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Season 3 Episode 7: "Crackback?!" - with David Herbert
40 Plays10 days ago
This week Lachy and Squin shake things up with a new format which includes healdines of the round, EGG GOTW and the Good Eggs of Round 2. The episode is capped off with an interview with David Herbert from CoE.
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Transcript
Introduction and Viewer Engagement
00:00:38
Speaker
Hello everyone, welcome back to East Scott Game. Apologies for the mishap before, but I'll explain that in a second. But yes, welcome to East Scott Game, where we give you the X's, the O's and the insights of MBL One East.
00:00:54
Speaker
Thank you for joining us tonight live on YouTube and Instagram. And remember, you can subscribe to our YouTube channel and follow us on Instagram and Facebook at East Scott Game.
00:01:06
Speaker
or you can continue to find our episodes uploaded onto your preferred streaming platforms.
Apology for Daylight Savings Mishap
00:01:12
Speaker
On this week's episode, we will be covering our ESCOT game, Game of the Week, between the Newcastle Falcons and the Albury Wodonga Bandits women.
00:01:22
Speaker
We'll also be covering our top performances of the week. and of of the round, I should say, and later we'll have an interview with a very special guest. But let me just say first and foremost, again, apologies for the mishap an hour ago. it's me, it's your girl Squinn here, who didn't realise that New South Wales had ended daylight savings and was frantically jumping online an hour ahead as being in Queensland, there is the time difference.
00:01:52
Speaker
frantically calling and texting Lockie to make sure he was okay and then in the meantime catastrophizing that perhaps something bad had happened to him perhaps he was you know in an accident perhaps he collapsed at home perhaps he got hit on off his bike all of these things were going through my mind and instead was just it was just daylight savings ended Lockie how are you Well, I haven't been hit by a car.
00:02:19
Speaker
I haven't collapsed at home. I'm actually doing all right. Thank you for, thank you for, thank you for checking in, Avi. Yeah. You know what? That's totally fine. I would rather catastrophize and go to the lengths that I did just in case something did happen.
00:02:34
Speaker
And I'm very glad to find out that it was just the ending of Daylight Savings. are Probably also reflecting that I don't watch the news at all. But I don't think that would have made news in Queensland anyway, given that they hate Daylight Savings with a passion.
00:02:53
Speaker
um So, we're going to head to first with our East Scott game headlines of the
Player Moves and Team Challenges
00:02:59
Speaker
week. And, Lachie, you had a couple of headlines from the men's competition. Take us through it.
00:03:05
Speaker
Well, I think what else can we lead with but Kuat Noi signing with a Sutherland team that's already sitting at 2-0, bringing in a player who probably instantly goes to the top of the player rankings in NBL 1 East, if not the country.
00:03:24
Speaker
Just an absolutely massive signing for the Sharks, who have already started the season pretty well, getting wins. You know, they got wins against Penrith, and the Penrith team that picked up a win this week, and they beat Hills on the weekend, and they're just getting stronger and stronger. So, yeah, Kuat Noi, who, you know, great in the NBL, was great playing over in China for a few weeks, kind of in the meantime. And...
00:03:50
Speaker
Another very big addition to the club and the league. Yeah, absolutely. All the rumours were true that Kuat Noi was joining the East. And, yeah, it's just another big boost for the league.
00:04:05
Speaker
But it it looks like you've also got a headline for us about the Newcastle Falcons men. Well... Newcastle Falcons men, after falling in both games of their doubleheader, now sit at 0-3, which is our not the spot you want to be. Particularly, they come up against Illawarra next week in the r the Steel City showdown. And, ah I mean...
00:04:30
Speaker
Is it more of the same for the Falcons? We were so high on them last year and they came up short. ah Is the same happening again? Because it's not been a good start and already they're looking at having to go least 11-6 for the rest of the campaign, which is going to be tough to do in this league.
00:04:49
Speaker
So definitely a turnaround in short order required for the the Falcons men. Any news on the arrival of O'Boyle? Well, he's still over in Switzerland, and I don't think they their regular season doesn't even finish for another, I think, this week, this coming weekend.
00:05:12
Speaker
But if I have it correct, I think all by one team in the Swiss League
Game Recaps and Player Performances
00:05:17
Speaker
makes the playoffs. So he's probably going to have at least one round of playoffs. So it could be a while.
00:05:24
Speaker
Yeah, so hopefully the ah remaining roster for the Newcastle Falcons can start to rally around and try and get a win against Illawarra next weekend or at least start to head in that upward trajectory towards heading to get towards getting some more wins.
00:05:41
Speaker
ah But also the Comets men sounds like they had a tough battle against Illawarra but made a good game of it in the end. Yeah, so this was one of the games I called with ah Will Konstantinidis. It was absolutely great to finally get to call a game with Will, who actually, he messaged me last year and said, ah want to get into NBL1 commentary. Can you help me out? And I got him in touch with comments, and we finally got to call a game together. But yes, like Leo O'Boyle, Bawali Bales is still over in in Switzerland, and I'm
00:06:14
Speaker
didn't Didn't Comets feel it in the first quarter against Delora, trailing 34-13. Just lacking a little bit of energy did the Comets boys until Cherise Saipaya got into the huddle and told them what's what and then came out and did the same on court.
00:06:30
Speaker
But... um It got back within two or three. The second quarter was a complete turnaround. It actually became a really tight game by halftime, but I 45-42 at halftime after being 34-13 after a quarter, but just gave themselves too much to do against a good really good Illawarra team. So just Comets just had to come out out of the blocks faster and just hopefully that's not a game that... are comes back to biting them because for the latter 30 minutes of the game, they were as good, if not better than the Hawks, but just put themselves in too big a hole at the start of the game, but still treading water reasonably well without Bawali Bales. And I mean, if you can, you know, lose by seven, that means you were plus 14 for three quarters against Illawarra without Bawali.
00:07:24
Speaker
ahs ah That's definitely a positive to take you out of that game.
00:07:29
Speaker
Definitely. And, you know, like ah one of the coaches' cliches is that they need to learn to put four quarters together. Usually coaches are referring to a lapse in the third or the fourth quarter and not always the first. So that sounds like the case for the Comets on the weekend.
00:07:45
Speaker
ah But who got a big win on the on the weekend in the men's competition was the Penrith Panthers. Wasn't it just getting an eighty four seventy two win over Manly? i mean,
00:07:56
Speaker
ah It's, I mean, Mason Bragg had 18 and seven and three with six deals. Preston Purify had 21. um But just people stepping up.
00:08:10
Speaker
No Ben Kearans for Penrith as well. He did twinge that ankle um against Sutherland. So I wonder if that was what was keeping him out. But Jet Hickson stood up, the young man, 15 points in 18 minutes. Lockie Charlton, the Penrith champion, back Back in the teal and black, he had 20 points. And Zeke Evans, the man from Lithgow, 16 and 12 with five assists and three steals. And Jonah Perez, back from Bankstown, he's been looking really good in the early stages. So this Penrith side, they ran Sutherland really close, and that was with Benny Kierens playing on an ankle that he tweaked in the first possession of that game.
00:08:50
Speaker
And just kept playing. Tell me after the game. He had to keep playing to keep it warm. Because if he'd sat down, it would have got cold. And then he wouldn't have been able to even walk on it. And got a win against the Manly side that I think most people expect to be really challenging for playoffs. So good signs at the foot of the mountains.
00:09:08
Speaker
And for Manly, they dropped to one and two. So... looking very interesting in the early stages of the men's competition, probably more in the at the lower end of the table than who's at the top.
00:09:23
Speaker
Yeah, definitely. And i think after a few rounds, we might have to have a look at ah could take a closer look at the ladder because, I mean, after after two rounds, it's, you know,
00:09:35
Speaker
not so Not too much telling a story just yet, but maybe by around five or six we'll be able to take a closer look at it and start to make some of those mathematical predictions that you're so good at, Lockie.
00:09:46
Speaker
i think that i had to do I think after that Friday-Sunday doubleheader on Anzac Day weekend, I think that's when things might be shaking out. A lot of teams will play five or six games by then and we might start getting a picture starting to develop.
00:10:02
Speaker
Very good. And now some headlines from the women's competition. We have the Bankstown Bruins unfortunately starting their season as zero and three still awaiting the arrival of Davida Dale, who is still playing overseas.
00:10:17
Speaker
They take on Sutherland next weekend, who have started their season zero and two Lockie, do you think this is going to be a game that's going to separate Bankstown and Sutherland to opposite sides of the ladder?
00:10:30
Speaker
Or is this maybe one that's too early to tell? i think, especially with no Davida Dale, who's still over-balling for Manchester, I just think it's a game that... I don't think it's to separate it. It's just to really keep them in touch kind of thing. one You've got, especially Bankstown being 0-3, but...
00:10:52
Speaker
Sutherland, if they drop to o and three like I said with Newcastle men, just putting themselves in a hole early that you just don't want to have to drag yourself out of because it gets to the point where you have to start playing perfect basketball for 13 weeks straight and nobody wants to have to do that.
00:11:07
Speaker
And nobody does that except for Aubrey Wodonga women last year, and obviously. And it looks like Jada Rice has ah made her NBL 1 East debut on the weekend as well.
00:11:20
Speaker
And so I'm sure that now she's going to be well in the mix with her fellow Bankstown Bruins. They're going to start growing in confidence and performing a few more. So certainly not a team to count out just yet.
00:11:32
Speaker
ah And something that was very surprising on the weekend in the women's competition, the Central Coast Crusaders women scoring only 16 points at the half.
00:11:44
Speaker
The opening quarter was, they played, us sorry, Newcastle Falcons at home at the Breakers Indoor Sports Stadium. The opening quarter was six to twenty two with the second quarter 10 to 16.
00:11:58
Speaker
So I was watching part of this game and was absolutely gobsmacked to see that halfway through the second quarter Crusaders was still only eight points total. so But 16 points at the half is probably unheard of.
00:12:13
Speaker
I think it was one point of the game, i think by halftime actually, the Crusaders women were only averaging 18% from the field. from the field
00:12:22
Speaker
Yeah, and with the ah players who can put the ball in the basket from all kinds of range like they have, that's ah that's concerning to say the least.
00:12:34
Speaker
Yeah, i I totally agree. I think that is perhaps one that may need some further analysis on another day. But taking a look at the box score, you still had Leilani Mitchell shooting at 6 from 14, which was 42.86% overall.
00:12:50
Speaker
Domkins maybe on the more shallow side compared to what we used to. She had 13 points shooting at 4 and 11. ah But Jazz Falkadilla just still – ah struggling to find her feet in consistency with scoring just three from 16 in that game.
00:13:06
Speaker
But to be fair, they did come up against Newcastle, whose defense has been outstanding to start this 2025 season. I mean, lot of teams are going to have bad days against Newcastle.
00:13:19
Speaker
But, I mean, 16 points still, yeah, not not a great timeout. I mean, they they did manage, you know, 33-31 was the second half score, still in Newcastle's favour. So they managed to rally in the second half. But you just said it before, you got to put four quarters together.
00:13:39
Speaker
That is correct. But over to some more positive news from the women's competition. The Aubrey-Wodonga Bandits women had a doubleheader away, first playing Maitland Mustangs on the Saturday.
00:13:51
Speaker
And they came up with a 19-point turnaround in the third and fourth quarter. Actually, and Yeah, it was over the third and fourth quarter, and this game was literally a case of another coach's cliche of the game is won and lost in the last five minutes.
00:14:07
Speaker
So it looked like the Bandits were down and out. looked like Maitland was going to get ah a win at home, and then it just took Katie Jones, who was just... Setting the NBL One East on fire to really get her team going. She scored nine straight points to kind of put the Bandits back on track and the Bandits winning ah that one, ah just snatching that one from the grasp of Maitland Mustangs in the end.
00:14:33
Speaker
Yeah, I think Sammy Mack posted that it was a twenty three to two run. So, know, it wasn't a 19-point turnaround where it was 30-11 or something like that. They really put the clamps on Maitland during that stretch as well.
