Isaac
Years ago

Austin Smylie to trial with Perth

STURT's gun new forward and this week's BankSA League's Player of the Week Austin Smylie, is trialling in Perth for an NBL job with the Wildcats.

Smylie, 26 and a 200cm Australian, joined the Sabres this season from Brigham Young University in Hawaii. With 28 points, seven rebounds, two blocks and a steal in Sturt's 94-76 win over Southern Tigers, and 17 points at 70 per cent, eight boards, two assists and two blocks in a 100-72 win over Eastern, he had a stellar weekend to take the top individual honours.

His wife Ashley last night said Smylie was in Perth and that the new Melbourne-based South Dragons franchise also had shown interest in him.
Congrulations to Smylie on the POTW award - he seems to be a bit of a quiet achiever. The article also mentions that Steve Breheny has watched Smylie play five times and had some positive words about his ability. That said, it doesn't look like Smyth is all that interested:
Sixers head coach Phil Smyth said if Smylie had not been picked up by a rival club before his squad's Port Lincoln training camp in August, he would be welcome to trial for a roster spot.
You know what they say about the early bird... Full article

Topic #7090 | Report this topic


Danny Morseau  
Years ago

Gee...the guys on your doorstep, you'd think Smyth would at least get off his arse and work the guy out one on one. Unbelievable.

Reply #79518 | Report this post


Thomo  
Years ago

isnt austin just a smaller dusty clone, if so why would smyth be interested if hes looking to add excitment and a bigger presence to the team, why add the same ingredient if its not gonna improve on the same result, sorry guy maybe great but would seem a backwards step at this point in time IMO we need our money to get a gun import first and fore most

Reply #79521 | Report this post


Isaac  
Years ago

Smylie wouldn't use an import spot and would be closer to a Hambour/Majstrovich salary than Rychart's. You should get out and see him play if you have the chance - he's doing pretty well.

Scott Ninnis was at the Southern vs Sturt game on Sunday and would've seen his game.

I just don't know why Smyth doesn't get out to an ABA game? Doesn't he like basketball? His nephew started for Sturt on the weekend. I see Breheny out there quite often, but can't remember having seen Smyth for a long, long time.

Reply #79524 | Report this post


Thomo  
Years ago

ok isaac might just do that havent been to a aba game for some time

if we can get him cheap then why not but i guess fact brehenys had a look is as good as smyth having a look any way,

Reply #79528 | Report this post


Sixers33  
Years ago

C Wheeler/Cooper
F Smylie/Majstovich
F Greer/Nash
G Farley/Copeland
G Maher/Hill


Is this possible? Would be awesome and even better than last year.

Majstrovich on minimum, Smylie kind of cheap then maybe the Sixers might be able to do a good deal with Greer and this could be the line up.

Possible?

Reply #79558 | Report this post


Hoop Addict  
Years ago

Sixers33,

I don't think (in the games I've seen, at least) that Smylie is NBL starter material.

Possible 8th-10th man type of guy, playing spot minutes here & there. I wouldn't even say he's a regular rotation level guy, to be honest.

So no, unless Greer is going to be league MVP, I wouldn't suggest that lineup would be "awesome" or "better than last year".

Reply #79566 | Report this post


VC fan  
Years ago

I will be extremely dissapointed if we lose Smylie because Smyth isnt interested when he is playing ABA here in Adelaide. He better have a bloody good import lined up and some other decent players to not even take an intrest in the guy

Reply #79570 | Report this post


Danny Morseau  
Years ago

Little off topic, but what has happened to Dave Shepherd from Sturt?

Reply #79592 | Report this post


Isaac  
Years ago

Injured.

Reply #79598 | Report this post


master?  
Years ago

Lets be honest Isaac, you are not a Smyth fan at all.

Reply #79671 | Report this post


Anonymous  
Years ago

so Isaac is the only NOT Smyth fan? Fkn doubt that! Add me to list and countless others. Total crap so far this year on recruiting and decent news.. ho hum

Reply #79675 | Report this post


Isaac  
Years ago

master? - I don't know him personally so I don't want to be making categorical statements judging him, but it surprises me that a coach of the state's national league team wouldn't get out to a game. I can understand not going all the time, or leaving the scouting to Breheny (of whom I am a fan), but surely you'd go along a few times each season to see what was coming through, see how your charges were handling their off-season, etc.

I think he has his assets/advantages, but I wouldn't consider myself a fan and I think there are a fair number of people around basketball who are similarly oriented. I don't think he's coming off his most enthusiastic season as coach, but maybe 06/07 will be different?

Reply #79677 | Report this post


DDFan  
Years ago

In my abstract opinion, if you're a fan of Steve's, then Phil's a bonus. They are inseparable, & mates to the end. Steve's got a great head on his shoulders & I doubt very much if he'd be swayed by a fool.
FFS, it's a team thing. Next subject please, that's if anyone can be objective.

Reply #79786 | Report this post


Anonymous  
Years ago

Just watched Smylie make Cooper look very average, if not embarrasing

Reply #79897 | Report this post


EC  
Years ago

Smylie looked very impressive tonight. I missed last Sunday's game which was an excellent one for him but he has picked up his game in the last few weeks to make him a very promising prospect at NBL level. Good luck to him.

