The Golden Star Boomers Australian men’s national basketball team have defeated their former bogey team Angola at the 2010 FIBA World Championships in Kayseri, Turkey this morning, 76-55, to finish third in Group A and advance to a second round clash with Slovenia on Sunday (0100 Monday AEST).

Patrick Mills top-scored for Australia with 11 points, while Matt Nielsen added nine.  Brad Newley, Mark Worthington and David Barlow all chimed in with eight points apiece for Australia.

The Boomers’ tight defence ensured that no Angolan player reached double-figures in scoring, with Miguel Lutonda and Vladimir Jeronimo the top scorers for the African champions with nine points each.

The win sees Australia finish the preliminary round of play at the world titles with a 3-2 record, setting up a clash with the second-placed team in Group B, Slovenia.  

Australia had lost to the Africans once before in major competition at the 1986 world championships and another upset seemed possible when Angola scored the first four points of the second term for a seven-point lead.  

The Boomers started slowly, making only two of their first seven field goal attempts, before eventually taking the lead in the second term and cruising home.

Coach Brett Brown rotated his players constantly trying to find the right line-up, but two early three-pointers gave Angola the lead and they reached quarter-time with a surprise 18-15 advantage.

But the Boomers responded, reeling off an 18-3 run to completely turn the game on its head and at halftime led 39-29.

The third quarter was then a totally one-sided affair, with the Boomers winning it 21-9 for a commanding 60-38 lead at the final change, with Brown giving his bench players extended minutes in the final quarter.

Boomers starting centre David Andersen missed the game due to a stomach problem that has swept through the Australian camp.

Australia now face Slovenia, who finished second behind the United States in Group B and will provide an extremely tough test.

Australia and world No.20 Slovenia met twice just over four weeks ago at the Stankovic Cup in China, with Australia winning the opening fixture 77-63 before the Slovenians prevailed in the final 71-60.

The Slovenians knocked off highly-rated Brazil, Croatia and Tunisia in Group B, losing only to the US.

Australia  76 (Patrick Mills 11, Matt Nielsen 9, Brad Newley 8, Mark Worthington 8, David 8)
Defeated
Angola 55 (M. Lutonda 9, J Gomes 8, L. Paulo 7, H. H. Mbunga 7)

Click here to see World Championship group standings.

2010 FIBA World Championship
Australian Boomers Preliminary Round Schedule
 
28 Aug                  Australia 76 defeated Jordan 75
29 Aug                  Australia 72 defeated by Argentina 74
30 Aug                  Australia 78 defeated Germany 43
1 Sept                   Australia 79 defeated by Serbia 93
2 Sept                   Australia 76 defeated Angola 55

The Arden Street facility now houses the Tigers administration, with the club able to utilise the gym and basketball facilities located within for its NBL program. The Tigers will also be selling club merchandise, including player singlet’s, out of the merchandise shop located within the Arden Street facility.

Please note the Melbourne Tigers new contact details:

Street Address: 204-206 Arden Street, North Melbourne, VIC 3051
Postal Address: PO BOX 859, North Melbourne, VIC 3051 (remains the same)
Phone Number: (03) 9320 2490
Fax: (03) 9320 2491
Email: tigers@tigers.com.au

Further details regarding the relocation, including the clubs pre season training schedule, will be provided in the coming weeks.  

The defeat sets up a crucial clash with reigning African Champions Angola in the Boomers’ final Group A preliminary round game at 11:30PM Australian Eastern time on Friday evening which will determine if Australia advances to the sudden death second round.

Australia (ranked 11th in the world) had hoped to improve on their 2-1 record with a win over the Serbs and were within three points in the final two minutes but Serbia closed out the game strongly to move into outright second in Group A with a 3-1 record.  The Boomers will now remain in third position in Group A, tied on 2-2 with the winner of the Germany-Angola game later this evening.

