TEN OBSERVATIONS FROM GB V BOSNIA
09/11/2008
Ian Whittell gives us his thoughts from last night's GB basketball game at the NIA, featuring Luol Deng, Pops Mensa Bonsu and Chris Finch amongst others.
1. What crowd?
OK, on a night of almost unqualified positives, let's start with a negative! (Hey, bad news sells, it's a fact, look it up!)
Maybe we were spoiled by playing at one of the world's best venues (the o2) on Saturday but Birmingham's NIA just looks dark and miserable these days.
And a crowd of 2,523 was pathetic. Last year, GB played Slovakia there in a B Division game and there were at least 1,000 more people in attendance. So, our team is far stronger, the programme has a year's more development behind it off the court and we're playing a better team at a higher standard and we LOSE 1,000 people!
And let's not blame it on Croatia v England football. As everyone knows, thanks to Setanta, nobody could even see that game on Wednesday!
After a great 7,000-plus crowd in London, British Basketball need to take a long, hard look at their marketing people if this is the result of their efforts.
2. 10-3
Now, onto the many positives.
We're unashamed Chris Finch fans here at Basketball 24/7 ... at least until he loses a couple of games in a row when, like the good tabloid hacks we are, we'll turn on him and demand his firing!
But you still have to point out his record in three years in charge of this team is 10-3, a winning percentage of over 75 per cent.
That's phenomenal at any level of basketball, let alone international. Those are Coach K type of numbers (well, not really, Coach K is actually something like 26-1 since he took over the US team but you get our point).
Sport is all ifs and buts, of course, BUT he's a few dogdy refereeing calls away from being 11-2 and those two defeats, remember, came in year one of the programme when he had a roster that would not even have won the BBL let alone international games.
3. GB favourites?
Could it be that GB, the fourth seed in the group, are now favourites to win the thing? Bosnia coach Mensur Bajramovic certainly thinks so after his team's 82-74 defeat at the NIA.
"Luol Deng obviously increases the level of the British team," says Bajramovic. "Right now, they are maybe the best team in the group. It will be difficult for us to beat them at home because it is now an eight-point difference but we will try."
4. Away Day Blues
Is anyone ever going to win a road game in this group - and let's hope it's GB, not Israel, who do so first.
Home court advantage has certainly been worth its weight in gold over the first six games of the campaign - apart from GB in Israel in the opener, nobody has even come close to winning away.
The way things are shaping, it's not inconceivable that the group could finish in a four-way tie at 3-3 and don't get us started on what that means in terms of the head-to-head-to-head tie breakers.
What is interesting to note, however, is how the second place teams are doing in the other groups if, as might be the case, we're hoping to qualify as one of the three best runners-up.
Again, in the interests of keeping things simple for now, Group C looks good news for GB with Turkey running away on a 3-0 record with the other three teams tied at 1-2 - i.e. as things stand, we have a one game lead over second placed France.
5. Are you watching FIBA?
At the risk of repeating ourselves, when is FIBA finally going to pay attention to what is happening with the GB team and confirm our place at the 2012 Games?
If Paris had won the bid for those Olympics, do you think France would still be wondering whether or not they are in? And, as we noted, France are currently a game worse off than GB in this qualifying round.
We keep hearing on the grapevine that FIBA are "desperate" for GB to play at London. Well, if they're that desperate and we play even .500 ball in this qualifying campaign, they should come right out and tell us we're in.
I was trading emails yesterday with an Israeli journalist who was asking about this subject.
'What does it mean that GB has to "improve the competitiveness in Europe"?' he wrote. "What's more can competitive than having 2 NBA players in the roster?"
Good question.
6. Perspective, please.
It is a sign of how far this GB programme has come that many people - including coaches, players and some fans - were complaining that we "only" beat Bosnia by eight points on Wednesday.
Yes, I can see why players and coaches would think that way. They are perfectionists, or at least they should be.