00:14:48
Speaker
Yeah, absolutely. It was a really, really great performance to watch. Perfect execution, beautiful team play. ah So if you have the time, I recommend watching that game ah in the replay that you can find on the NBL One website, of course.
00:15:03
Speaker
And then the final headline from the women's competition is, now please correct me if I get this pronunciation wrong, Lockie. But Kelly Chase, who we initially announced in an earlier episode as an import, well, big question mark import, but at least a signing for the Penrith Panthers women, unfortunately unable to suit up as a local player for the Panthers because she would have been the third import.
00:15:30
Speaker
and But she has found a new home at the Sydney Comets. Did you get to see her in action on the weekend? Yeah. You already know I got to see her in action on the weekend, Skwin, because I was commentating her game, which Comets won against Illawarra. Oh, she is lightning quick.
00:15:48
Speaker
Gets up and down court with the ball really quick. Great movement on defense. Just a little bit, by and in a comment stand that probably needed a bit of backcourt...
00:16:00
Speaker
um Reinforcement, bit of depth, just a great foil for Perini. Just provides a little bit of something different. And, yeah, I think, you know, Kelly Chase, Piper Anderson, can we ah get get them in maybe a 94-foot sprint race?
00:16:20
Speaker
Because they definitely got some speed there. Awesome. It sounds like, you know, it's great that Kelly is able to play a season and it sounds like a perfect addition for the Comets women. So all's well that ends well in the NBL1 East. But just before we get into our East Scott game, game of the week for round two,
00:16:42
Speaker
Just ah saying hello to some of those tuning in live on YouTube. Just a reminder that if you're able to comment on the YouTube live stream, we're able to see it here in the back end. And so feel free to ask us some questions.
00:16:55
Speaker
And if possible, we can get to it during the episode. And that goes for those watching on Instagram live. We've got some Sutherland sharks love in the Instagram live comments referring to not like us by Kendrick Lamar.
00:17:10
Speaker
And we also have our number one fan, Lockie Everett, giving a shout out to West superstar Katie Jones for adapting to a new conference. Absolutely ah deserves the chocolates there. It looks like she's I just love the way she plays, but perhaps a story for another time.
00:17:28
Speaker
And that time is now. ah
00:17:32
Speaker
After we did the headlines of the rounds, I forgot to put the title up, but now it is time for the East Scott game, game of the week for round two.
Analysis of Game Statistics
00:17:41
Speaker
This week we decided to review the game between the Newcastle Falcons and the Aubrey Wodonga Bandits women.
00:17:49
Speaker
ah This was a game played on the Sunday and it was its Newcastle and Aubrey's second game for the round. As previously mentioned, Newcastle travelled to play the Central Coast away on the Saturday and Aubrey played Maitland in that barn burner on the Saturday as well.
00:18:07
Speaker
So I think that this the the fact that this was the second game of the weekend for these teams so early in the season played a part. ah in the overall result and performance of this game.
00:18:22
Speaker
But tell me, Lockie, what are your overall impressions for this game so far? I think you're 100% right about it being the the fact that it was the second game of the week and what happened on the Saturday as well, that Aubrey Wodonga had to drag themselves back into the game, whereas Newcastle had it pretty cruisy. I mean,
00:18:46
Speaker
Munger still played 29 minutes on the Saturday, but 29 minutes is probably actually kind of low by Nicole Munger's standards in NBL White East. And, yeah, so they were able to, know, get some, at least a little bit of fourth quarter rest in the legs of the...
00:19:06
Speaker
of the stars. Stars that include meg Jefferson, who I thought, despite being only the second leading scorer for Newcastle, I thought that her presence on court was just an absolute game changer.
00:19:25
Speaker
ah It just, the she was beating Aubrey down court like it was gout gout in an age group race.
00:19:38
Speaker
She was just in the frontcourt miles before any of the Aubrey frontcourt players were. And I think that whilst all the accolades should go to Munger for an absolutely electric game, Jefferson was absolutely brilliant. And a just those i think those two together just...
00:20:00
Speaker
are going to be continue to be one of the most dangerous combinations on the court. And then they have good support pieces going around them as well. I thought by by the end, yeah, Aubrey Wodonga did.
00:20:16
Speaker
i what Once it started slipping, it did look like one of those games where they were going to be able to reel it back and maybe it goes out, reel back, maybe it goes out. It did kind of look like the elastic band was destined to snap.
00:20:27
Speaker
And it did. But I think overall, and this is kind of surprising to hear about Aubrey Wodonga, but I think Newcastle played the better team basketball throughout the game. I think that's pretty much what it came down to. i know Munger is very much the focal point, but I still think that, yeah, Newcastle played the better team game throughout the 40 minutes.
00:20:51
Speaker
And to be fair to Munger, she was three assists shy of a triple-double. She had seven assists and also three steals. So sure, she had 40 points, but she did shoot at 71%. So it wasn't like she was just throwing absolutely everything at the ring and just seeing what stuck. Her shot selection was still great. Her accuracy was obviously great.
00:21:13
Speaker
I was actually surprised by how many... ah she made she how many attempts she was allowed from the two-point range. So she shot 17 from 24 overall.
00:21:24
Speaker
20 of those 24 shots were from the two-point range, which I was kind of surprised at. I was hoping that Aubrey were going to be able to make sure she was at all times, as you need to do, and just be able to limit her touches or at least make it a little bit more difficult for Munger to get some easy shots.
00:21:43
Speaker
But she opened the game with... pretty much a classic manga move, coming off a curl cut, one bounce pull up at the elbow, and she hit two of them back to back. And then at the other end, unfortunately, Aubrey were just – I think it was honestly a combination of fatigue and those bouncy rings on court one at Broadmeadow Stadium that you have to have a certain finesse and a certain touch.
00:22:08
Speaker
to sometimes shoot in those rings. But they got really, really good looks themselves, like a lot of shots under the basket for Bryn. Katie Jones was able to get to the rack as well, but just popping out, bouncing out, rimming out.
00:22:21
Speaker
And I think when you're playing a top team and you're already fatigued and you put so much into winning in the game before, mentally, if that starts to happen at the start of the game, it's going to start to chip away you. And I think that was a bit of a case for Aubrey.
00:22:35
Speaker
um But, yeah, Munger. 40, 15, 7 and 30. I totally agree. a Great team basketball from Newcastle. Everyone just beautifully in their floor spots.
00:22:47
Speaker
um Isn't it nice to see Meg Jefferson playing in a system that actually values her talents as a five man? That is that but ah so so good. We've seen her like struggle in different ways in the last two seasons in the East to establish herself and get comfortable. And now this is what can happen.
00:23:07
Speaker
Yeah, I think, yeah, I mean, yes. yeah When I've watched Newcastle, it became more apparent that perhaps how she's been utilised in the past and maybe it's been necessity because she's been one out in her position in the roster, that she hasn't been utilised perhaps in the way that most players accentuates her strengths but in this Newcastle team it obviously does I mean ah mentioned her ability to get down four she got some good opportunities there but yeah I just think she's thriving having i mean anyone would thrive having ah star of the league take some of the pressure off you but just think she's thriving in that role as maybe like kind of a oh a rear gunner for um Munger but um
00:24:00
Speaker
I mean, you mentioned you mentioned earlier adie Jones, you know, just taking to the east like a duck to water. And I think Newcastle, especially in the first quarter, made an absolute point of making sure she didn't get on a run early.
00:24:16
Speaker
Because the first three times she took it to the rack, they were swarming on her. that It... it was I was unsure how Newcastle didn't commit foul on one of those drives because they were just in there almost ripping the ball away, just preventing Katie from getting anything early.
00:24:37
Speaker
And yeah it was and was eight one after four minutes. Yeah, no, I noticed that as well. I think ah the defensive scout and and execution from Newcastle was really great straight from the tip-off.
00:24:50
Speaker
I also noted that they were able to double a lot of some handoffs to focus on making life difficult for Katie and for Riley. um I mean, Katie didn't have a lot of room to penetrate as comfortably as she did against mate so against Maitland.
00:25:06
Speaker
And Riley didn't have as much ah time and space to be able to catch and shoot in the same way that she's been able to do. So Newcastle did a really great job of making life difficult for them both.
00:25:17
Speaker
But having said that, what I really liked from Aubrey... is that once they figured out that that's probably not going to work as well as it did the game before, they did change up their half-court offense quite a bit to take the pressure off the likes of Riley and Katie. So they started to move the ball a lot more, spread the floor.
00:25:35
Speaker
That kind of gave um Katie and Riley some other secondary opportunities to score rather than making it the first option in their half-court offense. ah So I really liked how they adapted to that, and I did notice that then they were starting to look inside to Bryn a little bit more often and probably started to chip away at that early seven-point deficit.
00:25:56
Speaker
yeah i think Yeah, I think once they got Bryn involved a lot more inside, that was just... Those were the times throughout the game um when they looked better. I noted later in the game as well, I think there was one post-up Mahadi had as well that it didn't finish, but it just it looked a lot better when they actually started getting the ball inside and then forcing Newcastle to almost make a decision yeah on defence.
00:26:28
Speaker
um
00:26:32
Speaker
But, I mean... if we look If we move then to the second quarter, and I think this is something we're not going to see at all the rest of the season. And there was ah a short time when Munger and Jefferson were both off.
00:26:48
Speaker
It wasn't very long, but Aubrey Wodonga looked like an absolute different team. And I don't think... If we see Munger and Jefferson off together again the rest of the season, it's going to be because Newcastle are up by 30 in the fourth quarter.
00:27:04
Speaker
ah that was when Katie Jones was able to really start finding momentum. ah It probably hurt Newcastle more on the defensive end than the offensive end, which I found a little bit, and maybe not surprising, but intriguing ah considering those players combined for 59 to 90 points. and I think Munger had 30 when Newcastle had 50.
00:27:29
Speaker
So she was doing it definitely in the ah in the front end, but... um
00:27:36
Speaker
Yeah, i just that that little period. um And i I was hoping, and I think Aubrey kind of did go on with it a little little bit at the offensive end, even once the two stars started coming back on. But um those two just were able to just put points up at the other end.
00:28:02
Speaker
Yeah, i think I think you're right. Munger and Jefferson off at the same time. Maybe a time to experiment a little bit, but credit to Aubrey for exploiting that as quickly as they did. And Aubrey actually winning the second quarter 23-17.
00:28:20
Speaker
So that brought us back into a one-point ballgame by halftime. So that was quite impressive. I did like, though... But in the second quarter, I did notice that Albury's defensive transition did start to improve because at the start of the game, I got a sense.
00:28:40
Speaker
That's when I got a sense of like, oh, they're still really tired because people weren't running back as fast. as quickly as they normally would or with as much intent as they normally would.
00:28:51
Speaker
People weren't getting out to shots. Like I think there was a young player from Newcastle who had a corner three in the third quarter or maybe it was in the third quarter, right kind of near the Albury bench.
00:29:04
Speaker
And whoever was guarding her was just kind of like, oh, yeah, walking out, whatever. ah and will wills morere It was number eight. Yeah, ah right. it was It was Willsmore in the corner and then she just nailed and i was like, oh, you're going to want to hustle on that. You can't take anyone for granted.
00:29:22
Speaker
um But overall, I think but yeah I mentioned the change in offense for Aubrey. The other big thing that I noticed for Aubrey was that no one was crashing the offensive glass for the majority of the game.
00:29:37
Speaker
It didn't feel like they were putting as much pressure on the O boards. And having a look at the statistics, they still had 10 offensive rebounds throughout the game. Emma Mahady having three of her total seven rebounds for the game.
00:29:51
Speaker
But just didn't feel like there was that same sense of urgency from Aubrey compared to the game before against Maitland. And Newcastle probably weren't as intense as I've seen them play, but I just felt like they still looked a little bit more relaxed and comfortable ah compared to Aubrey. Aubrey just looked like they they needed, um you know, some Coke bottles at halftime or something.
