Q: What areas is the team focusing on to go further into the finals series, in the upcoming season?
A: We have signed some big players like Rick Rickert, we are also looking to build from last year we had a good run at the end of the season. We are also working on being a little more consistent and perfecting our defence.

Q: The Blaze have recently signed young recruit Jason Cadee who is with Adam Gibson at Boomers camp, how is Cadee fitting into training and the team?
A:He came up to training for a few weeks a couple weeks ago, he is fitting in nicely.  He is a talented young kid and a completely different player than Adam Gibson.  With them two running the point we are going to get a lot of good looks this season.

Q:  Who is training well at this point?
A: There are only a few players here currently; Me, Adam Gibson, Anthony Petrie and James Harvey.  We are working it hard with Joey Wright working out 2-3 times a week.

Q: What is the biggest challenge to overcome before the season starts?
A: Getting everyone back who is away on international duties is always the biggest challenge. Along with team chemistry and figuring out what brand of basketball to play, getting everyone on the same page is another challenge, especially before the season starts.

Q: What game in the regular season do you think will be most important for Gold Coast and your fans?
A: The first few games of the season especially because we have a few home games in the beginning.  Good starts haven’t been great in the past few years. A few big wins will be good for the fans and the team.

Q: What do you do outside of training?
A: Ping-pong tournaments and hang out with some of the players and my mates.   

Q: Who are some of the funny personalities at the Blaze?
A: James Harvey is a pretty funny guy, along with Anthony Petrie he is a good country boy who has some good stories and jokes to tell.

Q: What is your prediction for the upcoming season? Most Valuable Player and Championship winner.
A: Our first goal is to make the play offs, and everyone’s goal is to win the championship.  Most valuable player has to be someone from the Gold Coast Blaze, I would say James Harvey.

Following  a thrilling 2009/10 National Basketball League season that marked a renaissance for the NBL and just days after announcing the rebirth of the Sydney Kings, Basketball Australia have unveiled a new broadcast deal with Network Ten and its digital sports channel ONE.

In a move that is set to offer a wide array of commercial opportunities for the NBL, BA has signed a five-year deal to show games live on both ONE and TEN nationally through to the end of the 2014/15 NBL season. 

Basketball Australia Chief Executive Officer Larry Sengstock said the new deal was a great opportunity for future growth of the NBL.

“As a league the NBL has undertaken to reshape itself over the past two years in order to allow us to reform the sport commercially,” said Sengstock.  “This commitment from ONE and TEN is a massive vote of confidence in the advances we have made recently. 

“Coming on top of the success of the 2009/10 season with its 5% increase in attendance and sold-out Grand Final series as well as the recent announcement of the return of the Sydney Kings to the competition for 2010/11, this deal is fantastic news for the NBL and basketball in general.”

“Partnering with ONE and TEN will provide the NBL with significant and valuable cross-promotional opportunities and will be very attractive to sponsors and other prospective commercial partners,” Sengstock added. 

Network Ten General Manager - Sport David White added: “We are very pleased to be partnering with basketball in Australia and we recognise all the hard work that has been going into the reformation of the NBL.  Of course the NBL provides ONE and TEN with great sports content we can showcase throughout the summer months.”

Live coverage of the NBL will grow over the term of the agreement, starting with a minimum of two live games a week on either ONE or TEN in 2010/11 and increasing to five games per round in the final year of the contract.

As per standard Basketball Australia practice the financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

Gibson’s performance came at a crucial time for the Blaze, who are currently vying for the minor premiership. 

With starting import guard Ayinde Ubaka out injured, the Blaze asked ‘Gibbo’ to step up as on-court leader as they faced the surging Tigers.  He responded magnificently with a near triple-double performance while guiding the Blaze to a critical 99-91 win in overtime at the Gold Coast Convention Centre.

