SACBA Week 5 Preview - Consolidation ... CONSOLIDATION

All teams are currently at .500 (in NBA speak) or above.

A's - 3 wins & 1 loss (2nd)
B's - 2 wins & 2 losses (4th)
C's - 4 wins & 0 losses
D's - 3 wins & 1 loss
E's - 2 wins & 2 losses
F's - 4 wins & 0 losses
G's  - 2 wins & 2 losses

Total: 20 wins and 8 losses (3 of which were against ourselves). That is a pretty good PERCENTAGE.

Now - do you know what is a pretty bad percentage ... our Free Throw Percentage. It is absolutely horrendous. Look at the Free Throw shooting for our teams. The G's are the only team above 50%.

Team	FTA	FTM	FT%
A's	20	45	44.4%
B's	20	44	45.5%
C's	18	45	40.0%
D's	20	43	46.5%
E's	13	53	24.5%
F's	17	47	36.2%
G's	14	27	51.9%
Total	122	304	40.1%

Look at the E's - they are on track to have the worst FT% ever for a team in the 14 years we have kept records. Not good!

Let's look at the games we lost by less than 10:

Of the 8 losses -  5 were by 10 or less.

A's v SPOC B - lost by 9 (would have been by 4 if No Late Player) ... missed 6 FTs.
B's v Gateway - lost by 2 ... missed 9 FTs (7/16), Gateway missed 3 FTs (9/12).
D's v Dunn - lost by 3 ... missed 7 FTs.
E's v SPOC B - lost by 6 .. missed 8 FTs.
G's v SPOC E - lost by 5 ... missed 5 FTs

Tells a story, doesn't it? If you make FTs - you either win the game or apply scoreboard pressure. Free Throws are super important. Teams get afraid to foul if you make FTs - they don't want to send you to the line.

The thing is - there is one foolproof way to improve, one simple way to improve your FTs - real simple ... anyone can do ... do you know what I am about to say? Practice! Shoot 10, shoot 20, shoot 30 a week ... I guarantee you will improve. Practice your routine, make sure you do it the same every time you get to the line.

I hate to call out individuals (who am I kidding - I love it) but it doesn't help when the 3 guys getting to the line more than anyone are shooting less than 20%. Not Good!

Name	FTM	FTA	FT%
Alex Bubner	3	19	15.8%
Tom Oliphant	2	14	14.3%
Josh Moorfoot	2	11	18.2%
	7	44	15.9%

I could hit 7 out of 44 with my left hand. I could hit 7 of 44 with my eyes shut. I reckon I could hit 7 off 44 from 30 feet. Not good!

As a club this year we are 0.1 % on track to shoot the lowest FT% ever. So let's get out and practice - it will mean the difference between winning and losing a big game.

Team	FTA	FTM	FT%
1999	1135	454	40.0%
2000	883	398	45.1%
2001	1183	514	43.4%
2002	1154	498	43.2%
2003	1024	452	44.1%
2004	1093	485	44.4%
2005	1757	818	46.6%
2006	1397	660	47.2%
2007	1526	770	50.5%
2008	1594	727	45.6%
2009	1479	724	49.0%
2010	1391	643	46.2%
2011	1731	802	46.3%
2012	1772	804	45.4%

And The Lady Reds - you don't escape.

v Adelaide - lost by 7 ... missed 6 FTs
v Unley B - draw ... missed 6 FTs
v Dunn - lost by 7 ... missed 7 FTs

Not Good! Georgie is Moorfoot bad haha - 22%. I am noticing a pattern here - 3 of the people I have named here have been bought to the club by Tim "Purge" Purgacz. I think Purge hates people who can shoot free throws ... he's a Free Throw-ist. That's why I never see him with Ray Allan. The only reason I think he and I are such good friends is so he can say "one of my best mates is a good free throw shooter".

A's (4-0) v Happy Valley A - There has been a regrade - Cherry Saints and Southwest have gone down to C/D Grade and The Corner B (the old Crossway from last year's A Grade) and Happy Valley A have come up to A Grade. If this is the same Happy Valley team as last year - the key is stopping "Money" because as his name suggests ... he is money. I'm not sure who they have so this is a pissy review.

