The Advocate

JARRYD MCGUANE   THE ADVOCATE   Basketball Tasmania may be forced to step into the dispute between the North-West Thunder and the NWBU over the availability of Tasmanian young-gun Sejr Deans. The sport’s governing body will soon sit down to discuss the rule, and could intervene, in what is the […]

JARRYD MCGUANE   THE ADVOCATE   North-West Thunder chairman Tony Barker is excited for what expansion will bring to the NBL1 competition in 2020. In a landmark agreement, the NBL1 competition will be expanded to include former Queensland Basketball League to create a two-conference system. The 13 teams who formerly competed in […]

JARRYD MCGUANE   THE ADVOCATE  Cracks in the so-called strengthened relationship between the North-West Thunder and the NWBU are already appearing after young Tasmanian star Sejr Deans was blocked from playing for the NBL1 side. The Thunder wanted NWBU clubs to allow the Launceston’s Deans to represent them without playing in […]

BRAD COLE   THE ADVOCATE   A crowd favourite and an exciting prospect from a Division 1 college in the US look set to provide North-West Thunder fans with plenty of highlights during the 2020 NBL1 season. After a season away trying his hand in the New Zealand NBL, point […]

BRAD COLE   THE ADVOCATE   North-West Thunder coach Sam Armstrong looks set to have plenty of options in his big man department for the 2020 NBL1 season after the announcement that former captain Brad Simpson has returned to the club. Simpson played with the Thunder from 2014-2017 before concentrating […]

BRAD COLE   THE ADVOCATE   One of the key pieces in the restructure of basketball in the region has been finalised with the appointment of Ben Richmond as the new full-time North-West general manager. Richmond joins the Basketball Tasmania ranks after a stint with Cricket Tasmania as its North-West […]

BRAD COLE   THE ADVOCATE   The North-West Thunder’s pre-season recruiting drive has netted them one of Tasmania’s emerging big men. Hobart’s Jacob Richards has signed on and will line up for the team for the 2020 NBL1 season as the club starts locking away its contingent of local players. […]

ALEX FAIR   THE ADVOCATE   The next significant step in Basketball Tasmania’s restructure will take place at the board table on Saturday. The governing body’s board meeting in Launceston, which will be held around the State League finals which will be taking place in that city, will involve tabling […]

BRAD COLE    THE ADVOCATE   A combined 1056 games worth of experience and some brotherly love will be guiding the North-West Thunder for the 2020 NBL1 season after the club finalised its coaching panel under re-signed coach Sam Armstrong. Assisting Armstrong again on the sidelines will be club games […]

BRAD COLE   THE ADVOCATE   Tucked away in a Devonport physiotherapy practice is a man who has had plenty of responsibility in his hands this year. His name is Ryan Carroll, and to the casual basketball fan, he may be recognisable as the North-West Thunder’s go-to guy for various […]

BRAD COLE   THE ADVOCATE   North-West Thunder chairman Tony Barker can only see positives for his club out of Basketball Tasmania’s proposed restructure of the game in the state. Speaking after his club held their own discussions on the matter as well as sitting down with NWBU and Basketball […]

BRAD COLE   THE ADVOCATE   North-West Thunder chairman Tony Barker has welcomed the introduction of Mount Gambier to the NBL1 competition ahead of the 2020 season. One of the powerhouses of the old SEABL in recent years, the Pioneers failed to gain a licence when the NBL1 took over […]

ALEX FAIR   THE ADVOCATE   North-West Thunder chairman Tony Barker believes Basketball Tasmania is showing strong leadership with the structural changes announced on Thursday, but there’s still hard work to be done to ensure the job is done right. The governing body is going towards a “three association model” […]

ALEX FAIR   THE ADVOCATE   Basketball Tasmania chief executive Chris McCoy says the structure change being put in place in the sport in Tasmania is “for the good of the game”. The governing body will move toward a “three association model” for next season (one in each region of […]

BRAD COLE   THE ADVOCATE   There’s a big, big sound from the west of the town. No, I’m not talking about Saturday’s AFL grand final and the possibility of Greater Western Sydney turning the city of Melbourne into something very desolate if they get up. I’m rewinding a week […]

ROB SHAW   THE ADVOCATE   Before it gets to tuck into an NBL feast, Tasmania is being offered an entree this weekend when the league’s pre-season competition envelopes the state. The NBL Blitz features Australia’s best home-based players including Tasmanian internationals Adam Gibson, Chris Goulding and Lucas Walker. With […]

BRAD COLE   THE ADVOCATE   North-West Thunder captain Joe Chilcott has helped lead the NBL1 All-Stars to the championship at the World Basketball Invitation Tournament in Thailand on Wednesday night. Up against local team Hi-Tech Bangkok City in the final, Chilcott finished with nine points as the Australian’s ran […]