With the World Championships in his sights, ‘Gibbo’ gave the Boomers selectors something to think about as he took apart the Tigers in scorching fashion. Gibson finished with 15 points, six rebounds and 12 assists in 41 minutes of game time.  His all round effort was capped off with one steal and one block.  Gibson shot 6-of-17 from the field and did not miss from the foul line hitting two from two.

Gibson’s first weekly honour could not have come at a better time for the Blaze, who are looking to finish in the top two and guarantee themselves home court advantage in the NBL Semi Finals.

New Zealand Breakers star Kirk Penney will have to be disappointed at not receiving the award for the second week running after a dominant display at ‘The Swamp’ on Wednesday night. Penney finished with 22 points and nine rebounds on 7-of-16 shooting which included 4-of-8 three pointers.

Melbourne’s Julius Hodge also had an outstanding week statistically, averaging 20.0 points, 7.0 rebounds and 9.0 assists across two games, a win over Adelaide and a loss to Gold Coast.

Other players in consideration for the weekly award in Round 18 included Adam Ballinger (Adelaide), Mark Worthington (Melbourne), Julius Hodge (Melbourne), Peter Crawford (Townsville), Kevin Braswell (New Zealand), Rolan Roberts (Townsville), Oscar Forman (New Zealand), Erron Maxey (Gold Coast), Russell Hinder (Townsville), Matt Burston (Adelaide) and Brad Williamson (Townsville).

NBL PLAYER OF THE WEEK 2009/10
Round 1 – CJ Bruton (New Zealand)
Round 2 – Rich Melzer (Cairns)
Round 3 – Corey Williams (Townsville)
Round 4 – Corey Williams (Townsville)
Round 5- Mark Worthington (Melbourne)
Round 6 – John Gilchrist (Adelaide)
Round 7 – Adam Ballinger (Adelaide)
Round 8 – Julius Hodge (Melbourne)
Round 9 – Dusty Rychart (Cairns)
Round 10 – Oscar Forman (New Zealand)
Round 11 – Tywain McKee (Wollongong)
Round 12 – Tywain McKee (Wollongong)
Round 13 – Adam Ballinger (Adelaide)
Round 14 - Corey Williams (Townsville)
Round 15 – Julius Hodge (Melbourne)
Round 16 - Mark Worthington (Melbourne)
Round 17 – Kirk Penney (New Zealand)
Round 18 - Adam Gibson (Gold Coast)

Williams left rivals in his wake this month polling 38 votes.  The closest anyone came to the Crocs’ guard was Tywain McKee from the Wollongong Hawks with 27 votes, followed by Adam Ballinger from the Adelaide 36ers with 18 votes.

Over Townsville’s five games in the month of December, Williams averaged 22.0 points per game, shooting the ball at a scorching 56% from the field.  Williams also averaged 4.6 assists, 4.0 rebounds and 2.2 steals during the period.

Homicide’s star contributions helped Townsville go 4-1 for the month, allowing them to climb the ladder and move into serious finals contention

A highlight of Williams’ amazing month was his performance against the Perth Wildcats on New Year’s Eve where he had 24 points, seven rebounds and three assists, leaving the Townsville faithful with something to celebrate well into the early hours of 2010.

The Blaze’s Joey Wright must surely now be a hot contender for Coach of the Year after receiving back-to-back Coach of the Month awards.  Wright was a step ahead of the rest yet again this month polling 45 votes, with Townsville’s Trevor Gleeson eight votes behind with 37.  Rob Beveridge from the Perth Wildcats was third with 17 votes.

The Gold Coast Blaze have been on fire of late and Wright has his troops clicking on all cylinders. After recording a 4-1 record in December Wright had helped his team to the top of the NBL ladder by the end of Round 14. During December Wright conducted wins against Cairns, Wollongong, New Zealand and Adelaide. 

 The NBL’s Player and Coach of the Month for December took into account Rounds 11 to 14 inclusive. All NBL Head Coaches and accredited media were eligible to vote for the awards.

