Brad Davidson

Basketball Skills Training

2011-04-28T05:25:00.000-07:00

Brad Davidson Skills School

Brad Davidson Skills School will be enhancing the skill development of beginners to advanced basketball players. Whether you have recently started playing organised basketball, have played several seasons or are playing at a representative level, your skill needs will be met.
Sessions will be carefully designed and planned with a maximum of 10 athletes per coach. They will include a balance of skill development, instruction and basketball fitness. All sessions will be goal-oriented and performed at a high level of intensity.

The sessions will work towards developing all skills including shooting and scoring, ball handling, passing, one on one moves, team concepts, defence and basketball fitness.

Who/ What- Basketball training for males and females 15 years and over looking to take the their individual basketball skills to the next level.

Where- Adelaide Arena, 44a Crittenden Rd, Findon (formerly The Dome)

When- Saturday’s 8.00 am - 9.00 am commencing 30th July

Cost- $50 per month (4 sessions).

Coach- Brad Davidson, former Adelaide 36er and Australian Boomer, 393 NBL games, 2006 Commonwealth Games Gold Medalist and current Norwood Mens CABL Coach.

Contact Brad at bdskillsschool@gmail.com or 0407 641 341 to register, or for more information.

FAQ's
Do I need to register for the sessions?
Yes, as we will need to organise the right amount of coaches and drills for each session.

What skill level do I need to have to benefit from the training sessions?
Anyone aged 15 or older that has played organised basketball and wants to improve their individual skills.

Is it for females and males?
Yes absolutely!

How many people will I be training with?
There will be a maximum of 10 athletes per coach to give you specific individual attention.

Is it for Guards, Forwards and Centres?
Yes, the skills sessions are open and relevant to all basketball positions.

Who will be taking the training sessions?
Brad Davidson will be taking the sessions and if there are over 10 athletes other suitable coaches will be assisting.

What do I need to bring? A leather basketball, drink bottle and towel.

What time should I get there?Please arrive 10 minutes before the start of the session as we will begin on time.

What time should I be collected?The training sessions will finish at 9.00 am so anytime after that.

What should I wear?Basketball training gear and appropriate shoes.

My 1st game at the Dome as a spectator

2009-10-13T02:33:00.000-07:00

Last Friday night i went with my daughter to my first NBL game as a spectator. I'd hit up my assistant coach at West Adelaide Paul Bell for some tickets and he said Scott Ninnis had a few spare tickets we could use. At the last minute my great buddy Russ Hinder let me know he'd also organised a couple of tickets for us. I didn't know what it'd be like turning up with no perks like a special car park pass, although it was smooth sailing as we got through very quickly. Up to the ticket booth and I start thinking I should use the tickets Ninny's organised in case he checks up and thinks i'm rude not to turn up after he's looked after me. At the booth the lady asks my name, I tell her and she says well "sorry there's none here for you". She asked who organised the tickets and I told her Scott had, she pretty muched laughed in my face. I heard a few people giggle as I moved away with my tail between my legs. I went to the corporate door and there was no tickets for me there either(Scott, I'm a slow learner but I get it now you don't want me around). Some SOS members ended up looking after us and couldn't be helpful enough as they tracked down my back up contact(thanks Russ!) tickets which were in an awesome spot 10 rows back and mid court behind the Crocs bench.
Now to the game....awesome! The point guard battle was obviously a highlight and neither disappointed offensively. Their defence wasn't quite top notch but i don't think it had anything to do with either of them not wanting to get after each other. It was the way the refs are calling the game and if they had tried to play some more physical defence and happened to breath on each other they would've been sitting down in foul trouble quickly. I was impressed with Gilchrist passing in transition and i think when Matt Burston gets back he'll make a living running the lane with him. It was also the most focused I'd seen Homicide, there was no showboating just all head down bum up eye on the win basketball. Darren Ng's shooting was awesome and when the game was there to be won the stars stood up. Adam Ballinger's shot was as reliable as ever in the last few minutes and Gilchrist hit two massive shots after not looking like scoring outside the key way for the first 39 minutes, it was Rob Roseish and that's a big compliment.
All in all a great night even though i thought Zoe's cheering for Russ's good shooting might get us gob full from someone we were treated well. Actually we did get a few passing comments but they were all positive and the guy who yelled out "Davidson would've taken a charge on that play" at the top of his voice knowing i'd hear, i owe you a beer!

I can walk properly again!

