ADELAIDE 36ERS - Season 2010/2011

After a couple of years being cellar-dwellers, the Sixers are looking good under new coach Marty Clarke and I think it's time to regenerate some interest back into one of the state's more popular sporting teams. Trial games are currently under way this weekend and have seen some close results, but like the NAB cup, I think these results have to be taken with a pinch of salt.

I'll be able to report more closely on how the Sixers are travelling after the annual trial game up here in Whyalla this Friday night against the Wollongong Hawks. Adelaide is doing a really good job of promoting themselves this year - they'll be visiting all Whyalla schools on Friday, giving away plenty of freebies and is conducting a free coaching clinic on the Saturday for all Whyalla coaches as well as a umpiring seminar for our budding basketball referees up here in the Whyalla Basketball Association.

Let's hope for some finals contention in 2010/2011.

36ers topple Wildcats
October 17, 2010, 07:29 PM AEST
By: Steve Barrett, Sportal

Photo: Milbank Photography

BOXSCORE

The Adelaide 36ers have opened their 2010/11 campaign with an impressive 74-69 victory over the Perth Wildcats at the Distinctive Homes Dome on Sunday.

Adelaide, last season's wooden spooners, applied a supreme defensive squeeze on the defending champions, particularly early, before holding on despite a few tense moments.

Sixers guard Troy De Vries impressed in his first outing with his new club, scoring 20 points, to go with eight boards and five assists, and was well-supported by skipper Adam Ballinger (12 points) and new import Craig Winder, who scored all of his 11 points after halftime.

For Perth, Shawn Redhage and Kevin Lisch (19 points each) were the only players to hit double digits, Redhage's last 10 points coming in the final four minutes.

The 36ers played with plenty of purpose early to lead 19-13 at quarter-time, restricting Perth to just four-of-19 shooting from the floor with some intense defence, while also out-rebounding the visitors 14-7.

Offensively, reserve centre Daniel Johnson proved the surprise packet early, with seven first-quarter points at 100 per cent in just 3:57 of action off the bench, including a baseline dunk from a swift Darren Ng assist.

The Sixers maintained the rage in the second term to lead 35-25 at halftime, Perth's 25-point scoreline the second-lowest first-half aggregate in the Wildcats' long, exalted history.

Jacob Holmes was unable to find his shooting range early but his 10 first-half rebounds (four offensive, six defensive) was an exceptional effort as Adelaide had earlier fashioned a healthy 14-point buffer in the second period - off-season recruits Jeff Dowdell and De Vries connecting from three-point range and fellow newcomer Rhys Carter with a breakaway fast break dunk after conjuring a steal, characteristic of Adelaide's first-half defensive pressure and system.

But Perth, piloted by Damian Martin, Matt Knight and Lisch, fought back, scoring the last four points of the second term and then the first six of the third en route to an overall 21-4 tear which saw the Wildcats get right back into the contest.

Back-to-back Lisch treys saw Perth get its first lead of the afternoon, 40-39, with 4:22 left in the third.

But it would be short-lived, De Vries recapturing the lead for Adelaide 19 seconds later, before being involved in the match's most spectacular moment, when he threw an alley-oop pass to fellow American Winder, who finished with a breathtakingly athletic double-handed jam.

To that stage, first-gamer Winder was scoreless, after finding himself in foul trouble in the opening few minutes and stationed to the bench for much of the opening half. His first points as a 36er were as memorable as it gets.

Winder was fouled in the process and converted the foul shot before sticking a three-pointer shortly after. He inspired the Sixers, who weathered Perth's comeback to lead 50-43 at three-quarter time.

De Vries and Winder were again in the thick of the action in the fourth stanza, as the 36ers stretched their advantage out to 63-47 with 5:47 on the clock on a baseline drive and finish from Ng.

Led by Redhage, Perth had one last hurrah, outscoring the hosts 12-2 over the next four minutes to reduce the deficit to six points, but Adelaide steadied and iced it from the charity stripe.

Perth trek across the Tasman to tackle the New Zealand Breakers on Wednesday, while the Sixers head north to take on the Taipans in Cairns.

Adelaide 36ers 74 (De Vries 20, Ballinger 12, Winder 11)
Perth Wildcats 69 (Redhage 19, Lisch 19, Martin 8 )
at The Dome, 17/10/2009
Crowd: 5,021

Sixers bitten by Snakes
October 23, 2010, 10:54 PM AEST
By: Jamie Townsend

Photo: Gordon G Photography

BOXSCORE

The Cairns Taipans were pretty in pink defeating the Adelaide 36ers 85-74 at the Cairns Convention Centre on Saturday.

Unveiling a new look one off pink fundraising uniform and a quartet of new signings, the Taipans delivered a dominant victory that had their big home crowd in raptures.

