Tasmania Trip A Success

South East Melbourne Phoenix headed to the Apple Isle this week to play two pre-season games against the JackJumpers. They return to the mainland today, learning a lot on and off the court.

A key focus for the team was to build relationships with the whole playing group finally all together. Phoenix player Kyle Adnam called the trip a success, especially in building the chemistry off the court.

"The trip for us was successful; we had a great week building team chemistry and getting to know one another. With only a few sessions as a group under our belt, I felt our effort and intent was amazing, and as we progress with our offence and defensive structures with more training, I'm excited about our group," Adnam said. 

(The Tasmania trip allowed the players to build their relationships on and off the court.)

Dane Pineau and Alan Williams enjoyed getting to know each other better, which included Williams seeing his first wallaby outside their hotel door.

"The trip was a great experience; we all know each other better than when we left. The highlight of my trip was showing Big Sauce a little wallaby; he was excited about it for hours," Pineau said.

"Spending time with the guys off the court was great; we had a lot of laughs and started to build some off-court chemistry. And the kangaroo experience was one of the coolest of my life; when I came to Australia with hopes to be able to see one, maybe in a zoo or something, I never thought I'd see one just outside my hotel door! It was incredible, and shout out to Dane for keeping his eyes open for me and giving me a call when one was close," Williams said. 

(The energy of the games is a taster of what's to come at the Blitz and during the NBL23 season.)

The trip to Tasmania wasn't without a few hiccups with flight delays, late call-ups, and even a fire alarm in the middle of game two. But head coach Simon Michell was proud of his team for showing resilience through a few setbacks with no complaints. 

"What I enjoyed from the group was its ability to navigate setbacks and challenges. Resilience is a characteristic we want to pride ourselves on, and this trip tossed plenty at us. We lost a coach before take-off and added a player the morning of our flight who hadn't trained or even met the playing group. Our flight was cancelled, we got split onto two planes, then another flight cancelled, both flights then delayed, we lost luggage, we got in late, extra travel was required, and meetings and training had to be cancelled," Mitchell recalled.

"Heck, we even had to leave the stadium in game two in the middle of the game because of a faulty fire alarm. Not once did I hear a complaint. It was all taken with good humour and an unpretentious manner. 

"Whilst these occurrences were a rather large hindrance in our preparation, I welcomed them as a great insight into the character of these young men. There is a lot to like."

"No better way to prepare for a season than playing a physical Tassie team; we had a fire alarm go off in the middle of the game, which in a way was a cool test for us in pre-season about how we may handle situations that aren't ideal," Adnam said.

(Game 2 was put on hold in the second quarter due to the fire alarm going off; both teams and fans had to evacuate while Tasmania FireFighters came to sort out the issue.)

Despite the losses, there was much to take out of the two games against the JackJumpers. Game one saw the imports' first game for Phoenix, and as the game went on, they got more comfortable with the group on court and got into the game's rhythm.

Williams made an immediate impact in both games when he entered the court with his energy and strong defence. Kell got to his spots, resulting in 14 points in game one and nine points in game two. While Browne slowly found his rhythm and created opportunities for the side with his defensive skills, which shone brighter with every minute on the hardwood. 

Other standouts for the games were young guns Junior Madut and Grant Anticevich. Madut was active on both ends of the floor, while at the same time, Anticevich showed he will be a handful on offence this season.

"We attempted to implement a theoretical style of play we want to produce with this group. Defensively we focussed on getting up the floor and trying to speed Tasmania up. Whilst it was a little chaotic at times and mistake-laden, I think we saw enough from the group to say the potential to get up and in and apply real sustained pressure on the ball in this group is there. There was certainly an improvement from game 1 to game 2," said Mitchell.

(Alan 'Big Sauce' Williams made an immediate impact when he went on-court.)

"With such a short lead-up, the games were always going to be a challenge to win, but we made really good strides in the second game in the areas we wanted to work on," Pineau said.

"On the court, the game felt good, it felt like the people here supported each of the teams, and regardless of it being a pre-season game, the crowd was getting into it. The games were intense, and I am still trying to get into the rhythm," said Browne. 

"We haven't been able to have a five-on-five practice yet; saying that our energy was amazing, the chemistry in terms of the offence was a little bit off, but I'm saying off only because I know the potential we have as a team. We have a lot of great guys on the team who can chip in and help win games and consecutive games during the season."

The team returns to Melbourne for a block of training before getting back on the plane to head to Darwin for the NBL Blitz. With more time to gel as a team, Tasmania provided a good insight into the on and off-court chemistry this Phoenix team will bring for the NBL23 season.

"It was fun to compete, get our feet wet and get in-game rhythm and flow. As we prepare as a complete unit over the next week and get more comfortable, I think we'll be in a good position for the Blitz. Our goal is to win but also use it as an opportunity to get better and prepare for the start of the season in October," said Anticevich.

(Anticevich was a natural when gracing the court in both games.)

"From a cultural perspective, we uncovered a lot about each other, how we want to go about the season and what kind of characters we have in the group. I liked we were able to come back from 20 down in game one and make it a ball game in the fourth quarter. And we did this with some of the kids on the floor. 

"I liked that we were able to adjust to the level of physicality being applied and required when playing Tasmania in game 2. This was a real takeaway that this group is up for the battle," Mitchell said.

Tickets for Round 1 against the JackJumpers are now on sale. CLICK HERE to secure your seat at the Fire Pit.

NBL23 Memberships On Sale

Phoenix Media (9/9/22)