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R1 vs New Zealand Breakers // 14 Oct <strong>2018</strong><br />

GAMEDAY<br />

WE ARE MELBOURNE<br />

NBL IS<br />

BACK<br />

2017-18 SEASON<br />

WRAP UP, TEAM<br />

LINE-UPS & MORE!<br />

ISSUE 01<br />

TODAY’S GAME<br />

BROUGHT TO YOU BY


MU CHAMPIONSHIP<br />

CELEBRATIONS<br />

It’s fair to say <strong>2018</strong> was a special season<br />

for Melbourne United. In a ruthless and<br />

standard-setting campaign, they claimed<br />

the <strong>2018</strong> NBL Championship in a thrilling<br />

and brutal five-game Grand Final series<br />

against the Adelaide 36ers.<br />

It was a season a tremendous growth –<br />

on and off the court – and tonight we<br />

celebrate the historic 2017/18 season by<br />

unveiling Melbourne United’s maiden<br />

Championship banner.<br />

For everyone involved – from the players<br />

to the fans – it will be a moment to savour<br />

and reflect on the Championship run.<br />

Thinking back to the season that was,<br />

there were so many highlights and games<br />

that will forever be entrenched in Melbourne<br />

basketball history.<br />

Finishing the regular season by winning<br />

14 of the final 16 games provided the perfect<br />

springboard for United as they headed<br />

into the Finals.<br />

Included in that stunning streak were<br />

consecutive nail-biting road wins against<br />

the Illawarra Hawks and Perth Wildcats<br />

in early January.


Against the Hawks, United found themselves<br />

in an 18-point hole early in the third quarter,<br />

but the team – as they did all season long –<br />

didn’t give up and responded emphatically.<br />

A Carrick Felix steal started a run that would<br />

see Melbourne trim the deficit to nine points<br />

at the final break. Chris Goulding (22 points)<br />

and Tai Wesley (12 points and 9 rebounds)<br />

were instrumental down the stretch and<br />

United claimed the gritty win, 79-77.<br />

It was a win that summed up Melbourne’s<br />

season – determined and finding a way<br />

to the job done when in situations in<br />

season’s past, a loss would’ve been the<br />

more likely result.<br />

Another moment in time that is worth<br />

celebrating came courtesy of Josh Boone.<br />

Game two of the Finals match-up against<br />

the New Zealand Breakers was one for the<br />

ages. With scores tied at the conclusion of<br />

the fourth quarter, an intense overtime period<br />

was played and neither team could get the<br />

jump over the other.<br />

It all came down to one play.<br />

With scores level and 2.9 seconds left in<br />

overtime, United called a time-out to figure<br />

out how they were going to book their ticket<br />

to the Grand Final series.<br />

The now infamous play, called by Tai Wesley,<br />

was run to perfection.<br />

The play saw Ware deliver an inbounds pass<br />

to a cutting Josh Boone – past a crucial<br />

screen set by Peter Hooley – who drove hard<br />

to the rim and although Tom Abercrombie<br />

got a piece of his initial shot, Boone – as he<br />

so often does – stayed with it and drained<br />

the buzzer-beating, game-winning, seriesclinching<br />

shot as time expired.<br />

It was a monumental play from Boone that<br />

was the cherry on top of a phenomenal game<br />

that saw the big man post 33 points and 15<br />

rebounds.<br />

The Grand Final series was everything<br />

NBL fans could’ve hoped for. Melbourne<br />

and Adelaide went head-to-head over<br />

five heated games.<br />

Emotions ran high and teams traded barbs<br />

all series long. Although there were some<br />

blow-outs, neither team took a backwards<br />

step and when it mattered most, Melbourne’s<br />

stars rose to the occasion.<br />

With it all on the line in a winner-takes-all<br />

game five at home, superstars Chris Goulding<br />

and Casper Ware ensured Melbourne came<br />

away with the silverware.<br />

United got the jump early and a 34-22 first<br />

quarter had the sold-out Hisense Arena<br />

crowd on their feet and feeling good about<br />

what the next three quarters could bring.


