SEABL Men- The round 12 report

Kilsyth Cobras guard Kyle Adnam admits calling bank was not his first thought as he let fly with the game-winning buzzer beater against Sandringham Sabres on Sunday.

The Cobras had endured a tough week losing shooting guard Joel Naburgs to a season-ending knee injury then needing to beat the Sabres to equal them in seven wins in the SEABL South conference.

But with the Sabres up 64-63 as Adnam caught a pass and then let fly with a three-point shot, his first thoughts were not of any glory.

“I thought it was going to hit the side of the backboard – so I thought it was game over and we had lost,” Adnam said.

“It felt alright out of the hand but with the angle I was on I thought it was wide but it snuck in. Once I saw it hit the backboard I knew it was good.”

The Cobras social media account and a few keen spectators caught videos of the shot, one Adnam admits was “pretty special”.

“It was an important game for us – we really needed that one,” Adnam said.

“We were one spot out of the finals to start this weekend then Sandringham dropped a game on Saturday night so now we have evened up our number of wins with them.

“In this league we just need to make finals and then whoever is there are fair game.”

North-West Tasmania remains two wins ahead of the Cobras in fourth place in the South conference.

In Adnam’s eyes, the Cobras have had a disjointed season so far and have struggled to regain the chemistry they had last year.

They have still been winning enough games to stay in the hunt for the playoffs and approaching the business end of the season he said the Cobras were starting to get in sync.

“I think we are starting to click this last month,” Adnam said.

“We are a young group apart from Tim Lang and Auryn Macmillan who have both experienced a lot in basketball.

“With a young side there is a turnaround each year in what each player is capable of and that dynamic changes each season.

“Some players might be better shooters or better defenders so roles have to change from year to year and we have still been finding that balance.”

With Naburgs out, Adnam said the whole side would need to find more points to cover for his absence.

Adnam is averaging 16 points per game and 3.9 assists but isn’t too preoccupied with his statistics.

“Numbers are just numbers – I’d like to see a few more wins on the board and get to the pointy end of the playoffs,” Adnam said.

In the past two years Adnam has been a development player at NBL level, first playing with Adelaide and last season with Wollongong [now Illawarra] Hawks.

Adnam said his game was coming along well due to his NBL experience and he hoped to remain at that level for the coming season.

“I haven’t linked with anyone yet so we will see what happens.”

“I’ve had contact from a few teams but the Hawks would be the forerunner – they have a new coach [Rob Beveridge] so nothing will be given and we will have to earn everything.

“At this time of year NBL clubs are putting together the front end of their rosters, hopefully in the next three to four weeks I’ll know a bit more about my own situations but right now it’s as clear as mud.”

Notable performances

*Albury-Wodonga star Donte Nicholas led the way for the Bandits in their win over Brisbane with 25 points, 11 rebounds and eight steals.

*Mt Gambier star Damian Johnson maintained his recent top form with 16 points, eight rebounds, eight steals and four blocks against Dandenong. Teammate Tom Daly top-scored for the Pioneers with 31 points.

*Dandenong’s Daequon Montreal also had a big night against the Pioneers with 32 points and 10 rebounds.

*Hobart shooter Tom Wright was on target once more with 32 points against Ballarat including seven three-pointers.

*Sandringham duo Rayshawn Goins (28 points) and Junior Hairston (27 points) had big games in the Sabres’ close loss to Bendigo.

SEABL media links

*The Advocate’s Jordan Abell reports North West Tasmania coach Phil Thomas sees positives in his club’s close loss. Story: http://www.theadvocate.com.au/story/3191129/coach-happy-with-thunder-despite-loss/?cs=88

*Abell also filed this match report on North West Tamania’s game against Hobart Chargers. Report: http://www.theadvocate.com.au/story/3189466/thunder-hits-back-at-fast-finishing-chargers/?cs=88

*Ballarat Courier’s Melanie Whelan (@Melanie_Whelan) reports Ballarat Miners showed fight but lacked bite in their loss to Hobart. Report: http://www.thecourier.com.au/story/3190341/lack-of-hunger-hurting-miners/?cs=63

*Whelan also filed a short story on the Miners’ making a new signing. Story: http://www.thecourier.com.au/story/3188795/new-miner-surprises/?cs=63

*Border Mail’s Steve Smith (@stevesmithffx) reports on an “at times spiteful” clash between the Bandits and Brisbane Spartans. Report: http://www.bordermail.com.au/story/3189572/albury-wodonga-bandits-recover-to-grab-points/?cs=10

*Bendigo Advertiser’s Nathan Dole reports on the Braves win over Sandringham. Report: http://www.bendigoadvertiser.com.au/story/3190277/braves-fire-up-against-sabres/?cs=81

*Kilsyth Cobras website reports Joel Naburgs will miss the rest of the season due to a knee injury: Story: http://www.kilsythbasketball.com.au/index.php?id=21&tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=1506&cHash=1a730a81dc

*The Pick and Roll’s Olgun Uluc tweeted this video of Centre of Excellence forward Jack White throwing down this dunk for Australia at the FIBA under-19 World Championships last week. Video:https://twitter.com/OlgunUluc/status/615131712448663552

*Mt Gambier Pioneers’ Tom Telfer reports on the Pioneers clash with Dandenong. Report: http://pioneersbasketball.com.au/fixture/seabl-round-12/

Roy Ward (@rpjward) is a freelance sports writer who has covered the NBA, NBL, WNBL, SEABL and Big V during his career. He will be filing weekly columns on the SEABL men’s and women’s competitions during this season. For feedback or suggestions send Roy a tweet or email him at roypjward@gmail.com