Bounce Pass Volume 2: The week that was

What a week it's been in Aussie hoops!

As always basketball.com.au has you covered with all the latest news, features and behind-the-scenes insights from everything in Australian basketball stretching back to juniors and all the way to our professional superstars.

Here's what has made news over the past week.

COTTON "CHANGES EVERYTHING" FOR 36ERS

In his first edition of 'Cut to the Jase' with basketball.com.au, 15-year NBL vet and former Boomers guard Jason Cadee explained how the recruitment of five-time MVP Bryce Cotton will help the Adelaide 36ers right the wrongs of a tumultuous NBL25.

Following on from a war of words between former 36ers guard turned Sydney King Kendric Davis and the returning Montrezl Harrell, Cadee took readers inside the Adelaide locker room from last season and why that star-studded roster didn't work.

He said the recruitment of Cotton was a sign the 36ers have moved on.

"Now, they've gone from a younger, less experienced import in KD, to a guy who has done everything there is to do in the league and commands that respect," Cadee said in his column.

"Add Trez, Zylan Cheatham, Flynn Cameron and some other role players to the mix - Adelaide have said 'we are here to win' and they have the horses to do that.

"My concern for the 36ers isn't chemistry this season, it's just how Mike Wells puts it all together.

"If they get it right, they're easily the most dangerous team in the league but whatever they do. Adelaide are still going to be the most interesting team to watch in NBL26."

For the full column and Cut to the Jase podcast, click here.

SMITH WINS CO-DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR IN WNBA

Australian Opals star Alanna Smith has been crowned the 2025 WNBA Defensive Player of the Year, along with A'ja Wilson from the Las Vegas Aces.

Smith, 29, becomes just the second international player to ever win the award, after – you guessed it – the legendary Australian Lauren Jackson, who won in 2007. Jackson also earned WNBA MVP honours that season.

For Smith, it is fitting reward for a player that has made herself into a star of the league, after struggling to make her mark in the first few years of her professional career, even finding herself out of the league in 2022 after being waived by Indiana.

Smith spoke candidly to basketball.com.au prior to the WNBA season about the struggles early in her career.

“It's one thing about the WNBA and just your professional career in general, there are moments where your confidence can be rocked, and I definitely experienced that pretty early on for probably two or three years,” she said.

“I just had to learn how to build my own self-confidence, even in moments and situations where it was really, really hard.”

It’s been an amazing journey, one of perseverance and hard work. Over the past two years, Smith has reaped the rewards from that hard work.

For the full story on Smith, click here.

WA YOUNG GUN LUKE PAUL CONTINUES METEORIC RISE

Luke Paul’s rise from Perth junior to international standout has gathered serious speed in 2025.

The 6’5 guard earned an AIS scholarship and quickly turned potential into production, steering Australia’s U16 Crocs to gold at the FIBA U16 Asia Cup in Mongolia.

Paul was the tournament’s standout, claiming MVP honours and a place in the All-Star Five after a commanding title-game performance against China that featured 26 points, 10 rebounds and 9 assists in a 95-79 win.

It caps off a whirlwind few months. In April, he represented Western Australia at the U18 Nationals as a 15-year-old, helping the Sandgropers emerge as one of the tournament’s hottest teams. He then suited up for his hometown Willetton Tigers in NBL1 West.

Now the teenager’s focus shifts to his move to Canberra and life at the Centre of Excellence, joining the program via an intake that includes Queensland big man Harry Cook.

“It was definitely a shock. I didn’t expect it at all at the stage that I was in. I was so happy, there were so many emotions,” Paul told wildcats.com.au of his scholarship offer.

“[I’m] Sad to leave my friends, but the big thing was happy and excited. It’s definitely a privilege. It’s not every day someone gets a scholarship to the AIS, so I’m really excited to move over and get started.”

Paul is immediately getting thrown in the deep end, as the Centre of Excellence will travel to Abu Dhabi next week for the NBA Academy Showcase.

For the full story, click here.