Brad Newley top-scored for the Boomers with 13 points in a standout performance, while Patrick Mills added 12 points, six assists and four rebounds.   Matt Nielsen and Aleks Maric each chipped in with 10 points.

Milos Teodosic had 19 points to lead the Serbs, and Novica Velickovic added 18.  Serbia’s NBA centre Nenad Krstic, who returned from a three-game suspension for fighting in time for the game, contributed 14 points and 10 rebounds.

Australia seemed to struggle to shake off the rust after a rest day on Wednesday as Serbia opened up an early 14-7 lead.  The Boomers steadied however behind some strong play from Mark Worthington and were down by just four, 16-12, at the first break.

Serbia went 5-of-10 from the perimeter in the second period, including consecutive triples to Marko Keselj, and opened up a 41-30 lead.  Australia made a run an closed within four on a Maric jumper, eventually heading into the half down 43-37

The Boomers had their chances in the third period but couldn’t capitalise and were still down by five points, 69-61, with one quarter to play.

Maric opened the final stanza scoring with a two but Serbia maintained their edge throughout the final period.  The Boomers pulled within a single basket, 81-78, with 2:07 left in the match on a Nielsen three, but Serbian guard Teodosic responded immediately with a triple of his own and the Serbs drew away for the win.

Australia 79 (Brad Newley 13, Patrick Mills 12, Matt Nielsen 10, Aleks Maric 10)
Defeated by
Serbia 93 (Milos Teodosic 19, Novica Velickovic 18, Nenad Krstic 14)

BOXSCORE

Click here to see World Championship group standings.

2010 FIBA World Championship
Australian Boomers Preliminary Round Schedule
Date - Opponent - Time (Local/AEST) - Venue 
28 Aug                  Australia 76 defeated Jordan 75
29 Aug                  Australia 72 defeated by Argentina 74
30 Aug                  Australia 78 defeated Germany 43
1 Sept                   Australia 79 defeated by Serbia 93
2 Sept                   Australia vs. Angola  4:30PM/11:30PM Kayseri

Showing no signs of a let-down after Sunday's tough two-point defeat by  world No.1 Argentina, the Australians stunned their European opponents from the opening whistle to move to 2-1 for the tournament with two group games remaining.

One victory against either Serbia or Angola will be enough for Australia to progress from an extremely competitive Group A, while two wins will ensure they avoid fourth place and a likely crossover match against the United States.

Patty Mills was outstanding, leading the way with 16 points and seven assists, backed up by Joe Ingles and Aleks Maric, but it was a complete team effort that will have other sides in the tournament taking note.

Robin Benzing led Germany with 11 points, but they lost every quarter and were comprehensively outplayed.

The Germans needed a wildcard to make it to Turkey and came without their two best players, NBA superstar Dirk Nowitzki and Los Angeles Clippers centre Chris Kaman.

But the world's seventh-ranked team had emerged as the surprise packet of Group A, just falling to Argentina before a double-overtime victory against Serbia on Sunday.

So Australia's performance was unexpected and demonstrates just how much potential the youthful Boomers possess.

The Germans used a tall starting line-up, including seven-footers Tibor Pleiss and Jan-Hendrik Jagla plus the 208cm Robin Benzing, but it fed into Australia's hands as the quicker Boomers got off to a blistering start.

Clicking beautifully on both ends of the floor, they bolted to a 12-2 lead in the first seven minutes and by quarter time held a 19-7 advantage.

The shell-shocked Germans scored five quick points early in the second term to get the margin back under double figures, but Australia immediately responded with a 15-2 scoring run to take a commanding 36-14 lead.

Brad Newley, who had an excellent first half, put an exclamation mark on a scintillating opening two quarters when he blocked a shot attempt by the 214cm German giant Pleiss.

The Boomers led 38-20 at halftime, holding Germany to just 27 per cent shooting (8-of-30).

There was no sign of complacency in the second half either, with the ruthless Australians reeling off seven straight points to start the third quarter.