2009-09-24T03:21:00.001-07:00

Sunday morning started with an early wake up, shower, 3 weet-bix and then off to the City to Bay run. After catching the tram into Adelaide city and standing around talking i realised i hadn't really stretched in preparations to the 12 km run. I gave my wife a kiss and went to get to the back of the 50 minute and under runners in the starting gates. I started to stretch a little but the crowd started to swell so room was at a minimum. I guess there was nearly thirty thousand people there!!
The gun went and then everyone started to shuffle forward..... for one and half minutes until we actually crossed the start line! Once we got there we were off down King William road. Now i thought I'd be finishing around the 50 minute mark, that's why i joined the under 50 minute group but there were heaps of people going really slow in the under 50 minute group so i spent the first two kms swerving in, out and around people trying to find a even pace.
After the first km i was feeling good and moving nicely showing no ill effects of the sore foot I'd had for the two weeks leading up to the race. As i passed the group of people dragging the Coopers esky and cracking a beer at the two km stage i felt like this was going to be easy and i might even be able to get to Glenelg in under the 50 minute mark. Still feeling good at the 3km mark as we passed the first band blaring music and didn't feel like i needed any water as i went passed the first drink station.
After that things started to catch up with me. My pace dropped and i started really looking out for the next km marks. There were thousands of people waiting for the 6km run at Kurralta Park. This is where i tried to get my first drink. Approaching the drink station i moved towards a young boy about 10 years old handing out the drinks. I haven't really done this before and as i went to grab the drink i hadn't slowed down enough and my hand hit his and water went flying all over him! I apologised(without breaking stride) and slowed to grab some water off the next poor unsuspecting kid with their hand out. I then tried on the run to drink the water or what was left of it and pretty much spilt it over my mouth rather than in it. I felt that might be my last attempt at that.
The next few kms were a battle and as this young 15 year old kid came screaming past me i was starting to feel ragged. My mood picked up about 500 meters from the finish as i saw the 15 year old kid that had made me feel bad haunched over throwing up his breakfast. That spurred me on to kick home and finish in a time of 51 minutes and 9 seconds.
Thank you so much to the people that gave there hard earned money as sponsorship.

Good luck Chris Mollitor

2009-09-24T02:47:00.000-07:00

I'm a little late with the congratulations to one of the West Adelaide Bearcat's young boys and new member of the 36ers Chris Molitor... but Mol the real hard work starts now!!
Chris started training with the 36ers around halfway through the ABL season hoping to get the Young Australian Player (YAP) roster spot. He was working hard on, and more inportantly off the court on his game and body. You could see his shape start to change with the weights he was doing and you could see he was getting more and more confidence to throw his body around as our season went on.
The big thing for him now is to realise he now needs to work even harder! I've seen a hundred kids make an NBL roster and think that they've made it, wrong. He's now been giving a chance to show what he's got for ONE season. Working on his fitness, getting extra shots up after training so he becomes automatic and increasing his foot speed should be his goals.

I was nearly back playing!!

2009-09-07T05:49:00.000-07:00

I received a call from my long time basketball agent Warren Craig on Monday asking whether i was fit? I did have a bit of soreness from my 14km Sunday run, but yeah i was feeling fit... Well Damien Martin from the Perth Wildcats was going for a scan on an injured wrist and was expected to be out for 6-8 weeks. Was i ready to go to Perth and have a crack for 8 weeks until Damo came back?
After fully expecting to not be playing in the NBL this season i was in shock and didn't know what to think. I had a quick chat to coach of the Wildcats Rob Beverage and i'll admit, i was getting the itch! I'm a big fan of Bevo's after spending time with him with the Boomers. He also dropped in there that if i came for the 8 weeks i would get from my 393 NBL games to 400!
Now it's not that easy when you're married and not in your 20's anymore to just pick up everything 3 weeks before a season starts and move away for 8 weeks. After talking through to pros and cons with my wife about heading to Perth and not really coming up with a decision either way i hit the Internet to see what was happening around the NBL. After hitting the hoops.com.au forum and Wildcats CEO Nick Marvin's twitter page(and i thought twitter was a waste of time!) i discovered that Damo's wrist had been cleared of a break and he would be ready for the first game of the season.

Bevo gave me a call at 8.30am Tuesday(7am Perth time) to let me know the news on Damo. I wished him all the best and thanked him for thinking of me. You can plan your life but just never know what's around the corner?

Am i retired from basketball???

2009-08-19T04:27:00.000-07:00

Usually when someone retires from professional sport it’s because they either don’t believe that their body can stand up to rigors of professional sport anymore (ie Brett Maher) or they lose the motivation to continue mentally with all the things that go with being a professional athlete(ie Jason Smith). Me, I’m neither one of those.
After the injuries I went through last season I took some time off and let myself heal before getting back into training. After about a month of trying to get back i wasn't sure if my body was going to be up to it but after getting some miles back in my legs I was a starting to kick into gear. Anyone who saw me out at the open scrimmages at the Dome would agree I was on my way to getting my game back. I also took stock of where I was at last year, yes I struggled with injures and didn’t put up big numbers but I did work my way back into the starting five over the last 10 games so I must not have been a liability out there.
Mentally I had plenty of motivation also after struggling through the first half of last season. I also felt like I had something to prove and didn’t want to go out on that note so the motivation to back to where i was 12 months earlier was definitely there.

So why aren't i playing??
The 36ers knew that the under 23 rule was in play and they didn’t think I was good enough to be in their 9 players to help their team to move forward this season. It sounds harsh but it’s true, that's the decision they made and I’m fine with that. Do I think they made the right decision? No, but maybe I’m a little biased! You can’t hate someone or carry around baggage because someone doesn’t think you are the right fit or good enough to help their basketball team. The under 23 rule didn’t help, but the 36ers and every team knew the rule going in and they signed players in front of me. My door wasn’t getting knocked down by other teams, not that I through myself out there or would’ve left Adelaide, and I’ve been around the league long enough to understand where we all sat in the scheme of a league that had lost two teams and was cutting back financially.