00:30:16
Speaker
Something to set them up a bit. i I did notice that, but I think i didn't it didn't seem as egregious because Newcastle weren't exactly getting a second chance on every look themselves.
00:30:33
Speaker
I mean, they't no, they weren't crashing, but it didn't yeah it didn't feel as bad, but definitely still something to take ah white take away the game. from the game
00:30:46
Speaker
And I think um just to add to what you mentioned about, you know, are Newcastle Falcons only had 13 offensive rebounds themselves. Certainly could have been a lot higher with the likes of Jefferson and Munger under the basket.
00:30:58
Speaker
um But again, it was Emma Mahadi that did a really outstanding job of boxing both of them out as best as she can. Full body, her arms were in full flight. You know, there was no kind of holding or grabbing.
00:31:10
Speaker
It was just absolute textbook display of how well you can box out. I think she was a little bit of the unsung hero in this game because she was really consistent with her defence in the back end of the game, her boxing out.
00:31:23
Speaker
All weekend she was in the perfect spots, like even in that game against Maitland, some of the offensive transition from Aubrey with having Jones, Luffer and Mahadi just in the right spots in transition. Bang, bang, bang, transition threes. It was like beautiful to watch.
00:31:41
Speaker
I think they went away from that a little bit this game, but Mahadi was very consistent with both ends of the floor. And I think at the times when Say Riley and Katie weren't getting as they as many looks as they were used to Bryn was missing a lot of bunnies under the basket.
00:31:58
Speaker
I would have liked to have seen more offensive opportunities or plays run for Mahadi to be a bit more of a scoring threat. She only put up, I think, she only put up three shots the whole game and she was two from three.
00:32:12
Speaker
ah so yeah, I don't know. It just could have been a bit of an opportunity to – to um get her a little bit more involved in the offensive end. What do you think? I 100% agree. I mean, Emma Mahadi is a player who's played...
00:32:25
Speaker
at so many different levels, like she's played for Ori Wodonga in South when they were struggling team and she was, you know, a focal point. She's played for Bendigo in South or Siebel or both. um You know, she's played WNBL. So, you know, she's the kind of player who can go and do that dirty work when required. And, you know, she had four, seven and two and was just doing everything right. But I think she also has the skill set to have a bit more run for her when things perhaps aren't going right.
00:32:54
Speaker
Anyway, it's probably not something oppositions, coaches or players are really going to scout for or expect a play run for Mahadi.
00:33:07
Speaker
And... yeah know Maybe you catch a defense out just still gravitating to Lutfura Jones on the perimeter and just maybe maybe you get her a matchup she likes.
00:33:19
Speaker
Maybe it works. Maybe it doesn't. still its It's just something worth having a trial. Yeah, definitely. Maybe yeah a couple of plays run to... um provide Mahadi a mismatch opportunity against someone like a Brennan or one of the younger bench players from Newcastle because all the focus was already on Katie and Riley and perhaps even Bryn under the basket. They're always going to be taken care of.
00:33:45
Speaker
But it's just those couple of other little players that someone like Mahadi might be able to exploit and give her team the edge in the end. um But, yeah, Dotshu was great. Yeah. I don't think I have many more notes for Newcastle.
00:33:59
Speaker
ah like They also they got a bit slower on their half-court D when guarding the dribble penetration in the back end of the game. But, again, that's kind of – that's probably just fatigue. And just on Emma Mahadi, we do have a comment on Instagram Live that Mahadi should shoot at least five to eight shots per game.
00:34:19
Speaker
I'm going to say she could could be someone to shoot 10 to 12. Yeah, 100%. I mean – Yeah, I would say, yeah, eight would be the low bound for me, not the upper bound.
00:34:33
Speaker
Yeah, we can be a little bit more generous with Emma Mahadi's shot intake or outtake, output. Yes. ah But that when I was looking at some of the um more finest stats of this game, traditionally looking at things like points in the paint, Newcastle won 50 to 36.
00:34:54
Speaker
ah They also won the secondhand point second chance points um with sixteen to two I thought that was a pretty interesting stat. Team assists were reasonably co close, 19-13, again in favour of Newcastle.
00:35:08
Speaker
But there's one stat that really stands out to me, Lockie, one stat that I always come back to. Is it free throw percentage? Oh, my goodness me. Free throw percentage. This was such a surprise, especially for Aubrey who had been shooting really well.
00:35:27
Speaker
pretty well all weekend. 50% from the two-point range against Newcastle, 26% rounded up from the three-point range, which certainly wasn't their best performance given the first two games of the season.
00:35:42
Speaker
But look, those rings are unforgiving. And they were playing against a very talented Newcastle team on the defensive end, so we'll give them that. But free throws, goodness me!
00:35:55
Speaker
They had 22 free throw opportunities compared to Newcastle's ah eight. ah So it was Newcastle shot six from eight.
00:36:09
Speaker
Aubrey shot 10 from 22 from the free which 46%. Lockie, that's 12 missed points in game that you lose by 18. lucky that's twelve miss points in a game that you lose by eighteen Yeah, and I mean, even if they shoot 75% like Newcastle did, it it doesn't bring back the entire deficit.
00:36:30
Speaker
But i I say this a lot about missed free throws, is that a lot of the time, it's not enough to bring back the entire deficit, but it's enough to change the situation of a game enough that in the latter stages, you're still a chance.
00:36:46
Speaker
You know, what if, you instead of trailing by, you know, 12 with five minutes to go you're trailing by six with five minutes to go or something like that. It just, it's, yeah, it's easy to do the maths and say, oh, they missed 12 free throws, but they lost by 18. They wouldn't have won anyway.
00:37:03
Speaker
Well, I don't, I don't subscribe to that theory. I think that if you're scoring, you're getting closer, and then it changes the way maybe Newcastle can't burn as much clock in ladder possessions because they know they don't they can't just you know use the clock have the clock on their side kind of thing. So, yeah, 12 missed free throws. Even if you say they get 17 or 18 of 22, that's still getting them close enough to have a red-hot crack down the stretch.
00:37:34
Speaker
Yeah, absolutely. Absolutely. So they were the main statistics that stood out to me. Did you find anything different or even more interesting? Well, you mentioned the 8 of 31 from three-point range for Aubrey Wodonga. And I mean, Newcastle's 8 of 26 wasn't too crash hot.
00:37:53
Speaker
Not Captain KK's best day shooting. I think she had 2 of 10. um but Yeah, three-point range, Riley left two of 12. But I think there was a period in the third quarter, Aubrey Wodonga we were don up forty eight forty four And then Newcastle went on a bit of a run, and there was just a brief period in the middle of the third quarter where Aubrey Wodonga were just almost just jacking up threes early in the shot clock. Like they were trying to get back eight points in a minute.
00:38:24
Speaker
And I dare say that affected their three-point percentage, but they just weren't good looks. yeah it's Yeah, you've got 17, 18 on the shot clock.
00:38:38
Speaker
You just go down there and fire one away off balance or with someone in your face or just without even attempting to move the ball around the perimeter or you know get it into the paint beforehand. It's just... And I think, yeah, just...
00:38:54
Speaker
Yeah, probably it affected their three-point percentage, but I think if it's probably the shot choice. There's not a stat for that. There's not a stat for that, but yeah, the the ah quality of look was not good.
00:39:11
Speaker
Yeah, and and it would be too much of a subjective stat to keep as well if we if we kept a stat like that. But I think you're right in the same vein that not necessarily making more free throws is going to win you the game but certainly change your situation. i think when taking three-pointers as well,
00:39:29
Speaker
ah affecting the overall shot percentage aside, ah it also disrupts the flow of the game, your flow of your offense, and I think probably adds to a little bit of that that pressure you when you're probably not making the best decisions from the free throw line.
00:39:44
Speaker
i think well I think sometimes as well, like there was probably the in the last couple of games, Aubrey were able to take those shots and they were going in, so it kind of quickly lulled them into that false sense of security of like, that's okay, we'll just shoot our way out of it ah But it didn't work. It didn't work this time it's not going to work all the time. So we've we've got to have a bit of ah a plan B. That's right. Yes. I mean, yeah, Aubrey Wodonga and I mean, just those players in general will be able to shoot you out of a lot of situations, but evidently not on Sunday.
00:40:20
Speaker
And so my final thoughts for this game, it was still quite entertaining, especially given that Aubrey had a wobbly start and kind of had to pull themselves together ah to fight the fatigue and the wobbly rings and the high calibre opposition of the Newcastle Falcons.
00:40:38
Speaker
So we still had a lot of ah lead changes. It wasn't Newcastle completely dominating the game. They were equally as challenged throughout the game at at times. But I do think for both teams and particularly Aubrey, fatigue, unfortunately, did play a factor.
00:40:52
Speaker
But full credit has to go to the Newcastle Falcons for topping off that win. Beautiful team basketball at both ends of the court, looking like they're having a great time as well playing
Impact of New Signings
00:41:03
Speaker
with each other. Like it's also really nice to see Meg Jefferson play where she looks like she's enjoying it again.
00:41:09
Speaker
um But just topped off with the masterclass of Nicole Munger, 40 points, 15 rebounds, seven assists, three steals and a block, shooting at 71% overall.
00:41:21
Speaker
I mean, round of applause for that team. Absolutely brilliant performance and really showing why they're still favourite to win the women's competition.
00:41:32
Speaker
But still, Aubrey, lots of promising signs, lots of great ways to... um change, help change the outcome of their game by changing their offense up very quickly.
00:41:44
Speaker
And perhaps there's room for other people ah playing different roles in this team. ah But, yeah, I still think this Aubrey team will make top eight. Oh, 100%. I mean, yeah.
00:41:55
Speaker
i mean You go one and one. i mean, go one and one on the distance double after having to drag yourself back into it on Saturday. i know Aubrey Wodonga, their standards would have been, know, every doubleheader. You know, they've got standards to maintain. But, I mean, you come away from...
00:42:16
Speaker
distance double with one and one and you lost was the defending champions who are still a very, very good team led by ah player who is going to be once again, among the favorites for MVP as they're still right on track.
00:42:33
Speaker
definitely I would, um I would suggest everyone go and look at Munger's shot chart. It is just, It's just a showcase of what happens if you beat a defender, look at the second line, decide, no, i don't want any of that. I'll just shoot a mid-ranger.
00:42:51
Speaker
Yeah. Bring back the mid-range game. The mid-range game and the back-to-the-basket post game is not dead. Squin hates analytics confirmed. yeah Predictable, yes. ah But, yeah, Munger is just, I mean, especially in the last couple of years, it's been really great to see how much Munger has improved from the three-point line as well.
00:43:14
Speaker
I remember in her debut WNBL season, you know, certainly there was room for improvement, but now she is a knockdown shooter from the arc as well. Not needing it on this occasion because, as you said, her shot chart does look like the both butt ends of the key has the case of the measles on the NBL1 website.
00:43:32
Speaker
ah But, yeah, outstanding performance. And I just want to have a quick look at the ladder for the women. Despite the loss, you know, Aubrey are sitting at six, and that's purely because of for and against points and because obviously not everyone's played each other.
00:43:48
Speaker
Above them at the moment are Newcastle, North, Hornsby, Hills, Manly. And Aubrey at six. And of that six that I mentioned, I'm i'm confident that Aubrey will – I'm going to take that back now. I'm confident that Manly will be either top four or top five.
00:44:04
Speaker
Easy. Yeah, 100%. I mean, Newcastle, North, Manly, Aubrey, Wodonga, I think most people would have them all pencilled, penned in the top eight and at least pencilled in the top four, at least three of them.
00:44:21
Speaker
Now, this is a great question we've got on Instagram. Do you think Nui is weaker without Alyssa Brett? What do you think?
00:44:33
Speaker
i I don't know that it's, I mean, i don't know that any direct replacement has shown so far, any potential direct replacement so far has shown that they're on Alyssa Brett's level.
00:44:50
Speaker
but I don't know that they're a weaker team with the complete roster they've put together.
