A lot can change in four years. In mid-2019, the Toronto Raptors were NBA champions. There had never been a case of COVID-19 in Australia, and Ben Simmons was at the height of his powers in the middle of a stretch that saw him awarded with three straight All-Star appearances. Simmons may find himself in very different circumstances one World Cup cycle later, but one familiar conversation remains the same - will he finally don the green and gold in a major FIBA tournament? Earlier this month, headlines discussing Simmons’ interest in playing for the Australian Boomers, after head coach Brian Go ..read more

“I say, no one can score on me. That's what I got to have as a mentality, and I got to go out there every day with that mentality, because you can't be scared of anyone in the NBA… for me, it's about being disciplined, knowing what players like to do. Just going out there and doing what I do, which is get stops.” Dyson Daniels will become an All-NBA defender. That is my pressing takeaway, after having rewatched all minutes played by the young Australian in year one: Daniels is that talented on the defensive end. As a rookie, the transition to NBA-level defence can be akin to learning a new ..read more

Credit: NBL1 We’re around the middle point of each NBL1 Conference and the elite teams, and players, are starting to rise to the top. Just like we did last year, we’re pulling out the crystal ball to make award predictions in both men’s and women’s divisions around the country. Get your game face on and the inevitable ‘you can’t get them all right’ ready for the end of the season, because it’s award predictions time. SOUTH Women MVP | Kelly Wilson (Bendigo) Bendigo looks destined for a top-two finish and leading the charge is Kelly Wilson. Read more ..read more

Credit: FIBA When the time came for 17 year old Jayda Clark to make the decision between playing college basketball in the USA or turning pro and staying in Australia to play in the WNBL, it wasn’t as easy choice to make. Having represented Australia on the world stage multiple times, including playing a key role at the 2022 FIBA U17 Women's Basketball World Cup and hitting the game-winning free throws in the 2022 FIBA U16 Women’s Asia Cup Final against Japan, Clark’s commitment to either a college or WNBL team was going to make a program very happy. In the end, Clark eventually came to the ..read more

Photo credit: FIBA The 2023 FIBA Women’s Asia Cup is just over a month away - tipping off on 26 June in Sydney - and with the tournament having major ramifications for Olympic qualifying, all will be on the line. The top four teams of the tournament will directly qualify for the 2024 Paris Olympics. The Pick and Roll is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. With that in mind, Australia won’t be fielding a full-strength squad, due to overseas commitments, but that just means others will have to take on larger ..read more

Image Credit: Picture IT Sport Photography Year three of the University Basketball League (UBL) has been one of the most competitive seasons ever. With youthful NBL1 talent, key role players and X-factors emerging from their local clubs, 13 Australian universities in both men’s and women’s competitions have come together in competition. League CEO Mark Sinderberry noted that the UBL is the only student-based competition that’s supported by Basketball Australia. “It is fantastic that after the nine rounds of competition we had the top eight teams in Melbourne vying for a semi-final berth. Te ..read more

Credit: FIBA Expectations placed upon the Australian Boomers have been evolving over the past decade. We have covered this before. What was once a group of plucky underdogs on the global stage has been transformed into a bona fide international contender. A bronze medal in Tokyo, plus a current ranking as the third best team in the world, signals that the landscape has changed. That’s why it’s fair for the demands and expectations to be higher than ever before. If we are being honest with ourselves, the Boomers’ path into the quarter-finals at August’s FIBA World Cup is pretty simple. Expec ..read more

Credit: May Bailey Photography The difference between languishing at the bottom of the table and challenging for a championship is often determined in the offseason. Yes, that’s right — WNBL free agency finally commenced on 9 May, and each team will be out to build a roster to compete for the 2024 title. We run through each team, including who is already signed and what areas they should consider addressing. LIST: Free agents for WNBL24 as listed by the WNBL. *Denotes import The Pick and Roll is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a f ..read more

Credit: FIBA Basketball Australia has announced the Australian Boomers’ extended squad for this year’s World Cup. 18 names and one Ben Simmons-sized maybe will be fighting it out for a place on the final team who will look to win back-to-back major tournament medals. Although there are some staples that are locks for selection (we love you Lord Patty), the battle for spots will be fierce. Here’s how they’ve been grouped: Lock: 100% in if fit, don’t even think about it. Likely: Big chance to make it, would be a talking point if they didn’t Unlikely: Outside the bubble, but never say ne ..read more

A few short years ago, Michael Houben and Stevie Cozens were just two guys sharing spreadsheets full of basketball prospects. With Houben in Australia and Cozens in New Zealand, they’d trade information about up and coming players across the Tasman Sea, and use a growing Twitter audience to shine a spotlight on those that were looking for college opportunities. “Michael and I have probably sent thousands of messages over the years,” Cozens told The Pick and Roll recently. “Everything you could understand or everything that would go into a player, we were having those discussions.” Fast forward ..read more