AUS - Chris Anstey: "what separates teams at international level !"

SYDNEY (NBL) - Chris Anstey has seen much of the basketball world in the past decade. Named MVP of the 1997 FIBA U22 World Championship, Anstey has since represented Australia at both Olympic and World Championship level, played for the Dallas Mavericks and Chicago Bulls in the NBA, had stops at Ural Great Perm and UNICS Kazan in Russia, and played for Caja San Fernando in Spain.

It was his time in Europe that established Anstey as one of the world's premiere big men, and many observers were disappointed that a knee injury kept the sharp shooting centre out of the FIBA World Championships in Japan.

While forced to frustratingly watch the tournament from Melbourne, the former European All-Star was not surprised to see Spain and Greece in the final, given the deliberate style of play employed in European leagues.

"You have to implement systems that let the players do what they do best," Anstey said, explaining what separates equally talented teams at international level.

"For Greece it was that pick and roll. They ran a pick and roll all game and the USA couldn't stop it.

"I don't think you can go into a tournament like that with a mindset of what you are going to do the whole time. You have got to be ready to change on the fly."

Anstey's homecoming in the 2005/06 Australian National Basketball League (NBL) season saw his Melbourne Tigers rise to the top of the NBL for the first time since 1997. Despite losing league legends Andrew Gaze, Mark Bradtke and Lanard Copeland last off-season, the Tigers were near unstoppable, defeating the reigning champion Sydney Kings 3-0 in the Grand Final series.

Anstey has no doubt the ingredients that saw Greece and Spain succeed were a key part of the Tigers recipe.

"(The Tigers) were a classic case of fitting players into a system. Last year we tweaked it to suit the players we had. We wanted to utilise the player's strengths. If part of the system didn't work we wouldn't use that part, we would use whatever worked."

The 213cm Melbourne native was a revelation in his return season in the NBL. While there may not have been an enormous difference statistically from his previous stint in the league, Anstey dominated the competition with his versatility, maturity and uncanny knack of hitting big shots, even at the end of games where he had struggled.

Anstey credits much of the Tigers success to new coach Al Westover, who demanded players play with confidence and use their strengths.

"It was an environment where everyone was given the green light and told ‘do what it is you do.'

"I think there was a bit of excitement around the group, being an entirely new team. With Gaze, Bradtke and Copeland leaving, some of the guys that had lesser roles had the chance to step up and play bigger roles."

While all the Tigers players were encouraged to be aggressive, there was no doubt league MVP Anstey was the star, a role he was used to after having played three years as an import in Russia.

"Playing as an import definitely helped. I had a tendency in the past, playing on a stacked team, to just cruise a little. Playing as an import you have to turn up because if you are not in form you get sent home."

There was no danger of Anstey being sent home, however, as he was twice named a FIBA Europe League All-Star and claimed MVP of the ULEB Cup in its inaugural year.

"One of my biggest achievements was winning MVP of the ULEB Cup. For me that indicated the most consistent season at a high level. The most pleasing thing I get from an MVP award is that I have played a consistent season, not a rollercoaster ride like my seasons had been."

While Anstey blushes at its mention, his stellar performances in big European games earned him the nickname ‘Batman' from his UNICS Kazan teammates.

"As the season goes on in Russia, if you were playing an ordinary team you would turn up and get the job done - nothing special. The whole Batman thing came from my best games always turned out to be the bigger games. The whole joke was that you send up an SOS into the sky for the big games.

"It was cool in a way, but I would prefer to be someone like Superman who is there the whole time!"

The Melbourne Tigers sent up a ‘Bat Signal' in game 2 of last years NBL grand final, and Anstey, as usual, responded with an enormous three pointer to seal the game in front of a rabid Melbourne crowd.

"I think that is one of the biggest shots I've hit in my career. Just the score at the time, and the end result. Generally as a centre you don't get the chances to shoot those sorts of shots too often. You always wonder what you will be like when the time comes, and I felt good."

