UTD-411-11_Gameday_Program_Game_1_V3

Round 3 vs New Zealand Breakers • 22 October 2017
WE ARE. I AM. UNITED.
GAMEDAY
MELBOURNE
BASKETBALL
RETURNS TO
HISENSE ARENA
Game preview, team
line ups and more!

Melbourne basketball
returns to Hisense Arena
After four games on the road –
including one in the USA against
the Oklahoma City Thunder – your
Melbourne United return home to
take on the New Zealand Breakers
at Hisense Arena on Sunday.
In the first home game of the season,
Melbourne will be looking to get the Hisense
crowd to its feet as they showcase their
new squad to the city for the first time.
That new squad of course includes superstar
Casey Prather, who will quickly become a
fan favourite in Melbourne with his tough
defence and high-flying dunking prowess.
With Casper Ware, Chris Goulding, Casey
Prather, David Andersen and Josh Boone all
leading the way, there’s not going to be any
shortages of stars on the court.
New Zealand are a team to never take
lightly and with some high-quality import
guards looking to make a wave in the NBL,
remain a dangerous prospect. Devonte
Newbill and Edgar Sosa are those imports
and in preseason action against Melbourne
showed strong signs.
Melbourne and New Zealand split two
games in mid-September preseason action.
Both games provided a good insight into
the Breakers and with some regular season
games now completed also, the usual
suspects will need to be kept in check.
Breakers mainstays Kirk Penney,
Tom Abercrombie and Mika Vukona show
no signs of slowing down and can always
be relied upon to share a large amount
of the scoring load.
The match-up between Chris Goulding
and Kirk Penney is sure to be a fun one.
Penney is always a factor and when he is
on, the Breakers are always a good chance
to grab a win.
Goulding is still on the mend after having
his appendix removed in Round 1 but he’s
one player you know will be up and about
when he gets back in front of the Melbourne
crowd for the first time.
Head Coach Dean Vickerman will also make
his hometown debut, going up against the
side he was part of three Championships
with when he arrives at Hisense Arena
on Sunday.
Matchup to watch: Tai Wesley vs Mika
Vukona
Having played together for two seasons
at the Breakers, the Vukona-Wesley battle
will be a fun one to look out for. Vukona
who heads into his 12th season with the
Breakers is the lifeblood of the club known
for his strength and fighting abilities on the
boards. Throw Tai Wesley into the mix who’s
been instrumental to Melbourne’s success
both in their first few games including their
trip to OKC and you’ve got a big-man battle
worth switching on the TV for.
2 Game Day Program

1. VALUE FOR MONEY
Save up to 48% on walk up ticket
prices, plus 20% off merchandise –
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2. MEET THE PLAYERS
You have more access to players
through member only events including
Superclinics for kids, Open Training
Sessions and post-game functions.
4. BLOCKBUSTER
HOME GAMES
Our open air game on Boxing Day, the
first home clashes with Sydney and
Perth and a huge round 19 will sell out.
5. WE NEED YOU!
We are almost at 5,000 – join us
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3. MORE BASKETBALL
Reserve seat members get an
additional home game this season.
MEMBERSHIP.MELBOURNEUTD.COM.AU

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#wearemelbourne

MELBOURNE UNITED
HEAD COACH
Dean Vickerman
ASSISTANT COACHES
Mike Kelly and Simon Mitchell
#
3
JOSH BOONE
#
7
PETER HOOLEY
#
8
KYLE ADNAM
#
9
CRAIG MOLLER
Height: 208cm
Position: Centre
DOB: 21 Nov 84
Height: 193cm
Position: Guard
DOB: 5 Feb 92
Height: 185cm
Position: Guard
DOB: 18 Nov 93
Height: 202cm
Position: Forward
DOB: 22 Aug 94
#
13
DAVE ANDERSEN
#
20
DAVID BARLOW
#
21
CASPER WARE
#
22
MAJOK MAJOK
Height: 211cm
Position: Forward
DOB: 23 Jun 80
Height: 205cm
Position: Forward
DOB: 22 Oct 83
Height: 178cm
Position: Guard
DOB: 17 Jan 90
Height: 206cm
Position: Centre
DOB: 10 Dec 92
#
23
CASEY PRATHER
Height: 198cm
Position: Forward
DOB: 29 May 91
#
42
TAI WESLEY
Height: 201cm
Position: Forward
DOB: 13 May 86
#
43
CHRIS GOULDING
Height: 192cm
Position: Guard
DOB: 24 Oct 88
6 Game Day Program