B's (2-2) v Knightsbridge A (2-2) - One of the most important games of the season. The B's only play Knightsbridge twice this season and on current form they look like the team vying for that final spot in the Top 4. Knightsbridge have a brand new squad - Foreman is the only main stay from previous years and he is still one of the top players in the league. Knightsbridge have a good scorer in Collins, shooter in Meredith and solid role players. Offense is the key this week for the B's - they need play as a team and hit their open shots.

C's (4-0) v Southwest A - I haven't seen much of Soutwest - they have 5 brothers (the Western brothers). Overwheel is their leading scorer but check the stats here on who is scoring for them. They seem young and like to run. The C's could trouble them. G and Manners are out, Billy is in.  

D's (3-1) v Knightsbridge B - Knightsbridge always trot out solid teams. In previous years - this has been their youth team. They play super fast, take unorthodox shots and crash the glass ... kind of like Saints. The key to the game is playing your own tempo.

E's (2-2) v Taperoo A - This will be a slow it down, low scoring slugfest. The way to beat Taperoo is by hitting outside shots and making Free Throws. I suggest Bubner spend all week practicing ... he is going to get a few.

F's (4-0) v Spicer A - The F's are clicking on all cylinders and Jay Nguyen has returned to his 2007 form. Spicer are a young side who will be a tad out gunned. This F's side looks like it would be a fun team to play in.

G's (2-2) v East All Stars A -  Our F's beat East in a bit of a grind. #6 Hancock and #7 Smith appeared to do the damage.

Lady Reds (1-1-2) v Edwardstown A - The Lady Reds beat the both times last year - they need this win so let's hope they play well.

June 1	A	Happy Valley A	2.40	Powerhouse	2
June 1	B	Knightsbridge A	5.10	Powerhouse	1
June 1	C	Southwest A	1.50	Powerhouse	2
June 1	D	Knightsbridge B	3.30	Cedar	1
June 1	E	Taperoo A	2.40	Cedar	1
June 1	F	Spicer A	4.20	Cedar	2
June 1	G	East All Stars A	1.50	Cedar	2
June 1	LR	Edwardstown A	1.50	Powerhouse	1

SACBA Week 4 - Did we Sing the Blues or See Red?

This weekend we were playing 3 games against Saints. Our A’s vs their A’s, our E’s v their B’s and our F’s v their E’s. Can I start by saying, what the hell would happen if our B’s played the Saints E’s? I think we would win by 150.

Check your email – I sent you all an email about the progress of the new uniforms. If you want to be involved in the design let me know.

The leagues should be regraded this week – I suspect there will be a few changes so I will keep you updated during the week.

All the stats have been updated for Week 4 (including midweek). Stats are here. As I have been keeping all the A Grade stats I have thought it would be fun to keep a Player of the Month for each month.

Palky’s A Grade Player of the Month (May)

Will Good (Saint Peters)

Just quickly before we get to the reports, I want to say that I am going to need to stop supporting the running of the other teams - getting players, uniforms, scoresheets, voting sheets, coaching etc. This is purely selfish but my game is really suffering and doing all of these extra things I think is starting to impact my on court performance. I love helping the club and scoring games and coaching if I am needed and just helping everyone. I just don’t think that I am able to help like I have in the past – I played terrible today and I would say there is a possibility that the reason is because I have spread myself a bit thin. I hope that makes sense. I will continue to help the Lady Reds but any assistance is always welcome – especially with scoring. I will score games if I have played my game – but I won’t be scoring games if my team has yet to play. I will be at the stadium in a cheerleader capacity only.

I feel like bad about this … so 16 year old Palk will give you this … and this. If the internet was around when I was young I would have got nothing done.   

