This report addresses: Tai Chi & Fall Prevention

The arrival of new cards can mark a change in the meta for the popularity factor and it is necessary to keep in mind that any deck that wants to use may need the addition of cards to combat this meta.

On reveal is an archetype accessible to players since pool one so Black Panther is a relatively easy addition for many players, but some combos and interactions can be especially surprising, especially when gaining access to pool three cards.

(Photo by Cyrille Choupas)

  • Guslagie Malanda stars as Laurence in director Alice Diop’s “Saint Omer.” (Photo courtesy of Super)

  • Kayije Kagame as Rama in director Alice Diop’s “Saint Omer.” (Photo courtesy of Super)

  • Kayije Kagame as Rama in director Alice Diop’s “Saint Omer.” (Photo courtesy of Super)

  • Kayije Kagame as Rama in director Alice Diop’s “Saint Omer.” (Photo courtesy of Super)

  • Kayije Kagame as Rama in director Alice Diop’s “Saint Omer.” (Photo courtesy of Super)

  • Guslagie Malanda stars as Laurence in director Alice Diop’s “Saint Omer.” (Photo courtesy of Super)

of

Expand

“Saint Omer” is the film that eventually developed from Diop’s obsession with the story.

Skip to content
PUBLISHED: | UPDATED:

French filmmaker Alice Diop at first didn’t understand why she felt so drawn to the true-life story of a French woman of Senegalese origin on trial for the drowning death of her daughter.

It started with a record thumping from the Sydney Kings of the Brisbane Bullets, and along the way both Sydney and Cairns moved further clear in the top two spots, the Tasmania JackJumpers, Perth Wildcats and Melbourne United kept winning, and the New Zealand Breakers and Adelaide 36ers didn’t.

The final month of the NBL23 regular season was always going to be chance to define the fortunes of the eight teams still in the playoff hunt, and it certainly did that in a lot of ways.

This report addresses: Tai Chi & Fall Prevention

Title:

Content: Black Panther deck guide | Best Black Panther decks in Marvel Snap

“Wakanda forever.”

Image via Nuverse

The new ranked season of Marvel Snap has arrived, bringing with it the Warriors of Wakanda update and more importantly Black Panther as a card purchasable through the Battle Pass.

That means there could be players in every card pool with decks utilizing Black Panther’s monstrous strength.

Black Panther’s ability activates on reveal, so he’s a natural addition to on-reveal decks that already existed prior to his arrival. With a power that can reach hundreds with the right cards, here are the best Black Panther decks to use in each pool.

Related: Marvel Snap destroy deck guide | Best destroy decks in Marvel Snap

Best Black Panther decks in Marvel Snap

Black Panther is a card designed to accumulate large amounts of power with its on-reveal effect. On reveal is an archetype accessible to players since pool one so Black Panther is a relatively easy addition for many players, but some combos and interactions can be especially surprising, especially when gaining access to pool three cards.

The decks listed here should be viewed as suggestions for players to adapt to their own unlocked collections and personal playstyles. The arrival of new cards can mark a change in the meta for the popularity factor and it is necessary to keep in mind that any deck that wants to use may need the addition of cards to combat this meta. In the case of Black Panther, cards like Cosmo and Shang-Chi are especially effective.

Best pool one Black Panther decks in Marvel Snap

Players have access to powerful cards with synergies on reveal from the start of the game. The most relevant card to use along with Black Panther is Odin, with its powerful effect of reactivating effects on reveal in the location.

The addition of other cards with on-reveal effects that can receive Odin’s effects should be considered as they can pose a challenge for opponents in cases where you cannot draw a Black Panther.

Black Panther pool one

Screengrab via Marvel Snap Zone

The central strategy is to have Black Panther and Odin together to use them in sequence in a location to secure it. Ideally, this is done after using Forge to further increase Black Panther’s power.

Meanwhile, the other cards will be used to accumulate power in another location, mainly Wolfsbane which has good synergy with Mister Sinister and Ironheart buffing low-cost cards.

The ideal time for a Snap is to have Black Panther and Odin in hand, along with Forge and another two-cost card on turn four. This way it is possible to play two cards on turn four, Forge last so that on turn five he strengthens Black Panther who will grow even more with Odin in his location during turn six.

