In the first of a regular series, we check in on how some of our current (and former) Tall Blacks athletes have fared in competitions across the ditch – and around the world – over the past week.
Australian NBL:
- In the opening night of the Aussie NBL season on Thursday, Shea Ili scored 8 points & 5 rebounds, Rob Loe 9 points, 5 rebounds and 3 assists and Flynn Cameron added 3 points and 2 assists off the bench in Melbourne United’s 82-67 win over South East Melbourne Phoenix. Tall Blacks captain Reuben Te Rangi tallied 4 points & 5 rebounds for the Phoenix.
- The Brisbane Bullets recorded a 86-71 win over the Adelaide 36ers on Friday, with Tyrell Harrison scoring 6 points, 9 rebounds and 4 blocks off the bench in 18 minutes of action.
- Also on Friday, Corey Webster had 16 points – hitting 4-6 from downtown – for Perth Wildcats in their 101-95 victory over the Tasmanian JackJumpers, with Hyrum Harris contributing 3 rebounds, 2 steals and a block.
- The NZ Breakers 98-87 win over Cairns Taipans on Saturday saw Finn Delany score 18 points, hitting 4/7 from downtown, while Tom Abercrombie scored 5 in his 400th NBL game. Izayah Le’afa scored 7 points along with 4 assists off the bench. Sam Mennenga made a solid debut for the Taipans with 17pts on 7/11 shooting; Sam Waardenburg with 12.
- Melbourne United faced the Adelaide 36ers on Sunday, earning the 82-74 win with Shea Ili scoring 6 points, 3 assists and a pair of steals. Rob Loe had 5 & 7 off the bench and Flynn Cameron scored 8 points and 7 rebounds. Tohi Smith-Milner scored 10 points for the Phoenix.
- Also on Sunday, South East Melbourne Phoenix recorded a 110-99 victory over the Perth Wildcats; Reuben Te Rangi with 10 points and 4 rebounds and Anzac Rissetto scoring 4. Corey Webster tallied 5 points and 5 assists for the Wildcats, while Dontae Russo-Nance made his Australian NBL debut – scoring 4 points along with a steal. Hyrum Harris added 3 points off the bench.
Rest of the World:
- In Germany’s Basketball Bundesliga League (BBL), Yanni Wetzell scored 6 points in Alba Berlin’s 90-81 win over MLP Academics Heidelberg in their first game of the season.
- Playing in the British Basketball League (BBL), England’s top-tier basketball competition, Jordan Hunt registered a team-leading 15 points along with 7 rebounds in a 67-70 loss to Sheffield on Friday.
- In the Serbian Basketball League, Joe Cook-Green made his debut for KK Metalac Valjevo – scoring 10 points in the team’s 92-101 loss on Friday.
- Also on Friday, Isaac Davidson debuted for the LoKoKo Bisons Loimaa in the Finland’s Men’s League competition; scoring 5 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists in their 71-91 loss.
- On Monday night, Brayden Inger’s Hemel Storm bested the MK Breakers 94-91 in the KitKing Trophy Quarter Finals in England’s NBL Div 1; Inger the top-scorer with 20 points, 4 rebounds and 4 assists.