Am I disappointed? Hell yeah! I would never have thought 12 months ago I wouldn’t be playing in the NBL this season. Coming off what was probably my best season after my first year in Adelaide I thought I had plenty of time left in the league but things obviously don’t always go the way you want them.

Where to now? Well I’m head down into my real estate career and hopefully getting the mighty West Adelaide Bearcats to the top! I'll be keeping an eye on the NBL and i WILL be cheering on the 36ers, from a distance. I'm passionate about basketball and have a truckload of respect for what the fans of the 36ers bring to the club. I've been very lucky to play for three teams Townsville, Cairns and Adelaide that have great community support. If someone called tomorrow and offered me a playing opportunity I’d definitely look at it and I’ll be keeping fit(more to come on that) but I do realise my professional basketball playing days are probably done at 393 NBL games over 13 great years doing something I loved! I can’t be upset with that.

China tour wrap up

2009-08-04T15:00:00.000-07:00

Well I'm back from China and i thought I'd wrap up what was a great tour.

Game 3

In one of the most bizarre warm ups I've been involved in, tour manager Wayne Peterson organised a song for the court announcer to play specifically for our warm ups. From the basketball Movie Semi-Pro, "Love Me Sexy" was belted out over the airwaves much to the boys amusement. This was not the must inappropriate song played though as not everyone speaks English over there they must not have realise what a few of the English songs meant and one had some quite bad swearing!

To the game!! and we started out with a 7-0 run and plenty of enthusiasm but our legs started to die as the game went on as we went down again 92-73. It was a pretty even spread amongst the boys with the scoring with unfortunately nobody was able to string a bunch of shots to go down in a row. The Chinese guards got going from the 3 point line for the first time in the series and that really was the difference.

The game highlights for us was a Rhys Carter over the shoulder no look pass that found a cutting David Cooper for a two handed dunk and Andrew Rice returning the favour of an errant elbow to the nose of Yi Jianlian to end his night.

To give you a quick snap shot of what the guys said they would be doing after the tour.

Rhys Carter is off to play in Sweden, Matt Campbell is ready to play some basketball now he has saved the Woolongong Hawks, Jacob Holmes and David Cooper are obviously ready to go for the 36ers, Matt Knight is waiting for his euro passport to come through and sign with a club in Greece or Germany, Andrew Rice is going back to the Mt Gambier Pioneers, Sam Harris is looking overseas, 18 year old James Orr is weighing up his options and may be coming to Adelaide for a trial and me.......well I'll get to that in my next write up.

Support Staff for China Tour

2009-08-01T00:14:00.000-07:00

Andrew Gaze has brought along a great bunch of people as support staff for our tour of China. Melbourne Tigers court announcer for the last 18 years and a school mate of Drewey's in their younger years, Wayne Peterson is our team manager. This is his third trip to China and he's always on hand to help out whether it's organising exit rows for the big guys, getting a few chilled beers (harder than it sounds in China) ready for a bus trip, directing traffic on a busy street or holding up a customs line to get the boys through quicker, he'll do whatever it takes.

Drewey's brother-in-law, business partner, old Tigers team-mate and only person ever in the NBL to make a 3-pointer for an opposition team, Nigel Purchase is on the tour as well. Nigel's here to keep everybody up and in good spirits and not let you go to 'negative town'. He's a funny man and we decided to bond by growing moustaches that should be coming into their own by game 3. My wife has requested the mo to be removed by the time I land back in Adelaide.

Finishing off the quartet is 36ers coach Scott Ninnis.

The great thing about trips like this is the friendships you make and the people you get to meet along the way. Drewey's a quality guy and so are his mates!

Game 2

2009-08-01T00:05:00.000-07:00

Although we lost 80-81 I don't think anybody that saw the game would have felt like China deserved to come out on top. We were down a player as Brad Hill went home with an ankle injury after a brief appearance in game one and with Matt Knight struggling through with a sore wrist we battled the home team and 'home' refs with some true Aussie spirit.

There were a heap of game highlights starting with one of the best blocks I've ever seen by Andrew Rice on NBA player Yi Jianlian. Ricey came from the weak side of the floor as Yi took it to the basket, one of our bigs stepped in with their body to halt Yi's progress and as he powered up Ricey flew and smashed the ball into the backboard. I was close to it and I thought the ball was going to burst he pinned it so hard on the glass.

My own highlight came at the end of the half as I made a behind half court heave with the clock expiring to get us back to within 6. Nice feeling!!

Our 18 year old rookie James Orr came up with a big 3 to beat the buzzer at the end of the third quarter. Matt Knight came to life in the fourth running the lanes, crashing the boards and hitting from mid-range and when Rhys Carter ran the shot clock down and calmly sank a long 3 with 40 seconds to go we were up two.

We had only two team fouls so we could afford to foul if we looked like we were going to be scored on in the last few plays. After us fouling twice China had the ball from the side-line with around 8 seconds to go. Mat Campbell's man tried to take him off the dribble and when he realised he hadn't beaten him jumped straight at Mat and flung up a prayer that was answered not only by the hoop gods but also by the ref who must've had money on a Chinese victory and called a foul. Mat couldn't have done anymore to not foul but that's the way it goes here I guess. After giving the ref my take on his call I looked around to see Andrew Gaze picking himself off all fours from the floor. He couldn't believe what he had seen and the people on our bench can't believe Drewey's knees didn't shatter.