Scarlet Witch works as a tech card that can fix problematic locations and America Chavez provides solid power during turn six while helping to draw the necessary cards throughout the game.

Some notable combos available are using Mister Sinister on turn two followed by Ironheart on turn three to get the most out of his buff effect by buffing three other units. As well as the simplicity of strengthening Mister Sinister with the Forge effect and getting a good amount of power in a location.

Best pool two Black Panther decks in Marvel Snap

Pool two brings some of the best counters to Black Panther through Shang-Chi, as well as cards like Scorpion and Iceman that can disrupt your opponent’s turns. Nakia can also be considered to be added to the deck since its effect could buff a Black Panther in the hand, but its attributes are not worth it in most cases, especially considering it is necessary for Black Panther to be in a specific position in the hand to receive the buff.

Black Panther pool two

Screengrab via Marvel Snap Zone

The additional pool two cards in this deck are Iceman, Scorpion, Okoye, Storm, and Shang-Chi.

The cards present in pool two open up some possibilities of interesting strategies to win a second location beside the one where Black Panther will be. The main strategy remains the same: buff Black Panther before he enters the board so he can be buffed again on turn six.

To guarantee a second location we have a very useful combo through Storm and Jessica Jones. They can be played on turns three and four and guarantee good results for a location that was previously empty. If the opponent doesn’t have a quick response and you have Black Panther and Odin in your hand it’s definitely a Snap opportunity. For this strategy, Okoye’s buff is extremely useful as it allows strengthening a Black Panther without using Forge first.

Iceman and Scorpion are cards to hinder your opponent and Scorpion is even more useful if you are facing a Black Panther deck. As well as Shang-chi is present to counter Black Panther and Devil Dinosaur.

Best pool three Black Panther decks in Marvel Snap

Pool three is where accounts get really exciting with cards capable of doubling effects and increasing Black Panther’s power exponentially.

There is a version of the deck that uses Armin Zola to create two Black Panthers in other locations, activating their power in a similar way to what Odin does, but its effect depends on a little luck of the card choosing a Black Panther for its effect so we chose for a more solid deck.

Black Panther pool three

Screengrab via Marvel Snap Zone

The additional pool three cards in this deck are Psylocke, Electro, Wong, and Taskmaster.

The strategy in this pool three deck takes on a new form. The main idea is still to strengthen Black Panther, but guarantee a second location with the Taskmaster effect of copying the power of your played card. The ideal way to achieve this result is to use one of your cards that grant bonus energy so you can play Wang before Black Panther and then use Taskmaster in a different location to secure it.

Armor is present to prevent Black Panther from being destroyed by cards like Shang-Chi. Psylocke and Elektro are two powerful cards to allow you to trigger the effects of the more expensive cards a turn early.

The use of the other cards continues in the same way. A notable new combo, however, is to play Scorpion in a location with Wong so that the cards in your opponent’s hand receive two less power.

Title:

Content: Skip to content
PUBLISHED: | UPDATED:

French filmmaker Alice Diop at first didn’t understand why she felt so drawn to the true-life story of a French woman of Senegalese origin on trial for the drowning death of her daughter.

“I was obsessed by this case for a very long time without knowing exactly,” Diop says through a translator on a recent video call. “In fact, it was a sentence that I read in a newspaper that caught my attention.

“I read that when she was asked why she did this terrible gesture she said that she did not understand why she did it,” Diop says. “But that she lay her daughter, her young daughter on the sand because she wanted the ocean, the sea, to take her away with the rising tide.

“This image absolutely haunted me and intrigued me,” she says.