00:44:58
Speaker
Yeah, I agree. its I mean, Alyssa Brett certainly brought a lot of athleticism and length and expertise on defensive end, probably didn't shoot her absolute best last season, but really came good at the back end of the season once she got used to playing in the East after a little while. Yeah.
00:45:16
Speaker
But, yeah, they've made some great new signings. I'm hoping that Susie Wormsley starts to get a little bit more court time. She only played 17 minutes against the Bandits, and we know what she is capable of.
00:45:28
Speaker
um But it doesn't show any signs so far that they're missing Alyssa Brett or they're missing a piece based on how well they've played as a team so far. So, yeah, I wouldn't say that.
00:45:39
Speaker
They have the the highly underrated Claudia White Harper Andrews, is it? defensive menace. And so sometimes when you say defensive menace, people start thinking, oh, does that mean it's 5v4 at the offensive end? Because that's all she provides. It's like, no, no. She can get involved in the offense as well.
00:46:00
Speaker
Definitely, yeah. mean, everyone has very is very clear with their roles in in each of these teams, which I really like to see everyone sticking to their roles and not really deviating to away from that, which I think is why both teams show were able to showcase such great team basketball over the whole weekend.
00:46:17
Speaker
We love to see it, especially in the women's game. Yes. And you know what? If I'm Aubrey Wodonga, you know what I'm also going to take away from this game is how psyched Newcastle were when that final siren went.
00:46:33
Speaker
They were legitimately hyped. Munger was like up and hugging Kate Kingham after the game, like as the siren sounded. They were psyched to get that win. And if a team is that psyched to beat you in week two,
00:46:46
Speaker
You take that away and say, all right, they they were that hyped to beat us. All right, we we're still pretty good. We're still hunted. Yeah, that's a massive compliment. And I think also it shows that Newcastle as a team don't take anything for granted. ah They're not coming in cocky as the reigning champions and they're still valuing each game and respecting all levels of competition that they come across. So that's a really, really nice point to make there, Lockie.
'Good Eggs' Segment and Fan Interaction
00:47:15
Speaker
um Now, just before we we've we've got an interview coming up in just about 15 minutes, and just before we do that, we've got time now to ah highlight our performances of the week. Now, listen, working title for this segment of our show is Good Eggs.
00:47:35
Speaker
Who are the good eggs of round two? And for those that need it spelled out, ESCOT game is shortened to EGG, which spells eggs. which spells egg. So why not use that to our advantage? The good eggs of round two. Lockie, I'm going to go to you first.
00:47:50
Speaker
Okay. Well, I just want to preface this. This, this segment isn't just about picking a player of the week. It's about picking a performance that we feel worthy of highlight. And sometimes this might game play a game of the week. Like when, when LJ dropped 50 last year, okay. That was, that would have been a good egg performance regardless.
00:48:10
Speaker
Um, But I went with, sticking with the Aubrey Wodonga theme of the evening, i went with one of their men's imports, Aaron Freeman.
00:48:24
Speaker
Because you're the import, your team is staring down on three if you lose to Newcastle, which and this Aubrey Wodonga team expects to be in playoffs.
00:48:35
Speaker
And when you're the import, there's a little bit more pressure on your shoulders. And he went out and got it done. He had twenty one and eleven four steals, shot 61.5% from the field.
00:48:49
Speaker
And they got up 77-72 in a game that was tied after three quarters. And they were and went up early in the first half. Newcastle brought it back.
00:49:01
Speaker
And so that's why he is my good egg of the week with a secondary shout out to his running mate, Emmanuel Allen, who actually put up some points late to help get them over the line. So both the imports chipping in and their other new addition, Matt Gray, was also, it was actually their top scorer, but yes, Aaron Freeman, men's good egg.
00:49:22
Speaker
Very good. And for the women's good egg this week, I would give a special shout out to Carly McAllister from the car st Canberra Nationals, who is already averaging a very high double-double.
00:49:35
Speaker
ah ah Can I say NBL 1 East debut? Because she technically hasn't played in East before, even though she's originally from Canberra, I guess. I can say that. up But just finding her feet...
00:49:47
Speaker
Beautifully in the Canberra National Squad, um obviously an integral piece of their team and helping them find early success in this 2025 season. But it is hard to go past Nicole Munger as this week's good egg, not only for her performances for both games, but the one thing that really...
00:50:07
Speaker
kind of put Munger over the line for me only for this weekend was just how she was able to rally her teammates when they were down in that Aubrey Wodonga game. So very early on Kate Kingham was taking a lot of great shots and shots that lots of the time she would make but unfortunately it just wasn't her game today and you could see Munger going over to her during a free throw and just trying to refocus her and and help her regulate her emotions and keep her positive to stay keep her head in this game and that's the extra mile stuff that you kind of hope from someone like manga or the captain of a team and uh it's just little things like that for for me certify her as a good egg
00:50:50
Speaker
and For Kate Kingham, who is the captain of Newcastle Falcons, I mean, who does the captain turn to when they're not having the best day?
00:51:03
Speaker
The captain's leader, but still human. Sometimes the captain needs a pat on the back as well. And that's where you get a player like Munger, who is also such a great leader.
00:51:15
Speaker
You recognise that, you know, captain needs some revving up too. Captain needs to help help through it. and
00:51:24
Speaker
just Just love to see it. Yeah, absolutely. I totally agree. ah And that, yeah, that is our good eggs of the week. If you feel like you had your own personal good eggs of the week and you'd or you'd even like to give one of your teammates a shout-out,
00:51:41
Speaker
ah You can send us a DM ah via Instagram at escottgame. ah We are still waiting for the official press release about Jeff Gerlach's $6 million dollars max deal at the Sutherland Sharks that we heard about through our DMs.
00:51:56
Speaker
But if you've got something of similar nature that you want to hype up your teammates all or give them a shout-out or can tell us why you think they're a good egg, then please send us a message on Instagram.
00:52:08
Speaker
ah But, Lockie, we have about nine minutes before our very special guest jumps on. So let's take time now to look at round three and start having a a guess at what our ESCOT game game of the week is going to be before the official KO Freebies game is
Game Previews and Predictions
00:52:26
Speaker
announced. Now, I'm looking down.
00:52:29
Speaker
And straightaway to my mind is because we're going to be reviewing a men's game next episode. First one that sticks out to me is the Central Coast Crusaders and the Norse Bears because the Central Coast Crusaders men are off off to a really hot start with this new squad.
00:52:46
Speaker
However, we have already reviewed game by the Norse Bears, so perhaps not that one. Is there anything that's maybe sticking out to you initially in the men's competition? Well, I also...
00:52:59
Speaker
thought Crusaders, but I thought, um sorry, Crusaders, yeah, so you said it's Crusaders North. Well, I was looking a day earlier at Crusaders Comets
00:53:17
Speaker
Mm, very good. Yeah, I think that could be a really, really good matchup, actually. um Yeah, both teams are playing really well so far. ah Both team under brand new coaches. Yeah.
00:53:31
Speaker
Comets men last season thankfully improving a lot as the season continued because otherwise it was looking pretty dire for them at the start. Crusaders men probably underperforming perhaps ah perhaps the last two seasons.
00:53:45
Speaker
But coming around good so far in 2025, I like that one. I like that one as ah as a possibility for our game of the week. ah What do you think about Albury Wodonga Bandits men and manly Warringah men Albury?
00:54:02
Speaker
Well, if the match I just mentioned had finished the other way around with Newcastle winning and Aubrey were it would be a very different story. But both teams that would, I think, expect to be 2-1 rather than 1-2 at stage.
00:54:24
Speaker
rather than one and two at this stage I don't think it would expect to be below 500 at any point. um And the way it's shaking out could be an early one to bank for your tiebreakers as well.
00:54:41
Speaker
ah I don't think, not sure Manly, Warringah, at least in their two losses, haven't had all their big names fire at once.
00:54:53
Speaker
And I think that's been the, the main thing that I've gleaned from at least their two losses. They get everyone humming along and then I think they can be back up where they were last year. but And that's why I think going into Aubrey-Wodonga, into the hideout, we know that the crowd is always crazy there.
00:55:16
Speaker
If Manly Warringah can do it down there, it will just be such a massive boost to their confidence. I think they'll be straight back on track. Whereas Aubrey Wodonga just need to use that home crowd and build on getting that tight win, building on that tight win they had against Newcastle last weekend.
00:55:36
Speaker
Yeah, I totally agree. I absolutely agree. ah Hopefully that Aubrey can use that momentum from their first win against Newcastle and take that home. ah But, yeah, i don't think Manly are going to be very keen on having two losses in a row. So I think that's going to be super competitive down in the hideout.
00:55:54
Speaker
ah But, yeah, ah for me, I think it is a toss-up between like Central Coast Crusaders and Sydney Comets. and the game we just mentioned in Aubrey. But to be fair, we've been pretty Aubrey heavy already. I mean, we have ah spoken about the women's team already in this episode. but So perhaps we will preview next episode that Crusaders men's Sydney Comets game at Breakers Indoor Sports Stadium.
00:56:19
Speaker
Shall we lock it in Lock it in. Lock it in. All right. Let's see if I've got a sound effect for that. No. Oh. yeah A very, there we go Very light swish sound.
00:56:38
Speaker
That was almost the five of eight free throws that Newcastle women made against Aubrey. ah But, yeah, lock it in. Next episode we will be reviewing the Central Coast Crusaders versus the Sydney Comets at Breakers Indoor Sports Stadium.
00:56:53
Speaker
7 seven p m Australian Easter Standard Time, ah reminder now that daylight saving has ended.
00:57:04
Speaker
Oh, my gosh, seriously. And it takes me like 12 months to remember that there is a difference in time. And now it's changed again. now have to go back to remembering that we're on the same time. oh It's too much.
00:57:18
Speaker
One hour that causes too much grief. Yeah. And before our guest jumps on, have you got, ah ah do you want to, um did you purposely wear your World Cup jumper today or was that a coincidence?
Personal Anecdotes and Guest Introduction
00:57:32
Speaker
No, I was just on the couch and I was cold. It's a 2022 Women's Basketball World Cup hoodie. Yes, which we were both at. Together in the final.
00:57:44
Speaker
Yes, we were. We've got the selfie to prove it. We were both at the World Cup. We were in the World Cup. We were around the World Cup. We were the World Cup that year. I don't think we could have participated anymore in that particular event.
00:57:58
Speaker
No. I went to two World Cups that week with the Cycling World Championships running Wollongong the same week. That's right. They were Yeah. yeah i Were they two very different ah sporting atmospheres and sporting kind of crowds and niches?
00:58:15
Speaker
Yes. Well, I mean, one's in the open air alongside the road in the park at Wollongong and one's in a 15,000-seat stadium or 20,000-seat stadium that, you know, you had half the crowd screaming Aussie, Aussie, Aussie, Oi, Oi, Oi, and the other half of the crowd just screaming China over and over about 140 decibels apiece.
00:58:38
Speaker
Yeah, it's um I think the we at the basketball World Cup, the semifinal between China and Australia. I don't think i will ever experience that volume of people and volume of noise chanting in unison.
00:58:56
Speaker
ever again in my life like that was like a wall of sound they talk about the wall of sound you know that was invented in the 60s in music production but this was the wall of of sound at that game it was incredible it was yes it was very very good to be at and the uh 2026
00:59:18
Speaker
Women's Basketball World Cup isn't too far away. It's only 18 months away. It's going to be held in Berlin next year. ah i don't know if you're planning to go, Lucky, but me and a few others are certainly planning so far ahead of ah to ah to attend the World Cup that we've already picked what Airbnb would like to book.
00:59:39
Speaker
No, sorry. I'm going to the Winter Olympics in February. And with the exchange rate as it is, there is no way I'm going to trips to Europe in year.
00:59:49
Speaker
All right, so perfect timing so our listeners don't have to hear us gossiping and babbling on about the days of old any longer. It's time for us to introduce our very special guest today.
01:00:00
Speaker
And listen listeners, you're going to have a real treat because not only will you get a break from hearing Lockie and I talk, you're going to get absolute nuggets of gold from this guest today.
