The Blitz: Preview

The NBL is finally back in an official, on-court capacity. For pre-season at least. 

The Hungry Jack's NBL Blitz runs from September 16-22, and every team will be heading to the Gold Coast with NBL titles in their dreams and even slates to make it happen.

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The Kings may have won two straight championships, but that counts for nothing. The Hawks may have won just two games last season, but that counts for nothing. The playing field is even and the Blitz is the first real opportunity to strike against title rivals.

“The Blitz is here with the best NBL teams on the coast,’’ Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate said.

“This incredible tournament is the perfect way to get up close with the best players in our country and I applaud the NBL for ensuring tickets are affordable for all fans. It’s game time.’’

The Hungry Jack's NBL Blitz tips off on September 16.

Watch every game live & free via Kayo Freebies in Australia. International viewers can watch games free on the NBL YouTube channel. 

RELATED: Full schedule | Tickets | How to watch

Teams to watch

Illawarra Hawks
To say Illawarra struggled on-court last season is not only an understatement, but it’s been well covered over the past six to 12 months.

The Hawks stumbled their way through an injury-riddled season, but however difficult the going got on court, the team never fractured off it – and it’s exactly that type of culture that Jacob Jackomas, Tyler Harvey and company will be hoping to not only bring into the new season, but also helps them rebound back up the ladder.

The team’s biggest players are still there after the disappointment of NBL23. Co-captains Harvey and Sam Froling once again look primed to lead the side, and Justin Robinson has returned following his significant knee injury last year – and Jackomas is still at the helm.

The supporting case looks incredibly different though. Gary Clark has come in as the team’s third import, while Next Star AJ Johnson will add an element of excitement to the roster, albeit currently sidelined with a broken nose. 

Todd Blanchfield is back in Wollongong, while Mason Peatling and emerging star Lachlan Olbrich will help shore up the frontcourt positions.

There are plenty of players and themes that the Hawks have held onto from last season, and with some new additions, a bit of luck, and a strong Blitz showing – who knows how high they could fly?

Jacob Jackomas. 

Brisbane Bullets
If the Hawks have tinkered with their team and culture heading into NBL24, the Brisbane Bullets have torn theirs down and started from scratch.

Just five players – Aron Baynes, Nathan Sobey, DJ Mitchell, Tyrell Harrison and DP Matt Johns remain from the Bullets’ sluggish NBL23 campaign. Come Blitz time last season they were expected to compete for the title. They ended up finishing ninth.

Justin Schueller has been elected as the man to lead the Bullets back to the promised land, and given the club has made the post-season just once since re-entering the league in 2016, the impatience is palpable.

Schueller has used his extensive list of junior basketball contacts to bring together an exciting roster that includes young local talents Josh Bannan and Rocco Zikarsky, former Tasmania pair Isaac White and Sam McDaniel, and tenured imports Shannon Scott and Chris Smith.

The Bullets offer one of the most intriguing packages with their combination of local star talent in Baynes and Sobey, emerging young guns and wily veterans – all under a first-year head coach.

With the Blitz being held on the Gold Coast there will be ample opportunity for Bullets fans to hit the road and take a first look at this team. Strap in, it’s going to be a fun ride.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">92 seconds, four points, a board and a ??????? block. Rocco Zikarsky has arrived on the scene in Q1??<br><br>Catch all the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NBL24?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NBL24</a> action live on the NBL app <a href="https://t.co/EmKQRE9zh9">https://t.co/EmKQRE9zh9</a> <a href="https://t.co/wLGeUxmPOD">pic.twitter.com/wLGeUxmPOD</a></p>&mdash; NBL (@NBL) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBL/status/1689560403821666304?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 10, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Get your first look

Jordan Usher
When a player who comes into the NBL with proclamations of their intent to win Defensive Player of the Year, taking it all in with a grain of salt is advised. Second year pro and first-time NBL player Jordan Usher looks the real deal though.

