BRISBANE BULLETS
GAME DAY EMAG DOUBLE HEADER VS THU 26 OCT TIP-OFF 6.30PM Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre
VS SAT 28 OCT TIP-OFF 4.30PM Gold Coast Sports & Leisure Centre
Presented by
THURSDAY 26TH OCTOBER
GAME PREVIEW The Brisbane Bullets are back home on Thursday October 26 and the task is another significant one against a hot New Zealand Breakers team on a three-game winning streak. The Bullets will be playing their first game of the season at Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre in what shapes as a fascinating contest against the leagueleading Breakers to open Round 4 of the 2017/18 NBL season. Brisbane comes into it having won its opening game of the season defeating the Cairns Taipans at Brisbane Convention Centre before going down to the Illawarra Hawks in a spiteful affair in Wollongong.
That leaves the Bullets entering the clash with the Breakers with one win and two losses from the opening three rounds of the season. The Breakers pose a significant challenge too having won three games on the trot to be the hottest team in the NBL entering Round 4. New Zealand opened the season with a disappointing home loss to Cairns but the Breakers have got rolling since with impressive home victories against the Sydney Kings, and then a supremely strong performance beating Melbourne United. That means that the Breakers arrive in Brisbane sitting top the NBL ladder but it provides a chance for the Bullets to make a statement of what they are capable of. There’s always plenty of intrigue any time the Bullets player the Breakers given the previous links from those at Brisbane to New Zealand. Bullets coach Andrej Lemanis enjoyed tremendous success at the Breakers in his eight-year stint as head coach culminating in a championship three-peat in 2011, 2012 and 2013.
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CJ Bruton is an assistant coach now to Lemanis in Brisbane and he was a player in all three of those championships at the Breakers while Bullets Reuben Te Rangi was also a two-time title winner in 103 games in New Zealand. Even the head office at the Bullets has a Breakers connection with Brisbane General Manager Richard Clarke having done a brilliant job running New Zealand during their remarkable success over the past decade. While all that adds intrigue to the contest, it doesn’t necessarily affect how things will play out on floor where there will be plenty of fascinating match ups. The point guard battle between Travis Trice and Edgar Sosa will be especially exciting but expect the front court contests to be physical again as Tom Jervis, Anthony Petrie and Daniel Kickert duel with Alex Pledger, Mika Vukona and Rob Loe. The human highlight reels Perrin Buford and DJ Newbill will also be well worth watching but the Breakers have experienced local weapons too with Tom Abercrombie and Kirk Penney who have to be watched closely. What the contest provides is an opportunity for the Bullets to remain undefeated in Brisbane early this season and to make a real statement against the in-form team of the past two rounds.
STATS STORY VS
Well this match up needs no introduction. It’s a clash of the titans who made the New Zealand Breakers into somewhat of a dynasty almost seven years ago. Brisbane Bullets coach Andrej Lemanis, assistant CJ Bruton and GM Richard Clarke going up against the club they put on the map with three straight NBL titles from 2011-2013. The Breakers have been clinical to start the season after their opening game loss to Cairns and made NBL fans take notice with a dominant road victory over the star-studded Melbourne United in Round 3. While the Bullets picked up their first win of the season against the Taipans and sit sixth on the competition ladder.
Paul Henare’s team committed just 16 turnovers across two games last weekend, which included a drubbing of the Sydney Kings, and forced their opponents into 27 errors. The Bullets will need to return to taking care of the ball as they did against Cairns (just nine turnovers) after committing 17 of their own in their loss to the Illawarra Hawks. Both teams head into the clash shooting the ball well following impressive shooting performances in Round 3, Brisbane and NZ hit over 45% from the field in their two games. The Breakers dominated the rebound count against the Kings with an advantage of 23 and the Bullets will look to keep New Zealand’s big men off the boards to give themselves their best chance of picking up another home victory.
FUN FACT: Brisbane fans should also celebrate as the Bullets play their 900th game in the league – the fifth most in NBL history.
Brisbane and New Zealand both like to share the workload around with five players in double figures in their first games in Round 3 against Sydney and Cairns and multiple hitting more than 10 points again in their second game. But one of the key match-ups will be the small forward position with Bullets import Perrin Buford coming off an impressive weekend while Breakers stalwart Tom Abercrombie also starred for his team. The Bullets hold a 14-6 advantage across 20 meetings between the teams in the NBL but the Breakers claimed three of the four meetings last season.