The basket counted and after a time out the Chinese player calmly sank the free throw to win the game. It was disappointing to lose that way but a real credit to the guys for coming back from double digit deficits and over coming a ridiculously uneven foul and free throw count.

Although the stats weren't taken properly I'm sure the scorers were right with Matt Knight 16pts, Rhys Carter was good again for us with 16pts, Ricey had 14pts with some nice outside shooting and Mat Campbell and myself had 12pts each.

Delay in Posts

2009-08-01T00:02:00.000-07:00

There has been a delay in posting on my blog because I can't access the site from China. Apparently blogs, facebook and youtube aren't permitted here so I've had to e-mail the updates to my wife and she's been posting them for me.

Tuesday 28 August - First Game

2009-07-29T23:37:00.000-07:00

Our first game tonight was attended by around 3,000 people and ended in a 20 point loss 67-87.

First play of the game NBA player Yi Jianlian took Jacob Holmes down to the low post, made a awesome spin move with great speed and balance for a 7 footer and went for a left hand hook. He obviously was wary of Jacob's jumping ability and left the hook a little short - airball! He would however redeem himself with four blocks - one on a Mat Campbell drive that he hit so hard it nearly broke the backboard - and a few dunks to finish with 30pts. Mat Campbell had a great game for us with 24pts and 9 rebs, Jacob had 14pts and Rhys Carter had 12 pts.

Game Highlight- Mat Campbell’s hot shooting.

Game Lowlight- Andrew Gaze’s dress pants.

Personally I struggled in my first game back in five months. I asked for a sub at one stage and Andrew brought Rhys Carter from the score bench to sub in. At the next stop in play I started to walk to the sideline looking for a seat, some water and an oxygen tank when Rhys told me he was coming in for Campbell!!!! I turned the ball over a few plays later while there was nobody near me and then I got my sub after that.

Moving onto the next game we may be a few good men down with a few boys getting some niggles from the game. Hopefully they'll be fine and we can get a win on Thursday.

China Tour Update

2009-07-29T23:06:00.000-07:00

On Monday after approximately 24 hours of travel time for us Adelaidians we arrived in Beijing at 7am. After getting through customs and an infa-red flu detector machine we made our way to the hotel. The hotel is quite nice and has free wi-fi internet which has made everyone happy.

After a feed of McDonald's it was time for our first training session. Coach Andrew Gaze took us through the shuffle offence that the Melbourne Tigers have been running since China was founded, but with only one days preparation this should prove to be interesting.

Trying to run after all the travel, a double cheeseburger and the humidity was tough. Back to the hotel and after a quick shower it was time for a good meal - we were treated to pasta at a very westernised restaurant. The boys stomachs were full and ready for some shopping!!

My wife gave me a nice list of selected items she wanted so I had a goal to achieve but once I got into the shopping centre all hell broke loose and all I could think of was what could I get so cheaply for myself. As you see in the photo I did make it to the handbag section. Mat Campbell and myself had a few good battles with some shop assistants as we haggled for goods, but I think personally we came out on top.

And we're off!!

2009-07-26T09:11:00.000-07:00

I'm sitting in Changi airport in Singapore with Brad Hill and Jacob Holmes half way to Beijing on our expedition of China.
We've had a long day already flying out of Adelaide to Melbourne,(3 hour stopover) Melbourne to Singapore 9another 3 hour stopover)and then we have another 6 and a half hours to Beijing. We aren't 100% sure of what we are doing when we get to Beijing but Andrew Gaze thinks we have our one and only training tomorrow when we get there.
Our team is Jacob, Brad, David Cooper, Matt Knight, Sam Harris, Mat Campbell, James Orr, Rhys Carter, Andrew Rice and myself.
Highlight of the trip so far was the "Singapore Slinger" beverage that Coop and i enjoyed to wash down the fish and veggie meal on the plane.

A week in China.

2009-07-16T17:52:00.000-07:00

I'm excited i've found my way to a week in China playing basketball with "Andrew Gaze's touring team" to play 3 games against the Chinese National team.
I had been training hard up until about a week ago and had been getting out to the "Dome" for Wednesday morning scrimmage sessions and my body is feeling great after last seasons troubles. I'm not in bad condition but the rest of the training i had been doing was on my own in between my real estate work so I'm looking forward to actually playing some games.
I have been to China before. In 1999 i toured with a Canberra Cannons team that was short a few players and i was lucky enough to get a call up. Ex 36er Paul Bauer ended up being my roommate(the photo is a bad one of us at the Great Wall). We stayed in 1 star accommodation and travelled mainly by bus for 4 weeks to many different Provinces. It was pretty taxing but I'm sure this time if we're staying with the Chinese National team we will be getting well looked after.

A challenge has been laid down!