With performances like that, it is little wonder Anstey has easily settled back into his home town. While the weather and lifestyle in Melbourne is more to his liking, he has noticed the difference in his bank account.

"It is hard to say no to all those dollars when they keep offering them at you," Anstey lamented, "The top European teams are always going to be above anything we have here simply because of the money they have to spend."

But Anstey believes the Australian league has its advantages, and sees the standard as much higher than many people realise.

"We (Melbourne Tigers) would definitely be competitive. I could definitely see a good NBL team making the playoffs in any European competition."

Anstey points to NBL veterans Sam Mackinnon and CJ Bruton, Australia's two best players at the FIBA World Championships, as proof that the Australian league contains world class players.

"He (Mackinnon) just doesn't make mistakes internationally. He is probably the only guy in the Australian team who can lock down a legitimate European or international scorer, and he rebounds as well as any small forward in the world.

"CJ is a great player in the fact he can distribute and get his teammates involved but if he needs to do it he can take over and score. I think he is special in that he doesn't need to score. And I think that's a quality because there are a lot of guys around that do."

And while he believes Australia has more than enough talent, he has no doubt his home nation can learn plenty from the attitude of Europe's top basketball nations.

"I think the American game was disappointing. Where most European teams are looking to see ‘how do we beat the USA?' we are looking at it as an opportunity to gain a good basketball experience.

"I think if we're serious about competing we need to start looking at not only how do we beat the European teams but how do we beat the USA? That's what the Europeans are doing and they are succeeding. The Americans haven't won a major tournament in six years."

Anstey sees the successful international teams putting more of a premium on a spot in the national squad, and demanding more of those that represent their country. In contrast, Australia gave a number of young players a national berth with an eye on future development, detracting from the teams performance in Japan.

"The European countries are jumping ahead in bigger strides than we are at the moment, but we don't see them because they are not on television (in Australia)."

"The biggest thing is the national team can't be used as a development squad," Anstey said, "I don't think any other team in the world looks at their younger players as a development squad.

"We need to send our best team and go out there to win tournaments."

And though basketball has developed at an unprecedented rate in recent years, Anstey sees the gap between the NBA and the rest of the world narrowing even further.

"There are really fantastic leagues throughout Europe that 99% of the Australian public wouldn't even know exist. Lebanon, Cyprus, there are good leagues all over the world.

"What people forget is that a lot of European (league) players are choosing Europe over the NBA. And what you are finding is that European leagues are actually recruiting from NBA teams.

"Your classic example would be David Andersen, who has had an NBA offer every year for the past 3 or 4 years. People back home in Australia say 'he isn't good enough to play in the NBA'. The fact is he has had an offer every year for the past 3 years, but has chosen Europe because he will play more minutes, and earn more money."

Though basketball has lulled somewhat in Australia recently, Anstey sees it as the boom sport around the globe, and believes the next FIBA World Championships will be even more competitive than Japan.

"Basketball is huge. I was in Russia for three years.. where it has gone crazy. In the last five years it has just grown, in Spain, Italy, and even the African countries.

"Everyone acted surprised when they did well. If you had been watching the Angolan team the last few years you would see how good they are, and it was just a matter of time before they beat some teams."

But Anstey's immediate focus is on the upcoming NBL season, where the Tigers will be the hunted instead of the hunters.

"I think it's a whole different challenge, starting the season as defending champions. We probably slid under the radar a little bit last year. I think from day one this year we are defending champions and we have that target on our backs."

And will international basketball fans get a chance to see the 31 year old at the Beijing Olympics?

"I hope so. I would love to be a part of it," Anstey enthused.

"I would hope that when Beijing comes around I am really fighting tooth and nail to get a spot. I would hope that Andersen, Bogut and Kickert would have improved enough to show that I don't deserve too many minutes.

"I think that would put us in our best ever position."

Paul Kennedy
FIBA Official Correspondent in Australia