 

To the reports:

A's (3-1) v SPOC A (4-0) - Missing for the A's were Liam (gastro), Foo (groin), Corey (work) and Orken (ladies) ... so 8 time A Grade Premiership player Andrew "Big A" Williams came out of exile to fill in, as well as, a first game for Tauny Schmidt. Hobbs and Tauny were late - so the A's started with 4 for the first 5 minutes. The late players forced the A's to play zone and they just didn't have a flow in the first half - down 16 at half time (9-25) ... actually 9-20 due to 5 for "Late Player". The A's switched from zone to man and it paid off. Hobbs hit a couple of 3's, Tauny hit one and A scored inside. Jack made an awesome hustle play, jumped on a loose ball, passed it between a Saints player's legs and Phil ended up with a wide open 3. The Reds second half was good but they just didn't keep "Bobo" off the O glass and he came up with 6 points. It was all a little too late - A's lost by 8. Hobbs 9, Phil 7, Jack 4. With the 4 players to come back - Saints didn't show enough to scare the Reds.  

B's (2-2) v Cherry Saints A (0-4) – Cherry Saints are a bit of an unknown and the Reds were coming off the horrendous effort the previous week. The Reds started a bit slow – they were getting a lot of good looks but nothing would fall. Jamie got the scoring underway with a back court steal and layup and Mike hit a 3 and short jumper. Cherry Saints were getting to the line and converting and scoring a few baskets down low – Reds down 4 (11-15) at halftime. In the 2^nd half the Reds turned up their D and started making shots that they were missing in the 1^st – Mike hit a couple of threes, Ned, Goody and Davey all scored inside and Darcy “Ace” Aistrope started to make his absent jumper. We applied full court pressure and kicked Cherry Saints butt like a Mexican wrestler drop kicking a dwarf in a monkey suit. What Palk … that is a ridiculous analogy … is it? Is it?  Reds won 37-26. Darcy and Mike had 12 and Lachy 4. Some antics started late in the game too when Lachy and Cherry’s centre started jawing. It the heat of words Lachy said “we are beating you up their” [point to the scoreboard] … which was interpreted as “I will beat you up there” (implying the carpark). The centre said “You want to go out?” Lachy said “Yeah you can take me out for a beer”.

C's (4-0) v Coromandel Valley A - The C's were minus players in the guard spot - BB and Manners were out meaning G and Madman were the guards and Kobe, Hendo, Phill (who has a very T-1000 gait) and Thommo. Coromandel were a bit of an unknown quantity but proved a tad unorthodox - they made a lot of very strange shots. The C's were clearly the better side but Coromandel just wouldn't go away - the C's had lots of shots around the basket but just couldn't finish and missed a few free throws - up 7 at halftime (25-18). The 2nd half, Coromandel closed the gap. The C's then went on a big run - Thommo made a great save out of bounds at half court, flicked it behind his back to Kobe who scored on an uncontested break ... play of the season. Madman was on fire - he rebounded great, shot well, got out on the break and controlled the tempo of his team. In the end - the C's were too big, fit and athletic - Hendo was too much downlow and Phill and Thommo were beasts on the glass and G finished well around the basket. C's won by 16 (54-38). G had 11, Madman and Kobe 10.

D's (3-1) v Oakden A - The D's stepped out against Oakden unsure what we'd face - we'd seen them play some very good ball but knew our best could match them. 4 of their 6 were all about the same size & could be dangerous on the glass, so boxing out would be critical. We played man D all game again which keeps the opposition honest - they have to earn their points. Krantz caused them trouble from the outset, going hard to the rack & heading to the line.  Wildy couldn't make the game, but in the 1st half it was like we still had 2 Mitches out there, Kirkham was everywhere & on the end of good ball movement to drop 10 for the half, Jono with 5. Although our offence was a little stagnant at times, scoring was at a good pace & the teams went neck & neck in the first half, Luke George proving hard to contain for Oakden, he had 12, & at half time we were down 26-22. The game went bucket for bucket for much of the 2nd half, the Reds never out of the game & scrapping for the ball. On the back of solid D from the veterans Lunny & Reg (with a number of strips & steals in the game), Jono got hot & was running the break & finishing inside for an 11pt half. Crawf was active,  Pritch dropped a handy trey in each half. With the scores close the Reds turned the ball over twice in a minute to allow Oakden to score, but then stepped up & denied Oakden on back to back offences & then went down to score both times to take the lead by 2. Despite control & patience eluding us at times, the boys dug deep at the end & held off Oakden in the last minute, Lunny icing with a deuce for a great 45-41 win. Jono finished with 16, Kirkham 13 & Pritch 6. Good job boys.

