The Sydney Kings returned to action tonight. It may have been pre-season action and it may have been against a non-NBL squad, but it provided a great deal of excitement and promise nonetheless.
Touring Drake University put up a great fight for the first quarter at least, startling the newly-assembled Kings roster by going ahead 23-17 at quarter time. Five minutes later though, the purple and gold had gained the ascendancy, taking a 34-30 lead that they would not relinquish the rest of the way.
The final score: 95-62 Kings. However, the scoreline was of little importance. For the fans, this game was all about seeing the purple and gold uniforms on the floor again; and for Ian “Moose” Robilliard’s coaching staff, this was about testing out new players and combinations in the wild.
And as I said at the top, this game left all in attendance with a feeling of anticipation — a feeling resembling a kid a week before Christmas that has snuck a look under their mum’s bed and know that they’re going to receive a fantastic gift. Quite simply, so many tantalising options on the Kings roster were unearthed tonight that fans could be excused for letting their imaginations get away from them.
Don’t forget, the active roster I’m about to describe is lacking three key players that are yet to hit the floor.
Julian Khazzouh
The big man who was arguably the best player in Australia in 2010/11 has not lost a step — he looks ready to go and will once again be the guy that every NBL team focuses on stopping week in, week out. He finished tonight’s game with 20 points (10/14 FG), 12 rebounds, 5 blocks in 28 heavily-guarded minutes. Enough said.
Ben Madgen
The reigning NBL Rookie of the Year showed that he is well and truly ready to carry on where he left off in his first season of pro hoops. After being called up to the Australian Boomers over the off-season, despite an elbow complaint, the shooting guard showed the pure form that makes him a fan favourite, knocking down 3/4 three-pointers for 17 points, complemented nicely by six rebounds and four assists in 27 minutes. Look out for an in-depth interview with Madgen exclusive to A Stern Warning in the coming day or two.
Luke Martin
Either Moose was providing the recently-married point guard with a honeymoon break, or more likely, he already knows what he will get on the court from the Kings stalwart. Martin played 19 minutes, the least of the Kings’ three-headed point guard monster, but understandably, there are no surprises in his game to be unearthed by the coaching staff.
Luke Cooper
True to his terrier form, Coops was all over the floor, playing with the tenacious passion which saw him as an early favourite for Rookie of the Year in 2010/11 before injury cut that short. He managed to draw a game-high nine fouls on his inspired drives to the basket, finishing with 10 points and two assists, to go along with some impressive defence.
Aaron Bruce
I’ve long supported the signing of Bruce to the Kings as a great move. He is a big guard who provides the Kings with a different look and the ability to put a very long team on the floor if Robilliard chooses to. Against Drake, despite carrying a corked calf which took some time to warm up, he showed exactly what he is capable of. In a well-rounded performance, Bruce contributed 11 points, five assists, three rebounds, a steal and a block. He has fantastic body control and a great knack for being in the right spots on the floor. The Kings will be just fine without an import point guard between these three floor generals.
Kevin Ratzsch
This guy got off a very long plane ride less than 24 hours before tip-off. And whilst the jet-lag showed somewhat in his ability to finish shots, he showed exactly what he brings to the table in his well-rounded hustle game. In 22 minutes, he grabbed eight rebounds and played some quality defence — showing the length and athleticism that is just one part of the Kings’ embarassment of riches in the versatility department. Despite obviously not being familiar with any of the Kings offensive or defensive patterns just yet, Ratzsch contributed through hustle plays and confirmed my thoughts that he will be the ultimate glue guy for this team. Doubt him at your peril.
Anatoly Bose
Smooth. Confident. Potent. These three words just begin to describe the lanky swingman who enters the NBL off an NCAA top ten scoring performance in his senior year of college. Get him the ball and he will produce, without hesitation. His shot mechanics are so smooth and fluid, it’s a thing of beauty to watch. However, we already expected this, based on his stellar collegiate career. Offensive firepower is a well-advertised aspect to Bose’s game. What I was pleasantly surprised to see was a dedication at the other end of the floor. Bose crashed the boards hard, playing like a power forward at times, in the mould of a Mark Worthington. He also showed a commitment to defence that I did not expect. It is hard to find fault in this line: 16 points (6/10 FG, 1/2 3PT, 3/4 FT), seven rebounds, two assists, two steals, one block, three turnovers. Okay, perhaps the last statistic is undesirable, but turnovers tend to come with being a scorer. In short, teammate Madgen’s prediction of Rookie of the Year honours coming to Bose is one that I share.
Tanner Kerry
The development player, fresh off a stint with Pepperdine University, is a hard-working big man who clearly knows where to be on the floor and is well-drilled in the fundamentals. He managed to knock down two free throws in six minutes of action and more importantly, showed that he is prepared to earn minutes through hard work.
Jarrad Weeks
The returning development player was extremely unfortunate to go down with a calf/ankle injury on a fast-break challenge to the offensive boards, after just three minutes of action. Initial diagnoses are that nothing was broken, but tests will reveal more.
Martin Iti
We’ve saved the best for last. The signing of Iti has yet to be officially announced, but the man occupying the eleventh and final contracted roster spot certainly was the surprise packet in this game. He got the crowd off their feet on no less than three occasions. The 28 year-old seven-foot Sydney-born New Zealander played significant stretches alongside Khazzouh at the four spot, in a twin towers scenario, as well as spurts alone at centre. And wow, did he provide the highlights! He showed his athleticism and quickness to power down a putback dunk on a Khazzouh miss, before converting on a Luke Martin alley-oop pass not much later. He came inches away from finishing another alley-oop a little later in his 15 minute stint on the floor. He put together an eight point, seven rebound line in that time period and cemented himself as a potential cult hero this season at the Kingdome. Best case scenario: Iti becomes a solid backup player to Khazzouh, providing highlights on a semi-regular basis. Worst case scenario: he offers a great piece of training fodder to put Khazzouh through his paces on the practice court every week, along with five disposable fouls on game night.
The others
With all of the excitement on offer in this game, it’s almost easy to forget that the Kings did not have hotly-anticipated import Jerai Grant in the country yet, injury-benched Graeme Dann wearing a protective boot, nor Alex Gynes who is currently representing Australia at the 2011 Summer Universiade. Robilliard was already presented with a diverse number of flexible combinations on the floor and with the abovementioned versatile players (all of whom can play multiple positions), the permutations are mind-blowing. Grant alongside Khazzouh will be feared across the league, whilst Dann and Gynes offer two more 2/3/4 options to be thrown on the floor.
Drake University
The college team offered solid resistance to their more senior rivals, particularly in the early-going. At the end of the day, they simply did not have the size and skill to overcome a pro side like the Kings, but in particular guard Rayvonte Rice was extremely impressive. He showed no fear in his steam-rolling drives to the basket, finishing with 26 points and six rebounds. His only real support came from 6’8″ forward Ben Simons, who showed length and outside touch on his way to 17 points. Unfortunately, both players, along with their teammates, shot at a poor clip from the floor (team field goal percentage: 30%).
As always, the inimitable Matt McQuade has put together a comprehensive review of the game that is required reading, including quotes from coaching staff.
