Bayern Munich ended the Champions League hopes of Paris Saint-Germain, beating the French club 2-0 in the second leg of their last-16 tie to reach the quarter-finals 3-0 on aggregate.
Leading 1-0 from the first leg in Paris last month, Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting put Bayern in front on the night at the Allianz Arena and substitute Serge Gnabry wrapped up the victory a minute from time.
Bayern were worthy winners against a flat PSG side, for whom neither Kylian Mbappe nor Lionel Messi had the expected impact on the game while Neymar was missing with an ankle injury.
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Paris Saint-Germain forward Kylian Mbappe reacts. (Photo by FRANCK FIFE / AFP)Source: AFP
It is the second season running in which PSG have gone out of the Champions League in the last 16, and the fifth time in the last seven campaigns the Qatar-owned club have failed to go beyond the first knockout round.
They were not helped by injuries in defence, with captain Marquinhos forced off after 36 minutes with a rib problem and his replacement, Nordi Mukiele, also having to be substituted at half-time.
Vitinha might have put the French champions in front in the first half, but Matthijs de Ligt cleared his attempt off the line.
Bayern went ahead just after the hour mark, Leon Goretzka setting up the unmarked Choupo-Moting for an easy finish after Marco Verratti had been dispossessed in his own box.
Sergio Ramos came closest to getting the visitors back into the game before Gnabry clinched Bayern’s victory late on.
“I’m delighted PSG have gone out,” Jamie Carragher said post-game.
“I am. I just don’t like the whole set-up and everything about it. It’s not a team, it’s just a mess. Five years out of seven they’ve gone out in the last-16.
“They’ve spent more money than anyone, got the best players in the world. It’s just brilliant because it tells you how important it is to be a team. We love individuals within a team but that’s not a team and Kylian Mbappe has to leave that club.”
TOTTENHAM’S TROPHY WAIT DRAGS ON
AC Milan progressed to the quarter-finals of the Champions League for the first time since 2012 as the Italian champions held out for a 0-0 draw at 10-man Tottenham to win 1-0 on aggregate.
A European elimination hot on the heels of an exit from the FA Cup means Tottenham’s 15-year wait to win a trophy will extend for at least another season.
Antonio Conte’s return to the touchline failed to inspire a response from his side as Tottenham were toothless in attack and had to play the final 12 minutes a man down as Cristian Romero was sent off for two bookable offences.
Kick-off was delayed by 10 minutes after the later arrival of both sides due to traffic congestion, but it took far longer for the contest to get going.
Conte was back in charge after taking more time after the first leg to recover from gallbladder surgery.
The Italian was his usual animated self and was shown a yellow card by referee Clement Turpin for his protestations at a booking for Clement Lenglet.
Antonio Conte was frustrated. (Photo by Clive Rose/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
However, his players lacked the same energy as Spurs failed to rise to the occasion.
Milan produced the one piece of imagination befitting of a Champions League knockout tie before the break as a well-worked free-kick found Junior Messias, but the Brazilian dragged his shot wide.
Spurs had lost four of their previous six games, including defeat to second-tier Sheffield United in the FA Cup.
The home support could not hide their frustration as the half-time whistle was met with a smattering of boos.
Conte was unable to provoke a response at the break as Spurs needed stand-in goalkeeper Fraser Forster to keep them in the tie.
Brahim Diaz scored the only goal of the first leg and his jinking run inside the Spurs box just lacked the finish as Forster’s outstretched leg deflected the ball to safety.
Spurs at least forced Mike Maignan into a save 25 minutes from time as he tipped over Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg’s strike.
Tottenham’s wait continues. (Photo by Clive Rose/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
Conte gambled by switching to a front four for the final 20 minutes with Richarlison joining Harry Kane, Dejan Kulusevski and Son Heung-min up front.
But there was still precious little service for Kane and hope of a Tottenham fightback disappeared with Romero.
The Argentine often treads a fine line with his discipline and saw red for the third time in his Spurs career after lunging in on Theo Hernandez.
Kane came closest to an equaliser when his header from a Son free-kick was well saved by Maignan low to his right in stoppage time.
Milan should have made sure of victory on the night as well as on aggregate but Sandro Tonali wasted another glorious chance by going for goal himself with teammates in support before Divock Origi’s effort came back off the inside of the post.
But it did not matter as the seven-time European champions held firm to end more than a decade of waiting to reach the last eight.
Canberra United will appeal a decision to have a 2-1 win over Sydney FC changed into a 3-0 loss after the club was found guilty of an unauthorised substitution last month.
In a move that sent Sydney FC to the top of the ladder and could have ramifications for the A-League Women finals, the Australian Professional Leagues confirmed the verdict on Monday and stripped three points from Canberra and gave the victory to Sydney along with a 3-0 win.
It’s a significant setback for Canberra who have fallen a game behind fourth-placed Melbourne Victory in their pursuit of a finals spot.
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The APL ruled an unauthorised substitution made in the 93rd minute of Canberra’s 2-1 victory over Sydney FC on February 11 violated competition rules.
A-Leagues commissioner Greg O’Rourke said Canberra had used all three of its available substitution windows when it made the change in the dying moments of the game.
The decision to deduct points from Canberra United is a blow to their finals aspirations. Picture: Jaimi Joy/Getty ImagesSource: Getty Images
Under competition rules, a team can only make a substitution in an additional window if it is to replace a concussed player.
“The final substitute was made at a time in the game when Canberra had already used all available windows under our regulations,” O’Rourke said.
“While it is unfortunate, the league must ensure its regulations are upheld.”
Canberra United chief executive Ivan Slavich said it was “extremely disappointing” to learn of the APL decision.
“We believe that we have not committed any violation of matchday regulations because of advice we received from the match officials during the fixture,” Slavich said.
“The club will be appealing the decision.”
United said it would make no further comment on the matter until the appeal was heard.
The APL confirmed the goals scored in the clash would still count towards individual awards, and Julie Dolan Medal votes from the match would remain valid.
Todd Blanchfield once again lit it up for the Australian Boomers, making his immediate NBL future all the more fascinating despite being contracted to the Perth Wildcats, and now that the FIBA World Cup qualifying is done, attention turns to the NBL23 Championship Series.
Following the NBL’s Play-In Tournament and then semi-final series, the timing was somewhat unfortunate for a FIBA window to present with the last of the World Cup qualifying matches to be played.
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Next stop WC! Boomers thrash Kazakhstan | 00:37
However, it did offer the chance for plenty of NBL talent to represent their countries and that included two more big wins in Melbourne for the Boomers but the New Zealand Tall Blacks were loaded with talent too — and so was the South Sudan team who made history amidst a bit of controversy.
There’s plenty happening across the NBL too with the Brisbane Bullets loading up their coaching staff under Justin Schueller and having now re-signed DJ Mitchell while the South East Melbourne Phoenix are searching for their new coach following Simon Mitchell standing down.
With the eight teams out of the championship race, they have all turned their attention to NBL24 but for the Sydney Kings and New Zealand Breakers, they begin their best-of-five series over the NBL23 crown this Friday night at Qudos Bank Arena.
COOKS IGNORING ANY OUTSIDE DISTRACTIONS
Whether it’s outside noise trying to bring down the Sydney Kings as a team or talking down his own MVP credentials or NBA aspirations, captain Xavier Cooks is having none of it leading into the Championship Series starting Friday night.
There’s no mistaking that the Kings do carry themselves with a swagger that starts with their ownership and carries through to their coach and playing group, but they can also back up that self-confidence.
That has also seen them put a target on their backs which does stem right back to the Grand Final series of last season where they embraced the roles of villains against the fairytale story of the Tasmania JackJumpers on the way to winning that championship.