  • French filmmaker Alice Diop’s new film “Saint Omer” is shortlisted for Academy Award consideration in the best international feature category. (Photo by Cyrille Choupas)

  • Guslagie Malanda stars as Laurence in director Alice Diop’s “Saint Omer.” (Photo courtesy of Super)

  • Kayije Kagame as Rama in director Alice Diop’s “Saint Omer.” (Photo courtesy of Super)

  • Kayije Kagame as Rama in director Alice Diop’s “Saint Omer.” (Photo courtesy of Super)

  • Kayije Kagame as Rama in director Alice Diop’s “Saint Omer.” (Photo courtesy of Super)

  • Kayije Kagame as Rama in director Alice Diop’s “Saint Omer.” (Photo courtesy of Super)

  • Guslagie Malanda stars as Laurence in director Alice Diop’s “Saint Omer.” (Photo courtesy of Super)

of

Expand

“Saint Omer” is the film that eventually developed from Diop’s obsession with the story. Her first fictional feature film after a career making documentaries, “Saint Omer” sticks closely to the facts of the trial of Fabienne Kabou, who in 2013 left her 15-month-old child on the shore near the northern French city that gives the film its name.

While the film mostly takes place on a courtroom set recreated inside the actual courthouse where the trial took place, “Saint Omer” is nothing like a typical trial movie.

The French media had focused on the sensational aspects of the case – Kabou, a brilliant doctoral student, said she’d been compelled to kill her daughter by “witchcraft.” Diop, who attended the trial, wanted to dig deeper into what made her able to commit such a terrible act.

“When I went to watch the trial, I had no idea to what extent it would overwhelm me emotionally,” Diop says. “How it would open some very intimate doors within that I didn’t know where there.

“Also, I noticed how much many women were touched in the same way that I was, and I realized that this affair brought about a very deep and universal concern for women,” she says.

In September, “Saint Omer” won the Grand Jury Prize at the Venice Film Festival, and Diop the award for best directing debut. In December, the film was one of 15 short-listed for consideration for the 2023 Academy Award for best international feature, making Diop the first Black woman ever to represent that country in the Oscars competition.

Guslagie Malanda, who joined Diop on the video call, plays Laurence Coly, the mother on trial on “Saint Omer.” Kayije Kagame plays Rama, a teacher and novelist drawn to the courtroom to watch the trial every day, much like Diop herself had done.

Here, in an interview edited for length and clarity, are Diop’s and Guslagie’s memories of making the film and their thoughts on a range of topics including motherhood, isolation and the representation of Black women in French film.

Q: How did you come to see the story of Fabienne Kabou as a potential film?

Diop: When I went there, I didn’t really know I was going to make a film out of it, but towards the end the overwhelming emotion that I felt and the way it opened extremely intimate questions to me really stirred something.

And also, beyond the story being a magnet for me, I have to say that when I watched the trial I realized that it was an opportunity to talk about Black women in a way that had rarely been talked about. And to bring out the complexity, the humanity of such a character in a way that was never talked about with the story of Kabou.

Q: Guslagie, did you follow this story in the media at the time?

Malanda: So my parents, they remember that story, and a lot of people in France do. But I was too young. I remember something like a noise, but no, I didn’t follow the case.

Q: What made you decide that the role of Laurence was one you wanted to take on, and how did you find your way into the character?

Malanda: Something happened during the casting when Alice told me to be a woman called Mary Lou in Jean Rouch’s movie ‘Chronique d’un été’ (‘Chronicle of a Summer’). It’s a young woman, and she talked about the beginning of a kind of depression, a delusion.

Something happened with this text and the interpretation of Mary Lou because I understand maybe something regarding that loneliness of Laurence Coly. It was the first door to work on the film.

Q: Alice, this is your first feature film – what was it like to shift from documentaries to a fictional way of storytelling?

Diop: I really do not make a clear distinction between my work of directing fiction or a documentary. For me, I am the same person. I am the same director. Besides, this film has a lot of elements that are of documentary quality. For example, we used dialogue, particularly in the courtroom, very closely based on the court transcript.

What is important, the most important for me, is my approach to the direction. And that doesn’t change for me very much between a documentary or a fiction film.

Q: Guslagie, your role requires you stand in front of the camera for long takes as you testify. How did you prepare for this kind of subtle yet demanding kind of acting?

Malanda: So, one, two months before shooting I was training with a tai chi master regarding the breath, breathing. What it is to speak and have a very clear manner to an audience. Because the set was in the real courtroom, and everybody was there, all along the shooting, so it was important for me to work on my breath.

