Studs and Duds: Round 8

At the conclusion of each round, NBL Media’s Liam Santamaria lets us know who made the grade and who deserves a little shade.

STUDS

 

Harry Froling (Illawarra Hawks)

There was plenty to enjoy across the six days of Round 8 but nothing was more fun than Harry Froling’s big night.

With Duop Reath banged up, Froling turned Illawarra’s clash with Adelaide into something of a personal showcase. 

The big fella was terrific. He brought the energy on the glass, made good decisions with the ball and, as the game wore on, completely lost his mind from long range. In fact, when all was said and done Froling had drilled a ridiculous 8-of-10 from three-point territory and poured in a career-high 27 points, to go with 9 boards, 3 assists and a couple of steals.

“This is probably the most fun I’ve had playing basketball,” Harry commented postgame.

“Whether I’m doing well or doing poorly, ‘Goorj’ is on me about my stuff on the court and my stuff off the court. I think that’s really helping me evolve as a player and a person.”

It sure seems to be. And the payoff is being enjoyed by both Froling and the Hawks. 

 

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">A 8?IG NIGHT FOR HARRY! <a href="https://twitter.com/HarryFroling?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@HarryFroling</a> was absolutely rolling vs the 36ers in Round 8, dropping a career-high 27 points and knocking down 8 triples in the <a href="https://twitter.com/illawarrahawks?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@illawarrahawks</a> W ? <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NBL22?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NBL22</a> By the Numbers powered by <a href="https://twitter.com/LaTrobeFin?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@LaTrobeFin</a> <a href="https://t.co/XIGHDvACxJ">pic.twitter.com/XIGHDvACxJ</a></p>&mdash; The NBL (@NBL) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBL/status/1486458297549225984?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 26, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

 

 

Perth Wildcats

The other outstanding performance this week also took place in the ‘Gong, but it wasn’t delivered by the home team. No, this one belonged to the Wildcats, who overcame yet another slow start to get the better of the Hawks.

Vic Law, Todd Blanchfield and the captain of the Studs, Bryce Cotton, all scored 20+ points while other guys like Michael Frazier and Mitch Norton also played well. 

“Different guys got hot at different times,” head coach Scott Morrison said.

“That’s the benefit of having close to a full roster, which we haven’t really had all season. We saw the benefits of that tonight.”

I tell you what: Perth’s ability to fight their way out of holes has been awfully impressive. However, the issue of their slow starts certainly needs addressing as it’s become a bit of a trend. What’s also becoming the standard is the Wildcats playing on the road and, unfortunately, that’s not about to change any time soon.

Melbourne United

Speaking of playing away from home, the United train stopped at another couple of stations this week and continued its successful tour of opposing home gyms.

That’s now eight wins in a row for Chris Goulding & Co., with the past six of them claimed outside of Victoria.

The not-so-secret to their success is, of course, their D but particularly their ability to get stops in big moments. In fact, over the course of their winning streak opponents are averaging just 13.7 points per fourth quarter.

“When we’ve really turned up our defence in key moments, we’ve been tough to score on,” head coach Dean Vickerman said.

“We’ve got lots to tidy up still but I’m glad that we’re finding different contributions and really playing some solid defence in key moments.”

They’re also knocking down shots, which helps. That late triple from Delly yesterday was all kinds of clutch while this one from Goulding was absolutely filthy…

 

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Nah that&#39;s just silly, CG.<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NBL22?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NBL22</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/ESPNAusNZ?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ESPNAusNZ</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/kayosports?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@kayosports</a> <a href="https://t.co/TJEmGSxyPe">pic.twitter.com/TJEmGSxyPe</a></p>&mdash; The NBL (@NBL) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBL/status/1484797175867400192?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 22, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

South East Melbourne Phoenix

The Phoenix were the other team to go 2-0 across Round 8 as they took care of business against the JackJumpers and the Snakes. 

It took them a while to get on top of in Tassie but when they did, SEM ran all over the Ants. They then took their talents to regional Victoria where they put the hurt on the undermanned Taipans.

Now, don’t get me wrong: these were both regulation wins for South East Melbourne but they did use them effectively to help build some momentum. They also took the chance to assimilate new signing Brandon Ashley, who stepped into the starting line-up on Tuesday while Zhou Qi was unwell. Ashley was productive in both games, while Phoenix fans will have enjoyed seeing Ryan Broekhoff and Cam Gliddon combine for seven made threes in the win over Cairns.

Of course, Simon Mitchell’s squad was led superbly by…

Mitch Creek (South East Melbourne Phoenix)

Creek strengthened his MVP candidacy this round with another pair of excellent performances. 