This season again they have been happy to embrace the fact that they feel people might not like them and you can’t argue with the success they’ve had finishing the season in top spot and then overcoming the Cairns Taipans in three games of the semi finals to reach the Championship Series.
Along the way, Cooks has turned himself from a championship winning captain and Grand Final MVP last season to now being the MVP of this regular season in the NBL and to be knocking on the door of an NBA opportunity.
Xavier Cooks.Source: Getty Images
Cooks has also been happy to express his thoughts through the media and talk up how good he thinks the Kings are and how unstoppable he feels they are, and isn’t afraid to stir up some emotions whether it’s from people on social media or in opposition buildings he plays in.
Cooks embraces that and takes anything those ‘keyboard warriors’ especially have to say like a grain of salt as he prepares to lead the Kings into battle in the Championship Series against the Breakers beginning Friday night at Qudos Bank Arena.
Cooks’ focus is on a fascinating power forward battle between himself and Jarrell Brantley in the series ahead, but when talking about how the Kings appear to be the team everyone loves to hate, he embraces that.
“A lot of those people are just people out west bored at home and tweeting stuff,” Cooks said.
“Either you love the Kings or you hate the Kings, it’s creating a buzz in Sydney and that is what it is about.
“I care when we go into an arena, and we get booed. That kind of fuels me up and gives me energy, but the Instagram and Twitter I don’t care about.”
BREAKERS PROVIDE PLATFORM FOR FUTURE NBA STAR TO SHINE
The New Zealand Breakers have quickly become the masters of the NBL’s Next Stars program and as a result of their foresight, 18-year-old French excitement machine Rayan Rupert has the chance to show his wares in the Championship Series.
While the immediate focus for the Breakers is on trying to win the franchise’s fifth NBL championship over the next two weeks, in the bigger picture making themselves a destination club for future NBA players is something they continue to excel out.
It’s been slim pickings in terms of success for the Breakers in recent years. After winning four NBL championships in five seasons between 2011-15, they hadn’t won a finals game of any sort since 2016 or played in one since 2018 up until this year.
However, even during those lean years, the Breakers have embraced their role of being a destination to produce future NBA stars and you only need to look at RJ Hampton, Ousmane Dieng and Hugo Besson as examples of players to get drafted on the back of the development there.
That’s why French teenager Rupert chose to go to the Breakers this season. He had all the options in the world at his feet about what to do this season to get himself ready for the 2023 NBA Draft.
HS commentators LOSE IT over wild finish | 01:09
He could have spent a year in college in the United States, he could have joined up with a G-League team or becoming part of the Ignite program, or stayed in France or play anywhere throughout Europe.
However, having seen the success of Besson and Dieng last season at the Breakers and how much they developed to end up being drafted to the NBL despite the situation the team was in meant that it became an easy decision.
It’s paid off and even if Rupert’s numbers aren’t jumping off the page with 6.5 points and 2.3 rebounds a game across the season, the improvement he’s shown physically and with his game since joining New Zealand has been stark.
He is now a much better all-round player, is someone who can impact the game with or without the ball in his hands, and at both ends of the floor, and is a starter on a team now attempting to win the championship.
Perhaps even more impressively is the fact that he continued to improve both as a player and physically even when he was sidelined with a broken arm.
He now looks every bit a player ready for the NBA and could go close to being a top 10 draft pick in a few months’ time, but right now his coach Mody Maor couldn’t be more impressed.
“Man, is he good. He’s not scared of the moment and is playing with complete freedom and aggressiveness on both sides of the floor,” Maor said.
“I felt he wreaked havoc in that series against the JackJumpers for us for a few moments on ball guards and was really disruptive.
“I think everybody likes to pinpoint the stuff that he does on defence because it’s really clear to see when you have this 6’7 gazelle running around and pressing the ball, and doing amazing things.
“But he is one of our best north-south kind of players, he is aggressive and gets to the rim, he finishes and can make a read and pass. He is fantastic.”
BLANCHFIELD’S FUTURE FASCINATING AFTER BOOMERS EXPLOSION
Todd Blanchfield scored 51 points across two games for the Australian Boomers after taking the last 18 matches of NBL23 to do that with the Perth Wildcats and while still contracted, a former ‘Cats great believes he should look to move on.
Blanchfield has had a strong 373-game career in the NBL but never has he found himself in a situation like in NBL23 where he was largely relegated to the role of a cheerleader at the Wildcats as he fell out of the rotation of coach John Rillie.
At just 31 and with a sound body, and no signs of his game slowing down, Blanchfield appears to have plenty left in the tank and remains contracted to the Wildcats for a further two seasons.
Despite that, it might very well be in the best interests of all involved to look to find a way out of that contract and for Blanchfield to find a new home.
The Wildcats don’t appear to have a role for him. Michael Harris played ahead of him this season as a development player and looks likely to be upgraded to a roster spot. With Bryce Cotton, Tai Webster and Corey Webster there playing similar roles, it’s unlikely things will change in NBL24.
It all comes down ultimately to what Blanchfield wants. If he goes to the Wildcats and says he would rather move on, it would be unlikely they would stand in his way because really, it frees up some good money for them and a roster spot.
Todd Blanchfield of Australia, Daniel Grida of Australia, Mason Peatling of Australia and Rhys Vague of Australia look on during the national anthem during the FIBA World Cup Qualification match between Australia Boomers and Kazakhstan.Source: Getty Images
Blanchfield could very well want to remain in the Wildcats and want to earn some minutes. It’s a big gamble to take because if things pan out similarly, he would have wasted two seasons of a career that should be seeing him spend much more time on the court.
It might very well be that the Wildcats only allow Blanchfield to leave if he doesn’t play in the NBL, but he would be a natural to follow the likes of Angus Brant, Nick Kay and Rhys Vague to Japan should he want to.
Ultimately it’s all going to play out in the coming weeks, but what Blanchfield did prove during the FIBA window for the Boomers is what he’s still capable of.
Across the last 17 games of the season, he scored a total of 30 points and didn’t score at all in the last six matches the Wildcats played in including the two finals.
But across the two games for the Boomers, he scored 51 points while shooting a combined 18/28 from the field and 11/19 from three-point land.
That included 31 points on 7/12 three-point shooting against Kazakhstan on Sunday which is the best individual performance from a Boomers player since what Patty Mills did in the bronze medal match in Tokyo.
Six-time Wildcats champion Damian Martin feels it would be in the best interests of Blanchfield to look to continue his career elsewhere.
“I don’t think he’s past it, he can still put points on the board so if he wants to stay, there’s a contract they will honour but he would like the challenge,” Martin said on SEN WA.
“He is competitive and even though he got leapfrogged in the pecking order during the season even by Michael Harris who John Rillie went with. I’m sure other clubs will be making that phone call to the Wildcats, it won’t be the call going out.
“It will be the calls that are coming in asking what you are doing with Todd because you didn’t play him many minutes, we could use him and can we put to his management team and then let Todd make the decision once he knows what the Wildcats and another team are happy with.
“But he won’t be going out there saying he wants out, but he will have to look at it if something is presented. When it comes to Todd, with Michael Harris seeming to be more in favour with JR, it makes it even harder for him to get out there next season in that position.”
TALL BLACKS DEPTH HIGHLIGHTING STRENGTH OF NZ BASKETBALL
The Australian Boomers aren’t the only nation gearing up for a strong FIBA World Cup campaign with the New Zealand Tall Blacks looking set to launch an assault on a best ever result with their deepest contingent of players coming together.
Not only are the New Zealand Breakers back competing for the NBL championship this season as they prepare for the Championship Series against the Sydney Kings starting with Game 1 on Friday night, but the overall state of New Zealand basketball is strong.