Australia doubled Germany's score 50-25 on an Ingles three-pointer and from there it was a procession in a major boost to the Boomers' confidence.

All Boomers’ games are being shown on FOX SPORTS.

Australia 78 (Patrick Mills led 16, Aleks Maric 15, Brad Newley 10)
defeated
Germany 43 (Robin Benzing 11, Tim Ohlbrecht 10)

BOXSCORE

Click here to see World Championship group standings.

2010 FIBA World Championship
Australian Boomers Preliminary Round Schedule
Date - Opponent - Time (Local/AEST) - Venue 
28 Aug                  Australia 76 defeated Jordan 75
29 Aug                  Australia 72 defeated by Argentina 74
30 Aug                  Australia 78 defeated Germany 43
1 Sept                   Australia vs. Serbia        4:30PM/11:30PM             Kayseri
2 Sept                   Australia vs. Angola       4:30PM/11:30AM             Kayseri

While TJ and Trigger ran a basketball clinic in one court for aspiring players, Eric and Luke were on the second court keeping an eye on the 3v3 competition, giving out advice and encouragement to all of the young players. The McDonald’s Community Day catered for all ages and with a great turnout, it will continue to drive basketball levels and abilities to new highs!

Tiger’s fans and basketball fans alike were able to get their photos taken with the NBL players and autographs on their Tigers memorabilia, as well as Tigers poster which were given out on the day. Some of the lucky fans even got to see 7ft 2” center Luke Nevill throw down some mean two handed dunks.

With new players signing up for new domestic clubs, it will prove to have a major positive impact on the community and for basketball similarly.

The Tigers will be back at Kilsyth on Sunday the 12th of September as they take on the Wollongong ahm Hawks as part of the 2010/11 NBL Pre Season. For further information please click here.

My life with the Melbourne Tigers so far has led me further away from home than I have already been for the last 10 years.  Day One of pre-season training saw us jump on a plane bound for Ireland.  The long haul flight to Europe has been my personal experience as the start of a new season for some time now, but this was the first time I've ever experienced it with the bulk of the team, coaching and support staff on board.  During the tour we were to pick up a couple of imports along the way, TJ Cambell and Eric Devendorf, to complete our roster.  So there we were, the Melbourne Tigers team for 2010/11, other side of the world and off to practice for the very first time.

Some people might have questioned the logic behind getting the guys together, giving us time for three practice sessions and then diving into the deep end of a playing schedule of seven games in just about as many days. In hindsight however it couldn't have been more beneficial!  We've all come back to Melbourne (5-2) having played some great games against differing styles of competitive basketball and all with a transition game as our only weapon.  Playing this way probably cost us our two losses but the real benefit being the opportunity to learn what a teammate will do instinctively, useful knowledge when it comes to developing teamwork. So we've played together, traveled together, lived together and backed each other up against anything that other teams, foreign officials, airlines and mother nature could throw at us.  And now the Melbourne Tigers are home and burning to start the 2010/11 season.

One week into practice at our new facility, the North Melbourne Recreation Centre, the learning and workload has intensified.  This period will be so important come the middle of the season.  It’s where we're putting the strength into our legs and the shuffle into our repertoire so that during the season, and come finals time, the work will have been done and all the systems will be second nature.  Along with the extra work load at this time of the year, comes the battle of settling into a new group of guys, and for some a new home.  After our preseason tour half the battle is already won with everyone seeming to gel immediately off the court.  A really important factor for us if we are to achieve all that we believe we can with the team we have.  A lot can happen between now and finals time, but I definitely won't be booking an early vacation this year!!

Being from Melbourne I strangely find myself in the same situation as the other imports and interstate guys.  Although undoubtedly I have more friends and family here to rely on, I'm still trying to organise moving into my home, searching for the best route through Melbourne traffic and getting my phone and internet plans in place.  Somewhat of a foreigner in my own home town, the two months I would have here every year in the past always feeling like a vacation and returning to Italy as going home. This time does feel a lot different though, knowing in the back of my mind that there isn't an expiry date on my time here.  Some of the simplest things like signing up to a two-year phone contract or buying something that doesn't fit into a suitcase make me feel like I'm really here to stay.  I can't wait to settle into my apartment and put the bags down for what may be the very last time!