E's (2-2) v SPOC B - Written by Diamond - To dust off an old sporting cliché and state a mathematical fact, it was a game of two halves for the E’s. For the first time we started in a man defence and the extra pressure paid dividends with Saints repeatedly turning the ball over. Unfortunately, we failed to capitalise offensively an only managed a humble five points for the half. The second half was more of the same defensively, but it was a different E’s team offensively. Movement through the key and strong rebounding opened the big guys up for scoring opportunities and allowed us to jump to a 12-0 run. We stayed within striking distance for the rest of the game, but were not able to run over the top of Saints and went down 29-23. All-up the best game yet for the E’s and it is nice to see some steady improvement in how we are playing together. Bubs had 8 and Cam 5.

F's (4-0) v SPOC E -  Written by Brownie - The F's were missing key playmaker Brad Hughes this week with an ankle injury but otherwise fielded a full squad against SPOC. A rock solid defence held our opponents to only three points in the first half but we were unable to capitalise on our opportunities in offence with plenty of missed shots despite some great ball movement. SPOC started getting a bit rough in the second targeting Jon H and then Jay. Phil was having none of that and the high-fouling SPOC got the message soon enough. The second was much better on the scoreboard with Jay claiming 12 for the half. Hanzolo had a late run dropping three jumpers followed by a long triple and Stu dropped a couple of nice shots to give us a 24-4 second half. Road Train, supported by Udit and Phil, dominated the boards to cap off a great team game with plenty scored on the break. The F's were never under threat, winning 41-7. Jay got 18, Hanzolo 9.
There is nothing more beautiful than beating Saints … except maybe this guy.

G's (2-2) v Northgate A - Written by Nige - This week G-Force faced the 3… no, 4… oh, wait, 5 players from Northgate. Our plan was obvious – run as much as possible, their plan was equally obvious, to walk the ball up the floor. It also became clear they relied heavily on their guard #14 who was doing all the creating and scoring for them early, with some assistance later in the half from forward #44. At the half G-Force was down 12-9, but the signs were all positive. At the start of the second half the deficit was quickly erased with some hustling fast breaks and turned into a slender three-point lead. Northgate answered every time the lead was pushed out further, but were clearly struggling for options outside of their two best players and could never bridge the gap. By contrast, G-Force were able to score through almost every player, a solid second half securing the win 26-21. Reid Amos scored 8 and Brendan finished with 5 to lead an even spread of scoring contributions.

 

Lady Reds (1-1-2) v Dunn A -  The Lady Reds were up early with Georgie and Wans scoring inside - Dunn got the lead back by running the break and crashing the boards. Dunn had a really tall girl (maybe 6'3'' called FeiFei ... cool name). With 3 seconds left Dunn had the ball and one of their girls threw it overhand from about 35 feet ... swish. Reds down 1 (12-13). The 2nd half Alicia hit a 3 to keep the Reds in touch and Wans was scoring inside but Dunn hit a jumper everytime they needed a basket. Reds lost 22-29.  Georgie had 6, Wans 5 and Jordy 4.   

 

Palky's Super Tops Trio - Week 3:

3^rd Tie – Mike Hill and Jono Self
2^nd – Matt Williams
1^st – Jay Nguyen

Game Times – Week 5

June 1	A	Southwest A	2.40	Powerhouse	2
June 1	B	Knightsbridge A	4.20	Powerhouse	1
June 1	C	Happy Valley A	1.50	Powerhouse	2
June 1	D	Knightsbridge B	3.30	Cedar	1
June 1	E	Taperoo A	2.40	Cedar	1
June 1	F	Spicer A	4.20	Cedar	2
June 1	G	East All Stars A	1.50	Cedar	2
June 1	LR	Edwardstown A	1.50	Powerhouse	1