NBL Stars: "Ebi's in town!"

Anstey's Tigers were the underdogs in last years finals series against the ladder leader Sydney Kings. With 43-year-old D-Mac steadying the ship, Thomas making plays, Barlow hitting shots and Lampley stepping up, the Tigers were crowned the Kings in 2008. With Sam Mackinnon (2006 League MVP) and Grizzard stepping in for D-Mac and Thomas this new season, sports bookmakers were already placing the Tigers as the title favourites.

In what looked to be an already solid line-up, along came the addition of superstar import Ebi Ere, last year's NBL leading scorer and runner-up MVP (to Chris Anstey). Ebi just got back from almost securing a spot in the NBA with the Memphis Grizzlies. The NBA camps are on during an important signing time for the NBL and European clubs, which makes it hard for players chasing the NBA dream to sign a deal with another club too soon. The South Dragons had Ebi's word he'd play with them this season, until the Dragons made it clear they didn't want to wait around, as they ended up signing Tremmell Darden, letting Ebi Ere do his thing. As soon as Ebi just missed out on his NBA spot, the Tigers had one import spot still open and immediately looked into getting Ebi in town. The deal came through and the Dragons apparently said something about taking the matter to court as they had his signature, which was all about business and not the well-being of Ebi's career. Nothing more has been reported about that, but the only court Ebi Ere will appear in will be NBL arena's across Australia, putting on a show for the true fans of Australian basketball.

In Ebi's first game for the Tigers, he came out with a quiet 31 points. After 4 games he's the 2nd highest scorer in the league already with 24ppg. A lot of Tiger fans may say Barlow, Anstey or Mackinnon should be featured here as the Tigers NBL Star, which is fair as they're all great players in their own right. But the reason Ebi gets the Star in Melbourne is because this is about which player you'd pay to go see the most, which player who can put on a show for the crowd and get the job done, a player who can give you the most memories and highlights... and that player is Ebi Ere. Every NBL team Ebi's played for he has helped them bring home a title; Sydney in 04, Brisbane in 07.

A player that most teams hate to match up against, but when he's on your side, you know what to expect in the fourth quarter every night. On a game night while we were walking to the Tigers stadium all the way from the zoo parking (while the new carpark is being built), I said to a Tigers fan "it's a long walk true!" He turned around and said, "Yeah, but it's all worth it... Ebi's in town!"

Living in Hoopcity: The Intro

Whatsup guys, welcome to the new Hoopcity blog. We thought we'd get this started to give you guys a 'behind-the-scenes' look at what goes on behind the magazine and what's still to come.

We've called the blog 'Living in Hoopcity' because Hoopcity is more than just another magazine, it represents Australian basketball, the lifestyle, and what the game is all about. We've lived and breathed the game ever since we were kids searching for inspiration back in the early 90s. We were there when the game blew up, and we were there when the game fell off the Australian sporting landscape. And we're still here today, with a motive to help bring the game in Australia back to the level it once was and beyond. The inspiration, the feeling, the friendships and life lessons that came with the game ultimately shaped who we are today. And to see basketball not shown on free TV or getting the respectable media coverage it deserves now, more and more young people are missing out on the experiences and lessons we learnt through basketball. The game's always been inspiring and entertaining, though the marketing and community involvement from the pro level has gradually disappeared over the years. Some people blame the lack of sponsors and funding, which leads to lower salaries, then top players head overseas for bigger bucks. Or some people say it's due to having no free TV coverage, therefore a lack of support and awareness. No matter what people try to blame, we need to all man up and take some responsibility. We've all been a part of this games fall by sitting on the sidelines instead of getting in the game, and we can all be a part of the games rise by getting involved, teaching kids some fundamentals, finding ways to promote your team, getting to the games and bringing friends or family along.

Hoopcity hopefully can bring something back to the game that's been missing in Australia for a long time; respect in the media and linking the Australian pro's back with the grassroots level.

NBL Stars: Corey "Homicide" Williams

Without question, Homicide is the NBL's superstar up in Townsville. He brings an energy to the game that gets the crowd up and his teammates ready to play (no matter what city he's in!). The Crocs look to Corey as a leader, a weapon that's no longer a secret around the league. From playing college ball, streetball, NBA camps, pro ball in Brazil, China, Croatia, and now Australia, Homicide may have found his new home, just like D-Mac did at the similar age of 30.

Last season Homicide put up 22-5-5 (pts/rebs/asts) and this year after 3 games he's looking to be back to his best averaging 23-8-4.

As for this season so far? The headline after Townsville's first game was "36ers thump Crocs" as Townsville left some of their game back on the plane before landing in Adelaide. 6 days later they had a date with the South Dragons, who just knocked off the Wildcats and look to be a top 3 or 4 team this year with their new recruits. Homicide led the upset with 22 points, 9 in the fourth, taking home the win 91-89.

The next game the Crocs had was 2 days later, another big test against cross-town rivals, the Cairns Taipans. Cairns also look to be a team that will contend for the championship if healthy. The underdog Crocs got the job done in another close one, 100-96. Corey finished with 31 points leading the most impressive comeback so far this season.

When I saw how tough the teams were this season; the Tigers, Dragons, Taipans, Breakers, 36ers and Wildcats looked to be favourites for finishing in the top 6 playoffs. The Crocs have the best scoring point guard in the country, but on paper there's about 4 teams that look deeper. Now the Crocs just knocked off 2 of them, we could be seeing a glimpse of this seasons sleeper that could sneak in under the radar.

25% of Townsville fans vote Homicide as their favourite player, while the other 75% of votes are spread out amongst the rest of the players.

If you need a reason to get to an NBL game this season, get a glimpse of Homicide and the Townsville Crocs when they hit your town.

Note: Homicide is the first streetball player not in the NBA (and first ever NBL player) to have his own shoe named after him. K1X recently released the "187" Homicide signature shoe. To check it out and grab yours go to http://www.k1x.com.au/