SATURDAY 28TH OCTOBER
GAME PREVIEW The Brisbane Bullets host their second game in as many days when the highly-fancied Melbourne United come to Gold Coast Sports and Leisure Centre. The Bullets returned to the NBL last season and with no team on the Gold Coast, the club wants to represent all south-east Queensland in the competition highlighted by taking the game against Melbourne to the Gold Coast. Having already played preseason games at Logan and the Sunshine Coast, the regular season fixture against Melbourne is a tremendous way to show the Gold Coast public that they still have a team to support in the NBL. Brisbane will have already hosted a game with the New Zealand Breakers on Thursday night heading into the clash. The Bullets have opened the 2017/18 season with a win at home against the Cairns Taipans, and road defeats to last year’s grand finalists, the Perth Wildcats and Illawarra Hawks. Coming into the season Melbourne were touted as one of the teams to beat with the quality of their stacked roster. That saw them beat the Adelaide 36ers twice on the road in between an impressive showing against the NBA’s Oklahoma City Thunder.
But despite Chris Goulding’s return in Round 3 and with Casey Prather overcoming a knee complaint, Melbourne lost on the road to the Wildcats in Perth and at home to the Breakers. That sees them coming to Gold Coast to face the Bullets hungry to bounce back from those two defeats, but also provides Brisbane the opportunity turn up the pressure and try to hand them a third straight loss. Going back to last season, Brisbane scored a tremendous 100-90 win over Melbourne at home on December 17 along with a stunning upset to the tune of 17 points on January 21. That was when the Bullets were struggling personnel-wise down the final stretch of the season and proved their only win in the past nine games. It also proved another nail in Melbourne’s hopes of reaching the finals last season despite having a loaded roster. There are plenty of faces on both sides familiar one another including Bullets big man Daniel Kickert who began his NBL career in Melbourne.
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New Brisbane import Stephen Holt also played with United in the 2015/16 season. Meanwhile, Bullets pair Anthony Petrie and Adam Gibson, and Melbourne’s Goulding were all previously teammates at the Gold Coast Blaze. The game will also be the first time that Andrej Lemanis and Dean Vickerman have clashed as head coaches in the NBL. The pair were the brains trust behind the New Zealand Breakers’ championship three-peat between 2011-13 as head coach and assistant coach respectively.
STATS STORY VS
It’s a week of reunions for the Brisbane Bullets. After hosting New Zealand which Andrej Lemanis, CJ Bruton and Richard Clarke helped take to three straight NBL titles, the Bullets will welcome former Breakers Assistant Dean Vickerman’s Melbourne United to southeast Queensland. The clash will be the first head to head meeting between Lemanis and Vickerman as the teams play the first NBL game on the Gold Coast since the Blaze beat the Perth Wildcats in Game 2 of the semi-finals series in April, 2012. That game also featured three players from the Brisbane and Melbourne teams with Adam Gibson, Anthony Petrie and Chris Goulding all representing the Gold Coast. Brisbane and United are tied on head to head meetings with each team claiming both home games during the 2016/17 season. The Bullets split Round 3 with an 83-78 win over the Cairns Taipans at home then a 106-94 loss to Illawarra on the road while Melbourne lost to Perth in Western Australia and the Breakers in their first home game.
The backcourt match-up between both teams will be a mouth-watering one for basketball fans as Bullets trio Perrin Buford, Travis Trice and Steven Holt take on Casper Ware, Casey Prather and Chris Goulding. Buford leads Brisbane in scoring with 17 points per game and Trice on 16 points while Ware leads United with 15.5 points followed by Prather with 14.5 points. Brisbane’s big men in Tom Jervis, Daniel Kickert and Petrie will also have their hands full keeping former NBA forward Josh Boone off the boards with the veteran averaging 10.5 rebounds so far this season. Both teams will be looking to take care of the ball better than they did in their second games of the last round after the Bullets committed 17 turnovers against the Hawks and Melbourne also giving the ball back to the Breakers 17 times as well.
Brisbane star Trice will also be aiming for a return to form after shooting 3-9 and 1-11 from the field in Round 3, despite impressing in his first game for the club against Perth with 23 points. Bullets fan favourite Anthony Petrie was a sparkplug off the bench for his side with 25 points across two games last round and if he can have a similar impact against United it will go a long way towards success for the home team. Watch out for Olympian and sharpshooter Chris Goulding, who had just 17 points in two games in his return to the court after having his appendix removed before the season opener. The former Bullet shot just 2-8 from beyond the arc in Round 3 and will be out for a big performance in his return to Queensland.
