Wheelchair Basketball Development League off to great start
The National Wheelchair Basketball Development League (NWBDL) played its inaugural round last weekend (5–7 March) at the Australian Institute of Sport in Canberra. The weekend was highlighted by a number of hard-fought games, with no matches having a final margin over 10 points.
12 March 2010
The
tournament brought together 36 of the country’s best players, including eight
Western Australians. The aim was to develop the existing and next generation of
national and international wheelchair basketball athletes and advance
wheelchair basketball coaches, referees and technical officials.
To help achieve this, athletes were divided into four teams of players with experience ranging from 1-2 years with the National Wheelchair Basketball League (NWBL) to those who had competed at international level. Coaches were given the task of taking charge of an unfamiliar group of players.
The four teams were named after past Australian captains John Turich, Sandy Blythe, David Gould and Brad Ness.
Team Turich, which took the name of the first Rollers captain John Turich, finds itself in a strong position sitting on top of the ladder going into the second round with four wins and no losses, although the team did not have it easy.
Turich came from behind in its first match against Team Gould and then had to survive a nail-biter against Team Ness, after Beijing Paralympian Grant Mizens missed a last second lay-up, to win the game.
Australian U/23 representative and Team Turich Forward, Chris Barty said the consensus was that the first round had been a worthwhile experience.
“To be honest I was really surprised by the high standard. I got a lot out of it; I think all the guys did,” he said.
“Obviously playing for Perth in the National League is great because we have a strong playing list and you get to take the floor with the likes of Justin Eveson and Shaun Norris, but it does mean that the next level of guys are fighting for minutes like seagulls over a chip, so any extra chance we get to play is really valuable.”
Barty said having the chance to play with those who lived outside of his native Perth added an extra element to the games.
“The chance to play alongside guys like Nick Taylor was also pretty great. He’s such a natural offensive player and you can really pick up a lot from someone like that,” he said. “It was also good to play against some of the boys from home, it definitely makes you push your chair a little harder.
“I think it was also nice for Gouldy (Turich Coach David Gould) to pick up a few wins. I’m not sure he gets too many in the regular season with Adelaide,” joked Barty.
With the next round due to start on 19 March, Barty was cautiously optimistic about his team’s chances.
“I think we are in with a good chance, but you can’t take anything for granted,” he said. “All the teams are strong. I mean, Team Gould may not have picked up a win this weekend but they were always in it and they have some quality guys to come into their side next round, so they’ll be one to look out for.”
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