Also, one of the main rules Alice gave me, it’s you have to be straight in your body and to speak really clearly, but without anything that we can call a performance – not to perform, not to act. So yeah, it was intense, and during the shooting, because of that work with Alice, we found the attitude of the character.

Q: I want to ask you, Alice, about portraying the complexity or universality of Black women in this film, and what Laurence and Rama might provide that people have not seen in other films.

Diop: I really suffered in France to see how limited the portraits of Black women were, and how enclosed in a very clichéd manner it was. So this is very important to me to express a much wider dimension of Black women.

Q: The film feels like anyone could relate to the story – you could be a woman or man anywhere.

Diop: I completely agree. For me, the Black body is a universal archetype. And I think that everyone can connect – that’s one of the main subjects I wanted to present. I think all over the world, white women or otherwise, can recognize themselves in this character.

This film was shown all over the world, even in China where there are no Black women. And they could relate to it also in that universal dimension. Men also.

Q: You end the film before the jury delivers a verdict. Tell me about that choice.

Diop: For me, ‘Saint Omer’ is not principally a story of a trial. It’s a story of listening. Of listening to a woman and the complexity of what is taking place in her. And I felt that when I was in the trial, listening to these women, it was the opening of the door towards the most hidden, the most terrifying thing relative to the deepest fear inside us, that she brought the reflection to.

My goal in this was not really to decide how we judge this woman but more for the audience, for each spectator, to go within and listen to her and bring up the question that it opened within each of us.

Obviously, there is a miraculous thing that takes place in the movie. You have the occasion to scrutinize a human being the way you look at it, the way you frame it, that of course doesn’t exist in real life. That gives the audience the occasion to interrogate themselves.

Yes, at the end she was condemned; she received 20 years. But I’m nearly certain that if we had interviewed the people that followed the trial – that were in the audience (for the film) – they would find her not guilty or excused her at about 90 percent.

Title:

Content: Tough reality for contending United; ultimate underdog defying the odds: NBL Talking Points

Taipans make it SIX in a row! | 00:57
Chris Pike from Fox Sports

Melbourne United and the Perth Wildcats are rolling in the NBL right now but still not guaranteed of playoff action while the Sydney Kings and Cairns Taipans further consolidated their top two positions, and the Adelaide 36ers just about fell right off a cliff.

The final month of the NBL23 regular season was always going to be chance to define the fortunes of the eight teams still in the playoff hunt, and it certainly did that in a lot of ways.

It started with a record thumping from the Sydney Kings of the Brisbane Bullets, and along the way both Sydney and Cairns moved further clear in the top two spots, the Tasmania JackJumpers, Perth Wildcats and Melbourne United kept winning, and the New Zealand Breakers and Adelaide 36ers didn’t.

Watch every game live of the 2022/23 NBL Season on ESPN on Kayo Sports. New to Kayo? Start your free trial now >

Cellar dwellers scare mighty Kings! | 00:54

It was another fascinating round of NBL action that started way back on Tuesday night with the Tasmania JackJumpers beating the Illawarra Hawks 92-89, and the Perth Wildcats defeating the New Zealand Breakers 93-90.

Then on Wednesday night, the Sydney Kings recorded their biggest win of the 40-minute era thrashing the Brisbane Bullets 116-67.

There were two more games on Thursday night with Melbourne United downing the New Zealand Breakers 77-65 and then the Tasmania JackJumpers beating the Adelaide 36ers 98-82.

Friday night saw the Cairns Taipans hold out the brave Illawarra Hawks 89-84 before on Saturday, Melbourne United beat the Brisbane Bullets 101-91, and the Perth Wildcats defeated the Adelaide 36ers 112-97 with the roof open at RAC Arena.

There was another two matches on Sunday beginning with the Cairns Taipans moving clear in second spot defeating the New Zealand Breakers 85-83, and then the Sydney Kings staying top beating the Illawarra Hawks 84-79.

It’s not quite done yet either with the South East Melbourne Phoenix returning to action to take on the Brisbane Bullets at Melbourne’s State Basketball Centre on Monday night.

NON-AUSTRALIANS DRIVING WILDCATS’ SWAGGER RETURNING

The Perth Wildcats put up 67 points under the open roof at RAC Arena in the first half on Saturday as their full starting five made up of non-Australians showed that they could still take this team a long way in NBL23.