ALEX FAIR   THE  ADVOCATE   Lucas Walker says he is feeling comfortable in his new NBL home as he enters preparation mode for a return to his home state for next week’s NBL Blitz. Walker, a member of Australia’s 2018 Commonwealth Games gold medal winning team, last week signed with the […]

ALEX FAIR    THE ADVOCATE    The North-West Thunder will again have some NBL1 All-Stars representation this year following the selection of the squad to tour Thialand next month. Thunder captain Joe Chilcott has been included in the squad, and will be one of two Tasmanian based players making the […]

BRAD COLE   THE  ADVOCATE   North-West Coast players Reyne Smith, Taran Armstrong and coach Mark Radford have collected a gold medal for Australia at the FIBA Under 17 Oceania Championships in New Caledonia on Saturday night. Up against trans-Tasman rivals New Zealand in the final, the Crocs prevailed 85-56 […]

ALEX FAIR   THE ADVOCATE   Stability and a growth in professionalism were the key factors for the North-West Thunder when reappointing coach Sam Armstrong. Armstrong has been locked in for another two seasons for the NBL1 club, which will take his tenure to five years, and will be provided […]

ALEX FAIR   THE ADVOCATE   Despite a lack of representation from the region, the North-West Coast will still have a voice on the NBL’s Tasmania Advisory Board says Basketball Tasmania chief executive Chris McCoy.   Eyebrows were raised on Friday with the announcement of the board that was made […]

BRAD COLE   THE ADVOCATE   The four days between September 19-22 shapes as a judgment period for not only the sport of basketball in Tasmania, but maybe sport in general. A sporting public that cries out for top-level Australian sporting teams to visit our shores will get its wish […]

ANDREW MATHIESON   THE EXAMINER   Launceston will have a say on the next NBL team set to land on Tasmanian shores.  The recent push has been ramped up further since a visit from Larry Kestelman to Launceston earlier in the month that sowed the seeds for the creation of […]

ALEX FAIR   THE ADVOCATE   North-West Thunder coach Sam Armstrong says the opportunity to be a NBL1 All Stars assistant coach will be a big step forward in his own coaching journey. Armstrong on Wednesday was announced as part of a coaching group that includes Hobart Huskies’ Mark Chivers […]

ALEX FAIR   THE ADVOCATE   Reyne Smith will be “living the dream” in September by being on the same court as NBL players in his home state. The 16-year-old Penguin shooting guard from Ulverstone on Wednesday was named as part of a strong North-West Coast contingent in the NBL1 […]

ALEX FAIR   THE ADVOCATE  There is a significant North-West Coast feel to the NBL1 All-Stars team that will feature in NBL Blitz in Tasmania in September. The representative team was announced on Wednesday, with North-West Thunder’s Reyne Smith and former Thunder and Sydney Kings development player Lachie Barker included. […]

The NBL Blitz’s Tasmanian venture has lost a little bit of its star power, with the Sydney Kings confirming that Andrew Bogut will not be taking part in the pre-season tournament. The Kings on Tuesday said that due to commitments with the Boomers, he would miss the Blitz to ensure […]

ANDREW MATHIESON   THE EXAMINER   Basketball Tasmania has placed the blame squarely on debt levels and not the working relationship for the failure of Southern Huskies to forge ahead into a second New Zealand NBL season. The Tasmanian club that was seeking to join the NBL said its dealings […]

BRAD COLE   THE ADVOCATE    North-West Thunder chairman Tony Barker hopes basketball in the south of the state can rebound quickly after the shock withdrawal of the Southern Huskies and Hobart Huskies from the New Zealand NBL and NBL1 competitions. In a statement released on Friday afternoon by chief […]

JARRYD MCGUANE   THE ADVOCATE   Kobe Jackson will fulfill a life-long dream next week when he leaves the country to start his journey as a college basketball player. The North-West Thunder and Wynyard point guard will move on campus at North Dakota’s Minot State University and will play basketball at NCAA […]

ALEX FAIR   THE ADVOCATE   The NBL1 All-Star team which will feature in Tasmania during the NBL Blitz will be announced next week, and at this stage it is “expected to include Tasmanian players and coaches”, the league confirmed on Wednesday. The team will play the Brisbane Bullets on night one […]

ALEX FAIR   THE ADVOCATE   Ulverstone and Devonport stadiums have been confirmed as host venues for NBL Blitz pre-season contests next month, with three of the 10 matches that will be staged in Tasmania in this region. Ulverstone will host a double-header to open the four day visit from the national […]

ANDREW MATHIESON   THE EXAMINER   The worst kept secret in Australian basketball can be revealed: Tasmania will be named the home of the 10th NBL club, earmarked for as early as the 2020-21 season. “We are on that path and we hope by the end of this year we can announce […]