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BRISBANE
BULLETS
Travis Trice Guard Springfield, Ohio
Matt Kenyon Guard Gosford, NSW
Daniel Kickert Forward Melbourne, VIC
Perrin Buford Forward Decatur, Alabama
Shaun Bruce Guard Horsham, VIC
Reuben Te Rangi Forward Auckland, NZ
Adam Gibson Guard Launceston, TAS
Stephen Holt Guard Portland, Oregon
Anthony Petrie Forward Tenterfield, NSW
Mitch Young Forward Brisbane, QLD
Tom Jervis Centre Kalgoorlie, WA
Andrej Lemanis Coach Melbourne, VIC
NEW ZEALAND
BREAKERS
Finn Delany Forward Nelson, NZ
Tom Abercrombie Forward Auckland, NZ
Jordan Ngatai Forward Porirua, NZ
Shea Ili Guard Auckland, NZ
Mika Vukona Forward Suva, Fiji
Alex Pledger Centre Blenheim, NZ
Edgar Sosa Guard New York, New York
James Hunter Centre Nowra, NSW
Devonte Newbill Guard Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Kirk Penney Guard Auckland, NZ
Rob Loe Centre Leicester, England
Paul Henare Coach Nelson, NZ
MELBOURNE
UNITED
Josh Boone Centre Mount Airy, Maryland
David Andersen Forward Melbourne, VIC
Casey Prather Forward Jackson, Tennessee
Kyle Adnam Guard Melbourne, VIC
Casper Ware Guard Cerritos, California
Chris Goulding Guard Launceston, TAS
Peter Hooley Guard Adelaide, SA
David Barlow Forward Melbourne, VIC
Tai Wesley Forward Orem, Utah
Craig Moller Forward Sutherland, NSW
Majok Majok Centre Rumbek, South Sudan
Dean Vickerman Coach Melbourne, VIC
COACHES CORNER WITH
ANDREJ LEMAN Brisbane Bullets coach Andrej Lemanis has no doubt that that import guards Stephen Holt and Travis Trice having previous NBL experience is a significant advantage this season while the club takes great pride in helping players achieve their dreams. In his time at the New Zealand Breakers where Lemanis built up a core group of players and after some tough early days, that led to a run of a championship threepeat in 2011, 2012 and 2013. What he learned from that Breakers stint was the importance of a core group of players and he’s trying to build that at the Bullets with the likes of Adam Gibson, Anthony Petrie, Daniel Kickert, Tom Jervis, Shaun Bruce, Reuben Te Rangi, Mitch Young and Matt Kenyon. What he also learned was how much an import can benefit from having played in the NBL before, particularly guards and that’s why he is excited by what Stephen Holt and Travis Trice can produce. Adjusting to the NBL when arriving for the first time can take almost a whole season to get fully accustomed to, but Holt and Trice are ready to lead the Bullets’ back court. Holt played with Melbourne United two seasons ago and Trice starred for the Cairns Taipans last season. Both have started the 2017/18 season with the Bullets showing encouraging signs and Lemanis has no doubt that them understanding the NBL already is a big factor in them settling in quickly.
“It just expediates the comfort they feel in fitting into the league and they get it, and understand the style of play of the NBL and the officiating that happens in the league,” Lemanis said.
While happy to see Craig get that opportunity to live out his dream, Lemanis also takes great pride in the fact that the Bullets organisation played a big part in him getting there.
“When we are doing scouting we can talk to Trav about someone like Damian Martin and he gets it because he’s played against him five or six times now and he has experienced it before.
“It’s a reflection on how the league is seen by the NBA but really it’s a positive reflection on the Bullets that Torrey was able to come in and spend eight months with us and grow to the point where he played well enough at Summer League to point where people took notice,” Lemanis said.
“Some of the players in this league are unique and Damian Martin’s a good one as an example as that and no matter how much you try to explain it to someone who has never played against him before, the first time is always surprising to them. “But Trav and Steve have both had that experience now and have gone through that so hopefully that will enable them to hit the ground running this season and only improve on what they did in their first seasons in the league.” While Perrin Buford isn’t in the same boat in terms of having previous NBL experience, he has been tremendously impressive in the opening three games of his Bullets career. Buford arrived with big shoes to fill replacing Torrey Craig, but is proving an outstanding contributor with his athleticism, scoring ability and most importantly his determination to rebound and crash the glass. He is showing that he could very well come close to having the impact that Craig had with the Bullets last season when he likely became the strongest all-round player in the NBL who could contribute in every area. He was so impressive that he is now playing in the NBA with the Denver Nuggets.