The 25-year-old former Besiktas wing earned a reputation in college for being able to guard any position on the court, and at over 200 centimetres tall, he has the physical tools to make life difficult for any opponent.

The Wildcats have formed their modern identity on their gritty and hard-nosed defending, but that was a trait that was missing its usual bite in their side last season.

Usher, who impressed in the club's recent games against G-League Ignite, coming in could well change that and bring back a glimmer of the Damian Martin and Shawn Redhage led Wildcats, and that would be a sight for sore Perth eyes.

Jordan Usher.

Jordon Crawford
He’s been a pro for almost a decade, but Jordon Crawford has never played in a .500 team across his career.

Those words from former South East Melbourne head coach Simon Mitchell will be ringing in the ears of the Tassie faithful, as Scott Roth’s newest scoring guard takes to the floor for the first time in JackJumpers green.

Crawford’s signing represents a departure from Roth’s tried and tested guard combination over the course of Tasmania’s short history in the NBL of Josh Magette – a distributor and hardy defender – at the one, and Josh Adams/Milton Doyle – an electric, All-NBL level scorer – at the two.

Now Doyle will likely be paired with Crawford in the starting backcourt, and both have the potential to be two of the most electric offensive talents in the competition this season.

The Blitz will offer an early look into how they each get their own shots up, while keeping the rest of the team involved.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Jordon Crawford has the jumper firing on all cylinders early ?<br><br>Stream the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NBL23?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NBL23</a> pre-season action live and free on the NBL app ? <a href="https://t.co/idlXlpX5J2">https://t.co/idlXlpX5J2</a> ? <a href="https://t.co/yII4JoROsk">pic.twitter.com/yII4JoROsk</a></p>&mdash; NBL (@NBL) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBL/status/1696808247917678625?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 30, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Jonah Bolden
It’s a big name back in the NBL game.

Jonah Bolden will make his first official return to the court in two years when he suits up for Sydney at the Blitz, with the hopes he can help lead Mahmoud Abdelfattah’s new-look side to what would be the second three-peat in the history of the club.

The biggest question marks around how a big name will translate to the NBL is usually saved for the imports, with the leading example being Alan Williams’ early foul trouble in NBL23 – that is, until he adapted to the different style.

This season though the most uncertain aspect of the opening stanza of the season is definitely how Bolden will ease back into the professional game. The former Philadelphia 76er is an exceptional athlete with great size, but two years totally removed from top level basketball is a long, long time.

With how heavily teams tend to be rotated in pre-season tournaments don’t take Bolden’s performances as gospel, regardless of whether he stars or struggles. They will, however, offer an indication as to how the former Boomers representative will fare in the early weeks of the season.

Jonah Bolden.

Parker Jackson-Cartwright
Jackson-Cartwright will hit the NBL floor with the longest name in league history, come Round 1 – but that’s not what makes him an interesting prospect ahead of NBL24.

Jackson-Cartwright has had to fight his way to the top level of international basketball, but with every level he’s climbed he’s just continued to thrive.

The 28-year-old earned his stripes with British Basketball League team Cheshire, and ended his season there second in the league in points, third in assists and first in steals per game.

A move to the French second tier with Saint-Quentin followed, where he was named the league’s MVP.

He then moved onto German Basketball Bundesliga side Bonn where, once again, he was named the league MVP.

The EuroLeague then came calling with ASVEL, and he spent the final part of the 2023 season playing alongside Jordan Usher at Besiktas.

Jackson-Cartwright has been climbing the ladder of world basketball through the past almost half decade, and the NBL represents another step into the top level of international hoops.

It can be assumed that he’s been brought in to replace reigning NBL Sixth Man of the Year Barry Brown Jr – and those are some big boots to fill – but history shows he’ll rise to the challenge.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">PLAYER PROFILES: Parker Jackson-Cartwright<br><br>Bringing elite playmaking and defensive tenacity, our import guard already has a Bundesliga MVP under his belt - now he’s looking for an NBL chip ?<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/UNBREAKABLE?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#UNBREAKABLE</a> <a href="https://t.co/X2Vm3CjgpA">pic.twitter.com/X2Vm3CjgpA</a></p>&mdash; BNZ Breakers (@NZBreakers) <a href="https://twitter.com/NZBreakers/status/1699678893324800010?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 7, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

The Next Stars class

With over 40 NBA scouts heading to the Blitz to watch some of the NBL’s top young talents, this group of Next Stars looms as the most exciting in the history of the program.