01:00:11
Speaker
ah our guest started in country Victoria and has since travelled across Australia and the world with their various roles in coaching. They have over 25 years experience coaching various levels of women's basketball from state programs to WNBL to junior World Cup tournaments.
01:00:33
Speaker
Their accolades include the WNBL Coach of the Year Award in 2003 slash 2000, oh sorry, 2002 slash 2003 with a Townsville Fire and a silver medal at the Under-19 Women's World Cup, plus many more accolades that we could name.
01:00:51
Speaker
Our guest was also a commentator at the NBL One Nationals in 2024, bringing tremendous insight and humour to the broadcast. Not to be confused with a published food writer or an academic from the University of Tasmania.
01:01:08
Speaker
Our very special guest today is the head coach of the COE Women's Program.
Insights from David Herbert
01:01:13
Speaker
It's David Herbert. Hello, Herbie. How are you? Good, how are you? I've got to figure out a way to throw a smoke bomb here. feel If Hamish is listening out there, I think I kept throwing them at the national finals. I kept finding a way to disappear. So I might might do that mid-podcast now.
01:01:30
Speaker
you are the You are the certified king of smoke bombs. ah Yeah, just for context, that we would often um be hanging out late at night after we'd have a great day commentating.
01:01:42
Speaker
And then Herbie would say, oh, look, I'm just going to go to the bathroom and just never come back. And he would just poof and he was gone. it was it was definitely a a skill that we had the pleasure of seeing in the flesh, Herbie.
01:01:57
Speaker
I'm actually down in Melbourne. yeah So um I'm down in Melbourne right now. It's the Opals camp and we've had day two. And so far, so I think Sandy's putting in a new style of play with the Opals and it's a faster, more dynamic style. And it's exciting, I think.
01:02:13
Speaker
It could see a new wave coming through junior ranks and everything like that. I think that the style that she's trying to adopt adapt is is the modern day game, more positionless. And ah ah I've been catching up with all the all the different language um and new terminologies and things like that. And part of me being here is basically being a position there where I can attack what the Opals are running and and implement that at the COE.
01:02:42
Speaker
Ah, that sounds like a great idea. So you're getting it straight from the top and then you can develop the youth. So by the time it's their turn to put on the Opals jersey, they're ready to go.
01:02:52
Speaker
Yeah, especially the the new the terminology. There's different terms that are cracked back and a few things like that today. i'm like like, what does that mean? And um ah ah so it's good. So I guess my education is important to help the COE, but then filter that down through the pathway. We we do a lot of visits interstate, um and it's an opportunity to help educate coaches throughout throughout the country. And I guess feeding down from Sandy, that that's probably one of the best ways to do it.
01:03:22
Speaker
I thought crack back was just what you call your lower back pain after you've turned 30. Yeah, I think it's also pain after standing up for four hours on court today. So that was what I was thinking. Yeah.
01:03:36
Speaker
Now it'd be great, great, ah great experience. Both Mel Downer and I are here. um Mel is the assistant coach at the COE and um we've worked alongside the coaches and been watching video. It's it's full on. it's you You go to these things and it's just an educational experience. so and what What better person to learn from than the next to Sandy? And then you you have Gauri and Cheryl Chambers and Renee and Shannon Seabom.
01:04:03
Speaker
but It's really good company. And the girls will be, um I guess, some seeing some new things at the COE, which are be great.
01:04:14
Speaker
Very good. Can you give us any insight on what's the vibe like at Opals Camp today? We've seen some footage on our social media. It looks like a lot of smiles, a lot of physical testing, and they've put up a reel of the Opals doing the yo-yo, which, listen, I was triggered by it. I'm not too sure whose idea it was to put up the yo-yo because that took me back to my ITC days we used to the beep test, and I'm still haunted by that sound.
01:04:40
Speaker
the the The actual Yacht, the level that the players pushed them to was something else. like yeah ah the We were all predicting who'd win and who wouldn't and all that type of thing. and it It was interesting. yeah it It shows ah how committed the players were. They pushed themselves beyond.
01:04:58
Speaker
and that That's been the theme of the camp. I think the intensity been high. ah The enthusiasm, the we had team meeting with with various ah stakeholders and um different people explaining the the process and what the ah sisterhood means and everything like that. And um ah its it's been a joy to be around and and listen and um the experience for me has has been ah fantastic.
01:05:25
Speaker
That sounds awesome. And you've got some Opals on debut as well with Izzy Bourne, I see, is in the squad. And then you've got some ah veterans like Sammy Whitcomb as well. What's the mix like between the old and the new?
01:05:38
Speaker
Yeah, Sammy's been a leader the whole way through. Like she's she's the biggest talker on court. But some of those younger players, like you mentioned, Isabel Bourne, are really impressive. Like the I think the depth of talent coming through, even even down to the COE, it's very exciting. There's some really good athletes coming through. And over the next few years, ah I guess the transition of some of those older players, there's going to be some players ready you to step in there when they're called upon, which is great.
01:06:06
Speaker
Now, Lockie, I'm going to head over to you. Would you like to get us kicked off with our regular questions? I certainly would because, well, mean you let it kind of half gave it away that Herbie started in country Victoria. But, Herbie, how and where did your basketball coaching journey begin?
01:06:26
Speaker
It's an interesting. Probably in my coaching, I started playing, obviously. um I read a newspaper ad when I was nine. I then raced in and told my mum and dad I wanted to play basketball, and that's where it started. So I'm from a country town called Morwell.
01:06:40
Speaker
um And... There's a history of some coaches coming through there, the likes of Marty Hanson, who's well-known throughout the country. And we had one hell of a program there for a long time. Unfortunately, it's dropped away, but I've been recently went back there and did a clinic and it's starting going. And the likes of Andrew and Alan, his wife are doing a tremendous job. It's starting to pick up. And It's right next to Taralbin, the home of ja one Jade Melbourne and Jack White. um So it's a bit overshadowed that way, but it it's it's nice to see it's um developing again and and there's numbers playing basketball down there.
01:07:19
Speaker
um From Morwell, obviously, I i went went and was an assistant coach with the Dandenong Rangers. From there, I was recruited to the Queensland Academy of Sport in Townsville.
01:07:31
Speaker
And then I was lucky enough to secure a job with the Townsville Fire. And i was the inaugural coach. it It was quite an experience being 26 years of age.
01:07:42
Speaker
um Some of the players are actually older than me at that particular stage. And I often talk about not being ready and I spent six years there as the head coach. um we We made a preliminary final in the second year but there was things and worldly experiences and and and probably I guess a maturity level ah in terms of dealing with some some challenging situations that I probably wasn't ready for and I know I wasn't ready for. so To go through them was a great experience, and I know how to handle those situations a lot better now.
01:08:17
Speaker
But at at the time, I guess my age at at that particular moment, um I didn't have that worldly experience. So i I guess I'm pleased I went through it. I probably...
01:08:29
Speaker
got You climb to the top very quickly and you fall to the bottom very quickly as well. And that's an experience that I've had. And um it's been a matter of, I guess, staying motivated and learning the game and trying to educate myself in the game every day. And there's times where that's dropped away. But right at the moment, I'm i'm probably as keen as ever to learn as much as can. And part of me being here, learning from Sandy, it just gets the mind racing. And how can I implement that with with the COE kids?
01:08:58
Speaker
So when when you, as an inaugural coach, were you involved in crafting the initial roster? Yeah, absolutely. Yeah. we we I had obviously my experience in Dandie Nogging, Victoria Country State teams.
01:09:11
Speaker
I was able to attract some players to come and play. And the first year was was challenging. I think we won three games, but we lost nine by under a point or two.
01:09:22
Speaker
And from there, I guess some changes were made, and personnel brought in. And I would say ah team that probably shouldn't have been in the finals was was actually, we we made it. Not only did we make it, we had a ah like a 16-point lead on in Canberra at the Tuggeronk Stadium in front of the house.
01:09:43
Speaker
Unfortunately, one Lauren Jackson decided to take over that game, which which meant we ended up losing that on the buzzer. That's probably one of the better games I've ever been involved in. And From there, we went the preliminary final and in Townsville.
01:09:57
Speaker
Unfortunately, lost to Sydney, but the stage was set that that program had been established and and we were underway. and We pretty much had crowds for six years, and it was ah it was an amazing experience. and i guess if i had have known a little bit more and worked a bit harder and and just, I suppose, um sought more knowledge at that particular time, I think I could have been more successful.
01:10:23
Speaker
um Now I believe I have that knowledge. um It's interesting now implementing it with it with a young group of players and trying to educate them the right way ah to to turn into eventually professional basketballers.
01:10:36
Speaker
Who were some of the people you were able to recruit at that time from Victoria for that inaugural season? ah Yeah, we had Natalie Porter was one of those. um be we We actually we had a ah band of local talent at that particular time. And the second year, i managed to bring in Claudia Brassard. And not only did she make an impact as a player, she she made an impact as a coach for Australia. And that's something I'm proud of. I went away with 2019 World Cup team and Claudia was on that staff with me. And
01:11:09
Speaker
um There's a number of, Kylie Galloway, ah we brought back from America. um And she was she was a high-impact player. I brought Gina Stevens back out of retirement.
01:11:20
Speaker
And I think Gina was probably one of the most underrated players. If she hadn't have got chronic fatigue, ah I think she would have ended up in the WNBA. She she was that talented. so And Nika Kerr was another player at that time. and She had the ability to get under Lauren Jackson's skin.
01:11:37
Speaker
And both Natalie and Anika were two of the players that I think Lauren feared or hated playing against the most because they were the musical. And I guess at that stage, you had to beat that team to win.
01:11:49
Speaker
um And... we we were able to be We were successful in beating them a couple of times. Lauren went to the WNBA, came back, and there was nothing stopping her. she's She's the most phenomenal player. And at that time, I think everyone was really playing as ah for a runner-up trope.
01:12:06
Speaker
um Lauren, Kristen Veal and that group were so dominant.
01:12:12
Speaker
Amazing. Lachie, you're welcome to continue with question two when you're ready. i Yeah, so your coaching career has been primarily around women's basketball. um why Why do you prefer coaching women's basketball? I guess what drew you to it in the first place? It's an interesting question. Like i i started coaching boys, men, um and and did that for a number of years. And what happened was I...
01:12:37
Speaker
Russell Thomas, who's a coach for Vic Country at the time for under 16 girls, um said to me, how about coming away and doing stats for me? And I wasn't even really coaching at that stage. I was kind of ah just doing it as ah as a bit of fun. And local club like Morwell, everyone chips in. So I was doing under 10s and 12s and different things like that. And um Russell said, hey, come over and um come to Tasmania.
01:13:03
Speaker
ah do some stats, sit on the end of the bench and basically that's where it started. I guess I i was thrown into the women's or the girls side of it. um The following year I was given an apprentice coach role to an assistant coach role to eventually a head coach role and it was all to that women's side and I guess I was labelled that way of being a women's coach and maybe i think in some ways my ah personality, i'm I'm not someone who's gonna yell and rant and rave and carry on. I'm hopefully gonna educate and ah nurture players and and basically be be there in in that role. So I think in some respects, my personality suits that. um
01:13:44
Speaker
But um I've always tinkered the other going back coaching boys and men. So who knows what happens in the future. I guess what what are the primary differences between coaching women and men, not just as people, but as in styles of play?
01:13:59
Speaker
i don't I don't actually treat it differently. I think sometimes the the women's game is a little bit more technical. There's a few more screens and a few things to get people open. with I guess the men rely on a little bit more athleticism.
01:14:14
Speaker
But in saying that, the women's game is changing. Like you I watched the Opals today. It was fantastic. Yeah. They're playing at a speed that is equivalent to the men's game easily.
01:14:25
Speaker
So I think that's where the COE is headed right now. We have seven young players who've come in and the athleticism and length and it's going to surprise some teams in the NBL1 particularly when we get our two big kids fit and ready to go.
