Throughout the NBL25 season, I will be bringing forward a few ups and downs from the round that has just gone by.

Here I take a look at what took place at the Perth basketball extravaganza, “Hoopsfest”.

Ups

Benny and the Jets

Keanu Pinder and Bryce Cotton may have stolen the show in Perth’s eight-point victory against South-East Melbourne, but the man that everybody is talking about is Ben Henshall.

After sitting on John Rillie’s bench last season, Henshall looks like a starting calibre combo-guard in the NBL. 

Scoring 10 points and dishing out seven dimes in only 20 minutes of court time. Ben “Tennyson” has filled the back-up point guard role nicely. But most importantly his defence has greatly improved.

The Wildcats ran a heavy switching defence with their versatile size, and Henshall’s foot movement kept up with the smaller, shiftier guards and the stronger bigs. 

Just keep an eye on college standout Elijah Pepper. I have a feeling he will be in Henshall’s shoes from last season.

Excitement Machine Harrell

Montrezl Harrell was one of the biggest (both literally and metaphorically) inclusions to NBL25 for the entire league.

After only being in the country for a couple days, Harrell had a 13 point, 13 rebound double-double that caried the led the 36ers to a close finish against the Kings. The former NBA Sixth Man of the Year was capped at just over 20 minutes played, coming back from a meniscus injury that saw him miss last season.

More importantly he won not only the Adelaide fans over, but the NBL community. His infectious energy saw him end the game with a plus/minus of +23.

But when he’s hyping up the crowd and talking to fans… please don’t give him a warning.

Revolving Door for United’s starters

Chris Goulding found himself coming off the bench for the first time since the 2018/19 NBL Finals in Thursday night’s Grand Final rematch.

United’s all-time leading scorer played 24 minutes and only shooting three shots from beyond the arc after coming off an illness that saw him miss United’s final two Blitz games.

Head coach Dean Vickerman said post-game that United’s starting five will be ever changing throughout the season.

“[Goulding] obviously came in under the weather, being sick. We highlighted with our group that this year there’s going to be different groups that start.”

“If everyone’s willing to sacrifice like he did today… hopefully if he does it, anyone’s willing to take a few minutes on the bench.”

Goulding was joined by import big Marcus Lee on the bench, with Ian Clark and Rob Loe starting in their place. 

United will have an array of weapons coming off the bench this season, and whether that is Goulding or Clark, they will be able to load up the points in the second unit.

Downs

Scott Roth 

Roth was disappointing in his post-game press conference following Tasmania’s loss to Melbourne United.

Yes, it’s disappointing to lose your opening round match up, yes you travelled a fair distance over the past two weeks and yes you have a few injuries but that doesn’t matter. You got to front up to the media, and you’ve got to give more than just a few one-word or one-sentence answers.

You’re not just talking to the media in these interviews; you’re talking to your supporters and your players. 

Tasmania should have import Craig Sword back for Saturday night’s rematch with United and I hope they perform well so we don’t hear anymore excuses.

Need a bigger WNBL presence

I wish in future installations of Hoopsfest it in a better time period to accommodate the WNBL to have a greater presence at the weekend.

Most teams just started their pre-season the week prior, with some like the Sydney Flames sending over development squads. 

If it does become an annual event, it has to take place post-WNBA season to get the best talent possible.

Bullets got Blitz’ed

The NBL Blitz is never a true indication of how well a team will go in a regular season. Outside of the rare occasion where the champions compete in the post season (Melbourne United 2023/24), you take everything with a grain of salt.

The Bullets and Tyrell Harrison had a fantastic time on the Gold Coast, taking the title and the latter wining the Ray Borner Medal (Blitz MVP).

Brisbane beat an undermanned JackJumpers, Melbourne United and state rivals’ Cairns, before coming to Perth and losing to the Breakers’ 91-87.

A game that should’ve been a 20+ point loss if the Breakers didn’t fall asleep in the final five minutes.

Team of the Week

Bryce Cotton, Parker Jackson-Cartwright , Jaylen Adams, Darius Days, Keanu Pinder