“So when he was signed by Denver, people were talking about how big a loss Torrey Craig was for us, but for me it’s a fantastic outcome. “Ultimately what we are about as a club is helping players be the best they can be and to achieve their ultimate goals so it was great to think we played a small part in that. When Torrey signed, it was great for him obviously but it was also great for us as a club.” Lemanis said.
PLAYER PROFILE
REUBEN TE RANGI Catch Reuben Te Rangi around his fellow Brisbane Bullets and you will quickly see that being the team’s funny man is a full-time job for the 23-year-old. The Tall Blacks captain loves nothing more than cracking jokes and pulling pranks on his teammates and coaches – apart from winning NBL championships of course. Te Rangi has taken the title of class clown of the Bullets squad and made it his own and he feels it’s something that helps his performance on the court as well as the dynamic of the group, which endures plenty of ups and downs during an NBL season.
“I’ve always been pretty funny and probably the funniest person in my group growing up and that’s just continued into basketball as well,” Te Rangi said. “Being a bit loose and joking around is the way I have always been. All I want to do is be myself and I think those different personalities within a team help. It’s pretty easy to do that with this group, we’re a close team but there’s definitely no one funnier than me in the team. “Peach (Anthony Petrie) and Kicks (Daniel Kickert) try hard and they can be funny sometimes but they’re not even close.” The Bullets have several youngsters in their team with Matt Kenyon, Tom Fullarton, Tyrell Harrison and Will Magnay and Te Rangi has been trying to influence their humour but unfortunately is having no success to date.
Te Rangi was part of the Breakers when coach Andrej Lemanis led the team along with GM Richard Clarke and his current assistant coach, CJ Bruton, was one of the team’s stars. The versatile forward believes the Bullets have the right people in place to take the franchise to similar success. He was also excited about his new role with the team – moving from the small forward to play the power forward position in a small ball line up – which he was ready to start this week after missing the last two games with a hip injury. “It’s going to be fun playing that role of being at the four-man spot more and using my mobility to create some mismatches for the team, I believe that’s what Dre (Andrej Lemanis) wants me to be able to do and I’m looking forward to it,” Te Rangi said.
“I try with the young boys, especially with Matt Kenyon and Fullo (Tom Fullarton) but they’re just not funny really at all – it’s pretty unfortunate for them, their jokes are horrible,” he said.
“It hasn’t taken much of an adjustment really, I just want to go out there and play my role to help the team win. It was annoying to miss these last two games, especially the home opener but I can’t wait for this week and hopefully we can put in two good performances.”
Despite having the class clown title attached to his name, it does not stop the former NZ Breaker from focusing on his only goal and the reason why he moved across the Tasman and further north to join the Bullets.
The Bullets host the NZ Breakers at the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre on Thursday from 6.30pm (AEST) before taking on Melbourne United at Carrara from 4.30pm 9AEST) on Saturday.
PLAYER PROFILE
TOM JERVIS Last year’s move to Brisbane was the best decision Tom Jervis has made for himself and his young family, and the NBL championship-winning centre is looking to translate into success with the Bullets. Jervis had a big decision to make ahead of the 2016/17 NBL season when weighing up his basketball future having recently married Jazze and the couple’s first child along the way. Having had to wait until he was 26 to earn his NBL chance, Jervis was Rookie of the Year in 2013/14 and won his first championship with the Wildcats. He had just played in a second championship with the Perth Wildcats but what the Bullets were offering and the opportunity to be part of something fresh and exciting was too good to refuse. Everything he heard about the Bullets made it sound like something he wanted to be part of ahead of their return to the NBL. Not only is he happy with the move in terms of basketball, but also Brisbane is where he sees himself living long-term.
“It was obviously a tough decision to begin with especially coming off a championship with Perth, but my wife and daughter absolutely love it in Brisbane. It’s a familyorientated club and city so it’s a fantastic place,” Jervis said.
“The fantastic thing was that everyone was chomping at the bit. Last season obviously didn’t go the way we wanted to and that was because of the way we played but also because of having personnel injured,” Jervis said.
“We don’t see ourselves ever leaving the city right now even if my career takes me elsewhere at some stage, we think we’ll rotate back and that’s where we’ll be living long-term. We absolutely love it.”
“So we all wanted to get back on the floor as soon as possible and everyone that was around was doing individuals, working out and playing pick up games.