Just starting with that Breakers team and there’s Izayah Le’afa, Tom Abercrombie, Tom Vodanovich, Rob Loe, Sam Timmins, Daniel Fotu and Alex McNaught as homegrown talents all important members of the squad three games away from the franchise’s fifth NBL championship.
Then you look at the Tall Blacks squad who have qualified for the World Cup to be played in Japan, Indonesia and the Philippines starting in late August and it highlights just how strong of a position New Zealand basketball is in right now.
The squad that won their last two qualifying matches against Saudi Arabia and Lebanon didn’t feature any Breakers players but still consisted of NBL players Sam Waardenburg, Reuben Te Rangi, Tohi Smith-Milner, Hyrum Harris and Tyrell Harrison.
Along with them were former NBL players Jordan Ngatai, Taylor Britt, Ethan Rusbatch and Jordan Hunt with Isaac Fotu leading the charge including 23 points and seven rebounds on 10/12 in Monday night’s 106-91 win against Lebanon.
That squad, like the Boomers team, might very well feature precious few players who will be there for the Tall Blacks during the World Cup with coach Pero Cameron to have some tough calls to make on who makes that final 12.
That Tall Blacks World Cup squad will likely feature NBA centre Steven Adams with Finn Delany and Yanni Wetzell to be cornerstones up front along with Tom Abercrombie, Corey and Tai Webster, and if healthy, Shea Ili to settle into the back court along with rising star Flynn Cameron.
Trying to replicate the heroics of a fourth place finish from 2002 is a lofty goal, but this Tall Blacks team is well placed for a World Cup assault and that’s why a veteran of the national team like Jordan
Ngatai is so excited whether he makes the final 12 or not.
“What you love about it is having those competition for spots and I know for myself, I’ve got a lot to do to try and get in that 12 but I love that challenge,” Ngatai said.
“It’s awesome that I get to compete against these but then hopefully get to be their teammates as well. I think this is probably the first time in a long time where New Zealand basketball has had a great depth chart in basically every position.
“Especially guys who have been in the States and then making a good enough impression during the Aussie NBL. Like Sam had a great Aussie NBL and deserved everything, and he’s done great to bring that to the Tall Blacks has been great.”
NBL’S SOUTH SUDANESE CONTINGENT CRUCIAL IN MAKING HISTORY
South Sudanese players are becoming key players on plenty of NBL teams at the moment and they have translated that into a passion to represent their nation and lead them to the FIBA World Cup even if their fans weren’t allowed to cheer them on in Egypt.
Just this past season and all you have to do is look at the players in the NBL from a South Sudanese background and you get an idea of how proud a basketball nation it is, and why the players have become so passionate to represent it on the international stage.
South Sudan has qualified for the World Cup starting in late August across Japan, Indonesia and the Philippines having dominated the African Qualifying stages with the world’s youngest nation preparing now for their first major tournament.
You wouldn’t rule out the possibility of them being able to have a genuine impact at the World Cup either.
You just look at the NBL talent they have to choose from and it’s a terrific starting point. Just this past season, and Sundy Dech, Lual Diing, Deng Acouth, Bul Kuol, Majok Deng, Deng Deng, Josh Duach, Makuach Maluach, Majok Majok, Junior Madut, Kouat Noi and Jackson Makoi were part of the league.
That will only be a starting point for the team that South Sudan will take into a historic World Cup campaign but for a nation that barely existed a decade ago, it continues to face some unexpected hurdles.
The African qualifying stage concluded over the last week in Egypt, but that presented a whole new set of challenges.
All South Sudan had to do to secure their World Cup spot was to win one of their three matches, which they did first up beating Senegal 83-75, but it was a result that created history that was soured by what happened outside the stadium.
A strong contingent of South Sudanese supporters had travelled to Egypt to support their team, but upon arrival were informed they were not to be permitted inside the stadiums to watch their team play, and ultimately make history.
Officially security reasons were used by Egyptian officials for not allowing either the South Sudanese or Senegal supporters into the building, but either way it took away from a once in a lifetime occasion for the players to celebrate making history with their supporters.
South Sudan might be a new nation but has a rich history with basketball and Luol Deng is a significant part of that.
Boomers beat Bahrain in run to world cup | 01:01
He was a genuine NBA star especially for a decade at the Chicago Bulls during a career that spanned 964 appearances and saw him earn two All-Star selections.
He is now president of South Sudanese basketball and was interim coach in Egypt for the team. While proud of what his team accomplished, his anger over the supporters not being allowed in boiled over.
“This is going out to FIBA, this is going out to the Egyptian Federation. Whatever’s been going on this week, I hope everything is being recorded how teams are being treated and everything’s been programmed,” Deng said
“That’s an incredible story not only for FIBA but for African basketball. Our fans are travelling from states, travelling from countries, flying in. Nobody brings in more fans than South Sudan right now.
“For our fans to show up at the stadium, there was no notice. We were never told that there would be no fans allowed in the game. We were told fans were allowed to come.
“FIBA should be ashamed, the Egyptian Federation should be ashamed. Whatever is going on here, it needs to stop. Basketball doesn’t need this. This is a great story and we’ve been robbed today from celebrating with our fans who came all the way out here.
“That’s the biggest disappointment that I have. We make history and our fans are now allowed on the day of making it. They didn’t announce it yesterday or last week, they announced it today. FIBA needs to look at that.”
The hottest NBA draft prospect since LeBron James is taller than Shaquille O’Neal and still growing.
French teenager Victor Wembanyama is seen as the best young player in a generation and is all but certain to be selected with the No. 1 pick in this year’s NBA Draft.
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The 19-year-old is playing for Boulogne-Levallois Metropolitans 92 in France’s Pro A League, and turned heads in an exhibition game in October against expected No. 2 pick Scoot Henderson’s G League Ignite.
‘UNGUARDABLE’ ‘ Wenbenyama shines in US | 01:14
Victor Wembanyama has been touted as a once-in-a-generation talent. (Photo by Steve Marcus)Source: Getty Images
With his lanky physique, Wembanyama has been described as a taller version of Kevin Durant who can block shots for fun.
He officially stands 7’4” (224 cm) tall but according to ESPN, Wembanyama is now 7’5” (226cm) with shoes on, with a wingspan of eight feet (243cm) – and the scariest part is he’s still growing.
That makes Wembanyama taller than Durant (208cm) and Lakers legend O’Neal (216m), who dominated the NBA in the early 2000s.
And if Wembanyama was to join the NBA today, he would immediately become the league’s tallest player, ahead of the likes of Houston’s Boban Marjanovic (224cm), Washington’s Kristaps Porzingis (221cm) and Boston’s Luke Kornet (218cm).
Victor Wembanyama (R) towers over 216cm French NBA star Rudy Gobert (L). (Photo by Steve Marcus)Source: Getty ImagesShaquille O’Neal (216cm) was virtually unguardable during his time playing for the Los Angeles Lakers, taking over the league during a stretch that is considered the most dominant of any player in NBA history. (Photo by Stephen Dunn)Source: Getty Images
ESPN’s Brian Windhorst believes Wembanyama’s height and athleticism will make him an unstoppable force once he joins the NBA in his rookie season.
“This is a different prospect to what we’ve ever seen before, especially coming out of Europe. His shooting form is textbook,” he said on the ‘Brian Windhorst and the Hoop Collective’ podcast.
“This guy is so serious about being great. I don’t know if will be. There’s no such thing as a ‘can’t miss’ prospect, but he is doing everything in his power to be great from day one. I think from day one in the NBA, he will be a dominating defensive force. He will alter shots like nobody we’ve ever seen before. From day one, teams will have to game plan for dealing with him defensively.