As it stands, Illawarra’s AJ Johnson, Overtime Elite graduate and Perth’s Alex Sarr, Cairns’ Bobi Klintman and Adelaide’s Trentyn Flowers are all being seen as potential first-round picks by various American media outlets, while Mantas Rubstavicius is currently being classified as a second round pick.

Centre of Excellence graduates Rocco Zikarsky and Alex Toohey will be flying the flag for the home contingent of young talent, while Ariel Hukporti will make his official return to the court following his grim Achilles injury he suffered at last year’s Blitz.

Sarr is the name on everyone's lips currently, after an incredible showing against the G-League Ignite in Las Vegas last week. Some experts even have him looming as a potential number one pick at the NBA Draft, such has been his rise. 

Alex Sarr.

Young guns on the rise

Owen Foxwell
After two years honing his craft as a development player Owen Foxwell has been elevated to South East Melbourne’s full roster for NBL24.

The diminutive guard has already shown himself to be a defensive machine and ably covered in the Phoenix’s depleted guard rotation in the early stages of last season and, despite receiving limited burn when his side’s full contingent was available, still ranked inside the top 20 for steals per game in NBL23.

He finished above noted defensive studs Luke Travers, DJ Hogg and Shea Ili in the key metric.

Gary Browne and Will Cummings look set to form the Phoenix’s starting guard pair come Round 1, but Foxwell could prove to be a sparkplug off the bench alongside new arrival Ben Ayre.

And, having only recently turned 20, he’s far from his potential ceiling.

Owen Foxwell. 

David Okwera
New Perth signing Okwera had an unconventional off-season to say the least. Following his declaration for the 2023 NBA Draft Okwera travelled to the United States as a part of a training contingent that included eventual number one draft selection Victor Wembanyama.

He then pulled out of the draft and returned to NBL1 West with the Perth Redbacks and earned a nomination as the conference’s Youth Player of the Year despite playing just nine games for the side.

He’s part of a top-heavy Perth frontcourt and will have to fight for his minutes, but the Blitz will allow Okwera to throw down the gauntlet and prove why he deserves even more opportunity.

New kids on the block

Taran Armstrong
He may not be a Next Star, but Taran Armstrong is a young and emerging local talent with genuine NBL upside.

He’s returned to Australia following two years at California Baptist University in the NCAA Div I – and his talent was obvious to anyone who watched his freshman year in which he earned the WAC Freshman of the Year award.

Whether he starts ahead of veteran guard Patrick Miller remains to be seen, but Armstrong is the likely leader in one of the most incredible pools of returning local college talent the NBL has ever seen.

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Sam Mennenga
If Armstrong is the likely leading Australian talent to open his professional career in NBL24, Sam Mennenga is certainly one of the top Kiwis.

The former Davidson big elected to link up with the Forde talent factory over heading to New Zealand in a possible repeat of the decision that proved to be so successful for inaugural Next Generation Award winner and fellow Taipan Sam Waardenburg.

Like Waardenburg, he has the ability to both crash and bash down low as well as step out and hit the three, and Tall Blacks fans could be getting an early look at the future of the national team’s frontcourt running around in Cairns orange.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">The Cairns Taipans made Kiwi big-man Sam Mennenga a priority going into NBL Free Agency.<br><br>Today’s episode of The Marketplace is here: <a href="https://t.co/Kju8kQmehN">https://t.co/Kju8kQmehN</a> <a href="https://t.co/C593TjN1ZP">pic.twitter.com/C593TjN1ZP</a></p>&mdash; Olgun Uluc (@OlgunUluc) <a href="https://twitter.com/OlgunUluc/status/1643923185749073921?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 6, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Josh Bannan
The signing of Bannan was the first look Brisbane fans had at the connection between Justin Schueller and some of Australia’s brightest young talents, and the former Montana big is set to turn heads in NBL24.