We are fast approaching our first pre season games in Victoria, where we are playing the Wollongong Hawks in Traralgon and Kilsyth on the 10th and 12th of September. We will have a much better understanding of the offence by then and we will be fitter than the International games we have already played. It will be a good measuring stick to see where we are at against last season’s Runner’s Up.

The other day that we are all looking forward to is the 15th of October, when we will get to have our first hit out in the NBL.  It will be my first one since 2003! For others like Luke Nevill, Lucas Walker, TJ Campbell and Eric Devendorf it will be their first.  To anyone out there who is awaiting that game as eagerly as we are, I know you'll be amazed at what some of these first timers can do.  You've all heard about the size that we'll be putting on the floor, but over these first weeks together something that has really surprised me has been our athleticism.  After the guys put on an Al Westover branded "Dunk Fest" in China there was no doubt for me that this year Melbourne has a team to be proud of and one that will play some basketball that you won't want to miss!!!!

Wade Helliwell

Australia fell agonisingly short of taking a huge scalp at the basketball world championship on Sunday, pipped by world No.1 Argentina 74-72 in Kayseri, Turkey.

Boomers guard Adam Gibson had an open three-point shot as time expired to win the game, but it just rimmed out as the gallant Aussies missed an opportunity to soar to the top of Group A.

 The Boomers led by 10 points in the third quarter, but the Argentines finally got their noses in front for the first time midway through the final term and used their greater experience to stay there.
 
NBA superstar Luis Scola was unstoppable for the South Americans, finishing with a game-high 31 points, while Joe Ingles was outstanding for the Aussies with 22 points and Patty Mills added 21.
 
An Ingles three-point play opened the scoring in the final quarter, but it took more than six minutes for Australia to score again as the Argentines took control.

The Boomers fought back to tie the game on a Mills three-pointer with 54 seconds left, but the South Americans finished strongly and watched with relief as Gibson's shot refused to go down to join Australia with a 1-1 record.

With this sort of form the Australians can still cause plenty of damage in the tournament, but they might end up ruing one that got away against the world's top-ranked team.

The Boomers had clearly shaken off the jitters from their fortunate one-point win over Jordan on Saturday, with firstly Adam Gibson and then Mills confidently knocking down three-pointers.

Their defence was in sync and they were moving the ball well on offence, skipping out to a 13-5 lead following a three-point play by David Andersen.
 
That was when Scola, a teammate of Andersen's at NBA club Houston last season before the Australian was traded to Toronto, began to impose himself.

Scola reeled off 11 points to end the quarter on a perfect 5-of-5 shooting to get the South Americans within two, but a late Mills triple gave the Boomers a 25-20 quarter-time edge.

The second term was an absolute dogfight, with the feisty Boomers taking it right up to their more-fancied opponents.

Neither team scored in an intense opening three minutes of the second quarter, with the Australians going score-less until Andersen broke the drought with a short jumper in the lane with less than four minutes on the clock.

Twice Argentina drew level, but they couldn't get in front, with the Boomers taking a well-deserved 39-33 lead at the long break.

The upstart Aussies kept it going in the third quarter, dictating terms to build a 10-point lead with four minutes remaining, but the Argentines lifted to close the gap to just four points at the final break.

The South Americans then just took the win in one of the games of the tournament.

All Boomers’ games are being shown on FOX SPORTS.
 
Argentina 74 (Luis Scola 31 points, Leonardo Gutierrez 17)
defeated
Australia 72 (Joe Ingles 22, Patrick Mills 21, Matt Nielsen 10)
1st Q     Australia 25, Argentina 20
2nd Q    Australia 14, Argentina 13
3rd Q     Australia 17, Argentina 19
4th Q     Australia 16, Argentina 22
 

Click here to see World Championship group standings.
 