“Wenbamyama isn’t even like LeBron 2.0. It’s like LeBron 3.0. It’s a completely different situation. You’re going to be alarmed at how thin he is. He’s listed at 230 pounds (104kg), he is 7-foot-4-ish, 7-foot-5. He looks very slight. He doesn’t look he has much bulk. He looks like he could get knocked over by a stiff breeze.”
Boulogne-Levallois’ French power forward Victor Wembanyama is set to change the NBA. (Photo by AFP)Source: AFPVictor Wembanyama has silky skills. (Photo by JULIEN DE ROSA / AFP)Source: AFP
LeBron James has described Wembanyama as a “generational talent” and an “alien”.
“We’re labelling him like this unicorn thing,” James told reporters in a press conference.
“I’ve never seen – no one has ever seen – anyone as tall as he is but as fluid and as graceful as he is out on the floor. He’s a generational talent and hopefully he continues to stay healthy.”
Sports Illustrated posted a profile on Wembanyama on Tuesday in which he admitted he liked the ‘alien’ label.
“I’m really glad he said that because I didn’t like to be called a unicorn,” Wembanyama said. “I like being called an alien, it’s just something not from this world. It’s really what I’m working to be — something unique and original.”
James knows first-hand what Wembanyama is going through as the far as the hype surrounding him before every playing an NBA game. The league’s all-time leading scorer was a can’t-miss prospect coming out of high school before being selected No. 1 overall by the Cavaliers in 2003.
Wembanyama has also drawn high praise from Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo.
“The way his skills are, the way he could shoot the ball, the way he can move, he’s extremely fast for his size, can block shots, can be a threat on the offensive end, he’s unbelievable,” the Greek Freak said.
“We have never seen something like that before. I think it’s a good challenge for everybody around the league, to have somebody that’s 7’2” be able to shoot, dribble like he’s a guard, to block shots, to run down the door fast. We got to get ready for this kid. He’s going to be really good.”
Wembanyama is averaging 22.2 points, 9.5 rebounds, and 3.1 blocks a game this season in the LNB Pro A league — France’s top pro league. He is widely considered to be a player with groundbreaking talent that can instantly elevate whichever team he lands with.
The Houston Rockets, San Antonio Spurs, Detroit Pistons and Charlotte Hornets appear best placed to land Wembanyama if they land the No. 1 pick in the draft lottery.
Those four teams all have less than 20 wins with a quarter of the NBA season remaining.
Sections of this story originally appeared on the NY Post and is reproduced with permission.
Jurgen Klopp hopes Liverpool have turned the corner just in time for Real Madrid’s visit to Anfield to play the first leg of their Champions League last-16 clash (7am AEDT) — a repeat of last season’s final.
Madrid were crowned European champions for the 14th time in Paris after a 1-0 win in a match overshadowed by organisational failings on the part of UEFA and the French authorities that put fans’ safety at risk.
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Liverpool, who narrowly missed out on an unprecedented quadruple last season, have suffered a hangover during the current campaign, out of both domestic cups and 19 points behind Premier League leaders Arsenal.
But back-to-back wins over Everton and Newcastle have lifted the mood around Anfield and given Klopp’s men a shot at qualifying for the Champions League next season via a top-four finish in the English top flight.
“It’s the Champions League, it’s one of the biggest games in the world. It will be a top football game and I’m really happy we can play it now,” Klopp said at his pre-match press conference on Monday.
“If it had been four weeks ago maybe it would’ve been different, but life is all about timing and maybe we found our feet right in time for this game.
“Now we have these two results and hopefully we can build on it, but we need to play two super games to get through.”
Madrid have been Liverpool’s conquerors in the Champions League three times in the previous five seasons.
The European champions won the 2018 final in Kyiv 3-1 and by the same score on aggregate in a quarter-final tie between the sides in 2020/2021.
But Carlo Ancelotti’s men rode their luck to win in Paris, with goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois picking up the man-of-the-match award for a series of stunning saves.
Forrest stun City with late equaliser | 01:05
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“We played this final in Paris and I didn’t watch it back since then until this weekend,” said Klopp. “Now I know why I didn’t watch it back. It was proper torture because we played a good game and could have won the game.
“They scored a decisive goal, we didn’t and it was the reason. You could see in this game how experienced Madrid is. How little they are fussed when the other team has chances.
“They don’t lose confidence for one second, that is what you can learn from them.”
Eight months ago, Liverpool laced up their boots in Paris for their 63rd and final game of a gruelling – and ultimately bitterly disappointing – season.
The Reds played every possible game in four competitions and came within touching distance of a staggering quadruple of trophies. City coach Pep Guardiola declared in the lead-up to Liverpool’s Champions League final against Real Madrid: “I’ve never seen a team like Liverpool in my life.”
The Reds won both domestic cups but fell short of the more prestigious crowns. They were pipped to the Premier League crown by City on the last day of the season. And on that May night in Paris, the Reds’ third Champions League final in five seasons ended in heartbreak – Madrid emerged triumphant on the back of an inspired performance from goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois.
Eight months on the teams meet again, this time in the round of 16. The resumption of animosity between the two European giants only serves as a bitter reminder of how far Liverpool has fallen in the intervening period.
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That night in Paris – and everything it represents – has cast a long and painful shadow over Anfield. Beset by injuries, weariness, and the loss of key figures on and off the field, Liverpool sits eighth in the league and has already been knocked out of the FA Cup and League Cup.
But Wednesday morning might just be the moment that shows there is light at the end of the tunnel for Jurgen Klopp and his troops in red. As the Liverpool mastermind has declared, they enter this game on the back of a “massive, massive, massive, massive” result that may have just turned around their fortunes after a disastrous first half of the season.
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TRANSFER FAIL THAT ‘BLEW UP IN THEIR FACES’
In the wake of that clash in Paris, Klopp recognised the need to reinvigorate his squad in the transfer window. The departure of Sadio Mane – a crucial cog in Liverpool’s attack, but equally as vital in their high-press defence – made attacking reinforcements seem the obvious need.
But the mountain of work taken on by their ageing midfield corps impressed upon Klopp and the Liverpool hierarchy the urgent need to add a star to the centre of the park – not just for this season, but as a long-term successor in the role. After all, captain Jordan Henderson is 32 and Thiago 31, Fabinho 29 and James Milner 37.
Aurelien Tchouameni, now 23, was top of their list. A superstar at Monaco and a French international, he possesses world-class ability to win the ball both in the air and on the ground, and is exceptional at providing cover for forward-roaming fullbacks – something crucial to Liverpool’s attack. He seemed the perfect match for Klopp’s system, and with contract talks stalled at Monaco and just one season left on his deal, it was clear he would depart the club. Klopp was desperate – he even flew to Monaco to meet with the young gun, and called him for further talks after that. But when Madrid came calling, Tchouameni said he “didn’t hesitate”. Even France teammate Kylian Mbappe’s attempts to convince him to sign for PSG were in vain. Madrid had halted Liverpool in Paris, and now they had robbed them of their biggest transfer target.
Aurelien Tchouameni of France celebrates after scoring against England at the World Cup in Qatar.Source: Getty Images
Their pursuit of alternate midfield options was ineffective. The list of stars Liverpool was linked to included Enzo Fernandez – who joined Chelsea in January for a Premier League record €121m ($A189m) – Marcelo Brozovic of Inter Milan, Moises Caicedo of Brighton, and Ruben Neves of Wolves. None arrived before the season. And it wasn’t until the final gasp of the transfer window that the Reds pulled the trigger on a hail mary – signing injury-prone Juventus midfielder Arthur Melo (and his sky-high wages) on a loan deal. He had played the full 90 minutes in just eight appearances the season before his move.