2009-07-10T18:54:00.001-07:00

ClintDogg said...
Are you still the smallest player in the NBL?.I would like you 2 be my team mate in a game of 2on2 between you and me, vs. John Rillie and his side kick DJ Rod.Ive put the challenge out there to them, even tho Ive been retired for many years now and have not touched a Basketball, for a game of 2on2, and they can pick my team mate. I suggested this because its only fair that we have 1 NBL player per team (you and JR), and 1 NON NBL player (DJ Rod and Me) per team, this is only fair.Its a battle between the Basketball shows The T.O. (mine), and the O.T (JR and DJ Rods).They can pick any1 they want 4 my team, I'm easy, it can be the smallest player in the NBL.
July 6, 2009 9:32 PM

I'm going to have to decline from participating in this challenge. I don't want to get involved in this Tupac v Biggie Smalls type feud you guys have going. DJ Rod has also put me down as one of his favourite players to watch play on hoops.com so it just wouldn't be right for me to hit him with one of my "accident chicken wings" that fly around some times in the heat of battle.
About me being the shortest man in the NBL? I was upset when David Bailey from Perth left the league a few years ago but you'll have to wait and see if I'm still actually "in" the NBL for another week or so.

Good luck Georgia!

2009-07-05T05:11:00.000-07:00

My niece Georgia Williams has a big day at school tomorrow. She is doing a speech at Mullumbimby Primary School that just happens to be about me and my basketball journey. I hope she's not too nervous and biting her nails before she gets up in front of the school.

Training at the Dome

2009-06-19T18:48:00.000-07:00

I snuck out to the Dome during the week to join in on the regular scrimmage sessions that have been happening out there. Usually at this time of the year the boys would be starting to up the training load getting set for a July 1 start. With the obvious disruptions that have occured this off season i'd say most teams would feel they're a little behind in their preparations. There was 8 of us out there, a few of last years 36ers,a couple of returning local boys who have been in th USA at college and Brad Newley. One person who's not behind is Brad Hill! Brad was knocking down 3's ,pull up jump shots and using his athleticism to dominate (Look for him to be a darkhorse at the Boomers camp). Unfortunately his team went down in the end to mine and Newley's, well that's how i remember it anyway.

Good luck Kurty!!

2009-06-19T18:32:00.000-07:00

Our young starting small forward from the West Adelaide Bearcats Kurtis Phillips won't be playing in this weeks game against Norwood. Kurty is away with representing Australia at the 2009 FIBA Oceania Championships in Saipan. We wish him all the best!

NZBL

2009-06-19T18:02:00.000-07:00

The NZBL is deep in finals time and there's been a real 36ers flavour to it. From last years 36ers Adam Ballinger and Paora Winitana have just gone head to head in one of the semi finals http://www.basketball.org.nz/news/pistons-beat-valiant-cougars/
David Cooper snuck over for a few games with Hawks Bay at the end of their season but couldn't get past new Wollongong coach Gordie Mcleod's Wellington Saints http://www.basketball.org.nz/news/saints-hit-back-to-down-hawks/.
Adam's Waikato's group will now take on the Nelson Giants in the finals after Tony Rampton pulled off a miracle offensive rebound put back against Wellington http://www.basketball.org.nz/news/giants-joy-saints-heartbreak/ in the other semi final. I spoke with Tony a few weeks ago and he said that he dunked right on Adam when they played in the regular season. As they're great friends there will defiantly be some more bragging rights for these two to play for in this series.
I've kept an eye on my two former teams as they've finished last and second last this season!Taranaki went win less in their 16 games and Manawatu went 4-12. Hopefully for the good people that run those programs they can get them back on track soon.

NBL Moves.

2009-06-10T23:40:00.000-07:00

It's taken a little longer than usual but the make up of each team is starting to take effect. My old teammate Peter Crawford finally made a decision and has gone back to where he started his career in Townsville (www.nbl.com.au/default.aspx?s=newsdisplay&id=78096) . Two Brad's who are both former Crocs(Myself and Newley) had a little inside info on the move after both talking to him during the week. I think it's a great fit for the Crocs running style of play.
I was interested to see the Melbourne Tigers making a few changes to their roster. With Mark Worthington coming i thought Sam Mackinnon might be on the way out but looks as though Stephen Hoare ends up the missing out instead (http://www.gaze.com.au/ ).
I didn't think there would be a huge change in rosters this year but I'm definitely wrong if you listen to the rumours going around.

It's at that exciting and somewhat stressful time of the year.

2009-06-05T03:27:00.000-07:00

A Best Man at my wedding and fellow NBL player Russell Hinder always wears his heart on his sleeve! Here http://www.townsvillebulletin.com.au/article/2009/06/03/56871_sport.html Rusty tells of the stress of this off season and how he coped with waiting to see what his future held.

Boti's ABL wrap up

2009-05-31T20:18:00.000-07:00

Here's a link to Boti's wrap up of games from the weekend http://www.news.com.au/adelaidenow/story/0,22606,25565999-5006371,00.html.
My Bearcat's men's team will need to step up their defence against the top teams if we're going to be a threat at the end of the season.

The first casualties of the NBL season.