01:14:42
Speaker
ah the moment, um we've had one with ah a bit of a back issue and another one's not quite physically strong enough. um And when they hit the floor, I think the NBL won.
01:14:53
Speaker
and like We were already competing against Manly in week one where we were 14 down, got back to a point and then lost by 15. ah Last few minutes wasn't great. And then surprised Bankstown, I think, with...
01:15:05
Speaker
length, athleticism. And ah so in in saying that, I go back to your question, I probably sidetracked a little bit. I don't see there's that much difference. I think um now coaching isn't about yelling and screaming and everything like that. It's about nurturing and developing players and and and doing the right thing as a coach and being a role model.
01:15:24
Speaker
So i don't I don't see much difference at all, to be honest. It's just like in Monsters, ink when they used to generate power out of getting screams out of little kids and then turned out the generating laughter actually got them more power, right? is no You're not going to get any kind of, ah you're not going to get a more output from kind of yelling and screaming as a coach, but if you put in that time and development and nurturing, you're going to get so much more out of players. And I don't think people realise as well that as coaches, you can have impact on your players as them as a person, as well as a player.
01:15:59
Speaker
And that's part of what the COE is about. Like you you basically step into a parental role in some respects, a psychologist role, you name it. You're living with those kids seven days a week a lot of the time. And you'll you'll deal with emotional up and downs. you'll you'll Obviously, we have staff around us who are specialists and they're they're they're great in the fields of psychology, everything like that. But as ah as a coach, it can...
01:16:24
Speaker
You deal with so many different things that you you don't expect um at the COE and that you normally wouldn't as a coach. Like you'll have splitting up with a boyfriend, for example, and things like that, that and it's probably their first one ever. and And those sort of things are, I guess, day-to-day challenges and some a lot of those are handballed to melt down. But it's so you do. its it's ah It's a lifestyle there, without a doubt.
01:16:50
Speaker
And helping those kids... ah just recently like the one of the kids who graduated is has gone out and now how do i get a working with children card how do what's what's a tax file number and things like that you i'm from them and they've left so um i i guess trying to make kids well-rounded uh when they leave the coe is what we're about and it it it takes time it definitely does Probably the perfect segue to go into our next question. ah Just take us through roughly what an average day at the COE looks like. What's the daily routine um for an average day for yourself at the COE?
01:17:29
Speaker
Yeah, i'll I'll mix it in with the athlete experience as well. But but basically it depends on what time we have individuals in the morning. There might be an early morning session that we're up early for.
01:17:40
Speaker
um And that's usually with us. So we have two grads at the moment who are basically graduating at the mid-year and going to college. That's Jay Crook and Amelia Dakic. ah So Mel and I will work with one of those players each in the morning. And what what they do there is, so the grads, they'll finish that and then they'll go and work.
01:18:02
Speaker
So they'll do tours around the AIS and things like that. And and I know couple they have babysitting jobs and things. And, um So that that would be a start of a day. We check AMS, Athlete Management System. So if they're not compliant, we come down on them.
01:18:18
Speaker
So we've we've we've had additional bike sessions and guess early on, we have to be hard with that because it's something that the Opals fill out. It's something that players, when they play college, everything else like that,
01:18:30
Speaker
the compliance areas of filling out AMS and RPE. Basically, they're giving themselves a score on a session that we can calculate in terms of load management. um The RPE, it's done like this. it's um so Amelia and Jade would do their session. If it's a 60-minute session, they'll rate the session out of 10. It might be a six. They times that by the amount of minutes and that gives them a score.
01:18:54
Speaker
and across a week we we try to basically manage the load so we don't hurt them and they're injury free and we don't get bone stress reactions and all sorts of things that are common in that age and that's probably biggest learning for me while I've been there is actually learning to deal with that because Seven new athletes this year, and I know I'm sidetracking again. I'll get back to the daily routine in a second.
01:19:20
Speaker
But tracking that load management is um is crucial because if we push them too hard, like they they they do two sessions a day for five days in a row, they're going to break down.
01:19:31
Speaker
So um back to back to the question. Sorry. No, we love a sidetrack. Don't be sorry. the um So after that, basically, we we normally have a ah meeting on day or a Friday, and that's as a whole staff. And we'll have a psychologist, our nutritionist, our residents, basically the people that look after resis, the kids after school and on weekends, et cetera, there, ah physio, doctor,
01:20:00
Speaker
um basically everyone that makes up um the holistic approach to the athlete. And what we do is it takes about an hour to get through, but we go through each athlete and we work where they're exactly at.
01:20:15
Speaker
And that allows us to plan for training that day. and allows us to try plan for the remainder of the week. So with those seven kids, for example, um we might start at 345.
01:20:27
Speaker
We might have two kids doing one program. Then we have another group come in with four athletes that are doing another half an hour program and they might overlap. Then we have another group come in who are the older kids and they do another half an hour and and basically it becomes really hard to program.
01:20:44
Speaker
But you can see the results are really rewarding. We have... Our two big kids, Violet Johnson and Jemima man Manchot at the moment, they're both um highly restricted, but we've kept them doing three individuals a week.
01:21:01
Speaker
And to see them now running, jumping freely without pain um is awesome. And I think Bonnie Diaz is a perfect example of that. She came in and we're mates. She was had ankle issues, back issues, you name it.
01:21:18
Speaker
We spent three months building her. So while they spend a little bit less time on off the floor, we're actually setting them up ah for the future. And if you saw Bonnie play in the WNBL this year, she was tough and gritty and she wouldn't have been able to do that without all the background work.
01:21:34
Speaker
So that's kind of a shape of our training. Like we'll have three or four sessions going on within one session. So coaching wise, it's challenging um because some can change direction, some can't and things like that.
01:21:48
Speaker
But we're trying to build those kids. And one of the things when i I felt when we first got to the COE, the kids were taken off the floor. Now we're keeping them on the floor as much as we possibly can. And ah that's a credit to the staff that are there and and working. So,
01:22:03
Speaker
After that session, they will will generally go into recovery and the IIS recovery is is brilliant. So that that is so mixed up with gym.
01:22:16
Speaker
So we we may have a gym class either before or after training, and depending on the the layout of that particular day. So I'm very, very fortunate at the moment with ah without with our staff, like the the The way everyone's interacting and and basically progressing these kids has really developed and i'm I'm so proud of the staff right now and the results we've had. I know there's a few kids sitting out of under 18 nationals right now who would be frustrated.
01:22:44
Speaker
where basically We have some real potential opals in our group. ah It's our job to make sure we nurture them and get them ready. so Wednesday is a day off. Sunday is a day off.
01:22:56
Speaker
We give them a chance to grow. Wednesday they also do a session of mindfulness and or some sports psychology work. So we cover a lot in a week. um So the kids are told when they come in,
01:23:10
Speaker
we work for you. So we want you to book in meetings with the psychologist, with the nutritionist, with the physio, and basically we get them programmed, I guess, to chase those opportunities and really work at their holistic development.
01:23:28
Speaker
We got a really great question on Instagram while we're streaming live at the moment. Just asking, how does the COE differ from the AIS or is it similar?
01:23:40
Speaker
We're part of like the the COE is obviously the Basketball Australia program that we're at the AIS. and we We live on site, the kids stay on site, they're full time and the SSSN staff, our sports science and sports medicine group are basically the AIS.
01:23:58
Speaker
and the the They're the team at the AIS that we we deal with and we use their recovery facility, we use their courts. So um we're the only full-time scholarship program at the AIS, but we're known as the COE. It used to be called the AIS program, changed to become the center of excellence. um And I think that that name, the Centre of Excellence, is is a good one because it highlights what we're trying to do, what we're trying to achieve.
01:24:25
Speaker
um But we are part of the AIS as well.
Development of Young Athletes
01:24:28
Speaker
And and that we have a great ah partnership with them um to try and deliver the best results we can. And I think...
01:24:36
Speaker
The pleasing thing for me is seeing the likes of Monique Babongi and those kids come out of there and play the WNBL. And we took a tour to America um in December.
01:24:47
Speaker
And to see those kids play against the best high school kids in the States was something else. And they really proved ah how much improvement we'd made in that 12 months.
01:24:58
Speaker
Yeah, I think perhaps the question may have been referring to the COE program and the AIS program that we kind of grew up with that used to have a team in the WNBL. But based on what you've already described, it sounds pretty similar, but perhaps better access to ah allied health like sports psychology and more dietetics and ah certainly more resources for recovery these days than compared to back in the old AIS days.
01:25:24
Speaker
it Actually, I think the the resources were pretty amazing back when the AIS was fully running and everything like that. we we're we're so were we're still We're still running the same program, but obviously our scholarship numbers are 12.
01:25:37
Speaker
I'd love to have 15 or 16, and I say that openly to anyone because at times it's challenging. we We have an injury. Unfortunately, we had an ACL this year. um The young girl turned nowhere nowhere near anybody and those sort of things happen. So as long as we're, I guess, we're not getting the the bone stress injuries and things like that, with we we are doing it the right thing even though we had that ACL.
01:26:04
Speaker
um what we've got to do is make sure um we don't overload the kids and that's done through the sports science department and and the AIS. And the data they feed us is magic because basically we can we can basically take kids off the floor for – If they get to 3,500 load, for example, in a week, we might get off.
01:26:26
Speaker
So part of it is educating them on producing RPE score, but we also use Catapult. And the Catapult data basically confirms or not whether the RPE score is right. so um But the AIS is a really important part of the program for sure.
01:26:43
Speaker
And what are some of the i guess, key attributes that you look for in a player to consider them, ah to and consider inviting them or providing a scholarship to the COE?
01:26:55
Speaker
Well, I guess when you – that's a very, very difficult one. Like you – there's so many variables in that. Like you you go to a tournament and you – I think one of the things – because if you look at the Olympics, you look at the players that really, truly competed against America and and those particular teams, the Alana Smiths and the Eze Magabors stood out.
01:27:19
Speaker
and They were able to compete with America. They were able to compete with all the European teams, et cetera. So that is a factor. It's definitely the size and length of players is something. And ah like um obviously Alana Smith, her younger sister, has joined us at the COE and had a double-double today but vi for us Tasmania against Vic Metro, which is exciting. And they're the type of athletes that we have to find.
01:27:43
Speaker
Again, Sometimes it's just about the length and size of the athlete. It's also about the competitiveness and and the skill level.
01:27:53
Speaker
I think you you can you can walk into a ah stadium and and see tremendous athletes, but do they compete hard? Do they play as hard as they possibly can in every position? Do they Do they finish a game and how do they react when they finish a game? Are they upset at losing? are they Do they shoot a little bit more? Do they turn up to training earlier?
01:28:15
Speaker
they finish last on the court? Those types of things are all things that we try and find out about. and And that's challenging because in their home environments, we we don't really get to see them other than national tournaments. We take a lot of feedback from and the state directors of coaching or high-performance managers, and that's where we form our decisions. Like we have a – ah Two scholarships coming up mid-year that we have to fill at this point in time. So part of the job at the Under-18 Nationals this year, we'll be having a look at that and going through depth charts and trying to uncover, I suppose, the next Penny Taylor, Lauren Jackson, Belinda Snell, Christy Harawa,
01:28:53
Speaker
ah amongst it all and it's not an exact science I can tell you there's there's times where you do get it wrong there's times where you get it right um and I guess the experience over 25 years um I've had opportunities to get it right I've also got it wrong so I'm not saying perfect by any means and that's that's one of the challenges of of being in this role
01:29:18
Speaker
um It's funny you mention competitiveness as a and the thing you look for because, funnily enough, I was actually sitting next to you at an under-20s tournament and you might youre I'm assuming you were scouting for a World Cup and you ticked Izzy Morgan's name and I just saw it in the program and i was like, yes. And I don't think I've met many players more competitive than Izzy Morgan.
01:29:40
Speaker
So one the I can see how that all that's definitely a big thing for you. One of the things with Izzy Morgan was her basically her personality and ability to make her teammates better as well.
