Well I hate to blow my own horn (actually I don't - lets face it as a referee, no one else will give you a rap!).

Anyway, just had my first article published on http://www.officiating.com

It is titled "Hoops Down Under" and is by Duane Galle (me!)

Please check it out and let me know what you think?

Cheers

re: pat on the back
 

I don't know who Pat is, but if he was on my back, I'd get him off real quick!

Re: re: pat on the back
 

Maybe Pat is a she, and I'm just doing it wrong :)

Re: Re: re: pat on the back
 

I thought you Aussies always do it "down under." ;)

Re: Re: Re: re: pat on the back
 

I think most of us here do it any way we can :)

Re: Re: Re: re: pat on the back
 

Isn't that the definition of an Australian kiss? It's like a French kiss, but down under. ;)

Great article Duane! Basketball is going crazy in Canada too. I don't have the numbers to back it up, but there are a lot more teams at every level from when I played. Our system is very similar to yours with the exception of the pro league. We just don't have anything beyond college unless your a Steve Nash kind of talent. Some good players end up playing pro in Europe, but not many. These are the players who normally play for Canada's National Team.

What about your colleges and universities? I noticed you did not mention them in your article. We have 2 groups. Universities play a higher calibre game in the CIAU while smaller colleges play in the CCAA.

We still have a long a way to go to catch up to our American friends...but we're making progress!

Looking forward to your next article,

Jeff

Jeff, thanks for the comments, I will address the state of our Colleges & Universities in my next article. However, in brief, there is no organised College basketball in Australia! This is due to the different structure of both sport in general, and our education system. There are basically no sports scolarships in Australia, and there are few elite university sports teams in any sport.

Duane