As Chelsea splashed out on a series of massive signings, and Manchester City brought in Norwegian scoring machine Erling Haaland, Klopp was also looking for more attacking weaponry.
They ended up with Darwin Nunez, a club record £75 million signing from Benfica. With elite quickness and immense physical presence, he was viewed as a key upgrade for Liverpool’s attack – offering them a key holdup man with a significant threat on aerial balls in the box.
But while Haaland hit the ground running, Nunez took far more time to acclimatise, with an early red card a dismal setback. Even when he was performing, his different approach to Firmino also caused problems for the team’s balance. Where the Brazilian was exceptional at dropping deep to involve himself in the build-up, Nunez is a different kind of striker, one who plays on the shoulder of the last defender and runs in behind the defence. Without Firmino, Liverpool could not overload the midfield and make the quick passing combinations that have been so devastating in recent seasons. The signing offered the Reds a different tactical dimension, but it wasn’t an easy adjustment – for the player or his teammates.
Uruguayan striker Darwin Nunez has struggled at times since his arrival, but is finally finding form.Source: AFP
But even after the team’s poor start to the season and the World Cup break, Liverpool still failed to address their problems in midfield. Dutch winger Cody Gakpo arrived from PSV Eindhoven in a £45m deal at the start of the month, and the Reds couldn’t add to their stocks – even while rivals like Chelsea continued to blow spending records out of the water.
Much of that was down to their long-term transfer plan focusing on signing Jude Bellingham at the end of this season. The young England star is the most in-demand talent in world football, wanted by every big club in Europe, but Liverpool reportedly lead the race for his signature. With that set to cost the club an anticipated sum over 100 million pounds, it was understandable that they would wait until he is available. Liverpool are also looking to sign Mason Mount, with the Chelsea star’s contract talks at his boyhood club currently stalled, while Matheus Nunes of Wolves has again been linked after rumours in January.
But the failure to sign anyone in either transfer window ‘blew up in their faces’, Liverpool great Jamie Carragher said.
“I think in the summer people felt Liverpool needed a midfield player, but now it feels like they need a midfield!” Carragher told GOAL. “It feels like it’s two or three players for next summer in that area, if I’m being honest.
“The money was there for Tchouameni to come if he wanted to come, but he chose Real Madrid, and the feeling from the manager and the staff at Liverpool was ‘well okay, we’ll go with what we’ve got and maybe wait for Jude Bellingham next summer’, and it just blew up in their faces.”
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ADDING INJURY TO INSULT
From the start of the season, injuries became an immediate problem. Midfielders Curtis Jones and Thiago missed the first month, while Henderson missed 25 days with a hamstring injury, and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain was a long-term absentee with a hamstring injury. Add to that Naby Keita, injured just days before the league campaign started.
No wonder Klopp turned to Arthur in the dying embers of the transfer window, desperate for any sort of support.
But Arthur sums up Liverpool’s year – he played just 13 minutes this season before needing surgery, and still hasn’t returned.
The list of players who have suffered moderate or serious injuries is staggering. The following players have all missed at least four weeks at once due to injury – and many of them have been sidelined more than once: Caoimhin Kelleher, Calvin Ramsey, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Ibrahima Konate, Naby Keita, Joel Matip, Curtis Jones, Thiago Alcantara, Roberto Firmino, Luis Diaz, Diogo Jota, Arthur Melo, Virgil van Dijk,
Only two players, Mohamed Salah and Harvey Elliott, have managed to avoid missing a game through injury this season.
Injuries have been a common problem this season.Source: Getty Images
The injury issues meant Klopp was often forced to field multiple youngsters at once, rather than his preferred approach one or two alongside a more experienced core. When the Reds were without Keita (28) and Fabinho (29), none of their other midfielders were in the typical prime years of their careers (24-29).
On one occasion, they fielded 20-year-old winger Fabio Carvalho, (then) 21-year-old Curtis Jones in centre midfield, and 19-year-old Harvey Elliot on the other flank. Jones, in that match, was playing his first-ever appearance as part of a central midfield duo.
The injuries had other effects. Those players who are fit have been forced to play constantly, with the squad stretched so thin. This exacerbates the impact of the weariness that has seeped into the team. And constant injuries hampered players’ form, while simultaneously robbing Klopp of the opportunity to train with his full squad and implement the kind of tactical changes the team desperately needed.
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THE ‘HUGE DROP-OFF’ AS LIVERPOOL HAVE ‘NEVER BEEN AS POOR’
It’s a simple problem with complex causes: Liverpool’s key players have struggled to hit their same heights this year.
The Reds’ prior season had been extremely long and packed with fixtures. But if Klopp wanted to give his players time to refresh and regain their intensity, he had little opportunity to do so. The team was thrown quickly back into the fire with a busy pre-season including a tour of Asia. Quite simply, the Reds looked tired and drained by the time the Premier League resumed.
Liverpool’s formidable press was the biggest victim of their hangover from the long and disappointing prior season. Physically, all the key metrics were miles off their usual elite standards. The Reds ran less distance overall and with fewer sprints, and pressed their opponents less frequently. For a team founded upon a high-tempo, high-energy style on and off the ball, it was a disastrous decline.
Jamie Carragher said recently: “They’ve run so far, so long, so fast, and had so much quality in games over the last few years, but it’s been a huge drop-off and you can’t dress it up as anything else.”
Their growing struggles to gain possession high up the field or staunch the flow of opponent attacks in the heart of the midfield led to fewer opportunities for their star attackers. Even the ultra-consistent Salah struggled early on before slowly turning things around.
Henderson and Fabinho – two of the midfield group that had played the most minutes the past season – were well off their best, particularly in the opening months. While Klopp said their tired legs had nothing to do with their age (both are in their thirties), the failure to sign Tchouameni or another elite midfielder became more galling by the minute.
Trent Alexander-Arnold was a shadow of his former self, tormented defensively while failing to provide the attacking impetus that made him one of the world’s finest wing-backs (two assists in 22 league matches this season, compared to 12 in 38 games last campaign). And the defence was at sixes and sevens, with even the normally dependable Virgil van Dijk struggling.
Perhaps the most galling loss of form afflicted Diogo Jota, who has played 26 times since his last goal, which came against Manchester City in April 2022.
It was inarguably Klopp’s lowest moment at the club. As Carragher said: “It’s never been as poor as this. It’s not just the results, it’s the performances. Liverpool haven’t been unlucky, they’ve actually been lucky. The score lines could’ve been a lot worse in a lot of those games … Some of the performances have been pretty shambolic.”
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‘WE HAVE TO REINVENT OURSELVES’
With injuries a constant and form a dire worry, Liverpool was forced to switch formations and tactics.
Klopp said in September: “We have to reinvent ourselves. There’s a lot of things lacking, not in all games but now. … We have to find a set-up to be much better in pretty much everything. We were not working as a team.”
Starting the season in his typical 4-3-3 formation, Klopp tinkered and reworked things – by such ploys as moving Thiago into an attacking midfield role from his usual deep-lying position, or shifting Salah to the left wing – before giving up entirely and switching to a 4-2-4 or 4-4-2 formation.
Klopp has been criticised over the years for his lack of a ‘Plan B’ or alternate approaches, but changing the formation mid-season was always going to lead to teething problems.
That was especially the case with constant injuries forcing reshuffles, or stopping Klopp from having the full squad available to work on new approaches. Again, the pre-season was far from ideal in this regard, but playing games every three or four days equally gave Klopp little time to ‘reinvent’ the side.
In the end, the formation change didn’t provide Liverpool with the answers. In October, they played five games using a 4-2-4 or 4-4-2 and lost three of those. Klopp returned to the 4-3-3 and found some success, before a galling defeat to Brentford at the start of the new year sent him scrambling for tactical solutions – and back to the 4-4-2 with no more success. It seemed that reinvention was simply beyond the suffering Reds.