2009-05-28T23:14:00.000-07:00

Townsville have let go two players the day the league said it was ready to move ahead with it's season. As you can read on his blog, one of the players John Rillie has taken it on the chin. He's dealt with it a little better than i did when i left the crocs!! My parting article on the front of the Townsville Bulletin had words like shattered, kicked in the guts and embarrassed at their offer as well as a sad looking picture of me pondering my future. Check out http://jronfire.blogspot.com/ for a classier reaction.

Bearcats BBQ at Bunnings

2009-05-27T03:04:00.000-07:00

The West Adelaide Bearcats basketball association had a BBQ fundraiser at Bunnings Port Rd last weekend. The Men's team got in early for their shift with Blake Truslove and Kurtis Phillips getting through a mountain of work on the grill. There wasn't a bunch of people up for a sausage or soft drink at 9 in the morning but we set the scene for what was a great day. Apparently the girls team led the day with the most snags sold, just like they're leading the way on the ladder!

I think the boys may have eaten as many as we sold!!!

Who knew Batman wore Nikes!!

2009-05-27T02:51:00.000-07:00

The "super heroes" from Brock Harcourts Brighton were out last week for the Brock Harcourts Annual Awards dinner. You'll notice "Batman" wore his Nikes just in case there was any trouble and he had to move quickly. All the yoga I've been doing this off season has really helped with my high kick!! (Does Robin look like Aaron Bruce??)

Boti's ABL weekend rundown

2009-05-26T04:41:00.000-07:00

http://www.news.com.au/adelaidenow/story/0,22606,25532049-5006371,00.html

Unfortunately the mighty West Adelaide Bearcats men's team couldn't do what our women counterparts could and get over the line against Forestville on Saturday night. Both were great high quality games with big shots and big defensive plays we just need to make sure we start winning some of those close one's at home.

My favourite TV show Entourage and Steve Nash

2009-05-22T04:22:00.001-07:00

Check this out from Steve Nash's facebook page. He went and did a cameo for my favourite TV show Entourage. He is the man!! http://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=104247567951&ref=mf

Someone from the photo above.

2009-05-22T04:06:00.000-07:00

I changed the top photo of my blog to one of me getting up high for a rebound. I noticed a few people in the background and one of them is Julius Hodge. As soon as i saw him i thought i'd google his name to see what he's been up too and found some updates to his blog. One thing he will never lack and that's confidence! http://blogs.hoopshype.com/blogs/hodge/2009/04/19/another-shot/#comments

This weeks Central ABA, GO BEARCATS!!!

2009-05-22T03:38:00.000-07:00

Here's the preview for this weeks Central ABA's games http://www.sportingpulse.com/assoc_page.cgi?client=1-3656-0-81595-0&sID=39560&&news_task=DETAIL&articleID=9091755&sectionID=39560

An Article from my home town paper last week.

2009-05-19T05:12:00.001-07:00

Nathan Crosswell grew up about 25 kms from where i did in northern NSW. I actually played against his Dad!! We've both have had great support from the Northern Star newspaper.

Rivers locals in NBL meltdown
Dave Kirkpatrick 12th May 2009

THE domino theory is threatening to bring down the National Basketball League (NBL) with the Melbourne Tigers following the South Dragons out of the competition and the Adelaide 36ers also holding crisis talks.Basketball Australia is due to make an announcement about a proposed new national competition.
If the league is suspended it will effectively put an end to the career of Mullumbimby’s Brad Davidson, 34, who is contracted to the Adelaide 36ers, and leaving Ballina-born Nathan Crosswell, 29, without a club after three years with the Tigers.Both players will have their NBL contracts honoured until June and while Crosswell plans to search for other playing opportunities, Davidson will call it quits and pursue a career in real estate.“I’ll turn 35 in two weeks and realistically my tenure in the league is closer to an end than start,” he said.“I’ve played nearly 400 games and while the prospect of winning a championship still burns inside of me, it’ll be all over if the league takes a season off.“It could have been worse, it could have happened to me when I was 26.“But I’ve had a good look around Australia, won a gold medal (at the 2006 Commonwealth Games) and played overseas, so I can’t complain.

Gordie Mcleod to coach the hawks.

2009-05-19T04:17:00.000-07:00

It's great to see my coach from my time in Singapore Gordie Mcleod has taken the job at Wollongong. Gordie's a great guy and a passionate basketball man that I'm sure will do everything in his power to get that franchise moving up and onwards. This year 3 teams (Cairns, Wollongong and Adelaide) will have coaches that have also been players for that team.

What's happening with the NBL???

2009-05-12T04:11:00.000-07:00

This is the question on every ones lips and the most asked question I get during the day! Today Basketball Australia(BA) announced that they want to go forward with a competition this season with 7 teams competing. Having sat here and over the last few months heard one minute the league is over, which happened yesterday, and the next it's on again has really taken the edge off my enthusiasm. Having spoken to some other players from different teams around the country I'm not the only one feeling this way. I know this will all change once teams start planning for who they want on their rosters and something definate is in place with schedule.
Hopefully the passion some of these owners have shown to keep the league up and running will materialise over the next few weeks into getting the competition moving in the right direction.

Go the West Adelaide Bearcats!!