NEW ZEALAND BREAKERS
HEAD COACH
Paul Henare
#
3
FINN DELANY
#
4
EDGAR SOSA
#
5
SHEA ILI
#
6
KIRK PENNEY
Height: 198cm
Position: Forward
DOB: 12 Sep 95
Height: 188cm
Position: Guard
DOB: 15 Jan 88
Height: 183cm
Position: Guard
DOB: 6 Oct 92
Height: 196cm
Position: Guard
DOB: 23 Nov 80
#
10
TOM ABERCROMBIE
#
13
JAMES HUNTER
#
14
MIKA VUKONA
#
15
ROBERT LOE
Height: 198cm
Position: Forward
DOB: 5 Jul 87
Height: 208cm
Position: Centre
DOB: 19 Jun 92
Height: 198cm
Position: Forward
DOB: 13 May 82
Height: 211cm
Position: Centre
DOB: 5 Aug 91
#
20
JORDAN NGATAI
Height: 196cm
Position: Forward
DOB: 7 Mar 93
#
25
DEVONTE NEWBILL
Height: 193cm
Position: Guard
DOB: 22 May 92
#
35
ALEX PLEDGER
Height: 215cm
Position: Centre
DOB: 27 Mar 87
7 Game Day Program

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HAS LANDED
Go to melbourneutd.com.au
Or visit a game day merchandise stand today!

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Prizes only available to AU residents 18+. Fantasy ends: 11.59pm AEST 18/2/2018.
Gameday ends: 11:59pm AEST on the last day of NBL Championship Finals series.

OKC’s Carmelo Anthony
expected tough hit out
with Melbourne United
CARMELO Anthony is used to
determined Australians defying
the odds.
Anthony has seen the Boomers rattle
opponents with their resolve at the
Olympics on countless occasions, while he
regularly plays against Aussies in the NBA.
It’s why the Oklahoma City forward said he
wasn’t shocked when Melbourne United
got within one basket of beating his starstudded
Thunder side on Monday.
“No, I was expecting that,” Anthony said.
“I was expecting the Australians to be
a little bit physical out there.
“I think it was a good test for us, because we
haven’t had a game like that this pre-season.
“They got us off out spots and we had to
make adjustments throughout the game
and figure it out.
“Believe it or not, we didn’t know what they
were going to run coming into the game.
“We didn’t have any scouting report on
them, so it was just on the fly.
“I think we did a great job of working on
the fly and making adjustments.”
Anthony was particularly impressed with
the performances of Melbourne stars
Casper Ware and Josh Boone, who have
both experienced NBA basketball.
Ware has spent time at Brooklyn and
Philadelphia, while Boone was selected
as the 23rd pick in the 2006 Draft by
the New Jersey Nets.
Asked about the pair’s NBA chances,
Anthony admitted there is no reason
why they couldn’t return to the world’s
best basketball competition.
“I think we all know what Casper can do and
what he brings to the game,” he said.
“Josh is another guy who I have seen
play high school ball, so to see where he
is at now and to see his growth it makes
me proud.”
Article via The Daily Telegraph’s Matt Logue
10 Game Day Program

Ware uses Drew
League success
for NBL 2017-18
Casper Ware Jr.’s legend in Melbourne
is already immense. His legend in the
renowned Drew League in California is
even greater.
After just 18 games, Ware has become a fan
favorite in Melbourne with his scoring and
ability to produce in clutch moments. This is
exactly what has helped him become one of
the Drew League’s most respected players.
“I played against James Harden - I’d say he
was the probably the toughest opponent
I’ve played against.” Ware Jr. said.
Ware Jr. was destined to be a superstar of
the Drew League. His father, Casper Ware Sr.
has one of, if not the greatest, resumes
in Drew League history. Leading his team
‘The Cheaters’ to nine Championships,
Ware Sr. has done it all.
The Drew League is the #1 Pro-Am
basketball league in the world and describes
itself as ‘bringing local kids, streetball
legends and professional stars together in
Los Angeles – all for the love of basketball’.
NBA superstars show up on the regular.
The likes of Kobe Bryant, LeBron James,
Kevin Durant, Paul Pierce and James Harden
have all played at the Drew.
That history definitely puts some added
pressure on Ware Jr. when he steps on the
court, but he thrives on that.
“[The history] means a lot.” Ware Jr. said.
“My Dad, he was very good in the Drew
League and I want to go out there and try
to play like him and we’ve got the same
name so there’s pressure, but I still have
fun with it.”
Ware Jr. has played against some of those
stars, and highlights one as the toughest
opponent he faced on the Drew League
hardwood.
Casper goes back every Summer to the
Drew League and it’s that history and family
tradition that he loves about it and sees him
return year after year.
14 Game Day Program