SEM PHOENIX IN NO RUSH TO REPLACE VRENZ

South East Melbourne Phoenix coach Josh King revealed it was the "best thing moving forward" to part ways with import Vrenz Bleijenbergh on the eve of the NBL season.

The 24-year-old Belgian arrived at the Phoenix with significant hype but struggled to fit in during the preseason, leading to a mutual parting of ways earlier this week.

"The preseason is always a time to see what you have on your roster, Vrenz is a super talented guy, he's a he's a really good guy, and I think at the end of the day It was an evaluation period for everybody," King told basketball.com.au.

"It just wasn't the right fit for our team."

King said they would see what they needed to address after those two games before deciding on an import replacement.

"We've got two games coming up here and then we have a week break for the NBA game. We have a whole week and then we don't play for a whole another week, so I think I think we're going to take a look and see what we have on these first two games and then make a decision after that," hesaid.

For the full exclusive interview, click here.

BOOMERS CLIMB UP WORLD RANKINGS

The United States has held firm at No. 1 in the latest FIBA Men’s World Ranking, despite finishing third at the FIBA AmeriCup 2025. Germany, fresh off their undefeated EuroBasket 2025 campaign, have risen to second, overtaking Serbia, who fell to third after a Round of 16 exit.

France remain in fourth despite failing to reach the EuroBasket Quarter-Finals, while Canada’s run to fourth place at the AmeriCup has lifted them into the top five.

Australia, meanwhile, received a deserved rankings boost after winning the FIBA Asia Cup 2025 in Jeddah, edging China 90–89 in the final to claim a third straight title.

The Boomers move up one place to sixth, leapfrogging Spain, who endured a disappointing EuroBasket campaign with three losses in the group phase.

For the full story on the updated FIBA rankings, visit here.

PATIENCE PAYS OFF FOR WILDCATS

With the NBL26 regular season imminent, the Perth Wildcats have finally completed their roster with the signing of Mason Jones last week, and things are looking bright once again for the league’s winningest franchise.

The departure of five-time MVP Bryce Cotton cast a long shadow over the Perth Wildcats’ off-season, leaving management with the daunting task of calming a restless and heartbroken fanbase. After a drawn-out and at times uncertain recruitment period, the Wildcats have emerged with renewed purpose — assembling a balanced, talent-rich roster that has firmly reinserted them into the championship conversation ahead of the NBL26 season. On paper, this is a team built not just to move past last season’s semi-final exit, but to challenge for the title once again.

There’s no denying the pain of losing the league’s best player, particularly to a rival NBL team, but where fans momentarily saw misery, the Wildcats saw a moment of opportunity, as a treasure chest of funds became available to redistribute, ready to shore up key roster imbalances.

“[Bryce’s departure] opened up a lot of flexibility money wise. It allowed us to retain Kristian Doolittle and Dylan Windler, which was really important, and it allowed us to look at the marquee big market. It also allowed us to take time to re-tool the bench unit and take time to find the right fit with our last import spot. It took most of the off-season but I think it resulted in a really balanced roster," Wildcats GM Danny Mills told basketball.com.au.

For the full story, visit here.

OLYMPIC GAMES DREAM DRIVING ROCCI

Southside Melbourne Flyers star basketball guard Maddison Rocci will have one big dream driving her as she tries to lead her team back to the WNBL playoffs this season.

"I have the goal in the back of my head that I want to go to an Olympic Games, and I'll probably never give up until I can get there," she said.

The three-time WNBL champion already has a long list of achievements any professional player would envy by the age of 27. Rocci won two titles with the University of Canberra Capitals and one with the Flyers, she has represented the Opals at a FIBA Asia Cup in 2023, was named All-WNBL Second Team in 2020 and also played at junior world championships for Australia.

But as she enters her ninth season in the league, there's one thing Rocci hasn't reached yet and that's wearing the green and gold jersey she loves so much at a FIBA World Cup or Olympic Games, just missing out on making the team for the 2024 Games in Paris. It's something which still drives her every day.

