and as one of the most iconic sporting brands in the country we are happy that we are able to continue at the highest level in Australia. Having an NBL team in Melbourne is paramount for the sport if it is to continue to move forward, and whilst we are in for some tough times ahead, we believe that the result in the long term will be positive.”

“The Melbourne Tigers Board were buoyed by the support and efforts of the Victorian Government and Sports Minister, Mr. James Merlino, with their assistance in helping achieve this result which allows the club to continue our commitment to the community and development of basketball.”

"The Tigers look forward to developing a strong partnership with Basketball Victoria and State associations to help bridge the gap between all levels of the sport. We are now calling on the Victorian community, fans, sponsors and supporters to get behind the club and help us continue to build our sport. We hope to see basketball and sport lovers alike in Melbourne cheering us on at The Cage,” McPeake added.

Sengstock also unveiled the finals format for 2009/10, which was determined by the newly formed League Commission. The top four teams will advance to the post-season, with the number one ranked team playing the fourth seed and number three playing number two in the best-of-three Semi-Finals. The winner of each series will then face off in the best-of-three Grand Final series.

The Commission also has determined that a $1million salary cap will be in place for 2009/10, as well as a points cap which will be announced shortly. The season schedule will feature 28 games (14-home and 14-away with each team playing each other four times) and will be released in June.


BASKETBALL AUSTRALIA TEAMS THAT PLAN TO PLAY IN 2009-10 SEASON
May 13, 2009

InsideHoops.com editor Jeff Lenchiner has learned that the following teams have committed to playing in NBL Basketball Australia for the 2009-10 season, should the season happen: Adelaide 36ers, Cairns Taipans, Gold Coast Blaze, New Zealand Breakers, Perth Wildcats, Townsville Crocodiles and Wollongong Hawks.


NBL BASKETBALL AUSTRALIA NEWS
May 13, 2009

Basketball Australia (BA) Chief Executive Officer has issued the following statement following a meeting today in Melbourne with the teams that have indicated their intent to participate in the 2009/10 season of elite basketball competition which will replace the National Basketball League (NBL).

“Today’s meeting with the team representatives was a very positive one and there was a tremendous optimism within the group as to the future,” said Sengstock. “We made some significant progress towards the establishment of an elite season of men’s competition for 2009/10.”

“Part of that progress included agreement by all parties that we would move towards a 28-game season (14 home and 14 away) which will begin in October.

“As part of the governance structure of the league, we also agreed upon the establishment of a league Commission, who will be charged with the task of directing all strategic elements of the competition going forward. That Commission will be comprised of seven members – myself as BA CEO, BA Board Members Diane Smith-Gander and Bruce Spangler, and four team appointed representatives who will be announced shortly.

“Whilst everyone was disappointed that the Tigers and Dragons made the decision not to participate in the 2009/10 competition, the group reaffirmed BA’s determination to explore every possible avenue for the establishment of a Melbourne-based team this season.

“We agree with the Victorian Sports Minister’s view that Melbourne is an important market for basketball with its massive grassroots participation base, and look forward to working with the Minister to look at all available options to have Victoria represented in the 2009/10 competition.

“We are continuing with discussions with a number of Melbourne-based parties to this end and have been encouraged by a number of proactive approaches from a variety of groups keen to assist and possibly be involved.

“There is still a great deal of hard work to undertake in the days, weeks and months ahead but we have come away from this meeting feeling considerably heartened by the progress made.”


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NBL Salaries: InsideHoops.com reports that the NBL maximum player salary is $175,000 Australian dollars. The NBL basketball salaries minimum, which we haven't confirmed, is probably around $30,000, a source of ours says. We don't know the average NBL player salary, but our source _GUESSES_ that it's around $70,000 per year.

NBL Attendance: A source tells InsideHoops.com that most NBL teams have an average attendance between 3,000 and 4,500 fans per game. The average attendance for the whole league -- and this is not official info, just a rounded-off general estimate -- is around 3,500 fans per game.

2007-08 NBL Basketball Teams: Adelaide 36ers, Brisbane Bullets, Cairns Taipans, Gold Coast Blaze, Melbourne Tigers, New Zealand Breakers, Perth Wildcats, Singapore Slingers, South Dragons, Sydney Kings, Townsville Crocodiles, West Sydney Razorbacks, Wollongong Hawks.