NBL Player of the Month - December 2009
  
Corey Williams (Townsville) 38
Tywain McKee (Wollongong) 27
Adam Ballinger (Adelaide) 18
Anthony Petrie (Gold Coast) 12
John Gilchrist (Adelaide) 3
Shawn Redhage (Perth) 3
CJ Bruton (New Zealand) 3
Kirk Penney (New Zealand) 3
Jess Wagstaff (Perth) 2
Cameron Tragardh (Wollongong) 2
Rick Rickert (New Zealand) 2
James Harvey (Gold Coast) 1
  
NBL Coach of the Month - December 2009

Joey Wright (Gold Coast) 45
Trevor Gleeson (Townsville) 37
Rob Beveridge (Perth) 17
Aaron Fearne (Cairns) 14
Gordie McLeod (Wollongong) 1

Where and When: Wednesday 9 December, Gold Coast Convention Centre, 7.30pm (local)

Tickets:  Click here

TV: Live on FOX SPORTS 1 from 8:30PM AEDT

Past Five Games
Blaze: WWWWL
Sixers: LLWWW

Past Three Head-to Head
Adelaide 36ers 80-77 Gold Coast Blaze, Round 7, 2009/10
Adelaide 36ers 110-88 Gold Coast Blaze, Round 19, 2008/09
Gold Coast Blaze 103-94 Adelaide 36ers, Round 16, 2008/09

Season Series
Gold Coast Blaze 0-1 Adelaide 36ers

Current Standings
Blaze 8-6 (3rd), Sixers 7-6 (4th)

This contest is looming as one of the matches of the round with the third-placed Gold Coast slight favourite over the Adelaide 36ers who are fourth.

The Blaze were struggling at 4-6 but have worked their way up the ladder stringing together four wins in a row.

Their victory against the Crocs and twin successes against the Wildcats in recent weeks have been impressive but most consider their thrilling win over the Taipans last Friday to be a lucky break.

They trailed all match before Adam Gibson put them in front with 17 seconds left on the clock. While it wasn't their best performance, Ayinde Ubaka (16 points), Erron Maxey (12) and Gibson (11) were still solid performers.

Coach Joey Wright has told the local press his players showed signs of being 'tight and afraid' in the Cairns match and wanted them to play with freedom and risk against the Sixers.

They will need to produce something different as the Sixers have beaten them in their last two encounters.

In their only clash this season (Round 7), the Sixers trailed for most of their match before winning 80-77. In that game Adam Ballinger put in an amazing solo effort to record 36 points and 11 rebounds.

Adelaide's form has gone a little off the boil in the past two weekends with the Sixers beaten by the Crocs at The Swamp before losing in overtime against the Melbourne Tigers last Saturday.

John Gilchrist was the team's best with 22 points and 12 rebounds while Ballinger (19 points) and Darren Ng (13) were handy contributors.

Coach Scott Ninnis said it was the second time his team had let an 'unlosable game' slip - the team led by six points in the final 62 minutes before the Tigers drew level.

Winning momentum suggest the Gold Coast Blaze will get home in this one.

Sportal Tip:  Blaze by 7.

Where and When: Wednesday 9 December, Gold Coast Convention Centre, 7.30pm (local)

Past Five Games
Blaze: WWWWL
Sixers: LLWWW

Past Three Head-to Head
Adelaide 36ers 80-77 Gold Coast Blaze, Round 7, 2009/10
Adelaide 36ers 110-88 Gold Coast Blaze, Round 19, 2008/09
Gold Coast Blaze 103-94 Adelaide 36ers, Round 16, 2008/09

Season Series
Gold Coast Blaze 0-1 Adelaide 36ers

Current Standings
Blaze 8-6 (3rd), Sixers 7-6 (4th)

This contest is looming as one of the matches of the round with the third-placed Gold Coast slight favourite over the Adelaide 36ers who are fourth.

The Blaze were struggling at 4-6 but have worked their way up the ladder stringing together four wins in a row.

