WIN, lose or draw, the Albury-Wodonga Bandits are going to put on one hell of a show in 2017.
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It's not exactly championship or bust, but this is undoubtedly a team that has been built to win.
Expectations are certainly very high internally after a somewhat underwhelming 2016 campaign, despite pushing as far as the semi-finals.
Team chemistry, or a lack thereof, was a recurring theme last year, but with the departures of Greg Mays, Clay McMath and Donte Nicholas, the Bandits have more or less got a fresh start.
Only Deba George, Darcy Harding, Jack Duck, Sawyer Dearborn and Josh Morgan return from 2016.
With the exception of George, with Bandits look set to run with an entirely new starting five.
Holding that in mind, coach Brad Chalmers has made a concerted to recruit players he believes can gel together on and off the court, a strategy that seems to have gotten off to a good start.
In import duo Justin Browning and TJ Robinson, Chalmers has secured a pairing with a combination of youth and experience.
Robinson will start at centre and should be a commanding low-post presence, fulfilling a role the athletic Mays was unable to with any consistency in 2016.
The departure of Donte Nicholas leaves big shoes for the 23-year-old Browning to fill.
There's no doubting his athletic ability, and his identity as a defensive specialist should have the likes of Deba George anticipating plenty of easy buckets thanks to lightning quick transition offence.
STARTING FIVE:
- Joel Spear
- Deba George
- Justin Browning
- Mitch Newton
- TJ Robinson
Length and athleticism stand out when you look at this group.
Point guard Joel Spear comes to the club after a season as an NBL development player with the Adelaide 36ers, bringing good size and outside shooting.
Power forward Mitch Newton could be a surprise packet.
Arriving from New Zealand via Big V club Sunbury, the 196-centimetre 21-year-old looks to be an interesting threat offensively, and a solid frontcourt partner for Robinson defensively.
Newton’s ability to shoot from three and also put on the hard hat and work inside on the block make him a strong fit for the Bandits.
The ability of Newton to switch with Robinson on the defensive end is a bonus, while he should also be capable of giving some smaller guards headaches as well.
Deba George will continue to be Deba George – when he’s at his best he is a SEABL All-Star, one of the most dynamic players in the competition and a guaranteed crowd-pleaser.
Expect slightly more consistent output from the veteran as the team boasts a bit more chemistry compared to last year.
The real key to everything will be the performance of Justin Browning.
All indications are that Browning is capable of being the kind of livewire end-to-end player the Albury-Wodonga crowd tends to throw their support behind.
This is effectively Browning’s first professional gig (with the exception of a brief stint in Finland), so the 23-year-old has it all to prove.
It’ll be Robinson’s job to anchor the group at both ends.
He won’t necessarily need to be pouring in 20 points per game, but addressing the Bandits’ shortcomings in the rebounding stakes is an absolute priority for the experienced big man.
Better chemistry should yield more reliable results from the second unit as well.
Reserve point guard Jack Duck is healthy after battling with injuries last season.
The prospect of Darcy Harding working in tandem with Mitch Newton is an exciting one.
Harding’s stronger outside and mid-range game should fit nicely alongside Newton’s inside game.
After spending the summer as a development player with the Sydney Kings, Harding has returned looking stronger than he has before, which bodes well after a breakout 2016 season.
Sawyer Dearborn will be looking to impress this season as well.
The 22-year-old has impressed so far in pre-season, and will be a useful scorer off the bench if he can get a couple of shots to fall early on.
The George family will be well represented at the Lauren Jackson Sports Centre, with Deba’s brother Kailou George also coming on board.
Young gun Josh Morgan will round out the 10-man squad.
STRENGTHS
Transition offence and pesky defence should be this team’s bread and butter.
If they can push the pace and get teams on the back foot, it’s easy to see them being able to pile on points at a rapid rate – their footspeed baseline to baseline could catch a few teams off guard.
They’re a stronger threat around the perimeter thanks to the additions of Spear and Newton alongside Deba George and Harding.
That should open up lanes for Browning to exploit and allow Robinson to go to work in the low post.
If this team can gel together early on, there is no reason for them not to be contenders.
WEAKNESSES
As talented as their top end players are, everyone on this roster has to make sure they play with discipline.
Getting into foul trouble is simply not an option, which means Browning and Robinson in particular will have to be careful.
The SEABL season starts at the Lauren Jackson Sports Centre this Saturday, with the Lady Bandits taking on the Sydney Uni Sparks at 6pm and the Bandits hosting Mt Gambier at 8pm.