01:29:52
Speaker
I saw something special in her and she went away as our 12th man um and she was told that from day dot. like i she She showed those displays, those leadership skills, et cetera, and I couldn't ask for a better person in that particular role. Like I...
01:30:08
Speaker
When I was doing the gems each year, um the second year, I put up a ah slide and it was Isabel Morgan saying, hey, you can make this team if you have, and I guess, the relentless persistence, the work ethic, but also the ability to be a great teammate.
01:30:25
Speaker
And she did it. Ula Patoga was another player um in 2019 who... filled that particular role. So if you, and I guess some advice I gave ah young Jade Melbourne when she first went to an Opals camp was maybe wave the towel, cheer, high fives, be the first off the bench.
01:30:46
Speaker
Those types of things will help you submit a spot in a team. And Isabel Morgan was one of those. And she's had a great career at Davidson. I'm looking forward to her coming back to Australia and making an impact.
01:31:00
Speaker
And I think referencing both Izzy Morgan and Jade Melbourne in that kind of theme there of being the towel waver, was it that under-19s tournament where you went away and won the silver medal? I think Izzy Morgan was part of that team.
01:31:16
Speaker
But then that was the same time where Jade Melbourne got the late call-up to go to Asia Cup in Jordan to replace Matty Rochey. And I think one of the outstanding things of feedback that Jade got from that tournament was just that, being able would to get the late call-up at risk of doing two different types of sets of quarantine or whatever it was back then.
01:31:36
Speaker
And people just complimented her on how much energy and positivity and how active she was on the bench despite going from one tournament to another and getting the late call-up. So your your advice obviously rubbed off on her in the right way, Herbie. Yeah.
01:31:52
Speaker
I think playing and understanding the role that you have in a team is so important. Like if you if you're a young player, um often kids, yeah like look at the portal right now in America. What ah what an absolute jerk that is right now. It's horrible. There's 1,200 kids in there and this kid, there's no there's no, I guess, how can I say this, the loyalty to programs anymore, no loyalty to coaches. It's it's now coming down to the dollar.
01:32:19
Speaker
Yeah.
Coaching and Player Development
01:32:20
Speaker
I think that's that's one quality. Those two, you talk about Izzy and Jade, while Jade's now off earning millions, I'll say that. I'll i'll make a listen to this tomorrow. um it's she She has worked hard for it and deserves it. where I think that portal has just, in some ways, it's starting to destroy the American game and that loyalty piece for for colleges. I really feel the coaches in that right now who are having to deal with it all.
01:32:50
Speaker
Yeah, the portal, I think there's about 13 15 Australians in the portal the last time I properly read about it. And it just seems... Risky in a sense, but yeah, like you said, it just kind of shows different motivations Or I guess different experiences and outcomes that athletes can gain now in the college system, but yeah losing the loyalty using the team chemistry and Yeah, I think there's probably just as much to lose as there is to as to gain Going into the transport transfer portal
01:33:25
Speaker
And you look at those younger kids right now in Australia, like a Sataya Fagan. She has every top end school other than UConn chasing her. like the decision she has to make now is it it becomes a financial one as much as anything with Neil and everything like that. So and there's so much more pressure and and the kid there's so many opportunities now. Kids can go to high school.
01:33:48
Speaker
um But I think Australia does it very well. I think the way we teach fundamentals, you you go to a number of those clubs um in in Sydney and Melbourne and everywhere throughout Australia, there's some fantastic coaches doing some fantastic work and,
01:34:04
Speaker
And that's why the the Australian kids are so highly regarded because we bring them up the right way. We teach the game the right way. And and I think that's that's um ah something that we do do very, very well in Australia.
01:34:18
Speaker
Yeah, absolutely. And ah I guess ah you touched on it a little bit before as well about some of the, you know, how you have to be also the number one support for a lot of these young athletes while you're at the COE.
01:34:30
Speaker
But are you able to tell us some of the parts of your role as head coach at the COE that some people wouldn't expect? I think probably one of them is the sports science, like the the load management part.
01:34:43
Speaker
I think you you you you basically look at each athlete and you're trying to make sure that you keep them safe. And I guess that area is crucial. If you overload them, there's risk of injury. So...
01:34:59
Speaker
We had a very challenging calendar last year and there's some similar things happening this year. So ah last year we were going doubleheader into a Gems camp, into a doubleheader, into a... the series with China to a doubleheader. And we we basically had to – it was survival mode at some stages where we had to back off what we were doing to make sure that the kids could get through it.
01:35:21
Speaker
And similarly this year, we head to May and – or even our first two games were in the NBL 1. We played. We went straight into a GEMS camp. Some of those kids went from GEMS camp to under-18s. And we have to – there's a different charter for us.
01:35:38
Speaker
we While we want to win NBL 1 games, we also need to make sure that we're looking after these kids. So on our stats, you'll see in the first two games, we played kids around 20 minutes each.
01:35:51
Speaker
So there's probably a chance in the Manly game, maybe if this sub didn't happen or that sub didn't happen and we kept the team on that had the flow at that time, we might have kept we mightve won that game. But While winning is important, equally important is keeping these kids healthy because they're the next generation of Opals and we've got to look after them. So people might look at the games we play and go, why is he subbing that player off? Why is what's happening there? And it's it's different. Like we have to make sure and that's a different role that probably people don't really realize.
01:36:23
Speaker
um The other part is, being on call all hours of the night. You'll have a kid get violently ill or have the flu or something like that. You're often the first point a call.
01:36:35
Speaker
um So you do become that parent, you do become that person that they they rely on and talk to and, um and so like yeah You have discussions with the kids just about life and jobs and what they're looking to do in the future and those types of things. it It's not like your everyday program where you're simply coaching.
01:36:53
Speaker
it's It's a lot more than that, and it is a seven-day-a-week job for sure. Sitting at the dentist for hours on end with an athlete.
01:37:04
Speaker
Monique Babongi. Not just once. I think it was three times. Yeah, I didn't want to say her name, but ah you said it, so you're allowed to Yeah. yeah but your um You touched on the increased athleticism and the speed of the game, but are there any other real trends you're seeing in the and changes in trends in the women's game of late, particularly the junior level?
Trends and New Talent in Women's Basketball
01:37:34
Speaker
um I think the, not junior, but ah Opals today was positionless. And we what we're trying to do is build ah some kids. Like i you look at um young Jemima who who played her first representative game for Australia, an exciting young athletic talent.
01:37:54
Speaker
we We want to multi-skill her so she's not just a post player. we want to We want to be in a situation where players who play the three spot can experience playing the one. we want We want to go the other way also and players in the two, three spot have the ability to post up.
01:38:09
Speaker
So trying to develop a ah positionless player that can can do it all. And um we we're we're in that situation now where the two post kids that have just come in um and and a young Andy Smith are that athletic that we can actually do that with.
01:38:26
Speaker
that's That's so exciting right now. I think the 6'5", types. um ah we've we've got four let's just say we've got four kids now that can basically grab the ring.
01:38:39
Speaker
um and One of those kids, Amy Smith, dunked it in see it gets in the warm-up against Sierra Canyon. She dunked it twice. and the referee told her to stop doing it. I was i just slapped the referee. I think it's great young young young females getting up there, throwing it down.
01:38:57
Speaker
ah to certainly turned my head. I heard the ring and the crowd roar, and I turned around. It Andy, who's very quiet. um But I think... Seeing the Opals today, I think that's the way it it'll way a little trend.
01:39:11
Speaker
um It'll be more running on the floor, five-out type style. You might the post up, you might not, but more space to play in, um more grenade-type actions where the the ball is is dribbled at someone or the handoff, and that's normally one of your bigger players to a guard.
01:39:31
Speaker
and Those types of things are going to come through the game, sure. If you saw, you watch a bit of the college game in America, some of the some of the the the women and the girls playing there the the athleticism is amazing.
01:39:43
Speaker
Like you're looking at players switching one through four or one through five and they're all athletic and so can stay in front of anyone. um And I think that that would probably be an ultimate goal.
01:39:58
Speaker
Challenge, I guess, an ultimate aim. But I also see a place for that small point guard. I think um Australia's had some of the best, like Christy Harawa, obviously coaching here at the camp. There's definitely a place for that player, um particularly in the women's game, not as much as in the men's.
01:40:14
Speaker
And I mean, training players to be able to play more positions just gives them more opportunities down the line. I mean, you might be a 6'4", and you might have been the tallest in every team you play, but you could go to Europe and play alongside a 6'8 player, and suddenly you might be playing the 3 or the 4.
01:40:31
Speaker
the Young Andy Smith, the first couple of weeks, I want you shooting the three. My coach says don't do that. I'm like, I don't care what your coach says. she She recently she went to the Under-18 Nationals.
01:40:42
Speaker
ah One of the last drills that she'd done was she hit eight out of nine from behind the arc. so um Things like that, ah that's what makes me feel great about my job. When you see little things like that start to take effect and sometimes they're small things, other times they're bigger things. But when you see a player develop and they develop multi-positional work and and they're able to defend someone smaller than someone bigger than them, um it's quite rewarding to see.
01:41:12
Speaker
Wow. And I'm still kind of... hung up on the fact that the referee in America stopped telling ah stopped ah Andy Smith from dunking anymore in the warm-up. And I bet you if that was a young men's game, no one would be getting stopped to so told to be stopped dunking in the warm-up, right? Yeah.
01:41:31
Speaker
it'd be interesting. I was disappointed because I was so proud of her because she's very shy. And for her to get up and throw her We might we might we might get her doing that in a couple of warm-ups in around the around the league. And if we can get her on a breakaway, um the other the other one will be a Jemima. When she gets going, she can basically get out of the ring and jump and grab it. So and when she gets going, I think...
01:41:55
Speaker
Like I said, I think the the young young group we that have just come in are very, very exciting, very, very athletic. And i think as the season goes on, the NBL 1 teams are going to be in for a bit of a shock, I think, as we progress.
01:42:11
Speaker
Man, I'm spewing that I'm not commentating a COE game this year. Okay. mean We have a lot of away and home games all year, home, away, on the one weekend. It's we we challenging, but it'll it'll it'll hopefully toughen these kids up as well.
01:42:30
Speaker
It's a shame, Lockie. It could have been your one opportunity in your commentating career to commentate in a female, a dunk in a female game. Yeah, although who knows what might happen in the future.
01:42:44
Speaker
This is true. This is true. Yes, I think like that's that's exciting. We can play a brand that's that's athletic, ah positionless, where these big kids are out switching a point guards and and containing the ball and things like that.
01:43:01
Speaker
It's going to be exciting to watch. It may not be pretty for a while. We're going to take a little while, but it's something to look forward to hopefully.
01:43:11
Speaker
Yeah, absolutely. And I mean, like you've mentioned, you've got to see a myriad of talent over your coaching career, including the existing and current talent you have at a COE. But are there any athletes over your career that you remember just seeing for that first time and absolutely blew you away with their talent?
01:43:30
Speaker
i i would I'd have to actually say recently, not trying to put any pressure on her, but oh ah heard about Jemima. I flew to Queensland um within a week or two.
01:43:41
Speaker
She walked onto the floor and I said, i'll I'll know in the first five minutes what I think. And within that first five minutes, I was like, wow, she's 6'6". She's got light feet. She... It actually reminds me a lot of Ezzie.
01:43:54
Speaker
I'm not trying to put pressure on the kid at all, but you see a generational talent like Ezzie and then you see an athlete like Jemima. And to me, I think she could be quite special. but um Obviously, there's other young players like a um Olivia Olitschner, which I watched have that 44-point game in the M16 finals of the national championships.
01:44:18
Speaker
she's she's She's got some toughness and some special things as well. um i ah was very fortunate when I was young and coaching um in Gippsland. I was taking the intensive training program, which you would have been in Jacinta, but I had a group yeah with a young Belinda Snell.
01:44:36
Speaker
um and Belinda Snell, Desiree Globetts and Michelle Musselwhite, now Michelle Cozier, one of our referees. so um Those three players were something else and For me, learning and seeing them shoot a basketball because they're three elite shooters, some of them, three of the best.