Their victory against the Crocs and twin successes against the Wildcats in recent weeks have been impressive but most consider their thrilling win over the Taipans last Friday to be a lucky break.

They trailed all match before Adam Gibson put them in front with 17 seconds left on the clock. While it wasn't their best performance, Ayinde Ubaka (16 points), Erron Maxey (12) and Gibson (11) were still solid performers.

Coach Joey Wright has told the local press his players showed signs of being 'tight and afraid' in the Cairns match and wanted them to play with freedom and risk against the Sixers.

They will need to produce something different as the Sixers have beaten them in their last two encounters.

In their only clash this season (Round 7), the Sixers trailed for most of their match before winning 80-77. In that game Adam Ballinger put in an amazing solo effort to record 36 points and 11 rebounds.

Adelaide's form has gone a little off the boil in the past two weekends with the Sixers beaten by the Crocs at The Swamp before losing in overtime against the Melbourne Tigers last Saturday.

John Gilchrist was the team's best with 22 points and 12 rebounds while Ballinger (19 points) and Darren Ng (13) were handy contributors.

Coach Scott Ninnis said it was the second time his team had let an 'unlosable game' slip - the team led by six points in the final 62 minutes before the Tigers drew level.

Winning momentum suggest the Gold Coast Blaze will get home in this one.

Sportal Tip:  Blaze by 7.

Where and When: Wednesday 7 October, Cairns Convention Centre, 6.30pm (local)

Preseason
Taipans: 5-3
Gold Coast: 5-4

Season so far
Cairns: 2-1
Blaze: 1-1

Past Three Head-to Head
Cairns Taipans 88-93 Gold Coast Blaze, Cairns Convention Centre, Round 21, 2009 Gold Coast Blaze 88-97 Cairns Taipans, Gold Coast Convention Centre, Round 13, 2008 Cairns Taipans 102-87 Gold Coast Blaze, Cairns Convention Centre, Round 5, 2008

Season Series
First match

Current Standings
Taipans 2nd
Blaze 5th

Cairns will be playing its third game in a row at home and will be full of confidence after beating Adelaide in Round 1 before recording a convincing 89-71 victory against Perth on Saturday.

Rich Melzer top scored with 23 points, pulled down seven rebounds and was named the NBL's Player of the Week for Round 2 while Dusty Rychart was another solid contributor with 18 points and seven rebounds.

Last weekend's game showed the Taipans have plenty of potential at both ends of the court. They scored quickly in the first quarter and sank five three pointers. They did concede 31 points in that opening period but then restricted their opposition to just 40 more points for the rest of the game.

Cairns should take an unchanged line-up into the clash whereas the Gold Coast look set to make a few changes to the side that beat the Wollongong Hawks 84-78 on Friday.

Despite the breakthrough result, the Blaze gave Michael Joiner (who top scored with 18 points) the flick and brought Erron Maxey into the mix.

It's hoped Maxey, a 100kg, 198cm forward, will add some rebound and blocking grunt along with some leadership to the group.

Meanwhile the Blaze's other major contributors against the Hawks, Ayinde Ubaka (ankle) and James Harvey (hip) will be nursing injuries if they play on Wednesday. Anthony Petrie has already been ruled out.

The Blaze have had an extra day to recover from their Round 2 encounter but their line-up maybe too unsettled to beat a confident Taipans team at home.

Sportal Tip: Taipans by 11

A fourth-quarter onslaught has seen the Gold Coast Blaze record their first win of the new season with an 84-78 triumph over Wollongong Hawks at Gold Coast Convention Centre on Friday night.

The Blaze trailed for much of the match but a long-range shooting display and some heavy hustle from Mika Vukona was enough to get past the Hawks in the final minutes.

Trailing by as many as five in the closing stages Adam Gibson stood up for the home side, driving to the hoop for a pair of easy lay-ins then nailing a three to ice the game after Chris Goulding nailed his to put the Blaze ahead by four.