And, yes, we were up 15 with 3:40 to play. At that point in any basketball game, one of two things usually happens. The team with the lead slacks off and wins by eight (as we did) or they keep the foot on the gas and wind up winning by 22.
Of course, the latter would have been preferable. But the effort put in by the GB team for most of the third quarter and the first part of the fourth (where we stopped a Bosnia run that had cut the deficit to six) was obviously significant and had presumably taken a lot out of the players.
But, as I said at the top, let's put this in perspective. This team has only existed for three years and, in its current Deng-inspired elite form, for two years.
Bosnia, by general consensus, may well have the most talent of any team in this group and they showed that in the first half but they simply could not live with us for six minutes in the second half which may be the best six-minute spell ever put in by any British basketball team.
Perspective - remember, in 2006, we were needing a three-pointer from Nate Reinking to force OT and allow us to win in Albania! "Only" beating Bosnia by eight is NOT a bad result.
7. Flinder Boyd
"You've got to love what he's doing for us," says Finch of the player who has, arguably, been the revelation of the GB team to date. "He is very under-stated, defensively he is doing a great job, setting the tempo and being annoying!
"Offensively, he's running the show, calling a great game and creating opportunities for other people at the end of the shot clock. He is playing through a little bit of an injury and playing with a big heart. I really appreciate the job he's doing."
Luol and Pops are, rightly, getting all the plaudits for some phenomenal play but they are not the only heroes out there.
The guard position was obviously a major headache for Finch coming into the campaign and the deficiencies remain glaring on occasion (if I'm coaching against GB, my approach is to let Deng get his 30 points and pressure the hell out of the backcourt in the hope of stopping the GB offence getting into any rhythm).
But Boyd, especially, plus Jarrett Hart, Reinking and, to a lesser extent, Steve Leven have filled the minutes and the box scores admirably.
8. Which leads us on to ...
... Richard Midgley and where his international career now stands.
DNP coach's decision against Israel and Bosnia, the Everton guard has a total of 5 minutes and 1 shot to his name in the opening three games.
Of course, basketball is always a matter of match-ups and, conceivably, the match-ups have been such that Finch just feels they have not been favourable for Midgley so far. Then again, as we're playing the same three teams over the next 10 days, that doesn't augur well for increased PT for Midge.
Given how well documented GB's weakness is at the guard positions, none of this augurs well for Midgley's international future. And, as the only representative of a BBL team on the current roster, you can draw your own conclusions about what that says about the domestic game.
9. Welcome back
Finch never slams a door shut in anyone's face ... well almost never.
I think the philosophy with Finch is he will give anyone a second chance. Whether you will get a third or fourth is another matter.
So it came to pass that Kieron Achara found himself making his international debut against Bosnia - all 53 seconds and one blown defensive assignment of it.
What is important, however, is that his call-up (at the expense of the unlucky and very promising Dzaflo Larkai) showed off Finch's management skills at their best.
The coach was understandably annoyed when Achara walked out on the team for trials in Italy but, equally, noted that the rookie pro was keen to return to the fold so handed him a one game "suspension" against the Czechs before bringing him back.
Oh, and on the subject of big men, it has not been stated enough that GB are doing all this without injured pair Andy Betts and Robert Archibald who, in 2007, were arguably our second and third best players behind Deng.
10. We love the refs!
We're not suggesting for a minute that FIBA refs read Basketball 24/7 but maybe my rant after the injustices in Tel Aviv last week has filtered through to them somehow.
I have to say that if I had to make the call, I would say that the officiating has been slightly in our favour in both this week's home games.
A fair few borderline calls have gone our way and Deng finally seems to be getting the benefit of the doubt - as opposed to in Israel where the refs seemed hell bent on fouling him out.
Maybe that's the reality of Division A basketball where home teams get home team calls and maybe that explains why home teams are 6-0 in the group.
If that's the case, let's hope that continues on Saturday!
The views of this blog are Ian's alone and do not constitute the views of Basketball 24/7, its directors or staff.
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