2009-05-12T03:53:00.000-07:00

For those they don't know I'm using my spare time since the end of the NBL season to coach the men's team for the West Adelaide Bearcats in the SA based competition. We're currently sitting second on the ladder with a 5 win 1 loss record. I'm really my enjoying the time with the guys as this team plays for "the love of the game" incorporating training around their work and families. A few of the younger players on the team have grown up dreaming of playing for the 36ers or the NBL. When i took on this role with Westies it was my aim to be a part in helping them try them reach their goals and chase their dreams as i once did. Hopefully things will workout with basketball here in Adelaide and this country and they'll still have a league for these guys to set their sights on.

Elizabeth Grove Rock 'n' Rollers & 36ers

2009-05-02T01:55:00.000-07:00

Just to show I'm not only well balanced on, but off the court as well, I displayed my dancing skills to a select few during last weeks Royal Adelaide Hospital week.

There was a group of kids from Elizabeth Grove Primary School on hand to keep everyone entertained. Unfortunately for the Elizabeth Grove Rock ‘n’ Rollers i decided to join in! I was shown how to conduct a twirl (my part was minimal)and lucky for the young lady who was my partner there was no time to teach me anything else.(No children were harmed in the taking of these photos).

The double Brad's at Royal Adelaide Hospital

2009-04-30T02:26:00.000-07:00

Brad Hill and I were lucky enough this week to be invited to "Royal Adelaide Hospital(RAH) week".The RAH is renowned for its various specialities, research and innovative ideas for improving patient care and the Royal Adelaide Hospital Week is a celebration that showcases these achievements and partnerships.

Finding it easy to remember both our names Amanda Bennett from RAH Health services showed us around and took us to see a few patients that were getting chemotherapy and dialysis. I've done this a quite a few times over my career and some times it can be an exercise in awkward conversation, not this time though! Everyone we talked to just had the most amazing attitudes and the hospital staff were fantastic. It's great to be reminded what a positive attitude and having great support around you can really mean. Thank you to everybody and their families that shared their time, stories and positivity with us.

Are my 36ers going to pull through??

2009-04-29T05:43:00.001-07:00

From the Adelaide Advertiser.

The 36ers franchise is still in the hunt to live on.

POTENTIAL consortium of business people keen to save the Adelaide 36ers and who might shift the club to the Entertainment Centre met last night at a secret location in the city.The group of "interested persons" includes at least three prominent local identities with the desire and ability to rescue the 36ers. Last night's meeting was held to discuss a joint bid to keep a national league franchise in Adelaide.A spokesperson for the group who did not want to be identified yesterday confirmed a meeting had been set up for last night and that the group did not want any involvement with current 36ers owner Mal Hemmerling."Mal has had his chance and we would want to go it alone," the spokeperson said.

Hemmerling on Thursday in The Advertiser said his bid for a licence in Basketball Australia's new elite men's competition did not meet all of the criteria, specifically the $1m bank guarantee.Hemmerling said unless BA relented from its hard-line stance on the criteria, he could not field a team and the club would fold."We believe the (state) government might be prepared to come to the party considering it is only a bank guarantee," the spokesperson said."There's a state election next year and no-one really wants a national league without an Adelaide presence in it."The spokesperson said the preferred option would be to keep the 36ers playing at the Distinctive Homes Dome, owned by Hemmerling's partner, embattled former childcare magnate Eddy Groves.

But there is a growing feeling a shift to the entertainment centre might garner government support for the club, giving it a permanent tenant for the 10,000 capacity venue."It would be a shame to have a venue such as the Dome - the best stadium in Australia and a purpose-built facility - lying idle," the spokesperson said."Playing at the Dome would be ideal but we won't know whether that's possible until we consult with Jeff Van Groningen."Van Groningen was Groves' chief executive officer with the Brisbane Bullets' NBL franchise before Groves' ABC Learning Centres business was beset with financial difficulties.Last week Hemmerling called Van Groningen in from Brisbane "for advice and to check out his options" on where to go with the 36ers' situation.Hemmerling is now on holidays for five weeks and Van Groningen back in Brisbane but he will return to Adelaide later this week, keen to talk with any parties interested in taking over the 36ers' licence.He also gave an assurance that while Groves is keen to sell the Dome, he would prefer to sell it to basketball interests and would not sell at just any price."He is keen to keep the 36ers in the Dome as the main tenants," Van Groningen said.

The Shot Doctor Clinic.

2009-04-28T04:25:00.000-07:00

Upon my return i went to work for my good friend Rupert Sapwell at the shot doctor clinic. Rupert's done a great job in getting a system in place and organising this specialised clinic and when he was asked if I'd join in i jumped at it. I was joined by super sub and pure shooter Eric Burdon, Norwood up and comer Ben Howe and another experienced and passionate Norwood coach Nicole Johnson. The kids were great and hopefully learned a lot. The best part of the teaching for me was the video analysis. Some of the kids hadn't seen themselves on video before and a few of the girls weren't happy with their hairstyles but battled through regardless. One of the young guys even compared his shooting style one of the best shooters in the world NBA player Michael Redd!

I'm back from the rock!!

2009-04-28T04:09:00.001-07:00

It's been 25 days since my last update and so much has happened!!

The reason for i haven't been on here is i've been away on holidays. My wife and i got in a campervan and went straight up the middle of our beautiful country and headed for Ayers Rock. It was nice to get away from phones and computers and just relax.