Vukona finished with 10 points and eleven boards but it was his constant pressure which afforded the Hawks no easy opportunities.

Import Michael Joiner top scored for the home side with 18 points including a couple of threes which came at crucial stages.

Tywain McKee led the way for the visitors by scoring 23 points, dishing out six assists and grabbing eight rebounds but it wasn't enough against a side that closed the match with real intensity.

The first half saw the teams engage in a testing out period as they looked to see where each other would attack, and after the Blaze snuck out to a seven-point lead they seemed to have the edge.

On the back of Vukona the Blaze built a nine-point lead through the second term but blew it in the dyeing stages of the half as the Hawks got hot.

Vukona sat out most of the first half after picking up two early fouls but came on full of energy to rack up seven quick points - including a three-point play - and made a crucial steal to stop a certain Hawks score.

But the visitors clawed their way back with Matt Campbell draining a three and getting an easy lay-in before Tim Coenraad stepped up to bury a long triple of his own and cut the lead to three leading into half-time.

After a strong opening to the match former Hawk Anthony Petrie was forced to stay on the sideline after rolling his ankle.

Both teams upped the tempo and intensity for the third term but it was the Hawks who got the upper hand going into the final term.

Saville went up a gear to bury a pair of threes and at the same time was doing enough to keep fellow Boomer Harvey in check.

Only a three from Joiner and constant hustle from Ubaka kept the home side close as they went to the break trailing 64-61.

The Blaze (1-1) will rest up before making a round three road-trip to Perth while the Hawks (1-1) prepare to host Cairns next Saturday.

Gold Coast Blaze 84 (Joiner 18, Ubaka 15, Harvey 14)

Wollongong Hawks 78 (McKee 23, Saville 16, Tragardh 13 )

@ Gold Coast Convention Centre, 02/10/2009. Crowd 1943

Where and When: Friday October 2, Gold Coast Convention Centre, 7.30pm (local)

Pre-Season:
Blaze: 5-4
Hawks: 6-1

Season So Far:
Blaze: 0-1
Hawks: 1-0

Past Three Head-to Head:
Gold Coast Blaze 114-104 Wollongong Hawks, Round 22, 2009 Gold Coast Blaze 91-88 Wollongong Hawks, Round 14, 2008 Wollongong Hawks 110-111 Gold Coast Blaze, Round 9, 2008

Season Series:
First match

Current Standings:
Blaze: 7th
Hawks: 1st

Gold Coast and Wollongong both head into this match after tight openers to their respective campaigns.

The Blaze were pipped by their Queensland rival Townsville 82-79 while the Hawks got off to the perfect start with a hard-fought 94-92 win over top-four fancy Perth.

That victory continued Wollongong's amazing run of form since the start of the pre-season which has now seen it win seven of eight competitive matches including the Top End Challenge.

The Hawks were viewed by many to be good chances of sitting at the lower end of the ladder by the end of the season but Gordie McLeod's men have shown anything but the form of a cellar dweller so far.

American import Tywain McKee made an instant impact for Wollongong with 22 points and seven assists while Cameron Tragardh (20, 10 rebounds), Glen Saville (17) and Mat Campbell (16) were also fantastic contributors.

But if the Hawks are to continue their winning form up on the Gold Coast, that quartet will have to fire on all cylinders once again.

The Blaze came perilously close to beating the Crocs and will be extremely keen to avoid a second consecutive home defeat.

James Harvey (24) and import Ayinde Ubaka (19, eight rebounds) were the standouts in that match but that duo didn't receive enough support.

Gold Coast coach Joey Wright has assembled an impressive team in the off-season and you can expect a much-improved performance from the Blaze with the likes of Adam Gibson, Mika Vukona and Pero Cameron all sure to be desperate to put in better performances.

Former Hawk Anthony Petrie will be especially geed up to face off with his old side.

Last season, Gold Coast only managed a total of eight wins - three of which came against Wollongong, and that trend should continue on Friday night.

