AUS/NZL - New York legend takes charge in Melbourne

MELBOURNE (NBL) – It was a big week in the NBL as the Melbourne Tigers ousted coach Al Westover - who had reached four grand finals in his five seasons at the helm and won two championships - and released import Eric Devendorf and centre Luke Nevill.

NBL and New York playground legend Daryl McDonald, an assistant coach at the Tigers, took over the reigns and led the team to an emphatic 93-72 victory over the Wollongong Hawks thanks to 19 points and 11 assists from import Corey Williams and 16 points, 10 rebounds and 4 steals from veteran centre Matt Burston.

Rookies Lucas Walker (17 points, 6/6fg) and Bennie Lewis Jnr (15 points in 17 minutes) were also outstanding, giving the smaller than usual home crowd plenty to cheer about with their aerial exploits.

The win kept Melbourne clear of last place on the NBL ladder, while the loss was Wollongong’s ninth straight and further dented their playoff hopes.
McDonald arrived in Australia in 1994 and lived up to his reputation as one of the greatest playground players New York has ever produced, leading the North Melbourne Giants to the championship in his first season.

He represented Australia at the 2001 FIBA Oceania Championship, and in his final season in the NBL, at the ripe age of 43, came off the bench to help the Tigers clinch the 2008 title in a thrilling five game series against the Sydney Kings.

McDonald is considered one of the greatest point guards ever to play in Australia alongside names like Doug Overton, Ricky Grace, Shane Heal and CJ Bruton, and will now test his high basketball IQ in the coaching business.

Three nights earlier the Hawks had fallen 80-76 to top of the table New Zealand, who were well served by emerging international star Mika Vukona (11 points, 16 rebounds) and Tall Blacks superstar Kirk Penney (22 points).

The Sydney Kings continued their resurgence with an impressive 99-90 win over the Adelaide 36ers in front of almost 5300 home fans, their third win in four games.

Impressive 24-year-old centre Julian Khazzouh continued to press his MVP claims with 27 points on 8/14 from the field, 16 rebounds and a remarkable 13 fouls drawn. His ranking for the game was a league best 47.

Rookie King Ben Madgen, who had his jersey retired after a stellar NCAA career at Augusta State University, had his best game as a professional draining 25 points on 8/13 to go with 4 rebounds and 4 assists to press his claims for the rookie of the year award.

2006 FIBA World Championship reserve Aaron Bruce was Adelaide’s best with 15 points and 5 assists, while exciting rookie Tom Daly, MVP of the 2010 Basketball without Borders Asia All-Star game, had a breakout game with 12 points.

In the final game of the round the Gold Coast Blaze continued the Perth Wildcats misery with a tense 78-75 victory in Perth.

Blaze frontcourt duo Ira Clark (18 points, 9 rebounds, 2 blocks) and Boomer Mark Worthington (14 points, 5 rebounds) gave the depleted Wildcats bigs more than they could handle, while rising star Chris Goulding (16 points, 5 rebounds) was excellent in the backcourt.

The defending champion Wildcats recently lost Beijing Olympian and league MVP candidate Shawn Redhage to a season-ending hip injury, compounding injuries to big men Matthew Knight and Jesse Wagstaff. They were led by import Kevin Lisch (17 points), international Damian Martin (12 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 steals) and rookie centre Ater Majok (11 points, 6 rebounds).

Paulo Kennedy

FIBA