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THE CLUB-ROOM CHAOS AND ‘ALMOST DISASTER’
For all their problems on the pitch, Liverpool has been forced to battle with a series of unwelcome distractions behind the scenes. Liverpool’s owners FSG in October revealed they were open to new investment in the club – but today denied they were looking to sell the club.
Meanwhile, Michael Edwards, Liverpool’s transfer guru and key negotiator, departed the club at the end of last season after 11 years. He had been key to delivering the signings of players like van Dijk, Alisson, Salah, and Robertson. But he had played an equally important role as a conduit between Klopp and the Liverpool ownership – and his absence hit home in the off-season and then January as Liverpool failed to make the crucial midfield signings they needed. His replacement, Julian Ward, will also leave at the end of the current campaign – with the loss of two sporting directors in 12 months in stark contrast to the stability behind the scenes that has been so valuable to putting Liverpool on the right footing.
And that Champions League final in Paris also had another crucial impact. There was chaos at the Stade de France that evening, with thousands of fans denied entry, 68 arrests and hundreds injured, and French police using tear gas and pepper spray indiscriminately on Liverpool supporters.
Police sprayed tear gas at Liverpool fans outside the stadium.Source: Getty Images
Reds fans were immediately blamed for the chaos by both UEFA and French authorities, with a senior French policeman declaring ticketing fraud had seen “30,000 to 40,000” fake tickets and alleging fans had illegally attempted to gain access to the stadium.
The echoes of the Hillsborough disaster of 1989, in which 97 Liverpool fans were killed in a crowd crush, were clear – and deeply scarring. Once again, Liverpool supporters were being blamed for catastrophic failures outside their control.
No evidence of fake tickets – or fans without tickets – was found by an independent report commissioned by UEFA, while over 2,500 fans with legitimate tickets were denied entry (including friends and family of players).
The independent report was only released last week, and criticised UEFA, French football authorities and police for their woeful preparations of the event. It said their failings “almost led to a disaster” and “It is remarkable that no one lost their life”, while completely exonerating fans.
While the disappointment on the field that night was clear, the off-field chaos and the drawn-out review process – in which over 5,000 fans also made submissions to the club – was just as painful as the team’s struggles for form this season.
THE TEEN ‘REVELATION’ AND ‘MASSIVE’ TURNAROUND
Liverpool’s start to 2023 was as disastrous as their entire season had been to that point. They won just one of their first seven matches – a cup replay – while being hammered by the likes of Brentford, Brighton, and Wolves.
But the last week delivered a remarkable turnaround. It started with the Merseyside derby against relegation-threatened Everton – a match both teams were desperate to win – before a battle with high-flying Newcastle four days later.
Liverpool had already returned to the 4-3-3 formation that has served them well for so long, but crucially shifted Darwin Nunez to the left side instead of playing centrally. Henderson made his first start in a month, replacing the injured Thiago, and looked refreshed from the break. Gakpo found the back of the net for his maiden Liverpool goal at a perfect time, while the defence was far more cohesive than in previous months, keeping Everton to just one shot on target.
The Reds won 2-0, but it was the performance of 18-year-old man of the match Stefan Bajcetic that stood out most. The teen midfielder has enjoyed an eye-watering rise from a fringe player to a crucial starter, and Everton was the finest performance of his fledgling career. Instead of deploying the likes of veterans Naby Keita and James Milner in midfield alongside Henderson and Fabinho, Klopp trusted the Spanish tyro – and even threw him into the deep end by playing him in an advanced midfield role for the first time ever, rather than his defensive holding position. It paid off in spades. Salah told Sky Sports afterwards: “Since he started playing for us, he has been our best player maybe so hopefully he keeps that confidence and keeps going.”
High praise from the Liverpool legend, but one that has been repeated widely.
Klopp said: “A top player. It’s a joy to work with him.”
And former Premier League player Micah Richards said: “He has been a revelation since he has come into the squad, he really has.”
If the failure to sign a midfield star proved devastating to Liverpool’s current campaign, the opportunity that provided to Bajcetic – and the development he has shown already – is a huge silver lining for the future.
Liverpool’s German manager Jurgen Klopp (R) with young gun Stefan Bajcetic.Source: AFP
Four days later it was off to fourth-placed Newcastle. Liverpool delivered good performances at times in the season, but had never managed to turn it into any sort of consistency.
But the Reds had the luxury this time around of making just one change to their starting XI – van Dijk returning to replace Matip – and ran riot from the opening minutes. Trent Alexander-Arnold played a perfect ball for Nunez to open the scoring, the kind of high-quality assist the England fullback has become so renowned for – but has disappeared for much of the season. By the 17th minute, Gakpo had made it two goals, and when Newcastle gloveman Nick Pope was sent off for denying Salah a goal with a handball outside the box in the 22nd minute, the game was virtually done and dusted.
Klopp declared the result was: “Massive. Massive, massive, massive.”
Trent Alexander-Arnold told Sky Sports: “It’s starting to feel – and look – like the Liverpool team that we’re used to.”
Liverpool currently sit 19 points behind league leaders Arsenal, but just seven points behind Tottenham in fourth place – and with two games in hand over Spurs. The race for Champions League qualification is still well and truly on, but the league title is done and dusted. For Klopp and his men, therefore, it all comes down to the Champions League.
Liverpool’s Dutch striker Cody Gakpo celebrates scoring against Everton.Source: AFP
THE CHANCE FOR REVENGE AFTER ‘PROPER TORTURE’
That begins with Real Madrid, the team that beat them in Paris and beat them to the signing of Tchouameni, a player who could have changed everything for the Reds this season.
“We played this final in Paris and I didn’t watch it back since then until this weekend,” said Klopp on Monday. “Now I know why I didn’t watch it back. It was proper torture because we played a good game and could have won the game.”
But after finally finding their feet and looking like the old Liverpool once again, the timing is perfect for Reds. “It’s the Champions League, it’s one of the biggest games in the world. It will be a top football game and I’m really happy we can play it now,” Klopp said.
“If it had been four weeks ago maybe it would’ve been different, but life is all about timing and maybe we found our feet right in time for this game.
“Now we have these two results and hopefully we can build on it, but we need to play two super games to get through.”
Klopp can hardly hide his excitement at the opportunity to get revenge for their Champions League final defeat, even if this is ‘only’ the Round of 16,
With the off-field memories of that painful night now in the rear window and the Reds’ on-field performances drastically turned around, tomorrow looms as the biggest test of Liverpool’s season so far – and the biggest chance to prove the real Liverpool has returned.
Paris Saint-Germain’s post-World Cup slide has continued with fellow European heavyweights Bayern Munich claiming a crucial 1-0 away win in the first leg of their Round of 16 Champions League tie.
Kingsley Coman struck against his former club in the 53rd minute, and the visitors’ held on for a valuable win despite a late Kylian Mbappe assault.
After losing to Monaco and Marseille in the league and French Cup respectively, PSG has now lost three matches in a row, and four of their past eight competitive fixtures.
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Paris Saint-Germain’s post-World Cup slide has continued.Source: AFP
It is the first time in the Messi-Neymar-Mbappe era that PSG has sustained such a winless run.
Mbappe provided a bright spark for PSG when he was substituted on in the second-half.
He twice scored goals that were ruled out for offside, and was a clear boost for the side despite not being fully fit.
Mbappe had been out of action with a thigh injury, which was meant to keep him on the sidelines for three weeks but he featured strongly against Bayern after only two.
Meanwhile, Messi was frustrated on the night, while Neymar was also kept quiet in front of goals.