Key NBL Hoops Links: News | Teams | Players | Schedule | Standings | Stat Leaders

Expanded NBL Basketball Teams Info:

Adelaide 36ers -- Major Sponsor: Pura Milk. Venue: Distinctive Homes Dome. Joined NBL: 1982. Colours: Home - Blue; Away - White

Brisbane Bullets -- Major Sponsor: Virgin Blue. Venue: Brisbane Convention Centre. Joined NBL: 1979. Colours: Home - Royal Blue, White; Away - White, Royal Blue

Cairns Taipans -- Major Sponsor: Skytrans Airlines. Venue: Cairns Convention Centre. Joined NBL: 1999/2000. Colours: Home - Navy blue & Orange; Away - White.

Gold Coast Blaze -- Major Sponsor: ???. Venue: Gold Coast Convention Centre. Joined NBL: 2007/08. Colours: Home - Blue; Away - White.

Melbourne Tigers -- Major Sponsor: Aust Tiger. Venue: State Netball Hockey Centre. Joined NBL: 1984. Colours: Home - Red; Away - Yellow.

New Zealand Breakers -- Major Sponsor: Harvey Norman. Venue: North Shore Events Centre. Joined NBL: 2003/04. Colours: Black, Blue, Silver.

Perth Wildcats -- Major Sponsor: Saville Australia. Venue: Challenge Stadium. Joined NBL: 1982. Colours: Home - Red; Away - White.

Singapore Slingers -- Major Sponsor: ???. Venue: Singapore Indoor Stadium. Joined NBL: 2006/07. Colours: Home - Red; Away - Gold.

South Dragons -- Major Sponsor: Crazy John's. Venue: Vodafone Arena. Joined NBL: 2006. Colours: Home - Black; Away - White.

Sydney Kings -- Major Sponsor: Firepower. Venue: Sydney Entertainment Centre. Joined NBL: 1988. Colours: Home - Purple; Away - Gold.

Townsville Crocodiles -- Major Sponsor: McDonald's. Venue: Townsville Entertainment Centre. Joined NBL: 1993. Colours: Home - Green; Away - White.

West Sydney Razorbacks -- Major Sponsor: Westbus. Venue: Sydney Olympic Park Sports Centre. Joined NBL: 1998/99. Colours: Home - Navy Blue; Away - White.

Wollongong Hawks -- Major Sponsor: IMB. Venue: WIN Entertainment Centre. Joined NBL: 1979. Colours: Home - Red; Away - White.

- Year-by-year NBL player and coach award winners.

MAY 9, 2007 NBL SALARY INFO: The max salary in the NBL is $175,000 Australian dollars, which is equal (as of May 9, 2007) to $145,805 American dollars.

- 2004-05 NBL teams.

NBL salary cap for the 2004-05 NBL season is $736,000 (Australian dollars). In 2003-04 it was $700,000

2003-04 NBL Playoffs:
Grand Final:
The Kings beat the Razorbacks in 5 games to win the 2003-04 NBL championship.

Semi-finals:
Hawks 91 v Razorbacks 107
Kings 104 v Bullets 100
Bullets 96 v Kings 101
Razorbacks 110 v Hawks 95

FINAL 2003-04 NBDL STAT LEADERS
POINTS PER GAME:
Martin Cattalini 36ers 22.8
Mike Chappell Breakers 22.7
Kevin Freeman Bullets 22.4
Stephen Black Bullets 22.3
Matthew Nielsen Kings 22.0
Dusty Rychart 36ers 21.7
Andrew Gaze Tigers 21.2
James Harvey Wildcats 20.7
John Rillie Razorbacks 19.8
Jeremy Veal Crocodiles 19.4

REBOUNDS PER GAME
Mark Bradtke Tigers 10.9
Matthew Nielsen Kings 10.6
Dusty Rychart 36ers 9.9
Rashad Tucker Wildcats 9.6
Bobby Brannen Bullets 9.6
Glen Saville Hawks 9.6
Sam Mackinnon Razorbacks 9.5
Matthew Burston Wildcats 9.2
Kevin Freeman Bullets 9.1
Simon Dwight Razorbacks 9.1

