Tom Wilson coming back to basketball with the Tigers is pretty big. Will be very interested to see how he goes after 5 years away from the game.

He was average before he went, media pet from the tigers.

He was 21 and had plenty of potential. Plenty of average 21 year olds turn into good or even very good professional players.

He was 21 and chasing the money - his former YL/SEABL coach brought him to Sydney and he didn't make it. He was in Partizan before that, yet lasted only a handful of games. The real question is whether he changed, he is now 26/27 - he has always been talented with plenty of potential but talent never succeeds alone - is he prepared (finally) to work for it?

Lots of opportunities, can't see any success.

An athletic kid who is coming back to basketball from AFL. Surely that is a win! Why do we need to tear people down "ALL" the time? We have an elite athlete coming back to NBL1...hooray!

I don't believe it’s tearing him down, just pointing out the past. I believe a lot other players would have appreciated his hand ups a long the way.

We lose so many athletes to AFL. Good to get one back. Plenty of wash outs have had hand ups (cough...Ben Simmons...cough)

Yes I hear you, but players Pineau, McDaniel and lots of others have busted their arses to get a chance to make a career.

So did Wilson, he just chose AFL. I doubt he has not worked any less. It just didn't stick with footy. Plenty of people follow a dream and it never arrives. It's fantastic basketball has welcomed him back with open arms.

yeah i dont get the negativity. Again, he was very young - still well under the age of someone who can win the "Next Generation" award - and had some talent. He was younger than half the DPs in the league and guys still in college and people were willing to write him off?

People do this all the time. If there's a kid with any kind of positivity when they're young and don't look like a dead set superstar from their first pro gig they're a bust. This league has had heaps of guys who didnt put it together until their mid 20s and went on to be solid pro players.

Its also been full of fans willing to write off guys straight away. Best example was people saying David Andersen was a bust after his rookie season at the Hawks (aged 18). Why do we do this?

I'm by no means saying he's going to come back and be a boomer - he's got a lot of work to get back to being a basketball player - but im really keen to see what he can do after 5 years of being away.

Good luck to him.

Dunkman, Wilson is fitter, bigger, stonger and faster by a long way than he was 4 years ago. In Tigers practice game on Sunday he killed it. Shot the lights with the 3 ball. Clearly been working on his shooting. He is in for a BIG season. Don't forget that he was the MVP of SEABL as a skinny kid.

Well good luck to him, if my memory is correct there was a fair bit controversy when he won that mvp, his side was so far down the ladder. I'll try and see how he goes.

He was all star five in a junior world championships. He'll be fine.

Any news in regard to practice games for any clubs this weekend?

Dj Vasilejvic signing surely puts waverley as one of the favourites who can contend with the likes of Knox and Sandringham

Rowan McKenzie signing at Bendigo is a great lil signing.

Does anyone know why Geelong United women's team replace their NBL1 coach only a week or so ago? The article doesn't say, not even sure who the old coach was tbh.

https://timesnewsgroup.com.au/geelongtimes/sport/petty-announced-as-new-united-coach/

Matt Paton

thanks Jay, any idea what happened there?

With the South conference starting this week, who are the teams to watch out for?

First night of nbl1 thoughts?

Sandy looked impressive with 3 key outs. Surely someone will swoop up Asuncion-Byrd for the nbl season. Is he considered an import at nbl ?

Knox looking like a well oiled machine.

Atwell scorchin again.
Bendigo women the favourites for the national title?

Tigers women look good though, I dont know if they're expecting Jade to hang around much of the season.

Tom Wilson looked pretty good for a first hit out. Outside shot wasn't dropping but everything else looked pretty good. Tigers will need him to be at his best to have a good season though.

Melbourne will be gone in a few weeks for training camp

Anyone see the incident that saw Reid leave the game in the 3rd quarter tonight?

If you want to see it you can navigate through the Kayo stream- it happened at about the 6.45 mark of the 3rd.
Was hard to see, but looked like an accidental elbow(?) to the neck/head(?).
Walked to the locker room more or less unassisted after being helped up, but didn't return to the bench at all.

thanks DMc

impressive black eye from what she posted on insta