How are they tracking: Sydney Uni Wheelkings
The last fortnight:
Def by RSL QLD Spinning Bullets 52-62
Def by RSL QLD Spinning Bullets 63-70
Def Adelaide Thunder 72-55
Def Adelaide Thunder 80-51
The run home:
Saturday 3-Aug vs Wollongong Rollerhawks
Sunday 4-Aug vs Wollongong Rollerhawks
Friday 16-Aug vs Wollongong Rollerhawks
Sunday 18-Aug vs Be Active Perth Wheelcats
Star performers:
The Wheelkings addressed their lack of height in 2012 with the addition of Michael Auprince. Auprince has previously played in the NWBL with the Razorbacks but 2013 is the first season he’s concentrated fulltime on basketball and his numbers are reflective of that. He’s only just shy of averaging a double-double per game and with four games left in the season he’s already scored more points than he ever has before in any single season. Auprince is a big physical presence inside that keyway and has added a nice little midrange shot to his repertoire in 2013.
Keegan Oh-Chee and Josh Meoli have also been very handy for the Wheelkings. Oh-Chee with his speed and physicality is very important for the Wheelkings game style while Meoli is having a breakout year in terms of scoring points.
Report Card:
It’s strange that they are currently sitting in fourth place but the team will have almost resigned themselves to the fact that they probably won’t be playing finals basketball this year. They have the toughest final four games of any team in the league and while a finals berth is still mathematically possible, it is unlikely. They will have to beat Wollongong at least once in the run home and hope that other results fall their way.
The Wheelkings will feel like they have underperformed this season and will view themselves as a top four side. It would have been interesting to see how results may have changed if they’d had their full squad available all season.
With the crux of their team; Auprince, Grogan, Meoli and Oh-Chee only in their early twenties and established players like Craig Cannane, Yarra Ryan, Kylie Gauci and Jason Voncina, success is only just around the corner for the Wheelkings.
Having said all that though, their 2013 fate is in their own hands. A tough but not impossible run home is the only thing standing between them and a finals berth l in 2013.
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