When you are a franchise with a history as rich as what the Wildcats’ is, it’s not easy to set new landmarks but on Saturday night they opened the roof to The Jungle for the first time, and it’s a non-Australian starting five that is lighting things up.

The addition of Tai Webster to the Wildcats late in the season had the potential to make them the most lethal offensive team in the league when you put him alongside prolific scorers Corey Webster and Bryce Cotton, the dangerous Brady Manek and strong inside presence of TaShawn Thomas.

It hasn’t taken long to click. In just Tai’s third game of the season, the starting group of the Webster brothers, Cotton, Manek and Thomas were just on fire on Saturday night in front of a sold out crowd at RAC Arena with the roof open.

Wildcats shine at home in push for top 4 | 01:01

The ‘Cats piled on a season-best 67 points in the first half shooting a phenomenal 63 per cent from the field while connecting on 9/13 three-point attempts with Manek putting up 18 points, Cotton 16, Thomas 11 and the Webster brothers combining for 17.

By the end of the night, Perth beat the Adelaide 36ers 112-97 to improve to a 12-10 record to stabilise themselves in the top six with an offensive arsenal that could still take them a long way.

It’s the first time in the rich history of the Wildcats that they have not had an Australian in the starting line-up. There’s still a chance for Luke Travers to replace Tai Webster in that group moving forward, but it’s making them dangerous.

For coach John Rillie, it’s all about having quality players out on the floor and trusting them to be good enough to make the offence flow. He knows it has to start at the defensive end for it to work though.

“When you put good basketball players out on the floor and they enjoy playing with each other, and sharing the ball, I don’t need to draw up tricky plays,” Rillie said.

“They share the ball and play to each other’s strengths. I think when I have to try to manipulate the game too much, that takes away from their instincts and in this game you saw them playing purely on instinct.

“You look ahead and we’ve got the Sydney Kings next who are the barometer. I want our team to enjoy this win because that was a great performance, but the barometer is the Sydney Kings so let’s re-evaluate and this week we’ll spend preparing for them.

“Obviously we want to keep building momentum because we’re in the thick of it so we have to keep trending forward. But I would say is that when our defence is locked in at a good level, that allows us to play great offence.”

UNITED’S CHAMPIONSHIP CALIBRE TEAM THAT COULD STILL MISS PLAYOFFS

If you look at the way Melbourne United is playing right now with their stars delivering and still dealing with some injuries, you can make a strong case that they are a good enough to team to win the championship.

The only problem is United left themselves such a hole to climb out of with a slow start to the season. With three games remaining over the final three rounds, even if they keep winning their destiny isn’t in their own hands in terms of sneaking into the top six.

You can argue Melbourne’s basketball is on the level of top two teams Sydney and Cairns, and you wouldn’t rule out United being able to make a real run for the championship.

However, it’s still going to take some luck for Melbourne to be part of the post-season action after starting the season losing 10 of the opening 15 matches.

Coming back from being 5-10 was always going to take something special, but right now Melbourne has won eight of the last 10 games to be knocking on the door of the top six. In fact, if Brisbane beats South East Melbourne on Monday night, United will close Round 15 in sixth position.

Melbourne Utd take down Bullets | 01:03

The reality, though, is that Melbourne will need some luck to make it and to win its last three matches, starting in Adelaide against an equally desperate 36ers on Saturday.

United then finish off back in Auckland against New Zealand Breakers and then in the last game of the season at home to the Sixers once more – which could still decide which of the two teams makes the playoffs.

All United can do is win those last three games and hope things fall their way, but there’s no question should they make it, they would be every chance to win their way into a semi-final clash. From there, anything would be possible.

On Saturday night alone in Brisbane, every time Melbourne was challenged their stars stepped up with Rayjon Tucker finishing with 30 points, Chris Goulding 21 on five three-pointers, Xavier Rathan-Mayes 20 points, five rebounds and five assists, and Shea Ili 11 points and seven assists.

They did it without Isaac Humphries and David Barlow as well but now that this Melbourne team is clicking and found some chemistry, they have a lot of weapons and are mighty impressive.

