BSBL 2023: Players leading by example for respective clubs as action heats up on court

A series of quality individual efforts has resulted in the Bunbury Senior Basketball League men’s competition enjoying one of its most competitive seasons in years.

Heading into the home stretch, a number of teams can still play finals, which is likely to ensure anticipation and drama for players, officials and spectators.

Justin Fris takes a look at how your team has fared so far.

Bulls Maroon (1st, 10-1, 31 points)

Positives: Where do you start? Maroon possess a high-octane offence, with loads of experience and plentiful buy in to what coach Carl Catalano expects of them.

Travis Durnin tying the BSBL (formerly BBA) men’s individual game scoring record with 71 points late last year was also a tremendous effort.

Challenges: As NBL1 West and work commitments begin to resume following the festive season, player availability could be an issue for some games, which will need to be monitored.

Key to remaining games: Making sure all players are versed in a variety of different roles and executing these assignments prior to the finals.

Tornadoes Black (2nd, 8-3, 27 points)

Positives: With Shane Goff in charge, Black are able to adopt a number of NBL1 West-based schemes and drills into their training sessions and games, which is a huge bonus for the team.

Challenges: Dropping games to the Conquerors and Aces Sky was less than ideal, however Goff took these hiccups in his stride, confident his men would be better for the experience.

Key to remaining games: Getting the best team out on the floor as often as possible.

Bulls Gold (3rd, 8-3, 27 points)

Positives: Gold have fast become a genuine threat for the title, given their ability to make explosive plays in crucial moments. Pharell Keats is a big reason for this, due to his willingness to take every game on, and is tipped to play for the South West Slammers later this year due to his good club form.

Challenges: Despite their flair, Gold have been blown away in three of their games against fellow top-four sides, which is not ideal if they want to be considered as a serious contender.

Key to remaining games: Maintaining momentum in games and putting in four quarter efforts against fellow finals-bound teams.

Aces Sky (4th, 6-5, 23 points)

Positives: Ended 2022 with four wins from their final five games, which has put them in finals contention following a pedestrian start.

Challenges: Have struggled to beat top-two opposition.

Key to remaining games: Limiting opposition teams to less than 80 points. Should they do this, victory chances are likely to increase.

Tornadoes Red (5th, 5-6, 21 points)

Positives: Coach Sean Tilbrook has been creative in generating victories this season, without a reliance on experienced NBL1 West players to get them out of a jam.

Challenges: The absence of Caleb Van De Griend, who has relocated to the US for college commitments with Minot State, has left a massive hole in Red’s offence.

Key to remaining games: Not allowing opposing teams to get the hot hand offensively for lengthy passages of play.

Conquerors (6th, 5-5, 20 points)

Positives: From the moment they played their first game, the passion and positive attitudes of all players has been heartening.

The role of American import Wes Morgan has also transitioned somewhat during the campaign. At first, he shouldered the bulk of offensive production, whereas now the team has increased its spread offensively, with Morgan being more of a supplier.

Challenges: As with any team playing in their inaugural season, consistency can sometimes be an issue, particularly during the middle part of the year.

Two recent defeats against title contenders Bulls Maroon and Tornadoes Black have tipped them out of the top-four.

Key to remaining games: Belief and positive encouragement are not in short supply at Conquerors, so all they need to do is maintain these core values during games and results could take care of themselves.

Bulls (7th, 1-9, 12 points)

Positives: Don’t let their lowly record fool you. The Bulls began to find their rhythm during the final fortnight of December, where they managed to put points up in bunches.

Challenges: The slow start to the season has put their chances of playing finals effectively in tatters.

Key to remaining games: Starting well and making sure they cash in on fast-break opportunities, given their speed.

Eaton Eagles (8th, 0-11, 11 points)

Positives: They might not have won a game so far this season, however hard-working duo Jacob Macleod-Paterson and Saxon Gunnell have won many hearts throughout the league due to their on-court hustle.

Challenges: A lack of recruiting experienced players in the off-season to help out the Eagles’ enthusiastic youngsters continues to cripple this team long-term — an unwanted trend which has plagued them since entering the competition a few years ago.

Key to remaining games: Generating small wins during each game — whether that be meeting rebound targets, increased shooting percentage or trips to the free-throw line.