01:44:55
Speaker
Learning from them and Gina Stevens um ah gave me a little bit of an eye and pick on to pick out what what it takes to be a great shooter. And I learned so much from those particular players. And I saw Belinda Snell and from about age eight.
01:45:10
Speaker
And from age eight, she was icing games. like she'd It'd be the final shot of an under-10 tournament for Mubu North was her team. um and And when it came down to the wire, 20-all, Belinda Snell was the one making the big shot.
01:45:26
Speaker
And you could just tell from that point she was going to be something something else. So um I saw Lauren Jackson at Albury Cup. um I obviously didn't coach her, but to see her as a gangly under 16 and then progress to be the player that she was, she was,
01:45:45
Speaker
She's probably the most dominant and and special player that I've i've ever seen. um And like I said, we were playing for runners-up a lot of the time because she was that damn good. So, yeah. Wow. Some real standouts of the WNBL and of the Overs as well. You know, Snelly taking her shooting prowess over to the London Olympics to hit that epic halfway shot to get it into overtime. Yeah.
01:46:11
Speaker
yeah That still counts. That still counts. Yeah. And she still holds the record for the most number of threes made in a WNBL game, I'm pretty sure.
01:46:22
Speaker
Yeah, I think she might have done that. but i remember the weekend there, there was ah I was coaching, we had a girl hit 55, I think Belinda Snell hit 56 and someone else hit 53 in that one weekend. was ridiculous. So there's been some been some amazing Australian female talent playing basketball, that's for sure. And um it it's been a joy, I guess, to be part of it and watch those players go on and and really play significant part. And now that next generation, the opportunity to see the gems and be part of that for...
01:46:54
Speaker
six, seven, eight years and see the Jade Melbournes now come on and be an absolute star. um it's It's nice to see.
01:47:05
Speaker
Because it's under-19 Women's World Cup time as well. is Is that right? Yeah, yeah rene Renee Gallup's coaching the team. um They just had a recent camp and she has her work cut out picking that team or or choosing the players to be part of that group. there's the guard The depth of guards is tremendous and even the the battle for who's going to play inside is is going to be awesome. You've got a number of players there who are already playing WNBL. You've got a number of players who...
01:47:36
Speaker
have have shown but they're capable of on 20 Nationals. And else Rene does have a workout out. I was watching from afar. And, um yeah, she she's she's a great young coach. She's going to be tremendous. And they're in great hands. And I'm sure they'll compete really, really well at the World Cup this year.
01:47:58
Speaker
Lachie, I'm going to leave the last two questions to you Because we did, speaking of, Under 19 Women's World Cup where you have won silver medal. What are your other personal highlights from coaching on or off the court?
01:48:13
Speaker
it's It's funny. One of the highlights that I have, I go back to Maul. I go back to my first time coaching and I had a kid by the name and I remember her name, her name was Brooke Mawson.
01:48:23
Speaker
um This kid um wasn't the greatest player, wasn't the greatest anything, but She couldn't make a shot. And over two years, she couldn't make a shot. And when she finally made her first basket, it's something that I'll remember for a lifetime. Like you you see this kid, the parents came down from the stands. that I think that everyone stopped the game and it was just something special. And I...
01:48:47
Speaker
That's a highlight for me, like to see a kid develop and get to a point that could do it and make a shot. ah That's something else. Other highlight obviously being at the 2019 World Cup and being part of the staff there and nearly stealing, or we should have won that gold medal.
01:49:08
Speaker
USA stole it off us. so And then obviously going to Hungary was something special and being part of that. um We lost by 40 in the rounds to the USA to a ah name that is pretty synonymous now, Caitlin Clark.
01:49:24
Speaker
um think she had six threes in the second quarter of our game and then to shut her down in the final and then lose by only 16 showed how much progress we'd made in a week. And the Lauren Betts, the Caitlin Clarks, the Diamond Johnson, Helgo, those names are all now the stars of the NCAA women's tournament. And I think that...
01:49:48
Speaker
That to me, um we we we put our best foot forward there. Unfortunately, um we didn't we didn't win that game, but we made them call a timeout because we were in front in the first quarter.
01:49:59
Speaker
We made them go to zone, so there's some minor victories amongst that. um But that was special. Obviously, Siebel title in 2017 was something that good.
01:50:10
Speaker
well was was was really good Obviously, we had a great season with Geelong, um the Supercats there, and we'd built a team over three years. That was probably what was the most special. And a young Agnes Eminapu was part of that team and Eve Brassilis. They were both sort of just just turning 16 and part of that group. And to see Agnes now go on with TCU and and do what she's done, yeah,
01:50:38
Speaker
I still think she's the best defender in the world and the only player that's ever shut down Howard. And I hope in the future she'll she'll be part of our Opals program and make an impact there as well.
01:50:53
Speaker
And I guess finally the question we always bookend our interview with is who is Herbie off the court, away from basketball? You probably have to ask my partner, Rochelle.
01:51:04
Speaker
No, I guess um i think age is catching up with me. I've mellowed down a lot. um i I like – I study basketball now. Like i i finish basketball, go home and try and find a new drill or a new way to do things. or I love watching – um College basketball this year, I took a particular interest in the SEC.
01:51:30
Speaker
um I looked at different ways they play in the game and studied that. And I also, I'm about to finish my master's, um long overdue, but I'm doing ah I've got two units to go and I've got a, doing a specialization in performance analytics.
01:51:47
Speaker
which is something that I'm not very good at. So I decided to to try that because it's something that um lot the young coaches are very at. So um I've taken the time to, I guess, do a specialist field with my Masters of Sports Science and um to take that on. And that's been a challenge, but I'm managing it quite well. And now I only have two units to go and I'm excited to finish in June.
01:52:13
Speaker
Well, say you're not very good at it, but by the end of the two units, you'll literally be a master. yeah hope yeah yeah and I don't think that, but yeah, it's it's been like, I can visualize data now. I can visualize things. I can do, i can bring together um a seasons and do a review and things like that. So I've had to learn to write code and script and everything like that. So it's added a new skill for me.
01:52:39
Speaker
I can write the AMS, like ah I have an idea how to write AMS now, the athlete management system, all the background work of it. So um i think it's a skill. But definitely i would have liked to have learned a lot younger.
01:52:51
Speaker
um It gives you an advantage um in terms of actually um understanding what's happening in with the the area of data. um Peter Lonegan tells me I've become a nerd, so I take that on board from him.
01:53:06
Speaker
But um it's been good. I think it's something that's really kept my mind racing and um developing, and that's what I think it's about is just trying to get better each day. and um but like In that COE environment, you've got to try and be state of the art with what you do.
01:53:21
Speaker
and to look online and develop drills and things like that, that's part of it all. And I think a lot lot of it gets overshadowed by like your selections and things like that, but the work you do in the background is is enormous. And I don't think a lot of people realise what you actually do to make it all work and function.
01:53:43
Speaker
Well, you'll never be without a job, Herbie, if the whole basketball thing falls through. ah at least you will be able to go into coding or something similar. I can see you with all the young kids at Canva at the head office in Sydney in their open office plan and free lunch and stuff hanging out with your Masters in Analytics. Do you think that could be a safe retirement plan perhaps?
01:54:08
Speaker
yeah I'm not sure. I think it does give me some – if I ever get to the point – love running around on the court. Like today I was out trying to defend and i was getting – I wouldn't say i was supposed to be a dummy defender and that's pretty easy for me. So just just basically when i when I stop being active on the court, um which is hopefully still 15 years away, um i i I'll have something to fall back on. So that'll that'll be good.
01:54:33
Speaker
And we do actually have our first YouTube comment since we've started to stream ESCOT game live ah using StreamYard. It is from... Dean Andrews, who is just the absolute treasure trove of knowledge with all WNBL stats and facts, he has confirmed that Belinda Snell holds the record for most three-pointers in a WNBA game with 12 when she played for Sydney against West Coast in 2005. Dean, your work is never unappreciated. We appreciate you, A, watching live and also confirming that stat because, yeah,
01:55:09
Speaker
Yeah, that's very, very helpful. um Helpful to know. There we go. We still know something in there. 12, that's a lot threes. That is a lot of threes. I mean, how many times do you think the opposition coach was yelling get a hand to that game ah given that she's – you have to throw three defenders at by that stage, right? By the time she's hit her fifth, you've got to be throwing everything at her.
01:55:33
Speaker
and she's She's one hell of a player, that's for sure. Yeah.
01:55:38
Speaker
um But Herbie, ah hopefully you are having a great time at Opals Camp. When does Opals Camp wrap up down there in Melbourne? It actually wraps up Thursday. where're We're flying straight up to Brisbane um Thursday night to be Friday, Saturday, Sunday day at the Under-18 National Championships, which is I can't wait to get there and see all the kids play from all the different states. Yeah.
01:56:01
Speaker
Yes, and me living in Brisbane, only just realised today that it's in Brisbane, so I thought I should probably make some time to go and watch it myself on the weekend so I may see you at some stage over the week.
01:56:13
Speaker
I promise I won't disturb you while you're working or I won't be looking over your phone to see what names you've got crosses next to for potential to go be athletes. I'll throw that smoke bomb anyway, that'll be right.
01:56:28
Speaker
Yeah, I'm sure it sounds like you have an endless supply of smoke bombs for the right situations. would say something now would be a big effect and Hamish would love it, I think. i wish you would really Hamish would really love that. You know what? I probably could have prepared a clip just for that moment and taken taking you off air while the smoke bomb went up, but that's okay. We'll know for next time.
01:56:50
Speaker
And are you allowed to tell us what's going to happen next with Opals Camp? Because I know that the the team are together ahead of the Trans-Tasman Clash in May. But is there anything more we can expect from the Opals during the year?
01:57:03
Speaker
No, i don't I know about the Trans-Tasman obviously there's Asia Cup will be coming up. So I think there's a real focus on those two things and doing as well as they can and putting the best team on the floor. So and there's not much not too much to report in that space, but ah they they look great, I think.
01:57:21
Speaker
It's exciting time. some Some real young talent in there, like the Ball Azers and Nadia Potch and a few of those are going to make a real impact on this program. And then I think then that that next generation coming through, look out. you You'll see an NBL one this year and um um I'm sure a few of those are heading toward, they'll they'll be Opals in the future.
01:57:45
Speaker
Yeah, very exciting. I think Lachie and I really enjoy watching a lot of junior talent and then being able to follow their career, you know, through under-19s Australian teams and then making their WNBL debut and eventually to the Opals, you know, uber for athletes like Izzy Morgans, as Lachlan mentioned before, being being able to watch her play for Norse as a junior and then seeing how far she's come now. It's it's a joy for us as fans, hey, Lachie?
01:58:14
Speaker
It is. And selfishly, it's it's fun to be able to say, I knew her first.
01:58:21
Speaker
No, she's a great kid. Like I said, she it's she holds a place in my heart. But that effort she gave at the tournament was tremendous. so
01:58:31
Speaker
Yeah, oh ah that's ah very, very true. I'm looking forward to when she comes back to NBL 1 East eventually and see what she does next. But Herbie, we have taken up lots of your time. Thank you so much for joining us tonight live for East Scott game, especially while you've been busy at Opal's camp.
01:58:49
Speaker
Hopefully we'll be able to see up here in Brisbane at the end of the week. And best of luck to you and the COE Women's Program for the rest of the NBL 1 East season. No, thank you for having me on. It was great. i enjoyed it.
01:59:02
Speaker
Excellent. Thank you. I'm very pleased to hear it. And I think with that, we've covered the rest of our regular segments for this episode. But just a quick reminder that ah you can subscribe to our YouTube channel at East Scott Game.
01:59:16
Speaker
You can follow us on Instagram and Facebook. But remember, if you're unable to watch our episodes live, you can also catch us on all of your regular streaming platforms.
01:59:27
Speaker
But before we go, Lockie, there's one more thing we need to say, and that is... Don't sleep on the E.