Neymar did still grab attention, however, after a theatrical dive on the edge of the penalty area during the first half when Benjamin Pavard’s elbow made minor contact with his chin.
The Brazilian went down and clutched his face, forcing play to be stopped due to a potential head injury.
When it was clear that he was exaggerating, the commentator said: “On occasion he lets himself down with his behaviou.
“It’s difficult to sympathise with him.”
In the night’s other match, AC Milan beat Tottenham 1-0 at the San Siro.
Brahim Diaz bundled the ball into the net in just the seventh minute and Spurs couldn’t find an equaliser.
On an amazing week of basketball in Melbourne, the highlight might well have been the Summer Jam Festival at Prahran Gardens and all you had to do was look at the way it was embraced from current and former NBL players around the country and the public to get a good idea of its reach.
What a weekend of basketball it was in Melbourne. There was a record crowd attending the WNBL match at John Cain Arena between Lauren Jackson’s Southside Flyers and the Sydney Flames.
Summer Jam is presented by Jordan and Foot Locker
Then on Sunday, there was a sold out crowd for the last game of the NBL regular season for Melbourne United against the Adelaide 36ers with a potential playoff spot on the line.
But what captured the imagination more than anything was the 11th annual Summer Jam Championship held at Prahran Gardens as the event continues to go from strength to strength.
Summer Jam co-founder Eamon Larman-Ripon spoke with Fox Sports leading up to the 2023 event and was excited about what was in store, but now that it’s all said and done, it surpassed even all of his expectations.
“It’s all about connecting culture and community through this sport and it was all that and then some,” he said.
“It was pretty hard to top Year 10 with Prahran taking it home in the fashion that they did, but with the grand final going into overtime and the energy out there on the basketball court as the lights were on, and the people were around, it’s hard to sort of describe.
“I don’t think anything can match it here in Australia. It was cool for anyone who hasn’t seen it before but even more magical that it happened for a second time now. It’s setting a precedent now that is something pretty special and we are proud of that.”
Just taking a look at some of the winning teams and players involved in the finals on Sunday tells you all you need to know about the quality of the basketball.
The 5×5 men’s winners were the Draft City Ballers team out of Brisbane which included former Adelaide 36ers captain and 260-game NBL veteran Brendan Teys along with former NBL players Tad Dufelmeier and Kian Dennis along with Daereon Jones, Nelson Kahler, DeOla Brown, Lachlan Headlam and Rhyss Lewis.
The men’s 3×3 winners came out of Perth with former NBL pair Marshall Nelson and Damien Scott along with Julian Pesava and Keegan Phillips from the Hoopwithem team.
Not to be outdone, the women’s 3×3 winners featured Courtney Wilkins, Jacqui Trotto, Tori Jackson and Saraid Taylor on the Blues Crew.
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WHY IT’S CONNECTING SO WELL WITH EVERYONE
Basketball is a culture and Summer Jam has connected so well with not only providing basketball action, but becoming a cultural event where everyone can come along and be part of the festival even by being on the sidelines.
That’s something that Larman-Ripon takes great pride in and why they feel it’s taken off so well because there was a real void in the Australian market for such a festival embracing both basketball and that culture side of it.
“It’s amazing to see why people are so connected and that’s because what we did in the beginning was we celebrated the sport, and also celebrated a side of the sport that wasn’t being celebrated here in Australia,” he said.
“But there was definitely a need for it. I think us finding that niche absolutely means that we can be so grateful that everyone wants to be part of something like this. And their passion shines through and we’ve created a home for a lot of people away from home.
“For them, it’s a matter of finding something really special to be part of and they’ve found a home here. This is something that will build throughout the year as well and then by the time next year comes around, no one will want to miss it.”
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SHINING ON MASSIVE WEEKEND
Almost 20,000 people attended the WNBL and NBL games at John Cain Arena across the weekend with the record set on Saturday for the Flyers-Flames women’s game and then the sold out crowd for the United-36ers men’s match up on Sunday.
However, Summer Jam absolutely was the talk of the town by Sunday night.
“It was a really exciting weekend of basketball here in Melbourne obviously,” Larman-Ripon said.
“There was a lot going on with men’s and women’s professionally, but I suppose for the semi-pros, ex-pros or the guys who might have just missed that shot or window, that’s who we provided a platform for.
“The fact that this is only on once a year, it was kind of a special event to see. It was also really special to see some of the NBL guys lining up on the sidelines once their game had finished too just to show this was the place to be and they were all super excited to be there.”
A big crowd turned out to watch Melbourne United play the Adelaide 36ers. (Photo by Daniel Pockett/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
Not only were there plenty of big time stars on the court for the finals throughout Sunday, but once Melbourne United’s NBL game finished at John Cain Arena, a host of the players popped down to take in the Summer Jam action too.
Seeing the crowd flock to United star import Rayjon Tucker provided one of the lasting images of the entire event and just showed the passion and energy it creates.
“It’s nice to see what that excitement creates. Tuck and a few more of his teammates not only to be on the sidelines but to really be immersed in it was amazing,” Larman-Ripon added.
“At one point they all kind of gathered around the team players benches and security tried to move them on, but I stepped in and let the security know they’re NBL players and they all want to be in and around the action.
“It was cool to see that and it’s nice to know that they want to come down and support something like what we do, and becoming a major part of it.”
Everyone got around Summer Jam. (Photo by Daniel Pockett/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
HIGHLIGHTS OF EVENT
All you need to do is take a look at not only the talented players on the teams that won in Prahran on Sunday across the competitions, but all the players that took part across the weekend to know what a success it was.
For Larman-Ripon, having the Melbourne event attract teams from across the country was a massive sign of how far it’s grown over the past 11 years.
“I think some of the highlights for me was having the Perth teams over, that was incredible,” he said.
“Both teams played with such passion, such professionalism and they were all really recognised as teams to beat, especially Hoopwithem. They were a class team with a lot of NBL1 players but Team Binar really stole the hearts of a lot of people and it goes beyond just those two Perth teams.
“We had other teams from interstate, I think there was six in the end and having them part of it but also their fans come along was really special. That was one highlight that stood out to me.”
It’s not just the actual basketball either. Everything surrounding the event makes it a festival with something for everything and Larman-Ripon even feels it more than rivals what the Australian Open does in Melbourne every January.
Rayjon Tucker was a major attraction during Summer Jam. (Photo by Daniel Pockett/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
“Also just the expansion of the event as a festival and people comparing it to the AO,” he said.
“I know it’s on a smaller scale, but personally I think basketball’s a little cooler than tennis. To just see the little kids enjoying it and having that family element and all the other activations that went alongside it.
“We had our podcasting room, the 2K tournament and we had hoops set up that didn’t stop having kids playing.
“That’s what leads into the future is them seeing something like this and it gives them something they will never forget, and they’ll be bugging their parents about coming back next year so that’s really special.
“Then there’s the level of play too. That took everyone aback and everyone was so impressed with how high the standard of basketball there was. We’re really looking forward to what can come about next year now.”
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WHAT’S NEXT FOR SUMMER JAM
While this week has been all about recovering from the weekend and packing up, there’s already excitement around what 2024 will hold and where Summer Jam might end up.
Larman-Ripon is keeping his cards close to his chest right now, but expect some big announcements to come.
“Our plans for next year are still a little bit up in the air and that teams extends a lot more than to just Daniel and I,” he said.
“We’ve got our partnerships as well and there’s a lot of people involved who make this happen so we need to take stock and talk about everything with a lot of people.
“This is a good time to talk about all the ideas we might have for next year while the iron is still hot, but our main goal has always been to continue topping ourselves, and to continue providing a platform for everyone. That’s not just the basketballers, but people on and off the court.
