Weekend Preview: Phoenix and Bullets to Battle on the Gold Coast

South East Melbourne Phoenix is tipping off their NBL21 pre-season campaign with two games against Brisbane on the Gold Coast this weekend.

It will be the team’s first official action since their inaugural season wrapped up in February.

New recruits Cam Gliddon and Reuben Te Rangi will face their old team for the first time, and college star Yanni Wetzell will also make his Phoenix debut.

“It’s been a long time coming, I think I got here in July and all that time have been training and waiting for a game,” Gliddon said.

“Going back to my old team will be fun, seeing some of those blokes. It’ll give us building blocks and teach us what we need to get better at.”

(Now-Phoenix forward Reuben Te Rangi guarding Mitch Creek last season)

Phoenix assistant coach Luke Kendall said: “We’re excited to finally play after 10 months without a game.

“Getting on the road is where you really build chemistry. It’s going to be tough this whole year with the restrictions and all the things the NBL have put in place…but I think it’ll bring us closer together as a group.”

Game one will be Friday night at 8pm (AEDT) and game two on Sunday afternoon at 1pm (AEDT).

Both games will be streamed live and free on the Phoenix’s Facebook page, on NBL TV and NBL’s Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Twitch channels.

SQUAD

Imports Keifer Sykes and Ben Moore won’t feature in the two fixtures as they finish their quarantine period in Sydney before joining the squad next week in Melbourne.

Dane Pineau will miss through injury.

The remainder of the roster plus training player Geremy McKay made the trip up to the Gold Coast.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

A number of Phoenix players will be representing the club for the first time against the Bullets.

Boomers guard Cam Gliddon and Tall Blacks star Reuben Te Rangi will face their former Brisbane teammates for the first time since making the switch to the Heartland mid-year, while Phoenix fans will also get their first look at athletic big man Yanni Wetzell in action.

Development players Izayah Le’afa and Tristan Forsyth will also get opportunities to showcase their talents.

Returning duo Kyle Adnam and Kendall Stephens have enjoyed strong pre-seasons and will be keen to make an instant impact to get their campaigns rolling.

OPPOSITION REPORT

Brisbane brought in former 36ers guard Anthony Drmic and imports Orlando Johnson and Vic Law to their rotation this off-season.

Nathan Sobey and Jason Cadee will be a constant scoring threat from the guard spots, while big men Harry Froling and Matt Hodgson will make for an intriguing matchup with the Phoenix bigs.

HISTORY VS. OPPOSITION

The Phoenix hosted Brisbane in their home opener last season at John Cain Arena, officially marking the rebirth of Heartland basketball and capping it off with a strong win in front of their home crowd.

The Bullets went on to host the Phoenix in two games later in the season, with each team taking a win from the fixtures.

KEY DETAILS

Game 1: Friday Dec 18 8:00pm AEDT

Game 2: Sunday Dec 20 1:00pm AEDT

Venue: Gold Coast Sports and Leisure Centre

Broadcast: Phoenix Facebook page, NBL TV, NBL’s Facebook/Twitter/YouTube/Twitch channels

Live Updates: @SEMelbPhoenix on Twitter

Sam Bunn for Phoenix Media (18/12/2020)