Reply #79898 | Report this post


knackers  
Years ago

DDfan,
How can you be objective if you don't understand the inner sanctum and workings of messrs Smyth and Breheny yourself?
I don't think what Isaac is asking is too dificult, for the Head Coach of our NBL team to watch and monitor the ABA (even occasionally) for himself!
Surely just because two men are mates doesn't mean they can't have varying opinions on things, especially players.
You wouldn't think in the current climate that monitoring the progress of the Coopers, Hambours, Suttons, Gowers and Ngs etc. plus any prospective players of the ilk of Smylie would be too hard to get off your arse for 2 hours on the occasional Saturday night or Sunday afternoon.
But hey, thats just me.

Reply #79910 | Report this post


Anonymous  
Years ago

I'd just be happy if they didn't use the Advertiser to lie to the general public about their efforts. They were quoted by the 'Tiser as saying that they had seen Smylie play 5 times. But that is an absolute fabrication. All they saw was 1 reserves games a couple of days after he stepped of a plane. Last night he killed Copper. And they have even lied on this forum about how much contact they had with State coaches. Just one "Fairy Tale" after another.

Reply #79912 | Report this post


EC  
Years ago

I agree that Smyth should be keeping an eye out on ABA games. How can Breheny and himself have some constructive discussions about any particular player when Smyth hasn't even bothered to check his game out? They both have to know what they are talking about and you can only do that by being present and seeing for yourself. After watching Smylie last night, I know who I would prefer between him and Cooper. Having said that though, Cooper is contracted for another year. Why on earth would you be giving a multi year contract to anyone before they have had a year to prove themselves with the team? That was a big mistake in my opinion.

Reply #79913 | Report this post


Stephon  
Years ago

If anything, his absence from ABA games feeds right into his detractors hands and is another example of how our coaching staff is lacking in the off-court recruitment stakes.

The biggest examples of this have come during the last few years where we have been hamstrung financially meaning we can't just go out and throw big money at everyone Smyth wants.

Did Smyth travel around Australia to find a project centre (whether it be Everstyn or other) in the various ABA comps around Australia during the years he had Holmes and Cat playing centre?

The guy is reportedly very well paid and is the highest profile basketball coach in South Australia. The NBL season goes for 6 months tops if you make it past the first round of the play-offs.

Even allowing for pre-season training that is a lot of time off and fitting in a couple of hours a week to endure the hard work of watching an ABA game at least to,

a) watch the players already on the roster to show you care about their development,
b) watch the prospective players to get a better feel of who you should be inviting to trials that via a box score.

Who knows how many games Goorjian gets out to or whether he relies on his assistants, but with Goorjian you can't help but be left with the impression that if there is any talent in the ABA/AIS/NCAA/U14s all the way to U/20s he knows about it and before most of the other NBL coaches, especially Smyth.

I have no personal insight to how much work Smyth puts in re monitoring young players, contacting families, etc but other posters reportedly in the know all seem to agree that the effort is non-existant. I'd like to hope that the info from posters in the know is incorrect because as a player Smyth's work ethic was reportedly second to none.

However, before I get bashed and have this post cast off as more anti-Smyth propaganda I note that Smyth himself in the Nagy article admitted that they had dropped the ball in the off-court recruitment area and that efforts were being made to fix this.

Not being sighted at an ABA game nor watching Smylie who destroyed Cooper, in person (despite Smylie playing right on his door-step for his former club) is inexusable.

No matter how I try to analyse the fact our coach has not made the effort of watching a guy who averaged 20 and 10 in the NCAA, it is just mind boggling.

I apologise for being pessimistic but in my interview of Sanders a year ago he noted that it was expected that the coaches would attend junior championships and monitor the AIS to prevent a repeat of the Newley situation.

The situation has once again repeated itself with Ingles and while money played a role, I get the feeling that a lack of appreciation of his talent (probably from not watching him as closely as others) played a role.

Again, I have no inside information but it has been posted that Ingles was not offered a spot in the 10 but in the 13. Again, evidence of a lack of appreciation of his talent.

However, assuming this inside information is correct then is this lack of effort good enough?

Money is always going to play a major factor but put yourself in the shoes of SAs best junior player whether it be Newley, Ingles or whoever is next and it is decision time re NBL teams and the Adelaide coach hasn't seen any of your games in person, has not been in contact with you at the AIS, and has not been in much contact with your family.

We are well and truly on the back foot right from the beginning.

Maybe it is time for someone like Belly (if he didn't have conflicts arising from agent work) or Sapwell to be made player general manager like in the NBA where the coaches coach the roster given to them by the GM and only have minimal input.

Reply #79916 | Report this post


Isaac  
Years ago

The situation has once again repeated itself with Ingles and while money played a role...
Usually helps if coaches know what the NBL maximum rookie salary is.

Reply #79920 | Report this post


Panther  
Years ago

One of things I noticed while playing in the SEABL was that towards the end of the season, there was an NBL coach at almost every game I played in.
It's almost a given that if you want to get some sort of idea who's playing well and who to recruit you go out and watch local games. It is not that much to ask of your head coach!

Reply #79921 | Report this post


Moses Guthrie  
Years ago

But did they approach you, Panther? ;-)

Reply #79923 | Report this post


Panther  
Years ago

That's my point precisely! If Smyth would have come to at least one of my games I would have been recruited and won three Championships!!!

Reply #80035 | Report this post


Isaac  
Years ago

Apparently Fisher and Vlahov were at Justin Brown's recent game over in the WA league. Panther, you need to get over there for a few games to strut your stuff.

Reply #80037 | Report this post


Panther  
Years ago

Ha ha ha...

Reply #80048 | Report this post




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