Who are the NBL Stars? | Thebigtip

The NBL is in desperate need to start up a marketing scheme aimed at highlighting the best players in the competition for the 2010/11 season.

On the back of Chris Anstey’s retirement, Corey Williams’ move to Europe, Julius Hodge chasing his NBA dream and John Rillie still without a team, the league is without four of its biggest identities, leaving a massive hole in its ability to connect with fans a stability with the star players on offer.

After Anstey and Sam Mackinnon retired at the end of last season, a lasting connection to fans of the glory days also died, and with current day superstars David Barlow, Brad Newley and Joe Ingles scattered throughout Europe, the NBL is continuing to find it hard to peak fan interest as a revolving door of new players enter the league.

Williams, who won the MVP award in 2010, has rejected a low offer from the Melbourne Tigers and will now continue his career in Europe. A tough blow for the NBL with the reigning MVP forced out by a lack of money available to him to showcase his amazing talents.

Not only was Williams a huge drawcard when the Townsville Crocodiles played on the road, or to quote a friend, “I’ll come to the NBL when Corey Williams is playing,” he was a player who spoke his mind and got headlines to keep the game relevant when the Grim Reaper came calling.

Losing Williams, the player, is a hard blow for the NBL, but to also lose Williams as a player capable of making headlines is a massive strike out.

The same for Hodge. Although people in Adelaide are still having nightmares about Hodge and his history with and against the 36ers, there is no denying that he is a great player who grabs headlines and keeps the game out in the public view.

Even if Hodge caused a near riot in his last trip to Adelaide, playing with the Melbourne Tigers last season, no one can say it didn’t give a buzz to the NBL for the following week.

With Matthew Knight and Alex Loughton returning to the NBL for the upcoming season, any new fans that discovered the NBL last season are oblivious as to who these two players are.

Loughton may very well become the face of the Cairns Taipans for the next few years, and Knight is surely going to be fighting with Damien Martin, Kevin Lisch and Shaun Redhage for prime exposure in the Wild West at the Perth Wildcats.

But how come these players, for example, haven’t been marketed by the league, even with a “They’re Back!!” campaign, or an attempt to build a rivalry between the two as to who is the best Aussie big man.

Now more than ever you really do need to get a programme when you attend a game because there are so many new faces and it is hard to keep up with who has gone where and who has left for greener pastures.

The NBL need to hire a marketing genius to help get them to promote the players. The game should be marketed differently in each state/country, with Kirk Penney the face of the New Zealand advertising campaign, Adam Ballinger the face of South Australia advertising pitch and so on around the country.

It ain’t rocket science!!

And with the NBL having an extended season, they are going to need as much ammunition throughout the season to keep themselves in the headlines, which is going to be hard if nobody knows any of the players.