“The Drew League just keeps getting bigger
and bigger and my family is just a part of the
Drew League, so it just makes it that much
more fun and exciting.” Ware Jr. said.
In 2016, Ware Jr. was the talk of the Drew
League world when he led his team; BB4L,
to the Drew League Championship. Not
only did his team go through the season
undefeated, Ware’s Championship game
performance went down in history as one
of the greatest ever.
27 points in the third quarter alone saw
Ware Jr. hit triple, after triple, after triple.
He was simply unstoppable. Do yourself a
favour and take a look on YouTube for the
incredible highlights.
For Ware Jr., playing in the Drew League was
a natural step in his basketball career, one
that started when he was just a teenager.
“I think it helped [my development] a lot. Just
because there were already pros playing
and for me to play as a teenager, just to play
against those guys and see the moves they
do and how they play, it helped me in the
long run.” Ware Jr. said.
As he gears up for another season with
Melbourne United, fans can certainly look
forward to plenty more game-changing
plays and exciting moments from
Casper Ware Jr.
Article by MUTD Media’s Hayley Wildes.
“Oh man, it was crazy. I don’t even know what
I was thinking, every shot I was throwing
up was going in at that point. The basket
looked really big to me.” Ware said of that
performance.
As if winning the Championship in such
convincing fashion wasn’t enough, sharing
the court with his brother Ervin made it that
much more special.
“It was fun - to win with my brother, and
to not lose a game that season either,
it was definitely exciting. My dad won
Championships and that was my first one
in the Drew League, and that made it even
more fun.” Ware Jr. said.
15 Game Day Program

SHARE YOUR
GAMEDAY EXPERIENCE
USE #WEAREMELBOURNE

MELBOURNE UNITED
2017-18 NBL Season Fixture
HOME
AWAY
ADELAIDE 36ERS
1 Thu 5 Oct 2017 – 7.30pm
Fri 22 Dec 2017 – 7.30pm
11
Titanium Security Arena
ADELAIDE 36ERS
2 Sat 14 Oct 2017 – 5.30pm
Tue 26 Dec 2017 – 7.30pm
12
Titanium Security Arena
PERTH WILDCATS
3 Fri 20 Oct 2017 – 9.30pm
Sat 30 Dec 2017 – 5.30pm
12
Perth Arena
NZ BREAKERS
3 Sun 22 Oct 2017 – 3.00pm
Sat 6 Jan 2018 – 7.30pm
13
Hisense Arena
BRISBANE BULLETS
4 Sat 28 Oct 2017 – 5.30pm
Fri 12 Jan 2018 – 9.30pm
14
Carrara Stadium
CAIRNS TAIPANS
5 Thu 2 Nov 2017 – 7.30pm
Sun 14 Jan 2018 – 7.00pm
14
Hisense Arena
ADELAIDE 36ERS
5 Sat 4 Nov 2017 – 5.30pm
Sat 20 Jan 2018 – 5.30pm
15
Hisense Arena
CAIRNS TAIPANS
6 Thu 9 Nov 2017 – 7.30pm
Thu 25 Jan 2018 – 5.30pm
16
Cairns Convention Centre
SYDNEY KINGS
6 Sat 11 Nov 2017 – 5.30pm
Sun 28 Jan 2018 – 3.00pm
16
Hisense Arena
PERTH WILDCATS
7 Sun 19 Nov 2017 – 3.00pm
Sat 3 Feb 2018 – 5.30pm
17
Hisense Arena
ILLAWARRA HAWKS
8 Mon 4 Dec 2017 – 7.30pm
Fri 9 Feb 2018 – 7.30pm
18
Hisense Arena
CAIRNS TAIPANS
9 Sat 9 Dec 2017 – 7.30pm
Sun 11 Feb 2018 – 1.00pm
18
Cairns Convention Centre
SYDNEY KINGS
9 Mon 11 Dec 2017 – 7.30pm
Fri 16 Feb 2018 – 7.30pm
19
Hisense Arena
ILLAWARRA HAWKS
10 Sat 16 Dec 2017 – 7.30pm
Sun 18 Feb 2018 – TBC
19
WIN Entertainment Centre
ADELAIDE 36ERS
Hisense Arena
BRISBANE BULLETS
Hisense Arena
SYDNEY KINGS
Qudos Bank Arena
ILLAWARRA HAWKS
WIN Entertainment Centre
PERTH WILDCATS
Perth Arena
CAIRNS TAIPANS
State Netball Hockey Centre
BRISBANE BULLETS
Brisbane Entertainment Centre
NZ BREAKERS
North Shore Events Centre
SYDNEY KINGS
Qudos Bank Arena
BRISBANE BULLETS
Hisense Arena
NZ BREAKERS
Hisense Arena
NZ BREAKERS
Spark Arena
PERTH WILDCATS
Hisense Arena
ILLAWARRA HAWKS
Hisense Arena
MELBOURNEUTD.COM.AU #WEAREMELBOURNE
All times AEDT
*Margaret Court Arena.

NEXT HOME GAMES
AT HISENSE ARENA
THU 2 NOV 2017 @ 7.30PM
SAT 4 NOV 2017 @ 5.30PM
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