My Cranbourne Bucks played against the Philly Island Penguins on Sunday and I was eagerly looking forward to seeing the roster Brad Starkey had put together. Unfortunately, it was pretty obvious that the big GM was aware that not only would I be in attendance, but I would also be penning my thoughts on his team. Clearly, he didn’t want any inside information being leaked so he deliberately turned up with half his team missing so I couldn’t get an accurate read on their line-up.
On limited information, here is my thoughts on the team that Brad has put together this season.
Brad Starkey – Was trying to confuse me at every opportunity. For starters he wore a basketball top that had a different number on the front then what was on the back. When I was standing in the defensive key looking down the court I would see a player with number 8 on his chest launching massive 3 point bombs. But when Brad was posting up on me and scoring another easy 2 point layup I would see number 24 on his back. Brad was quick to remind me whenever he made a good play, ensuring that I didn’t miss it, even stopping to offer me a pen so I could take notes on his moves. When you are playing against the player who scored the 4th most points last season you already know they are a bona fide 1st round pick.
Broderick Green – Wasn’t in attendance as part of Starkey’s plan to conceal his team before round 1 tip off. We all know however Brod is a solid player who averages over 10 points a game and was one of only a handful of players whose field goal % was over 50%. Broderick went to the free throw line more than any other player last season, a testament to his aggressive penetration. I hope he has been practicing his free throws however as his FT% is less than the combined total of the numbers on Starkey's back.
Chris Munso - A new player to Super-League this season, Chris was drafted early in the 5th round. From what we have seen from him so far, he figures to be a terrific ball handler with decent court vision. Time will tell here, but he could pop up as a name that is talked about as a steal in this season's draft
Rylan Dunn – I was very impressed with Rylan. To be honest I didn’t know much about him before the scrimmage, and he took me by surprise. Was a great shooter and had some nice moves to get past a defender in a 1 on 1 situation. Looking at his stats from last season I shouldn’t have been surprised. He scored over 100 points for the season averaging over 8 points per game. I wouldn’t be surprised to see him improving on that this year. I will certainly be watching with interest.
Cheyne Pettit – I cannot pass up on an opportunity for some shameless self-promotion here. Whilst stalking Cheyne on FB I noticed he was friends with the musician who performed the opening credit sequence track on the movie I produced called “No Such Thing As Monsters”. If you would like to purchase the DVD of this locally made horror film, it is now available. In regards to the scrimmage Cheyne left fairly early (no doubt under the instruction of GM Starkey) to ensure I couldn’t learn much about him. I did note I fell for his pump fake on multiple occasions, and he picked up a lot of assists with some quality passing.
Shaun Webster - Clearly another piece of brilliant strategy by GM Starkey here. What better way to ensure Shaun doesn’t attend the scrimmage then scheduling the start to coincide with the Melbourne Demons V Carlton match. Shaun was never going to miss his beloved demons play. Shaun is exactly what you would hope out of a round 6 pick. Can step up and score when required and always give 100% effort.
Kyle Day – I had the privilege of having Kyle as a teammate last season. Always happy and positive and loves basketball more than anyone. Foxes GM last season appointed Kyle the role of opposition analyst as he knew every player and their strengths and weaknesses. Speaking of strengths, Kyle is an underrated 3-point shooter in this league. I sincerely hope he is given a license to shoot whenever he is free.
Chris Rhodes - Didn’t play in the scrimmage and is new to super-league. I have very limited information on him, but the fact that he is friends with Kiel Sutherland makes me scared. I personally think it is a great strategy to pick unknown commodities in the 8th round because you might just unearth a gem. It wouldn’t surprise me if Starkey knows exactly what he has here and is hiding it to ensure know one else finds out.
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