With every Goulding three-point bucket – of<br />

which there were five – the United faithful<br />

grew in voice and when he drained a massive<br />

triple halfway through the last quarter to give<br />

Melbourne a 23-point lead, the roar almost<br />

blew the roof off Hisense Arena.<br />

Goulding finished the game with 23 points<br />

and claimed Grand Final MVP honours to<br />

cap off a season of leadership and unselfish<br />

play from the captain. Ware never let up and<br />

recorded 23 points in the Championshipclinching<br />

game.<br />

In his first season as head coach of<br />

Melbourne United, Dean Vickerman led his<br />

team to the Championship after building<br />

a culture of trust and honesty within the<br />

team. His defensive-first mindset saw United<br />

transform into a beast on defence and<br />

suffocate opposition teams.<br />

With so much to celebrate and reflect on<br />

from last season before tip-off, when that<br />

first buzzer sounds for season <strong>2018</strong>/<strong>19</strong> it will<br />

be a new Melbourne United squad looking to<br />

defend the title and take care of home court<br />

against the New Zealand Breakers.<br />

Australian Boomer Mitch McCarron is one<br />

of the most exciting players in the NBL<br />

and he will partner Ware and Goulding in a<br />

backcourt that has an extraordinary amount<br />

of firepower.<br />

In his first season in the NBL, import DJ<br />

Kennedy will be called upon to play an<br />

array of roles for United. The versatile forward<br />

can get it done on the offensive end with<br />

an ability to score the ball and distribute<br />

at a high rate.<br />

Perhaps more importantly, Kennedy can<br />

create havoc on the defensive end with<br />

his willingness to get his hands dirty by<br />

doing whatever is required of him.<br />

Craig Moller, Dave Barlow and Peter Hooley<br />

were all key pieces in last season’s success<br />

and will once again be required to produce<br />

in big moments throughout the season.<br />

Strap in United fans, it’s going to be a<br />

big season of Melbourne basketball.<br />

Whilst last season was fun, <strong>2018</strong>/<strong>19</strong><br />

promises to be just as exciting for Melbourne<br />

United fans.<br />

Superstars Casper Ware, Chris Goulding<br />

and Josh Boone are back, while the additions<br />

of Mitch McCarron, DJ Kennedy, Alex Pledger<br />

and Dan Trist will be key pieces to the<br />

United puzzle.


NBL IS<br />

BACK<br />

After celebrating last season’s success<br />

and unveiling the historic <strong>2018</strong> NBL<br />

Championship banner, it will be back to<br />

business for Melbourne United in the<br />

<strong>2018</strong>/<strong>19</strong> home opener.<br />

Their opponent; the New Zealand Breakers<br />

enter the season with some fresh faces and<br />

hopes of challenging for the title. Two of those<br />

new faces are players who helped United to<br />

the <strong>2018</strong> NBL Championship; Tai Wesley and<br />

Majok Majok.<br />

Both will play vital roles for the Breakers and<br />

as all United fans would know, Wesley is<br />

capable of turning a game on its head with<br />

his tough play and willingness to do whatever<br />

is needed.<br />

He is a tough cover for opposing bigs due to<br />

his classy footwork in the paint, and he can<br />

overpower guards with his brute strength.<br />

DJ Kennedy, Craig Moller, Dan Trist and Dave<br />

Barlow will be crucial in slowing down Wesley.<br />

New Zealand’s imports; Shawn Long,<br />

Patrick Richard and Armani Moore will bring<br />

excitement and tough match-ups.