2010 FIBA World Championship
Australian Boomers Preliminary Round Schedule
Date - Opponent - Time (Local/AEST) - Venue 
28 Aug Australia 76 defeated Jordan 75
29 Aug Australia 72 lost to Argentina 74     
30 Aug Australia vs. Germany 7:00PM/2:00AM Kayseri
1 Sept  Australia vs. Serbia 4:30PM/11:30PM Kayseri
2 Sept  Australia vs. Angola 4:30PM/11:30AM Kayseri

The Golden Star Boomers Australian men’s national basketball team have opened the 2010 FIBA World Championships by scoring a heart-stopping 76-75 win over Asia Championship bronze medallists Jordan in Kayseri, Turkey.

The game came down to the final seconds, as Boomers’ NBA star David Andersen made a pair of crucial free throws to give the Boomers a rare lead.  Jordan had three final shots to win the game but all missed under pressure from the Boomers’ defence, giving Australia the win.

Aleks Maric led the Boomers in scoring with 23 points, while Andersen added 22 and Patrick Mills 10.  Andersen and Maric also each had nine rebounds apiece.

Zaid Abbaas led the Jordanians with 20 points and Rasheim Wright added 16, but neither could make shot attempts in the closing seconds to give Jordan the upset win.

Jordan’s National Team (ranked 38th in the world by FIBA) were the surprise packet of the 2009 FIBA Asia Championship, winning the bronze medal to qualify for their first-ever world titles, and were clearly unintimidated by Australia (ranked 11th in the world) as they led for most of the game.

The Jordanians defied their minnow status to hold the lead for the entire first quarter.   Jordan led 10-3 midway through the opening period as the Australian offence looked shaky.   The Boomers closed to within two points late but Jordan, led by their American-born star Wright, went into the first break with a surprise 18-12 lead.

An Andersen trey to open the second quarter was followed by another triple from Mark Worthington to tie the game at 18-18.  Jordan steadied to regain the lead however and had a 39-32 edge at the half.  The one shining light in the first half for Australia was the form of Andersen, who had 14 points and five rebounds.

An upset seemed to be in the offing as the Jordanian lead grew out to 11 points early in the third period, but Australia went on a quick 5-0 run to close the gap.  The teams traded blows for the next few minutes before Australia managed to close within two points on a massive Maric putback slam with less than two minutes to play in the third. 

A Brad Newley dunk after a Jordan time-out tied the game at 52-52 before Jordan regained the lead with a three.  Matt Nielsen made a quick two and when Maric rebounded his own miss and made a putback at the three-quarter time buzzer, Australia had their first lead of the match at 56-55.

When Maric scored a basket to open the final quarter, Australia looked poise to exert their authority but the upstarts from Jordan had other ideas.  The scores were still knotted at 64-64 midway through final quarter, and when Zaid Al-Khas made a three with 3:17 left in the game, Jordan led 69-64. 

Australia were down seven points when Andersen made a two on turnaround jumper and a Maric jump hook after a Jordan miss closed the gap to two, 71-68.  When Rasheim Wright made a three shortly after however Australia looked to be on the verge of a massive upset loss.  A quick Mills floater closed the gap to four, 74-70, and after Jordan converted one of two free throws at the other end, Mills made two freebies of his own to make it a three-point game, 75-72. 

Joe Ingles drew an offensive foul with 44.9 seconds remaining and Nielsen dropped a two to make it a one-point game, 75-74, and force a Jordan timeout with 32.4 seconds left.  Andersen rebounded a Jordan miss after the break and was fouled.  He calmly stepped to the line with 13 seconds left and made both shots to move Australia ahead, 76-75.  After another Jordan timeout, Wright had a shot on the edge of the paint to beat the Australians but missed. 