Although the day we walked around the olgas(in the back ground of the photo) which was 10kms and up Ayers Rock probably wasn't that relaxing. It's no joke getting to the top and what an amazing view.

2009-04-03T02:10:00.000-07:00

I went to Salisbury Heights Primary School during the week to answer a few question from a group of kids in a leadership class. It was my understanding that the children had to stick their hand up to be in the class so good on them for trying to improve themselves. I had a great time talking about my experiences and what characteristics i thought good leaders possessed.

As someone pointed out in a previous photo i do blend in with the kids! Sorry to anyone who's a little blurry in the photo.

2009-04-03T00:44:00.000-07:00

I received this question from Kahlim.
Hey Brad, good idea be good if heaps of players did this and had their own blogs. A question i always love to ask any NBL player is who is your worst enemy in the league, player that really gets under your skin? I know you do it to other players and that's why we love you in Adelaide not to mention your a gun player.

First of all i believe Kahlim must have great basketball knowledge as he's mentioned me as a gun player......just joking. This is a question I've been asked quite a bit over my career because you'll see two guys going at it on the court and think that we hate each other. Most of the time this couldn't be further from the truth!

Me,Russ and Jacob at the closing ceremony Commonwealth Games 06

I couldn't stand Russell Hinder when he first came into the league with West Sydney. He was the guy i would complain to other guys about and then last year he was a groomsman at my wedding! We ended up playing with the Hunter Pirates together and when we both first got to Newcastle i gave him a call to see if he wanted to catch up. I went to his place, he had beer in the fridge and we've been great friends since.

Anthony Stewart was another guy who was not on my Christmas card list before i played on the same team as him. He actually even ignored me when i went for a recruiting visit in Cairns. I was walking into the club offices with Guy Molloy and ran into Stewey. He started talking to Guy, completely snobbed me and then walked off! As soon as i moved to Cairns we got sent up to the Tablelands for a few nights to do some school clinics and who ended up as my room dog...Stewey. We got on great and over the two years i was there we had some of the greatest shooting comps I've been involved in.

I'd have to say now Chris Anstey is the guy who gets under my skin the most. I like Chris and anyone that caught up with him at the Vic v SA would agree he's a good guy off the court but on the court he loves to be the bad guy and doesn't mind dishing it out physically. I seem to be a favourite target of his(of course i wouldn't deserve it) but he's probably still upset about the 00/01 finals were he went to block me and wasn't quick enough, lunged late, tried to block me and rolled his ankle. Chris missed the rest of the series and we went through to the Grand Final....actually after that i lost every game in Melbourne until this season so i guess he's in front.
I hope I've given you enough, even though i can't really tell you everyone.

Brad.

2009-03-31T04:30:00.000-07:00

On the 28th of March David Cooper and myself were lucky enough to be invited up to Whyalla for Youth Week. We helped out with the 3on3 competition, some shooting games and worked on our streetball skills. One of the shooting games the kids had to wear "beer goggles" supplied by the police to show the kids what drinking to much can do to your eye sight and balance,it was hilarious!! Two out of the 25 people made the shot(it wasn't either myself or Coop)...and were immediately breath tested.

The other photo is of the two teams that made the final.

We met some fantastic people up there and the kids came with great attitudes. Well done to Monique, Perry, Martin and all the people involved in organising the event.

2009-03-26T20:38:00.000-07:00

If you'd like to see what i'm doing to "pass" the time check out http://www.news.com.au/adelaidenow/story/0,22606,25243073-5006371,00.html

2009-03-26T19:52:00.000-07:00

I wish i was taller to fit into my uniform!

2009-03-26T19:41:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Yvonne Millbank for the photos

SA v Victoria Charity Game

2009-03-22T23:33:00.000-07:00

It says a lot about a person when guys would come from all over Australia to play in a game of basketball to help raise money for you. Anyone who's met Brett Wheeler knows how fantastic a bloke he is. I've only had a limited amount to do with Brett but he's one of those people you meet and walk away from and say "isn't he a great guy". Talking to him afterward the game last Sunday he was shaking his head at how grateful he was for Phil Smyth and Steve Breheny to organise the event,all the guys playing and to everyone that turned up.

I was born in Mildura but moved when i was 10 so i don't have a huge allegiance to Victoria but i jumped at the chance to be involved in this game. Talking to Jason Smith before the game we worked out we were the only members of our team who hadn't played junior basketball for the big V, or for any state for that matter.

During the game Andrew Gaze started drawing up set plays and getting a little hyped up but he had his old back court partner Lanard Copeland ready to keep things casual and keep him under control. When Drewy ask Copes if he wanted to say anything before the game Copes gave his usual "no sirrr" reply and when Drewy got off the bench to encourage the boys for the first time Copes told him to "sit your ass down",which he promptly did, which got a good laugh from the benchies.

After the game Matt Campbell who is the head of the NBL Players Association got all the guys together to let them know what has been happening with negotiations between the NBLPA and the New NBL. There's a few issues needing to be resolved as far as existing contracts,players promotional hours and the point system being the most important. I'll wait until it's resolved before i give my thoughts on it.

Congratulations to everyone that was involved in the day!