With Ili and Rathan-Mayes finding their groove as the playmakers, Tucker’s improved shooting and working out how he can be effective in the NBL, and the shooting prowess of Goulding, that United backcourt is terrific.

Marcus Lee was in foul trouble in both games this weekend, but both against New Zealand and Brisbane he was important despite his numbers not standing out. Then Brad Newley, Mason Peatling and David Okwera are playing important roles.

There’s two things now with this team. Tucker announced himself this season as feeling he was the best new import coming into the league. That became a bit of a running joke early on, but now he might well be right.

Tucker has proven himself a match-winner for United with him improving his outside shot and being unstoppable in the open floor and when aggressive going to the rack.

He is fresh off a 30-point performance against Brisbane on Saturday and he credits the Melbourne coaching staff for helping him find the form he is in.

“I’ve been settling in better but it’s just the confidence that my teammates and Deano have given me,” Tucker said.

“The extra work that I’ve been putting in with Rhys Carter and D-Mac too just working on my shot to expand my game, and different aspects to have the scouting report on me kinda change to open up things for other guys on our team. To do what I do at a high frequency level has been good.”

In the bigger picture, Tucker has no doubt this Melbourne team can go all the way if they reach the top six.

“We’re super desperate to get to the playoffs, that desperation is what we’ve been playing with for the last couple of weeks,” Tucker said.

“Just that relentlessness and desperation to give ourselves the best opportunity to make that playoff berth because we do feel like we’re a championship calibre team.”

UNDERDOG ROTH DRIVING JACKJUMPERS CULTURE

As a self-confessed white kid from Cleveland, Ohio, Scott Roth knew the odds were against him to reach the NBA. He did it.

He now sees the odds against the Tasmania JackJumpers and that’s why he is so proud of the home he’s found and is driving the development of their culture.

Roth has felt like an underdog his whole life and is proud that he’s continued to defy the odds.

He grew up in the suburbs of Cleveland, went to the University of Wisconsin and then for the 1987/88 season, he found his way into the NBA to live out his dream.

He would end up playing 166 games in the NBA between the Utah Jazz, San Antonio Spurs and Minnesota Timberwolves, and will forever be proud of what he has accomplished.

However, Roth has continued to want to break new ground. That’s why has fully embraced being the inaugural head coach of the JackJumpers, and why at nearly 60 years of age, he has found home.

Jackjumpers take down 36ers in Hobart | 01:29

It might be on the other side of the world from where he started and in a place he’d never heard of when he was that NBA player. Or that didn’t even have an NBL team two years ago, but what Roth has found in Tasmania has been life-changing for him.

It hasn’t been all smooth sailing. Because of COVID, becoming an NBL head coach meant that Roth was isolated from his wife Lorie and daughter Dene, and the only way to survive was fully embracing life at the JackJumpers.

Having been an underdog his whole life, Roth loved being part of an organisation that was battling above their weight and that nobody had any expectations of.

That’s why reaching the Grand Final last season meant so much and that’s why the fact they are in the hunt again this season in fourth position at 13-10 after Thursday’s win against the Adelaide 36ers means so much to him.

Roth couldn’t be prouder to be part of the NBL’s underdogs because that’s what he has felt he’s been his whole life, which he does reflect on at times on his NBA journey.

“It brought back memories of the flowing mullet and really tight shorts that I had, but it lets you reflect,” Roth said.

“I was lucky to play in the NBA really at that time and play with some great players, and it’s a nice reflection to bring back really good memories.

“I worked my entire life to become an NBA player which was quite hard to do in my era with not as many teams, and it just wasn’t something that a white kid from the suburbs of Cleveland, Ohio would ever have the chance of doing. People would count you out and that’s why I’m so passionate about this stage.

“My underdog story is still being written in some fashion or form, but it started when everyone said I couldn’t do anything in basketball. It just progressed from there to the NBA and the few moments I had there. I’m proud of it and it’s a legacy for my family to see which is fantastic.”

When talking about why the JackJumpers mean so much to him and why he has embraced Tasmania so much, it’s simply because of how welcoming the whole state has been to him.