BRAD COLE   THE ADVOCATE   North-West Thunder forward Nick Banyard has been rewarded for a consistent second half of the season by being named in the top 20 nominees for the NBL1 most valuable player award. Banyard led the Thunder in points (17.8) and rebounds (9.2) per game and was second […]

JARRYD MCGUANE   THE ADVOCATE   It has been a whirlwind two months since Wynyard’s Tre Armstrong left the North-West Coast for the start of his college journey at Califoria Baptist University and he says he is enjoying the challenge. The sharpshooter is back in the country this week for the Lancers’ […]

BRAD COLE   THE ADVOCATE   Import Jordan Bowling has taken out the North-West Thunder’s most valuable player award after a thrilling count at Ulverstone on Friday night. With a number of players in contention, Bowling took out the award on 45 votes, just one clear of fellow import Nick Banyard on […]

BRAD COLE   THE ADVOCATE   Like any sportsperson will attest to, you can’t perform consistently in the regular season if you haven’t prepared in the pre-season. That was the reality that faced the North-West Thunder ahead of its 2019 NBL1 campaign. With the new league not officially revealed until […]

BRAD COLE   THE ADVOCATE   In a game that summed up their season in a nutshell, the North-West Thunder have ended their maiden NBL1 campaign on a positive note with a dramatic 103-95 victory over Waverley at Ulverstone on Saturday night. With their finals hopes on the line after […]

BRAD COLE   THE  ADVOCATE  Finals may be out of reach, but the North-West Thunder can still make an impact on who will and who won’t continue on to next week’s NBL1 post-season when they host Waverley on Saturday night. The Falcons arrive in Tasmania for their two-game road trip in […]

JARRYD MCGUANE   THE ADVOCATE   The North-West Thunder’s finals hopes hang by a thread and coach Sam Armstrong says this weekend’s Victorian road trip will go a long way to deciding their fate. The Thunder sit 11th on the ladder with a 7-10 record and travel to face the Ringwood Hawks […]

ALEX FAIR   THE ADVOCATE   Ulverstone appears to be in the box seat to host NBL Blitz games on the Coast as both of the councils associated with the region’s suitable basketball stadiums expressed interest on Wednesday in being a host venue. NBL owner and executive chairman Larry Kestelman on Tuesday […]

BRAD COLE   ADVOCATE   A campaign of consistent inconsistency has continued for the North-West Thunder after falling to a 86-81 loss to Kilsyth on Saturday night at Ulverstone. Sam Armstrong’s team have been unable to string consecutive wins together all year, and the trend continued against the Cobras to […]

BRAD COLE   THE ADVOCATE   Success for the North-West Thunder on Saturday night won’t only be judged by what the final score is in its NBL1 encounter with Kilsyth. A cause just as worthy will be staged off the court when the club holds its annual Todd Nothrop memorial […]

BRAD COLE   THE ADVOCATE   North-West Thunder coach Sam Armstrong is hoping the final stages of last week’s game can transfer to the start of Saturday night’s must-win NBL1 clash with Kilsyth at Ulverstone. After hanging in for long periods against Melbourne, the Thunder finally sprung to life in […]

BRAD COLE   THE ADVOCATE  Kai Woodfall has carried the North-West Thunder to a thrilling 90-82 overtime win over Melbourne in Friday night’s NBL1 clash in Launceston. Playing at the Elphin Sports Centre stadium he called home throughout his junior career, Woodfall sent the game into an extra five minutes […]

BRAD COLE   THE ADVOCATE   While finals are still a possibility, they are a long way from being front of mind for North-West Thunder coach Sam Armstrong as he tries to get his team playing a better brand of basketball. The Thunder head up to Launceston on Friday night […]

JOSH PARTRIDGE   THE EXAMINER   As Tasmania looks set to accomplish its NBL dream, the ball is in Launceston’s court as to whether the North remains involved. Larry Kestelman, owner and executive chairman of the NBL, has flagged his desire to buy the Derwent Entertainment Centre and Wilkinsons Point and has […]

BRAD COLE   THE ADVOCATE   North-West Thunder coach Sam Armstrong is set to delve deep into the inconsistency issues currently plaguing his team following Saturday night’s 74-61 loss at home to Knox. The result drops the Thunder to 15th on the 18-team NBL1 men’s ladder with a 6-9 record, and while […]

BRAD COLE   THE ADVOCATE   The NBL1 finals chances of the North-West Thunder hang by a thread after they crashed to a 74-61 loss to Knox at Ulverstone on Saturday night. After a loss to Geelong on the road the night before, the Thunder returned home to face the 15th-placed Raiders […]