Newley, Ili praise team makeup across impressive start

Across Melbourne United’s strong 8-3 start to NBL22, much has been made about the defending champ’s depth.

Often going 10-players deep, Head Coach Dean Vickerman has constructed a squad that has his players confident about their championship aspirations.

Veteran forward Brad Newley said as much when speaking to Dwyane Russell on SEN recently, adding how easy it has been to mesh with the mix of youth and experience on the United roster.

“Chris Goulding, Matthew Dellavedova and Dave Barlow are the guys I’ve come through the system with…Those guys are my mates.

“To be able to go and play with these guys every week… it’s just not hard work being around those guys.

“It’s fun meeting the younger guys too, like Jack (White)… I see big things for him. Mason Peatling too has been really impressive. Then we’ve got Caleb (Agada), Ariel (Hukporti), and Jo (Lual-Acuil Jr) who’s been fantastic, I think he can go to the next level for sure.

“The other guy is Shea Ili, he was always tough to play against, so having him on my team now is pretty cool.”

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Newley’s assessment about Shea’s defence has rung true so far this season, with the guard registering as one of just seven players in the league (including CG and Delly, who rank first and second respectively), with a defensive rating lower than 100.

To learn more about how a player's defensive rating is calculated, click here.

Speaking on RSN’s Breakfast Club, Ili praised how the team has been put together, and emphasised United’s ability to beat anyone when they’re at their best.

“I feel like we have a good group of guys, not just on the court but off the court as well.

“We’ve shown that when we put a good game together, we’re a championship team.”

Watch Newley, Ili, and all of Melbourne’s stars in United’s return home on Sunday 6 February against the Tasmania JackJumpers at 3pm.

The game will also feature an exciting half-time performance from multi-award winning artist Tones And I.

Tickets are available here, and five-game memberships remain for sale here.