“How we do that is still up in the air a little and I’ll keep a couple of secrets, but there’s definitely a lot in store and it just means there’s a fair bit of work to do. However, this is our life’s work and this is what Daniel and I are all about.”
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Melbourne will always be home to Summer Jam in Australia, but given the success of the event in Perth the last two years and then having teams from across the country come to Prahran to take part, it is inevitable that further expansion is on the agenda potentially as early as 2024.
“I think Sydney is knocking on our doors and given a Brisbane team just won it, they could be in the mix,” Larman-Ripon said.
“I keep hearing from people in Adelaide wanting us to come there. We really want to connect with New Zealand and that would be incredible to have an NZ team over here with the strong basketball community they have.
“Then the Asia-Pacific region is up for grabs I feel with what we’re doing. In terms of our next city, I think we’ll still take it slow and not rush into anything, but Sydney’s got a really good following at the moment and being an international city and stamp on any map, it makes it an obvious one.
“But in saying that, Melbourne has such a great sporting culture that this will always be our home and it’s important for Summer Jam to have the reach that it does here.
“We’ve definitely opened up a lot more eyes and I hope especially we’ve got the attention of the main man Mike and he’s aware of us being on the map like the tournaments around the world in places like Paris and New York.”
Matildas captain Sam Kerr is a shock omission from the final three nominees for the FIFA Best Women’s Player of 2022 award.
The Chelsea star was last month named among a 14-strong shortlist for the award.
However. the list has now been reduced to three players, and prolific striker Kerr isn’t one of the then.
Instead, Spain’s Alexia Putellas (Barcelona), England’s Beth Mead (Arsenal) and American Alex Morgan (Orlando Pride/San Diego Wave) will battle it out of the award.
That’s despite Kerr – who was runner-up to Putellas for the award last year – having enjoyed a stellar 2022.
Her achievements included winning the English Women’s Super League Golden Boot for a second straight season, being named the English PFA’s players’ player of the year and claiming the WSL-FA Cup double with Chelsea.
“I’ve said it over and over again: she deserves to be the Best Player,” Matildas head coach Tony Gustavsson told ABC’ Summer Grandstand program.
“She’s not just a world-class player, she’s a world-class person as well, and I’m so privileged to get the chance to work with her.
“In my opinion, it’s long due for her to get that prize. She should have had it already, but definitely this year.”
Sam Kerr has snubbed for a major FIFA award. Picture: Matt King/Getty ImagesSource: Getty Images
Kerr’s good form has continued this year, with the former Perth Glory attacker having scored four goals for Chelsea on Friday morning (AEDT) in her side’s 7-0 League Cup semi-final thrashing of West Ham.
Following the win, she left England to return home to Australia to represent the Matildas in the four-team Cup of Nations tournament, which starts on Thursday.
Meanwhile, the final three nominees for the Best Men’s Player of 2022 award – French pair Karim Benzema (Real Madrid) and Kylian Mbappé (Paris Saint-Germain), and Argentina’s Lionel Messi (Paris Saint-Germain) – have also been announced.
The awards are voted on by an international jury respectively made up of all women’s and men’s national team coaches, the current captains of all women’s and national teams, one “specialist” journalist from each territory represented by a national team, and fans registered on FIFA.com.
Former Central Coast Mariners star Alou Kuol had been on a shortlist of 11 for the FIFA Puskás Award for goal of year.
But Kuol’s memorable “scorpion kick” effort for the Australian under-23 team against Iraq wasn’t enough to secure him a spot in the final three, which is made of goals from Poland’s Marcin Oleksy, Frenchman Dimitri Payet and Brazilian Richarlison.
The winners of the Best FIFA Football Awards 2022 will be announced in Paris on February 27.
Every World Cup is marked by some exciting young talent but not all hot prospects from the 2018 edition went on to bigger and better things after participating in Russia.
It’s a major demonstration of faith from any World Cup manager to take a promising youngster to the finals, often at the expense of experience, and the decision of some 2018 bosses looks even more inspired with the passage of time.
We’ve investigated just what became of the 10 youngest players at the World Cup in Russia four-and-a-half years ago.
Lee Seung-woo (South Korea)
Former Barcelona youth-team prospect Seung-woo was named in South Korea’s 2018 squad but isn’t in Qatar this time around.
The attacking midfielder, who was at Verona during the last tournament, has spent time subsequently in both Belgium and Portugal before returning to his homeland and Suwon FC.
Ismaila Sarr (Senegal)
Frequently linked with a multi-million move to one of the Premier League elite, Sarr has definitely blossomed since his participation in Senegal’s doomed campaign in Russia.
The winger started all three matches as Senegal were eliminated by Japan for receiving more yellow cards and has since established as one of English football’s most exciting talents at Watford.
Sarr has become even more important for club and country after Watford’s relegation and Sadio Mane’s World Cup-curtailing injury. He’s one of the undoubted success stories on our list.
The very Costa Rican-sounding Smith earnt himself a place in Costa Rica’s 2018 side with some fine performances for Swedish top-division side IFK Norrkoping.
But, as far as we can tell, the defender didn’t play for the national side once the year was out and is currently turning out for Alajuelense in his home country.
Jose Luis Rodriguez (Panama)
Panama qualified for their first finals in 2018 and, after building his reputation at Belgian side Gent, Rodriguez earnt himself a plane ticket to Russia at the tender age of 19.
And, while Panama lost all three group matches, Rodriguez caught the eye with his left-wing performances and won himself a move to La Liga regulars Alaves.
The 24-year-old currently plays for Portuguese side Famalicao and has won 38 caps for his country.
Moussa Wague (Senegal)
Wague’s committed performances at the World Cup, including becoming the youngest African scorer in the tournament’s history with his strike against Japan, were enough to earn the Senegal right-back a dream move to Barcelona in 2019.
But he only made four appearances, all in the league, for Barca and joined Croatian side Gorica this year. He was not named in Senegal’s 2022 World Cup squad.
Trent Alexander-Arnold (England)
Whatever your opinion about him – defensive liability or generational talent, it cannot be both – Alexander-Arnold is unquestionably one of the finest attacking full-backs in English football history.
The Liverpool man was just 19 when Gareth Southgate named him in the squad for Russia as back-up for Kyle Walker and Kieran Trippier, meaning Alexander-Arnold only played in the group-stage dead-rubber against Belgium.
And his perceived defensive frailties have made Southgate hesitant to make the Champions League winner a first-choice pick, often preferring Chelsea’s Reece James instead.
Even so, Alexander-Arnold remains a special player.
Francis Uzoho (Nigeria)
After some promising performances between the sticks for Deportivo La Coruna, Uzoho was named in Nigeria’s 2018 squad and gave an impressive performance against Lionel Messi and Argentina in the group stages.
Uzoho currently plays for Cypriot side Omonia and made headlines in October with a brilliant display against boyhood club Manchester United in the Europa League.
Sadly, Nigeria’s failure to qualify for this year’s finals have robbed the watching world of more heart-warming Uzoho moments.
Hakimi was at Real Madrid when Morocco named him in their 2018 side and the right-back has become one of the best defenders in world football over the intervening four years.
Currently at PSG, Hakimi helped Morocco stun the football world with their victory over Belgium in the 2022 group stage and no left-side player relishes an encounter with the 24-year-old.
The youngest player at Russia 2018, Arzani made his World Cup bow during a group stage draw with Denmark but was unable to prevent the Socceroos bowing out at the first hurdle.
He moved to Manchester City shortly afterwards but, with four separate loan spells, Arzani failed to make an appearance for the Premier League heavyweights and joined A-League side Macarthur FC last summer.
Arzani was not named in Australia’s squad for the current World Cup and is danger of failing to live up to his reputation.
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