ASSISTS PER GAME
Ricky Grace Wildcats 7.3
Rashad Tucker Wildcats 6.6
Derek Rucker Bullets 5.9
Charles Thomas 36ers 5.9
Nathan Crosswell Taipans 5.8
Darnell Mee Hawks 5.2
Sam Mackinnon Razorbacks 5.2
John Rillie Razorbacks 5.1
Darryl McDonald Tigers 5.0
Brett Maher 36ers 4.7

STEALS PER GAME
Dillon Boucher Breakers 2.0
Brad Davidson Taipans 2.0
Derek Rucker Bullets 1.9
Dave Thomas Tigers 1.9
Darnell Mee Hawks 1.9
Glen Saville Hawks 1.7
Darryl McDonald Tigers 1.6
Charles Thomas 36ers 1.6
Matthew Burston Wildcats 1.6
Sam Mackinnon Razorbacks 1.6

BLOCKS PER GAME
Simon Dwight Razorbacks 3.7
Matthew Nielsen Kings 2.5
Carlos Daniel Crocodiles 1.7
Sam Mackinnon Razorbacks 1.4
Chris Carrawell Kings 1.3
Ben Pepper Giants 1.2
Melvin Thomas Taipans 1.1
David Stiff Tigers 1.1
Mark Bradtke Tigers 1.0
Michael Kingma Pirates 1.0

2003-04 All-NBL First Team
Matthew Nielsen (Sydney Kings)
Mark Bradtke (Melbourne Tigers)
Stephen Black (Brisbane Bullets)
John Rillie (West Sydney Razorbacks)
Sam Mackinnon (West Sydney Razorbacks)

2003-04 All-NBL Second Team
Simon Dwight (West Sydney Razorbacks)
Bobby Brannen (Brisbane Bullets)
Ebi Ere (Sydney Kings)
Martin Cattalini (Adelaide 36ers)
Glen Saville (Wollongong Hawks)

2003-04 All-NBL Third Team
Kevin Freeman (Brisbane Bullets)
Mike Chappell (New Zealand Breakers)
Darnell Mee (Wollongong Hawks)
Rashad Tucker (Perth Wildcats)
CJ Bruton (Sydney Kings)

2003-04 NBL MVP
Matthew Nielson (Sydney Kings) - 153 votes
Runners-Up:
Sam Mackinnon (West Sydney Razorbacks) - 128 votes
Martin Cattalini (Adelaide 36ers) - 103 votes
Glen Saville (Wollongong Hawks) - 102 votes
Marcus Timmons (Cairns Taipans) - 97 votes

2003-04 NBL Media Award Winners
Basketball Writer of the Year - Michael Cowley (Sydney Morning Herald)
Best Feature Article - Grantley Bernard (Herald Sun)
Best Television Feature Story - Tim Wharton (Fox Sports)
Best Television News Story - David Adamson (Channel 10 - Melbourne)
Best Radio Presentation Package - Radio 2 (NSW)
Best Radio News Package - ABC Radio (SA)
Best Photograph - Wayne Venables (Illawarra Mercury)

ALL-NBL TEAMS 2003

Coming when we find it.

ALL-NBL TEAMS 2002

FIRST TEAM
Mark Bradtke (Melbourne), Ricky Grace (Perth), Lanard Copeland (Melbourne), Paul Rogers (Perth), Chris Anstey (Victoria)

SECOND TEAM
Willie Farley (Adelaide), John Rillie (West Sydney), Simon Dwight (West Sydney), Randy Rutherford (Brisbane), Robert Rose (Townsville)

THIRD TEAM
Brett Maher (Adelaide), Tony Ronaldson (Victoria), Darryl McDonald (Victoria), Shane Heal (Sydney), George Banks (Canberra)

ALL-NBL TEAMS 2001

FIRST TEAM
Mark Bradtke (Melbourne), Robert Rose (Townsville), Darnell Mee (Adelaide), Jason Smith (Victoria), Ricky Grace (Perth)

SECOND TEAM
Matthew Nielsen (Sydney), Andrew Gaze (Melbourne), Shane Heal (Sydney), Paul Rogers (Perth), Chris Anstey (Victoria)

THIRD TEAM
Melvin Thomas (Wollongong), Glen Saville (Wollongong), Darryl McDonald (Victoria), Ben Knight (Cairns), Jayson Wells (Canberra)