Alex Loughton proved what a great recruit he will be leading all scorers with 20 points. He was well supported by Ian Crosswhite who scored 17 and was unstoppable in the third term as the Taipans took control of the match.

New import Ayinde Ubaka showed he will be the on-court general the Taipans have been craving, drilling some crucial threes and controlling play on his way to 16 points.

The new colour seemed to suit the Snakes who shot out of the blocks nailing their first three shots through Aaron Grabau, then new boys Ubaka and Loughton to take an early 6-0 lead.

A pair of triples to Troy De Vries and Brad Hill leveled it up as the visitors went on a ten point run to lead briefly. But the Snakes dominated the rest of the opening quarter taking a 21-15 lead into the first break.

Adelaide were able to hit back in a more free scoring second stanza and led briefly late in the term before the Snakes scored the last basket of the half to lead 41-38 at the main break.

The Taipans broke the game open in the third as Crosswhite took control on the inside scoring nine points for the term. The 36ers found trouble keeping pace late in the term with both Hill and import Craig Winder sitting on the bench with four fouls each. The hosts took full advantage with Ubaka’s three-quarter time buzzer beating three off the glass opening up the biggest lead of the match 66-55.

The 36ers tried hard in the final term, particularly defensively, and closed the gap to six points, but it was not to be with the Snakes roaring home.

Of the other two new signings for the Taipans, import Ron Dorsey showed glimpses of his athleticism while Daniel Dillion lifted the tempo each time he entered the court.

For the 36ers, De Vries looked classy, Winder had a running battle with the officials, Hill looked good early and Adam Ballinger scored freely late but didn’t get the court time he would normally expect.

The Taipans (1-1) will head down to the Gold Coast to tackle the Blaze on Friday night while the 36ers (1-1) return home for a three game stretch that starts with Wollongong next Sunday.

Cairns Taipans 85 (Loughton 20, Crosswhite 17, Ubaka 16)
Adelaide 36ers 74 (Ballinger 16, De Vries 12, Holmes 10)
Crowd: 4,250 @ Cairns Convention Centre

Sixers fall to Hawks
October 31, 2010, 07:05 PM AEST
By: Steve Barrett, Sportal

BOXSCORE

The fast-finishing Wollongong Hawks have stormed home to defeat the Adelaide 36ers 96-82 at The Dome on Sunday.

A dominant 29-18 final quarter saw the Hawks romp home with relative ease after what had been a topsy-turvy opening three quarters, just three points separating the two teams at the final change.

Gary Ervin showed his class and was clearly the game's best player with 26 points (at 63 percent) and 13 assists, while Oscar Forman (18 points, eight boards) was damaging early and Larry Davidson (15 points, 17 rebounds) was sensational in the second half in the paint and from the perimeter.

The Sixers were paced by Rhys Carter, Adam Ballinger and Craig Winder (all with 12 points), while Troy De Vries was tireless with nine points and 11 assists.

After scores were level at 13-apiece midway through the opening term, an 11-0 Wollongong spurt in the space of 94 seconds saw the Hawks seize the early advantage, Forman seemingly unstoppable and Ervin's playmaking of the highest order.

Adelaide called time-out and steadied the ship, reducing the margin to 31-24 at the end of an entertaining, offence-dominated first quarter.

Forman started brilliantly at his old hunting ground, bagging 11 first-term points at 83 percent and grabbing four boards, while Tim Coenraad's bench cameo comprised nine points in five minutes - a pair of treys and a trio of free throws after being fouled while firing one away outside the arc.

The Sixers raised their defensive intensity in the second stanza and recaptured the lead for the first time since the opening salvo when De Vries dropped a triple from the top of the key, 4:01 out from half-time before both sides entered the main interval tied at 45-all

The third term saw 10 lead changes as neither side could grab any real ascendancy.

That was until Tyson Demos found his range, drilling a hat-trick of threes in the space of 80 seconds late in the period to give the Hawks a six-point buffer, before Rhys Carter responded with a three-point bomb from the carpark on the three-quarter-time buzzer, to reduce Adelaide's deficit to 67-64 at the final change.

Ervin, who had six points and five assists in the third, continued to lift his team in the fourth quarter, with 11 points and four more assists.

His steal and breakaway dunk followed by a three-pointer helped extend the Hawks' lead to 13 points with 5:50 remaining.

Aided by Davidson (six points, seven boards in the final term), Ervin ensured Wollongong would be victorious, ultimately getting home comfortably, their shooting and overall play far more efficient from start to finish.

The 36ers (1-2) host the Sydney Kings on Saturday, while the Hawks (3-1) are on the road again next Sunday, this time to the Melbourne Tigers.

Wollongong Hawks 96 (Ervin 26, Forman 18, Davidson 15)
Adelaide 36ers 82 (Carter 12, Winder 12, Ballinger 12)
4,519 at The Dome, 31/10/2009

36ers dominate Kings
November 06, 2010, 10:23 PM AEST
By: Lee Gagliardi

Brad Hill

BOXSCORE

The Adelaide 36ers have recorded an impressive 12-point win over the Sydney Kings at The Dome, with the home side comfortably getting over the line 87-75.

