I may have got a little ahead of myself when I proclaimed that Julian Khazzouh was NBA bound. I was so excited that he got the chance to prove himself against the best and I was so sure that he would get selected. That is the dangers of this wonderful game, especially at the top. The main point to get out of all of this is that don’t count your chickens and what not, and that I believe that Khazzouh is going to have an all time great season this year. Hey, it may be exaggeration but he is possible of anything in the NBL.
Onto this week’s NBL action, with such a short round (only four games) there was plenty of room for players to stretch their legs. A couple of blow-outs marred the round but the Gold Coast/Perth sizzler made up for it. This week there was another joint award, going to two excellent performances.
Dabster Award
Round Eleven Dabster Award Winner
Diamon Simpson, Adelaide 36ers – 22 points (11/14 FG, 0/3 FT), 10 rebounds, 1 assists, 2 steals and 1 block. ER – 29
That is three Dabster Awards in the last five weeks if you are keeping score at home and he is really getting into his groove. Simpson is almost certain to tally at 20/10 any given night and especially against the woeful Hawks he put on a show. His free throw percentage is lower than average this season and if he can increase that number looks for his numbers to go even higher. I’m really hoping that he stays around next season so he can have a whole season together with Daniel Johnson to work on their team work.
AND
Adam Gibson, Gold Coast Blaze – 28 points (11/15 FG, 4/7 3P, 2/2 FT), 4 rebounds, 3 assists and 1 steal. ER – 29.
In one of the best games of the year, the Blaze overcame a huge deficit to come back and win the game in the final quarter. At the forefront was Adam Gibson who lit up the Wildcats all round the floor. His three missed shots were all three pointers as he was 8/8 from inside the arc. This game was outstanding and if you can catch the repeat at 10am on Thursday on One HD I definitely recommend it.
Honourable mentions
Cedric Jackson (New Zealand) – 18 points, 7 assists, 6 rebounds, 2 steals. ER - 28
Jacob Holmes (Townsville) – 20 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists. ER - 27
Peter Crawford (Townsville) – 30 points, 2 steals. ER - 27
Tom Greer (Melbourne) – 18 points (6/9 FG), 8 rebounds. ER - 25
Daryl Corletto (New Zealand) – 26 points (8/11 FG). ER - 24
Daniel Johnson (Adelaide) – 21 points, 6 rebounds. ER - 22
Joevan Catron (Wollongong) – 19 points, 11 rebounds. ER - 19
Cameron Tragardh (Melbourne) – 19 points, 5 rebounds. ER – 19
Not as many high scores this round with only four games but it is quirky that two players on the same team had 27 while still losing, as there was only one other Crocodile in double figures. Cedric Jackson has been on a tear lately and it is nearly a certainty that if he keeps up this kind of play he will record a triple double.
Previous Dabster Award Winners
Round One – Kevin Lisch (Perth)
Round Two – Will Hudson (Gold Coast) and Alex Pledger (New Zealand)
Round Three – Julian Khazzouh (Sydney)
Round Four – Stephen Weigh (Adelaide) and Daniel Johnson (Adelaide)
Round Five – Gary Wilkinson (New Zealand)
Round Six – Cameron Tragardh (Melbourne)
Round Seven – Diamon Simpson (Adelaide)
Round Eight – Cameron Tragardh (Melbourne)
Round Nine – Diamon Simpson (Adelaide)
Round Ten – Julian Khazzouh (Sydney)
Menga Award
Round Eleven Menga Award Leader Board
1. (1) Julian Khazzouh, Sydney Kings – 22.4
2. (2) Diamon Simpson, Adelaide 36ers – 20.4
3. (4) Daniel Johnson, Adelaide 36ers – 18.5
4. (3) Cameron Tragardh, Melbourne Tigers – 18.4
5. (7) Kevin Lisch, Perth Wildcats – 17.0
6. (8) Jacob Holmes, Townsville Crocodiles – 17.0
7. (10) Cedric Jackson, New Zealand Breakers – 16.8
8. (6) Gary Wilkinson, New Zealand Breakers – 16.6
9. (5) Jamar Wilson, Cairns Taipans – 16.5
10. (9) Jerai Grant, Sydney Kings – 15.9
The same ten from last week occupy the top ten this week with the biggest movers being Cedric Jackson going up and Jamar Wilson going down. Let’s see how Khazzouh has used his NBA experience because Simpson is hot on his heels.
Zike Award
Round Eleven Zike Award
Eddie Gill, Townsville Crocodiles – 35:24 minutes, 6 points (2/10 FG, 1/5 3P, 1/2 FT), 6 assists, 3 rebounds, 8 turnovers. ER: -2
His basic stats are average as six assists and three rebounds are decent for guard but when a player misses eight of his ten shot attempts while turning the ball over a massive eight times then he is definitely in Zike Award contention. With Crawford and Holmes playing well they needed Gill to step up for the Crocs to win the game and he failed.
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