In the mad scramble for the ball that followed, Jordan’s Abbaas rebounded the ball and took a shot, gathered his own miss and shot again only to have the ball bounce off the ring a second time and be knocked out of bounds as time expired.

Brett Brown said it was a bittersweet victory for the Boomers.

“We’re elated with the win obviously but you leave that game disappointed,” Brown said.  “That’s not the Boomers team I’ve seen play over the last few months.  The experience will serve us well however."

“We’ve pride ourselves on our defence but tonight we were terrible.  Our rotations were average, we struggled to contain the dribbler on the drive, and we weren’t coming up with loose rebounds.  We gave up 75 points and you’ve got to hold teams below 70.”

Brown said despite his team’s defensive struggles, he was heartened by the way his team came through with the fighting win.

“We really clawed our way back in to the game tonight and found a way to win,” Brown continued.  “I thought that showed tremendous guts and character.  That game was going south and we needed our bigs to step up and they did just that.  Andersen, Nielsen and Maric were really good for us down the stretch.

“The way Maric played in particular showed the reason we were aggressive recruiting him.  He is a legitimate interior five man, and a huge presence who compliments our other bigs. We got him the ball and he delivered.  We were not winning that game without Maric.”

The Boomers now need to make a big adjustment for their next opponent, world number one Argentina.

“Against Argentina, we really need to bring it,” Brown continued.  “Tonight we had no aggression or confidence, and we weren’t physical.  We lost our swagger and I need to help get the guys back on track.  I didn’t recognise the team today but there’s no better time to bring that to the table against world number one.”

Australia’s next game will be against Argentina at 4:30AM Monday morning Australian Eastern time. 

Australia has been drawn in Group A for the 2010 FIBA World Championships and will also play Germany (30 August), Serbia (1 September) and Angola (September 2).  All of the Boomers’ five preliminary round games will be held in Kayseri.

The Australia-Jordan match will be shown on delay at 8:00AM on Sunday morning on FOX SPORTS 1. 

Australia 76 (Aleks Maric 23 points, David Andersen 22, Patrick Mills 10)
defeated
Jordan 75 (Zaid Abbaas 20, Rasheim Wright 16, Idais 11)
1st Q  12:18
2nd Q 20:21
3rd Q 24:16
4th Q 20:20

The Golden Star Boomers Australian men’s national basketball team have completed their preparations for the upcoming 2010 FIBA World Championships by comprehensively defeating African team Cote d’Ivoire, 80-59, to register a 3-0 sweep at the Villeurbanne International Tournament in Lyon, France this morning. 

The win gives the Boomers an impressive 9-1 record in their lead-up to the World Championships, which begin on Saturday in Turkey.  The Boomers’ sole loss of their 2010 international campaign thus far was in the final of the Stankovic Continental Cup at the hands of Slovenia in August.

The Boomers defeated top-15 world ranked teams Brazil and France earlier in the tournament in Lyon, and swept to a perfect 3-0 record by downing 2009 African championship runners-up Cote d’Ivoire on Tuesday night. 

Australia used a 22-11 third quarter scoring advantage to secure the win and finish their lead-up to the world titles in style. 

The Boomers’ trademark tough defence restricted the Africans to 23-of-67 (34%) shooting from the field, including allowing just 2-of-26 (8%) from the perimeter.  Australia also managed to limit their turnovers, which had been a cause of concern in their previous two matches in Lyon, to just 12 for the game.

Steven Markovic led the Boomers with 15 points, while Matt Nielsen added 13 and Joe Ingles 11.

Pape Philippe Amagou was Cote d’Ivoire’s top scorer with 16 points, and Herve Lamizana had 11.

Boomers’ head coach Brett Brown was pleased with the performance and in particular the team’s better protection of the ball.

“We had a chance to play the entire team tonight, and distribute the minutes to allow everyone to play, and everyone contributed to the win.  We now go into the world championship tournament excited and healthy,” said Brown.