Sportal Tip: Blaze by 9

Townsville Crocodiles have overcome a slow start to register an 82-79 win over the Gold Coast Blaze in a thriller at the Gold Coast Convention Centre on Saturday night.

James Harvey had a shot to tie the match at the final buzzer but it rimmed out and the Crocs claimed a well deserved win.

In a see-sawing match it was the visitors - led by Rolan Roberts and Stephen Hoare - who came up with the big plays when required.

In his return to the NBL, former Sydney King Roberts dominated the game with his power as he tallied 11 points, 13 boards and a pair of steals, while putting the clamps on the Blaze big-men.

Fellow import Corey Williams was almost as influential in the victory, threading the needle for his shooters to score, on his way to 15 points and eight assists.

New Gold Coast import Ayinde Ubaka had a good debut, his speed and passing game will ensure that he is a major player in the League.

In the opening minutes the California native showed lightning speed and a magic passing game and finished with 19 points and eight assists.

Point-guards Ubaka and Adam Gibson both started the match and shared the ball-handling duties but it was the import's adrenalin that shot the home side out to a 6-0 lead.

Not to be out-done, Crocs point guard Williams began to penetrate and kept his side in the contest with eight first-quarter points.

But the class of Harvey came to the fore in the second period, the skipper opened with a deep three, followed by a baseline drive and then a mid-range jumper for seven quick points on his way to 14 in the quarter.

Then it was the Crocs turn to use an ace.

Big Roberts came off the bench and changed the flow of the game swatting defenders like flies with his size and strength, his two handed flush was the signal for Joey Wright to send Pero Cameron into the game.

Cameron stemmed the flow of points but the visitors had already evened the score and asserted their physical dominance over the Blaze.

The match got physical after half-time as both teams knuckled down on the defensive end with Roberts and former Hawk Anthony Petrie waging war down low.

But it was a fourth quarter spurt which gave the Crocs the decisive buffer; a three from Crawford, a neat jumper from Kelvin Robertson and a steal and score from Roberts were enough to seal the win.

Gold Coast Blaze 79 (Harvey 24, Ubaka 19, Petrie 12)
Townsville Crocodiles 82 (Williams 15, Cedar 15, Hoare 13, Williamson 13)
@ Gold Coast Convention Centre, 25/09/09.

Where and When: Friday 25 September, Gold Coast Convention Centre, 7.30pm (local)

Pre-Season
Blaze: 5-4
Crocs: 3-5

Past Three Head-to Head
Townsville Crocodiles 115-92 Gold Coast Blaze Round 17, 2009 Gold Coast Blaze 88-105 Townsville Crocodiles Round 16, 2009 Gold Coast Blaze 115-106 Townsville Crocodiles Round 8, 2008

Season Series
First match

Current Standings
N/A

The winds of change have understandably swept through the Gold Coast in the pre-season following a forgettable 2008/09 which yielded just eight wins.

The departures were headlined by coach Brendan Joyce, retirees Shane Heal and Ben Melmeth and import Luke Whitehead.

Joyce has been replaced by former Brisbane Bullets coach Joey Wright and he has brought with him championship-winning former South Dragons pair Mika Vukona and Adam Gibson who should add considerable grunt to the line-up.

Former Hawk Anthony Petrie and ex-Wildcat Chris Goulding (Wildcats) also join the fold while the Blaze welcome imported American duo Michael Joiner and Ayinde Ubaka.

There appears to be a harder edge to Gold Coast but it comes up against one of the best-performed teams from last season in Townsville.

The losses of Rosell Ellis and John Rillie will hurt the Crocs but they have maintained the majority of their 2008/09 roster - including superstar Corey 'Homicide' Williams - and added former Wildcat Peter Crawford and ex-Tiger Stephen Hoare to bolster their depth.

A much-improved Blaze can be expected this season, starting with Friday night, but the Crocs have too much star power and a more settled line-up should see them open up their new campaign with a win.

Tip: Crocs by 5