Bannan worked out with the Indiana Pacers prior to arriving in Brisbane, and is obviously one NBA scouts are looking to keep their eyes on.

He’s a modern big, and while he’ll be most comfortable playing at the four alongside the likes of Aron Baynes or Tyrell Harrison, he does possess the motor and strength to get his hands dirty on the glass if and when required.

His abilities have been somewhat lost in the furor surrounding Next Star Rocco Zikarsky’s incredible first run in Brisbane colours against California Baptist, but Bannan was quietly among the best players on the court that day too.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Josh Bannan spotted putting in work at the <a href="https://twitter.com/Pacers?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Pacers</a>&#39; pre-NBA Draft workout ? <a href="https://t.co/9tMmGJ3EKl">pic.twitter.com/9tMmGJ3EKl</a></p>&mdash; NBL (@NBL) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBL/status/1666205285915168768?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 6, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

New threads

Marcus Lee
The arrival of Marcus Lee changed the game for Melbourne United last season, and the seven-foot shotblocker is staying in the NBL for the upcoming season.

Despite only playing just over half the campaign for United, Lee was named as the team’s Defensive Player of the Year. Now he’s found a team that looks to comprehensively align with his defensive abilities.

Tasmania look set to be undermanned at the five spot for the Blitz. Will Magnay will likely miss the pre-season, while new acquisition Majok Deng will be returning from World Cup duty with South Sudan.

Lee, Fabijan Krslovic and NRP Majok Majok will all have an early chance to impress ahead of the new season in this new-look side.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Milton Doyle. Jordon Crawford. Marcus Lee. ?<br><br>The <a href="https://twitter.com/JackJumpers?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@JackJumpers</a> import trio has been coming together for a long, long time ??<a href="https://t.co/ZCJOuSUqcU">https://t.co/ZCJOuSUqcU</a></p>&mdash; NBL (@NBL) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBL/status/1672809338229100544?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 25, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

DJ Hogg
The Sydney Kings are so sure of DJ Hogg’s ability to come in and be a game-changer for them that they signed the former Taipan before new head coach Mahmoud Abdelfattah was even in place.

Hogg was, quite simply, incredible last season. The All-NBL Second Team member is a versatile forward who can impact both ends of the floor and, although they do play somewhat differently, he looks like the odds-on replacement for Xavier Cooks.

Can Hogg launch himself into the stratosphere of MVP calculations under Abdelfattah and help guide the Kings to a third straight title?

Craig Moller
After a stint in Germany and a horrific, potentially career-ending injury, Craig Moller is back in the NBL next season.

The one-time AFL footballer traded the NBL for the German BBL following the culmination of NBL21, and after missing the entirety of last season with that injury he’s back on Australian shores and ready to remind fans what he’s capable of.

He was an NBL champion in 2018 with South East Melbourne’s cross-town rivals Melbourne United, and Moller looms as a crucial cog in the new-look Phoenix under Mike Kelly.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Craig Moller’s first competitive action for 17 months - against United, who helped to the 2018 NBL title.<br>“I reckon first touch might be going straight up.”<br>Here for it…<br>MORE: <a href="https://t.co/IY5Ae4rLUL">https://t.co/IY5Ae4rLUL</a> <a href="https://t.co/pEAPTEZoGs">pic.twitter.com/pEAPTEZoGs</a></p>&mdash; Michael Randall (@MickRandallHS) <a href="https://twitter.com/MickRandallHS/status/1700433991445446895?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 9, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

The schedule

The rules

The Hungry Jack's NBL Blitz tips off on September 16.

Watch every game live & free via Kayo Freebies in Australia. International viewers can watch games free on the NBL YouTube channel.