“Reducing turnovers was a major focus for us in today’s game.  We, as a group, need to recognise that we cannot sustain the sort of turnovers we had against France and Brazil.  The team were very good on just trying to play within themselves."

Brown said Markovic’s breakout game for the Boomers was also pleasing.

“He’s been fantastic for us, he’s a great teammate,” Brown continued.  “His resurrection, given he hasn’t played basketball for a long time, has been excellent and it’s a luxury to have him on this team.”

Neither team could establish a decisive advantage in the first period, with Australia leading 17-16 at the first break.

The Boomers trailed briefly by two points in the second before taking the lead for good with 8:07 left in the half on a pair of Nielsen free throws.  At the end of the second quarter, Australia led 39-34 but it was after the long break that the Boomers would seize the game by the throat.

Australia outscored the Africans 12-2 to open the second half and following a two by Ingles with 5:32 remaining in the third the Boomers led, 51-36.

Australia won all four quarters, also edging the Africans in the fourth 19-14 to cruise to a comfortable 21-point victory.

The Boomers now travel direct to the 2010 FIBA World Championships, which will be held in Turkey from 28 August to 12 September, and will be broadcast in Australia live and exclusive on FOX SPORTS.

Australia has been drawn in Group A for the 2010 FIBA World Championships and will open their quest for gold with a clash against Jordan on 28 August.  They then face Argentina (29 August), Germany (30 August), Serbia (1 September) and Angola (September 2).  All of the Boomers’ five preliminary round games will be held in the Turkish city of Kayseri.

Villeurbanne International Tournament (Lyon, France)
Australia 80 (Steven Markovic 15, Matt Nielsen 13, Joe Ingles 11)
defeated
Cote d’Ivoire 59 (Pape Philippe Amagou 16, Herve Lamizana 11).

The McDonald’s® Community Basketball Day aims to introduce the Community to the great game of basketball.  The day will feature clinics with the Swinburne Kilsyth Cobras, free mini golf, a 3 on 3 competition (with $300 cash up for grabs), autograph sessions with the Melbourne Tigers as well as the opportunity to sign up to play with a domestic club for the summer 2010/11 season.

The Melbourne Tigers players in attendance will be 7’2 star Luke Nevill, Cameron ‘Trigger’ Tragardh and new imports Eric Devendorf and T.J Campbell.

Kilsyth Basketball General Manager Grant Wallace complemented McDonald’s® Bayswater North on their community minded approach and spoke of the positive impact the day will create.

“The McDonald’s® Community Basketball Day, with the support of McDonald’s® Bayswater North, allows Kilsyth Basketball to showcase our sport to the wider community.”

“Kilsyth Basketball is a proud member of the local community and being able to partner like minded organisations means events such as the McDonald’s® Community Basketball Day can be held.”

Get down to the Kilsyth Sports Centre this Sunday the 29th of August between 10am - 2pm to see what the sport has to offer and to catch up with some new faces in the Melbourne Tigers team.  Melbourne Tigers memberships will also be on sale.

The Kilsyth Sports Centre is located at 95 Liverpool Road Kilsyth.

The Tigers will be back at Kilsyth on Sunday the 12th of September as they take on the Wollongong ahm Hawks as part of the 2010/11 NBL Pre Season. For further information please click here.

McDonald’s® Community Basketball Day Highlights

• Autograph signing sessions with the Melbourne Tigers.
• Participate in a clinic run by the Swinburne Kilsyth Cobras – register at http://www.cobras.net.au/index.php?id=294
• Register to join a local Domestic Club or the Aussie Hoops program – the first 50 new players to register will receive a $20 Rebel Sport Voucher.
• Have fun with free mini golf and giveaways
• Participate in a 3 on 3 competition for a chance to win $300 cash – register at http://www.cobras.net.au/index.php?id=293

For more information on the day or to register for a clinic visit www.cobras.net.au.