On top of an array of new players, the<br />

Breakers also have a new head coach.<br />

Kevin Braswell has taken over the reins<br />

for New Zealand this season and despite<br />

not having coached in the NBL before, he<br />

has years of experience in New Zealand<br />

basketball leagues.<br />

Whilst there is a sense of new life in New<br />

Zealand, the likes of Tom Abercrombie, Shea Ili<br />

and the returning Corey Webster are all<br />

on board.<br />

United enters the season with a large core<br />

of their Championship squad back on deck,<br />

and additions Mitch McCarron, DJ Kennedy,<br />

Alex Pledger and Dan Trist will bring a new<br />

dynamic to Melbourne.<br />

The United backcourt treble of Casper Ware,<br />

Chris Goulding and Mitch McCarron is going<br />

to be one of the toughest covers in the<br />

league. Each player can score in a variety of<br />

ways and McCarron will quickly show United<br />

fans that he is a force on both ends and<br />

doesn’t mind throwing down a thunderous<br />

dunk either.<br />

The match-up between Chris Goulding and<br />

Corey Webster at the shooting guard<br />

position is a mouth-watering one.<br />

Webster returns to the Breakers this season<br />

for a third stint with the club and his offensive<br />

game has long been considered one of the<br />

best in the NBL. Both players are world-class<br />

scorers and can distribute the ball with great<br />

effectiveness as well.<br />

It’s a match-up that will be crucial in the<br />

outcome of the game.<br />

Over the off-season, long-time United centre<br />

Majok Majok crossed to New Zealand and<br />

long-time Breakers centre Alex Pledger joined<br />

Melbourne. There will be early bragging rights<br />

on the line between the two and with both<br />

taking on their old teams, there will be plenty<br />

of motivation to perform.<br />

In a night that will start with reflecting on a<br />

Championship season, it will be full-steam<br />

ahead as soon as that first-buzzer sounds as<br />

the quest for back-to-back Championships<br />

officially gets underway.