"My major goal is to go to an Olympic Games and play in a World Cup. I haven't got there yet, but hopefully I'll build myself up to get there," she told basketball.com.au.

For the full story on Rocci, including video, visit here.

FAREWELLING A BASKETBALL WARRIOR

Hundreds gathered in Brisbane on September 19 to farewell former WNBL player, Opals guard and former Syracuse University star Tiana Mangakahia after she lost her battle with breast cancer on September 11.

The impact Mangakahia had on the basketball community was shown by the incredible amount of people who paid tribute to the former Australian Institute of Sport scholarship holder. Those who paid tribute included the likes of Lauren Jackson and Josh Giddey.

The 30-year-old had played in the NBL1 North for her junior club, the Southern Districts Spartans, this season despite battling the illness.

Basketball.com.au's website editor Brayden Heslehurst, who had known Mangakahia for more than 15 years, remembered her with this special tribute.

IMPORT REPORT: IS ANDREW ANDREWS THE REPLACEMENT CAIRNS NEED?

In the latest edition of Michael Houben's import reports, he takes a look at new Cairns Taipans guard Andrew Andrews who replaces Ashton Hagans.

At 32-years-old, Andrews enters NBL26 as on the older side of the import spectrum, exceeded in age by only Casey Prather, Bryce Cotton, John Brown III and JaVale McGee.

He comes to Australia with a decade of professional experience under his belt, encompassing leagues across Turkey, Latvia, Israel, Greece, Spain and Lithuania.

Andrews is only one year removed from competing in the EuroCup and Spanish ACB for Joventut, where he played 24 minutes per game and averaged over 12 points per game across both competitions.

Andrews joins the Taipans after most recently competing for the Wolves Twinsbet in Lithuania, where he averaged 13.3 points, 2 rebounds and 3 assists per game.

Houben breaks down Andrews' fit with the Taipans here.

HOW MATT WESTON REBUILT THE 36ERS

Adelaide 36ers general manager of basketball operations Matt Weston is a polarising figure — known for being associated with the unexpected sacking of club legend Scott Ninnis on the eve of NBL25 and the messy undertone of Kendric Davis’ recent departure.

But those were hard decisions he’s not afraid to make — helping form his vision for a thriving 36ers NBL26 roster, which has already come to life in glimpses this preseason.

“You give the ingredients to Mike [Wells] and he’s the chef, he puts it together and he cooks,” Weston told basketball.com.au.

“These guys are built different, they’ve got a big engine and you can see that.”

Having finished with a 13-16 record (6th) in NBL25, the 36ers not only added three star imports, adding the greatest import to ever play in the NBL in Bryce Cotton as well as former NBA Sixth Man of the Year Montrezl Harrell and Zylan Cheatham but also Kiwi star Flynn Cameron and significant role players such as South Australian product Isaac White, Matthew Kenyon, Michael Harris and Basketball Australia Centre of Excellence young gun Che Brogan.

See the full story here.

JOEL KHALU: AN NBL COACH IN WAITING?

Pacing up and down the sidelines, trying to find answers with his team down double digits against the Perth Wildcats and facing the prospect of two big losses at the pre-season Blitz, Illawarra Hawks assistant coach Joel Khalu got his first taste of what the pressure cooker of being a head coach in the NBL was like.

While it might have been "just the preseason" to some, it wasn't for the 44-year-old journeyman.

Khalu had built an immaculate reputation after winning three state league titles in Queensland as the head coach of the Mackay Meteors and helping the Hawks to last season's drought-breaking NBL championship.

He had also been the caretaker for the Hawks pre-season training with head coach Justin Tatum finishing his obligations in Indonesia, so for him taking the lead role at the Blitz was a chance to show the team was in safe hands, but to also show what many people around the NBL already think — that Khalu is a future NBL head coach.

Get an insight into Khalu's coaching journey and Justin Tatum's Hawks program here.

THE SPLASH: WHAT RUMOURS ARE AROUND HOOPS CIRCLES?

The birds are a chirpin' in the basketball world!

Check out our latest rumour mill here.