While delighted with the move to Brisbane, last season didn’t turn out how Jervis envisioned either as a team or personally. “Going into last season I had a bit of a knee injury and that set me back and I couldn’t quite get my legs underneath me. That made it an uphill battle and my body wasn’t where it needed to be and I didn’t hit some goals that I set for myself,” he said. “I reached those goals I set this pre-season until I hurt my finger. But my base is there and now I’m excited what the rest of this season will bring. “I know I’ve done all the hard work so I’ll be happy with whatever eventuates. I’m just excited for what this season will hold from here and hopefully we have some success.” Jervis was impressed how the returning Bullets players locked in for a massive pre-season and has no doubt that will payoff long-term.
“It was fun to be a part of and it kind of felt like a college atmosphere again where everyone just wanted to get out there and get going as soon as possible. It was a long but a productive off-season for us.” Jervis has also noticed just how far the Bullets organisation has come over the past 18 months. “I’m pretty sure everyone who put together the club and our team and everything did so on pretty short notice last year so they did a fantastic job to allow us to put out on the floor what we did, especially on our home game nights,” he said. “They set the groundwork for what we are expecting from the club from here on out. They’ve done a fantastic job with that and the excitement levels are through the roof for us as part of this club.
PLAYER PROFILE
TOM JERVIS “We notice all the small differences and improvements that the club are putting the time into and getting right, and it’s really showing around the community of Brisbane too so it’s been fantastic.” Jervis is well placed as a leader at the Bullets as a 30-year-old with 128 games of NBL experience and having represented the Australian Boomers along with a strong state league career both at East Perth in WA and the Brisbane Spartans following his college time finishing at Troy University. He is happy with that role but feels that everyone under coach Andrej Lemanis is encouraged to be a leader no matter your age or experience. “The beautiful thing about Drej’s system is that he makes everybody a leader. We make sure that everyone is held accountable from the DP’s to the guys who are superstars of the team and league, everyone has a voice,” “It’s a pretty cool atmosphere to be around because you get older guys calling out younger guys for not doing the right thing, and you get younger guys coming back at the old older guys to make sure they are held accountable. If you see something you always speak up to say it and pass on a bit of the experience you’ve got.”
Jervis is also pumped to spend a full season playing alongside Anthony Petrie in 2017/18 after the inspirational veteran was cut down with a knee injury last December. After having plenty of battles when the pair were in Perth and Adelaide, Jervis is glad to have him on his side. “I had some battles playing against him so I know what he’s about and how good he is as a teammate now,” he said. “He is an awesome bloke and leaves everything out on the floor. We definitely missed that when he was out last season and I know he is chomping at the bit for this season and I can’t wait to play a whole season alongside him.” As for life at home, Jervis beams with pride when he talks about how his 15-month-old daughter Clementine is growing up. “There’s a lot of yelling at dad to do stuff but everything is just a new experience for her,” Jervis said. “She’s learning how to walk and talk, and all the good stuff. She is growing up too fast.”
Join Jervis and the rest of the Brisbane Bullets on the 28th of October as at the Gold Coast when they take on Melbourne United.
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2017/2018
VS
28/10/17
ROUND 5
26/10/17
ROUND 4
VS
ROUND 4
20/10/17
VS
3/11/17 VS
6.30pm AEST
(GCSLC)
(BCEC)
12/11/17
17/11/17
3/12/17
23/12/17
VS
VS
ROUND 11
4.30pm AEST
(BCEC)
ROUND 8
6.30pm AEST
(BEC)
ROUND 7
6.30pm AEST
VS
VS
4.30pm AEST
(BCEC)
(BCEC)
7/1/18
14/1/18
20/1/18
27/1/18
VS
VS
2.00pm AEST
2.00pm AEST
(BCEC)
(BCEC)
8/2/18
15/2/18
VS
ROUND 16
2.00pm AEST
(BEC)
ROUND 15
6.30pm AEST
(BCEC)
ROUND 14
2.00pm AEST
ROUND 19
ROUND 18
ROUND 13
ROUND 6
ROUND 3
HOME FIXTURE
VS
4.30pm AEST (BEC)
VS
4.30pm AEST (BCEC)
VS
6.30pm AEST
6.30pm AEST
(BCEC)
(BEC)
(GCSLC) Gold Coast Sports and Leisure Centre (BCEC) Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre (BEC) Brisbane Entertainment Centre * Draw subject to change. For latest information visit brisbanebullets.com.au