The league’s second-leading scorer scored 11 of his game-high 19 points against Tassie in the decisive third quarter as the Phoenix used a 32-15 period to break the game open. He then went up another level on Tuesday, posting 26 and 8 with a career-high 7 steals.

Let’s be clear: any conversation around MVP candidates right now must heavily involve Wolf Creek.

“He’s been amazing,” Mitchell remarked.

“He seems to have a little more zest from last year. He seems to have fallen back in love with the game, which I think is important. He’s a great leader of this ball club, he’s a great locker room presence and a great instructor to his teammates. 

‘His name could probably go with those three letters at this point of the season but there’s a long way to go.”

Will Magnay (Tasmania JackJumpers)

‘Two-Way’ Magnay catching oops and swatting shots? Yes please!

 

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">The <a href="https://twitter.com/JackJumpers?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@JackJumpers</a> might have lost to the Phoenix, but Will Magnay (<a href="https://twitter.com/MagnayWill?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@MagnayWill</a>) had himself a proper <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NBL22?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NBL22</a> breakout game yesterday <br><br>10 points 8 rebounds 5 BLOCKS and 2 steals for the JJ&#39;s BIG guy ?? <a href="https://t.co/iN35msw9sM">pic.twitter.com/iN35msw9sM</a></p>&mdash; The NBL (@NBL) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBL/status/1485483795554119681?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 24, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Sunday Dech (Adelaide 36ers)

Let’s finish this section with a quick shout-out to everyone’s favourite day, who has really impressed in his first three games back from injury.

Dech has been a shining light for the Sixers over their past few outings, applying his trademark hard-nosed D and shooting 10-of-18 from beyond the arc.

“He’s a workhouse,” Adelaide coach CJ Bruton noted about Dech. 

“He’s done everything to get himself right and how he’s bounced back has been amazing. He’s brought the juice and energy to the team and has definitely sparked the group.”

DUDS

 

Josh Adams (Tasmania JackJumpers)

Tassie’s athletic import was terrific in their two games immediately after Christmas, but he just couldn’t get going this week as his side went down to the Phoenix.

Adams found his groove against New Zealand on Boxing Day (21 points) and against Melbourne on New Year’s Day (23) when he focused on attacking off the bounce and putting heat on the rim. 

This week, however, the bouncy guard found things difficult as his side came back from their COVID-related break. He made a couple of attacking drives but, for the most part, Adams went back to his jumper, shooting just 2-of-14 from the field and 0-for-5 from long range, without getting to the free throw line.

Unfortunately, Adams wasn’t Tassie’s only guy who was struggling with his touch. Fellow import Josh Magette put his impressive playmaking skills on display with a season-high 9 assists but he also shot it poorly, finishing 3-of-13 from the field for his 9 points.

With Canadian MiKyle McIntosh also struggling to finish, the Tassie imports combined for an ugly 7-for-36 from the field, including 1-for-12 from long range.

“We have guys that aren’t making shots that need to step up and start making shots. That would help us across the board,” Tassie coach Scott Roth said.

Cairns Taipans

The Taipans, meanwhile, need to solve their problem of throwing the ball away.

Returning from a long break with key players missing, the Snakes went to Gippsland this week and kicked the ball around the gym.

The Phoenix deserve credit for the defensive pressure, but let’s be honest: Cairns were also really sloppy. They had seven guys commit multiple turnovers – including Tahjere McCall with 9! – as they recorded 23 in total, setting a new high for any team this season. 

“I don’t mind the turnovers when we’re attacking the rim,” Adam Forde said.

“But you get a stop and then you throw the ball into the front row. You get a stop and then you pass it straight to the opposition... that’s what we need to address.”

Quick-Trigger USFs 

The momentary shorts grab from Cooks, the back-court bump from Delly… never mind worrying about the ‘letter of the law’, just hold back on that whistle and let the game flow.

Dusty Hannahs (Adelaide 36ers)

It’s officially time for Dusty Hannahs to fire up.

Recruited to be the high-scoring guard you need alongside Mitch McCarron, Dusty just hasn’t hit that mark often enough across Adelaide’s first 8 games.

He got going a couple of times prior to Christmas but, unfortunately, has been awfully quiet since returning this month. As a result, CJ Bruton is now bringing the Arkansas native off the bench, seemingly hoping that a reserve role might help him find that spark.

“Dusty’s like my Steph Curry,” Bruton said, following Adelaide’s loss to Melbourne. 

“He can come in and put points on the board and I want him to do that. I’ve told him that. I’m pretty sure if he can get the Sixth Man Award he’ll be happy with that. He wants to do whatever’s best for the team.”  

Sheesh, Steph is an interesting comparison. His point, of course, is that Hannahs has the ability to get hot. Sixers fans just need to see it.

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