Melbourne United ready for NBL21 after strong pre-season

Following the revision of the 2021 Hungry Jack’s NBL Season schedule as a result of the recent COVID-19 outbreaks in both NSW and Victoria, the Melbourne United team were forced to drastically change their pre-season plans.

A travelling party of 20 players, coaches and staff flew up to Cairns on December 29 for a five-day pre-season minicamp. The minicamp was to involve two pre-season games against the Taipans (one public, one behind closed doors), training sessions, weight sessions, and some team-building activities.

The trip to Cairns was intended to be the final piece of what has been an incredibly long off-season, but due to the change of the NBL21 schedule the team were forced to cancel their return to Melbourne and must now fly directly to Perth to play the Wildcats on January 15^th. The team then will continue on to Brisbane to play the Bullets on January 21^st. The plan is for the team to then return to Melbourne on January 30^th, turning what was initially a 5-day trip into a 32-day trip.

With this disruption unlikely to be the last this season, the team’s ability to react and handle the situation at hand is one that the Melbourne United group will be focusing on. Head Coach Dean Vickerman previously indicated his intention for the group to be able to handle adversity and uncomfortable scenarios, while still performing to a highly competitive standard on-court.

The 16-point win against the Taipans on New Year’s Eve was a great indication of how Melbourne United have been progressing but this game was not the only performance against NBL opposition during the pre-season that impressed.

Three other games have been played by Melbourne United across the pre-season, that were played behind-closed-doors. Melbourne United Media can now reveal how those games went down.

Game 1 – Melbourne United vs SEM Phoenix
December 14 – State Basketball Centre

The first game of the pre-season was played against cross-town rivals the South East Melbourne Phoenix.

Against an import-less Phoenix, Melbourne United dominated the game, with 6 players (Landale, Peatling, White, Goulding, McCarron and Barlow) achieving double-digit points. Jock Landale stood out for United, racking up 22 points and 9 rebounds, while development player Mason Peatling also took his opportunity to impress, finishing on 15 points. Scotty Hopson was not yet in the country and Jo Lual-Acuil Jnr and Sam McDaniel did not play for Melbourne in this game due to minor injuries at the time. Melbourne United ran away with the win, defeating the Phoenix by 22 points.

MU 110 def. SEM Phoenix 88

Landale - 22pts 3ast 9reb
Peatling - 15pts 5reb
Goulding - 13pts 3ast
White - 13pts 4ast 5reb
McCarron - 11pts 5ast 5reb

Game 2 – Melbourne United vs New Zealand Breakers
December 23 – MSAC Showcourt

With the Breakers residing in Melbourne at the time due to their relocation to Australia, a practice match was booked to give both teams a chance at a solid hit out.

Melbourne United got off to a fast start, scoring the first 10 points of the game. With David Barlow resting for this game, it was Jo Lual-Acuil Jnr and Shea Ili that stood out for United. Lual-Acuil’s length and athleticism helped him to an impressive 20 points against a bigger body in New Zealand’s Colton Iverson. Ili noticeably took charge of the game for United, on his way to 17 points and 2 assists, while Mitch McCarron continued his role as the facilitator, amassing 6 assists. Melbourne United lead from start to finish, eventually winning comfortably by 21 points.

MU 90 def. NZ Breakers 69

Lual-Acuil Jnr - 20pts 4reb
Ili – 17pts 5reb 2ast
Goulding – 10pts 2ast
Landale – 9pts 8reb
McCarron – 7pts 6ast

Game 3 – Melbourne United vs Cairns Taipans
December 31 – Cairns Pop-up Arena aka The Snag Pit

The first of two games against the Taipans was a game open to the public, and proved to be a great way to finish the year for United. For the second time this pre-season, 6 players (Goulding, McCarron, Landale, Ili, Baba and Barlow) hit double figures in scoring. Landale lead the rebound count with 8, and McCarron dished out another 5 assists. Yudai Baba turned heads with his ability to hassle and scramble on defence, but also used his speed to get out and score. United led by 22 points with just under two minutes left, but a few late buckets eased the score line to have Melbourne running out 16-point victors.

MU 97 def. Cairns Taipans 81

Full box score
Full game replay
Highlights

Game 4 – Melbourne United vs Cairns Taipans
January 4 – Cairns Pop-up Arena aka The Snag Pit

United’s second game against the Taipans was this time played behind closed doors, but the result was much the same. American Scotty Hopson joined his new teammates on court for the first time, albeit under a minute limitation, and ended with 11 points, 3 rebounds and a steal in just under 16 minutes. Mitch McCarron proved his place in the point guard position hitting a pre-season high 10 assists, while Jock Landale continued to display his talent, shooting 57% from the field, including two 3-pointers, ending with 21 points and 9 rebounds. United yet again lead from start to finish, eventually winning by 16 points.

MU 95 def. Cairns Taipans 79

Landale - 21pts 9 reb 3ast
White - 12pts 3reb
Hopson - 11pts 3reb
Baba - 10pts 2ast 
McCarron - 9 pts 4 reb 10ast

The team is now in the throes of preparing their first game of the 2021 Hungry Jack’s NBL Season, set to be played against the Wildcats in Perth at 9:30pm AEDT on Friday January 15^th as part of the season-opening double-header. The game will be televised on ESPN and on SBS On Demand, as well as NBLTV and Twitch.

Melbourne United will return to Victoria to play the rescheduled Throwdown V against the South East Melbourne Phoenix at Bendigo Stadium at 3pm Sunday January 31^st. Tickets to that game are available here.