MELBOURNE<br />

UNITED<br />

Coach: Dean Vickerman<br />

#<br />

3<br />

JOSH BOONE<br />

#<br />

7<br />

PETER HOOLEY<br />

#<br />

9<br />

CRAIG MOLLER<br />

#<br />

10<br />

MITCH McCARRON<br />

Height: 208cm<br />

Position: Centre<br />

DOB: 21 Nov 84<br />

Height: <strong>19</strong>3cm<br />

Position: Guard<br />

DOB: 5 Feb 92<br />

Height: 208cm<br />

Position: Forward<br />

DOB: 22 Aug 94<br />

Height: <strong>19</strong>0cm<br />

Position: Guard<br />

DOB: 30 Jun 92<br />

#<br />

14<br />

TOHI SMITH-MILNER<br />

#<br />

15<br />

DANIEL TRIST<br />

#<br />

17<br />

DJ KENNEDY<br />

#<br />

20<br />

DAVID BARLOW<br />

Height: 206cm<br />

Position: Forward<br />

DOB: 6 Oct 95<br />

Height: 204cm<br />

Position: Forward<br />

DOB: 29 Aug 92<br />

Height: <strong>19</strong>8cm<br />

Position: Forward<br />

DOB: 5 Nov 89<br />

Height: 205cm<br />

Position: Forward<br />

DOB: 22 Oct 83<br />

#<br />

21<br />

CASPER WARE JR.<br />

#<br />

35<br />

ALEX PLEDGER<br />

#<br />

43<br />

CHRIS GOULDING<br />

Height: 178cm<br />

Position: Guard<br />

DOB: 17 Jan 90<br />

Height: 218cm<br />

Position: Centre<br />

DOB: 27 Mar 87<br />

Height: <strong>19</strong>3cm<br />

Position: Guard<br />

DOB: 24 Oct 88


NEW ZEALAND<br />

BREAKERS<br />

Coach: Kevin Braswell<br />

#<br />

4<br />

ARMANI MOORE<br />

#<br />

5<br />

SHEA ILI<br />

#<br />

9<br />

COREY WEBSTER<br />

#<br />

10<br />

TOM ABERCROMBIE<br />

Height: <strong>19</strong>6cm<br />

Position: Forward<br />

DOB: 25 Mar 94<br />

Height: 183cm<br />

Position: Guard<br />

DOB: 6 Oct 92<br />

Height: 171cm<br />

Position: Guard<br />

DOB: 29 Nov 88<br />

Height: <strong>19</strong>8cm<br />

Position: Forward<br />

DOB: 5 Jul 87<br />

#<br />

35<br />

PATRICK RICHARD<br />

#<br />

20<br />

JORDAN NGATAI<br />

#<br />

21<br />

SHAWN LONG<br />

#<br />

22<br />

MAJOK MAJOK<br />

Height: <strong>19</strong>6cm<br />

Position: Guard<br />

DOB: 25 Jan 90<br />

Height: <strong>19</strong>5cm<br />

Position: Forward<br />

DOB: 7 Mar 93<br />

Height: 206cm<br />

Position: Forward<br />

DOB: 29 Jan 93<br />

Height: 206cm<br />

Position: Centre<br />

DOB: 10 Dec 92<br />

#<br />

42<br />

TAI WESLEY<br />

#<br />

91<br />

JARRAD WEEKS<br />

Height: 201cm<br />

Position: Forward<br />

DOB: 13 May 86<br />

Height: 180cm<br />

Position: Guard<br />

DOB: 11 Jul 89


MELBOURNE UNITED<br />

<strong>2018</strong>-<strong>19</strong> NBL SEASON FIXTURE<br />

HOME<br />

AWAY<br />

ILLAWARRA HAWKS<br />

PERTH WILDCATS<br />

1 FRI 12 OCT 18 - 7.30PM<br />

MON 17 DEC 18 - 7.30PM<br />

9<br />

Win Entertainment Centre<br />

Melbourne Arena<br />

NZ BREAKERS<br />

SYDNEY KINGS<br />

1 SUN 14 OCT 18 - 2.30PM<br />

SUN 23 DEC 18 - 2.30PM<br />

10<br />

Melbourne Arena<br />

ADELAIDE 36ERS<br />

ADELAIDE 36ERS<br />

2 SUN 21 OCT 18 - 2.30PM<br />

WED 26 DEC 18 - 7.30PM<br />

11<br />

Melbourne Arena<br />

PERTH WILDCATS<br />

BRISBANE BULLETS<br />

3 SAT 27 OCT 18 - 2.30PM<br />

SUN 6 JAN <strong>19</strong> - 2.30PM<br />

12<br />

Perth Arena<br />

Qudos Bank Arena<br />

ILLAWARRA HAWKS<br />

CAIRNS TAIPANS<br />

3 MON 29 OCT 18 - 7.30PM<br />

SUN 13 JAN <strong>19</strong> - 5.00PM<br />

13<br />

Melbourne Arena<br />

CAIRNS TAIPANS<br />

PERTH WILDCATS<br />

4 SAT 3 NOV 18 - 7.30PM<br />

SUN 20 JAN <strong>19</strong> - 3.00PM<br />

14<br />

Cairns Convention Centre<br />

SYDNEY KINGS<br />

ILLAWARRA HAWKS<br />

4 MON 5 NOV 18 - 7.30PM<br />

WED 23 JAN <strong>19</strong> - 7.30PM<br />

15<br />

Melbourne Arena<br />

ILLAWARRA HAWKS<br />

ADELAIDE 36ERS<br />

5 THU 8 NOV 18 - 7.30PM<br />

MON 28 JAN <strong>19</strong> - 7.30PM<br />

15<br />

Win Entertainment Centre<br />

CAIRNS TAIPANS<br />

NZ BREAKERS<br />

5 SUN 11 NOV 18 - 2.30PM<br />

FRI 1 FEB <strong>19</strong> - 5.00PM<br />

16<br />

Melbourne Arena<br />

NZ BREAKERS<br />

NZ BREAKERS<br />

6 SUN 3 FEB <strong>19</strong> - 5.00PM<br />

16<br />

FRI 16 NOV 18 - 5.30PM<br />

iLT Stadium Southland<br />

BRISBANE BULLETS<br />

SYDNEY KINGS<br />

6 SUN 18 NOV 18 - 2.30PM<br />

FRI 8 FEB <strong>19</strong> - 7.30PM<br />

17<br />

Melbourne Arena<br />

SYDNEY KINGS<br />

ADELAIDE 36ERS<br />

7 SAT 24 NOV 18 - 2.30PM<br />

SUN 10 FEB <strong>19</strong> - 5.00PM<br />

17<br />

Melbourne Arena<br />

BRISBANE BULLETS<br />

CAIRNS TAIPANS<br />

8 SAT 8 DEC 18 - 2.30PM<br />

THU 14 FEB <strong>19</strong> - 7.30PM<br />

18<br />

Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre<br />

BRISBANE BULLETS<br />

PERTH WILDCATS<br />

8 MON 10 DEC 18 - 7.30PM<br />

SUN 17 FEB <strong>19</strong> - 2.30PM<br />

18<br />

Melbourne Arena<br />

Melbourne Arena<br />

Gold Coast Sport & Leisure Centre<br />

Cairns Convention Centre<br />

Perth Arena<br />

Melbourne Arena<br />

Titanium Security Arena<br />

Spark Arena<br />

Melbourne Arena<br />

Qudos Bank Arena<br />

Titanium Security Arena<br />

Melbourne Arena<br />

Melbourne Arena<br />

MELBOURNE<strong>UTD</strong>.COM.AU<br />

*All times in AEDT<br />

#WEAREMELBOURNE


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MELBOURNE<strong>UTD</strong>.COM.AU<br />

#wearemelbourne

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