It has been well publicised that the Geraldton Buccaneers have had their fair share of problems this year. Currently sitting in 11th position on the ladder with 5 wins and 9 losses they are in real danger of missing the playoffs and it clearly isn’t where Coach Evans expected to be at this point of the season.

Renowned for recruiting two gun imports every year, the Buccs have relied on this formula as a foundation of their success for a number of years – having only missed the finals once in the last 22 years! Collectively, the imports have given the Buccs 50 – 60 points an outing, to go along with a juicy number of rebounds and assists plus a number of intangibles such as leadership, experience and intensity. This season the Buccs have taken on American imports Todd Brown and Michael Lay, two very solid players that a number of teams would love to have. Lay is averaging 21.9 pts, 6.9 dimes and 4.9 boards a game, and is one of the more dynamic point guards in this league. Brown, (no relation to the most famous name in G-town - Greg ‘Brown Dogg’ Brown) has had an indifferent start to the season fighting injury and form but looks to have settled into some sort of rhythm averaging a solid 17.7 pts and 6.5 boards a game. When you throw veterans Ben ‘Salt and’ Pepper, a 7 foot ex NBL All Star, Matt ‘Tip Top Wonderbread’ Wundenberg (a blue collar workhorse in the paint) and Aaron ‘Allergic to the keyway’ Ralph (3 ball specialist) you must be thinking the same thing I’m thinking, Where’s your buccaneers?

“The Buccaneers have not placed outside of the top 4 since 2005. The last time they did not make the finals was 1998 where they finished 9th with a 10-14 record”

It’s fair to say that neither import is a Ryan Zamroz – the 2010 SBL MVP. But is the loss of Zamroz the real issue up in the town that holds WA’s most illustrious nightclub ‘The Vibe’?

Let’s have a look at trying to answer the question ‘Where’s Your Buccaneers?’ ">

1. Personnel changes from last year to this year –

• Daniel Thomas to the East Perth Eagles – Great floor general, one of the premier point guards in the league. Thomas can shoot, distribute and play D against taller players (let’s be honest, nearly every player in the league is taller than DT) Going after Lay as a replacement for Thomas was good recruiting one would think, as Thomas left a huge hole in the PG position.
• Ryan Zamroz to the British Basketball League – we all know this guy oozes talent and can win a game off his own back. He could splash 40 + pts games on any given Sunday (He had a successful year for Leicester Riders in the BBL averaging 18.4 Pts/game for those who are interested) He could take you off the dribble, catch and shoot off a screen, and seriously blow up your zone defence with his quick release J. You can’t replace a Zamroz, it’s like taking Wade from the Heat or Kobe from the Lake show – simply irreplaceable. His 30 + ppg and defensive intensity are sorely missed up in G Town.
• Brian Connelly to Timbuktu?– Not the Buccs greatest import addition of all time, but a solid contributor all the same. Providing size and length and the occasional double/double, Connelly often got left out of team scouting reports as a potential threat, leaving him open on the baseline or under the bucket with an easy put back. Either way you look at it, He was a solid contributor in a very tough Buccs outfit.

2. Lack of depth – All other players in the Buccs rotation have returned in 2011. The Usual Suspects in Ralph, Wundenberg and Pepper are back in the Blue and Yellow providing their usual output. The Buccaneers have never been known for their depth, often boasting a blockbuster starting 5 and a few bench players at best. Is their lack of depth catching up with them this year?

3. Fitness – is fitness an issue in 2011? Coming up against deeper team’s week in and week out? Are some of the veterans like Pepper (35 yrs) feeling the pinch come late in the 4th quarter?

4. Home Court - Tip Top or Flip Flop Stadium? Have the Buccs lost their vaunted home court advantage? This has been one of the most feared venues to visit in the past, and with teams having to travel the 4-5 hours by bus on game day surely has its advantages. Has the noise, in particularly the Buccs mascot with his pesty ‘vuvuzela’ lost its effect? Surely shooters like Brown and Ralph should be making 2-3 more buckets a game on the court that possesses the friendliest rings in the league. They have only registered 3 homes wins this season, and with 5 losses at home to date this isn’t impressive for the town that are used to success, especially at home.

5. Team chemistry – Chemistry has never been the strength of ballers but rumours are swirling that this current group can’t even tell you what a bunsen burner is. Players are on different pages and not gelling which has inevitably led them to struggle town on the court this season. Chemistry is something only the inner sanctum of the Buccaneers can work out and resolve.

6. Coach – Ray Ray - The coach has made comment in the media that a ‘shake up’ may be on the cards, this is surely a scare tactic, having the effect of placing a firecracker up the player’s hind quarters in order to inject some energy and fight into their game. Either way this pineapple from Ray Ray resulted in them getting the W over the Magic on their home court last weekend, so seemingly this had the desired effect. We’ll see if this continues to work and how it goes when they meet their next top 8 side, as this will give us a clear picture whether the Buccs are back on track, or destined for failure in 2011.

It is not yet total disaster for the Buccaneers, with 12 games remaining on their schedule there is still hope to sneak into the 8. You would think as a minimum they would have to win at least 8 of these games and finish with a .500 record to be in the hunt. With a huge road trip awaiting them this long weekend (3 away games) it’s make or break time for the Geraldton Buccaneers.

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Article written by Mark Shipley

The opinions, views and comments in this article are those of the individual and are not the opinions or views of the State Basketball League or Basketball WA.