Sydney trailed right from the start but tied the contest in the third term after Adelaide had led by seven points at the main break.

Adelaide were inspired by stunning performances from Troy De Vries who top scored with 18 points, while Adam Ballinger and Craig Winder were also brilliant, finishing with 16 and 15 points respectively.

Jacob Holmes also starred for the 36ers pulling down 10 rebounds and racking up six assists.

The 36ers had extended their lead at one stage to 14 but some sharp shooting from Damian Ryan and Luke Cooper kept the Kings in the contest.

Ryan and Cooper both finished with 17 points and if not for their heroics the margin could have been greater.

Ryan was deadly from the field and Cooper attacked the basket constantly while centre, Julian Khazzouh also stood out with 13 points and 10 rebounds.

Ballinger and Winder grabbed early points for the 36ers and put the Kings on the back foot right from the tip-off. When the hosts scored three consecutive baskets they found themselves in front by seven.

Ryan kept the lead from being stretched with a couple of three-pointers while guard Cooper also scored some valuable baskets as Sydney edged closer.

Adelaide's Darren Ng came off the bench to score back-to-back baskets and helped the 36ers take a three-point lead into the first break.

Usual suspects Ballinger and Winder continued to shine for Adelaide in the second quarter as did the Kings' Ryan and Cooper.

Guard De Vries also turned in a solid performance in the second term, attacking the basket, drawing fouls and hurting Sydney from the free-throw line where he converted four from four.

Sydney stormed onto the court from the half-time break and scored the first three baskets in a 6-0 run to cut Adelaide's lead to a point.

Two free throws from Kings' centre Khazzouh, a basket to Taj McCullough and another sweet shot from Ryan had the visitors right back in the contest.

It was Ryan who eventually tied the scores at 55 apiece midway through the term when he hit a shot from the paint after burning off his opponent.

Consecutive baskets to Ballinger and Winder put the 36ers back in front before a fast break saw Rhys Carter nail a three-point play after he was fouled in an unsportsmanlike manner from Cooper.

From the resulting ball in Ballinger pulled down a strong rebound and followed up with a score as Adelaide's lead shot out to nine.

De Vries turned it on in the final term, nailing back-to-back three-pointers for the 36ers midway through the fourth quarter helping his side clinch victory.

Adelaide 36ers 87: De Vries 18, Ballinger 16, Winder 15
Sydney Kings 75: Ryan 17, Cooper 17
@ The Dome, 6/11/2010

I'M NOT KEEPING THIS THREAD UP TO DATE ANYMORE AS CURRENTLY I THINK THE SIXERS ARE A COMPLETE JOKE AND IT'S NOTHING TO DO WITH THE WIN-LOSS RECORD.

I ORDERED A JUMPER FROM THEIR ONLINE STORE ON 4TH NOV. IT HAS STILL NOT ARRIVED AND THEY HAVE NOT RESPONDED TO ANY OF MY EMAILS. I ALSO WON A LITTLE COMPETITION OF THEIRS AND IS SUPPOSEDLY GOING TO RECEIVE A SIGNED BASKETBALL. I RANG THE CLUB TWICE AND ALL THEY COULD SAY IS THAT "THEY'LL GET BACK TO ME'.

WELL?? UNLUCKILY FOR THEM, I AM TRAVELLING DOWN TO ADELAIDE AND WIN SIT IN THEIR OFFICE WITH MY RECEIPT UNTIL I GET WHAT I WANT WITH PERHAPS A LITTLE EXTRA. THEY ARE A DISGRACE.

I think they are related to the Redbacks.

Conversely I ordered a San Francisco 49ers Hoodie from the US NFL web site and got an email everyday until the shipment arrived today.

That was probably a week and a half after I ordered it with Christmas in between.

Also ordered a shirt recently from the Liverpool online shop and that came in less than 2 weeks.

Those outfits are very very efficient with the online ordering stuff.

Yeah. I just ordered some stuff from Wake Forest University. Like you Chambo, I have been receiving an email every day so far. Great service.

Well the ordeal is over. I rang once again and finally got through to the marketing manager, who said that my items will be waiting for me at the New Years Eve game. They have slightly redeemed themselves, but better communication by them is needed to avoid these sorts of problems.

Enjoy the game HTWWW.

Watched the 36ers game on One HD last night versus the Melbourne Tigers. The 36ers were terrible and I can't remember seeing a worse performance from them, there defence was non existent.

Not sure what is going on there but they look like a club in crisis, hate to say it but they looked like a rabble.

They're a Jeckyl and Hyde mob at the moment. Last night was the worst performance I've seen in years.