“It took me 58 years to find home and this is home. This state has been off the charts in welcoming me and my family with the passion they’ve shown us,” Roth said.

“This is a wonderful place to be living and then to represent the entire state as a foreigner coming in here to get this kind of love and friendship from everyone that’s been part of this organisation is quite unique, and quite special to me and my family. I found home.”

LITTLE USED TAIPANS STEP UP HUGE WITHOUT PINDER

When even a player who has barely hit the floor all season can come on and turn the tide of a game with second spot on the line like Lat Mayen did for the Cairns Taipans on Sunday you know you’ve got something special.

It’s impossible to not get caught up in what the Taipans are doing this NBL season. With three rounds to go, they are clear in second position with a 16-7 record having now won their past six matches, all in the absence of superstar Keanu Pinder.

When you consider where they came from after winning just nine games last season and it’s a hell of a story, and one in which they continue to do simply because of the vision coach Adam Forde had and the players fully buying in.

Taipans management listened to the vision Forde had of the team he wanted to build and how he wanted them to play in the off-season. He will forever be grateful that they entrusted him to go put that into place.

Taipans snatch victory from Hawks | 01:37

The end result is that Forde has built a team to play how he wants. He wanted them to play at the fastest pace in the league, to take more three-point shots than anyone else and to all start by them playing at a high intensity at the defensive end.

The key to that was having players who fit that style, but who were also willing to be unselfish enough to put the good of the team first and not let their egos get in the way.

It’s certainly worked and that’s why missing Pinder and his 17.9 points and 9.9 rebounds a game hasn’t stopped them winning in his absence winning all six matches since he’s been out with an ankle injury.

Forde knew he wanted Tahjere McCall to be his leader and that’s why he came back. He also trusted McCall to help build this team and new imports DJ Hogg and Shannon Scott have been outstanding in not only their production, but proving themselves unselfish team first players.

Adding Sam Waardenburg to provide that size up front has worked too, Bul Kuol might very well be their most important and consistent performer even if his numbers don’t stand out. Ben Ayre, Majok Deng, Mirko Djeric, Jonah Antonio and Josh Davey have had their moments.

Perhaps the best indication of just how strong the culture is with this Taipans team is looking at a player who has barely played at all.

Before Sunday’s game in New Zealand, Lat Mayen had only played 40 minutes the entire season. He had scored just four points and none of those since November 4 against Melbourne United.

However, Forde has taken note of the positive attitude Mayen has kept up in his first NBL season. He has seen the work he’s put in and wanted to give him a chance, and that happened in the third quarter on Sunday.

With the Breakers making a run, it was Mayen who proved the steadying influence to close the third quarter. He ended up with four points and three rebounds in his eight minutes of court time.

Mayen’s impact to stop New Zealand’s charge was crucial before his good mate Ben Ayre hit a three to put the Taipans back up by nine points before they went on to win by two.

For Forde, he was glad to give Mayen the chance and to see him deliver what he described as the most important eight minutes of the game from any player.

“Lat has had a string of DNP’s and I was sitting back in my hotel room thinking about when I’m going to give him a crack at this,” Forde said.

“I thought this was a game with a great match up for him because of his length and size. He was instrumental for us to retain that lead in the third quarter.

“I’ve given Lat nothing. There’s a lot of guys in the league, past and present, who would just quit and start showing up only when they need to and be the first guy to leave the gym.

“But Lat is still getting in there first to work out before everybody else and the same with Ben, and they’ve got a great synergy. The cool thing about it is that this a lot on Lat, and I’ve given him donuts but he’s stayed ready.

“He’s stayed hungry and this is the result you get and I felt like he played the most eight important minutes of the game. He nailed it, he killed it.”

KYRGIOS ON BOARD AS PHOENIX RETURN TO ACTION

Tennis superstar Nick Kyrgios is on board as a part owner of the South East Melbourne Phoenix as they play their first game in over a week on Monday night in a must-win affair against a Brisbane Bullets fresh off an improved performance.

Their focus won’t be aligned so much right now with Kyrgios preparing to being his Australian Open campaign while the Phoenix will be returning to the basketball court across town trying to secure their playoff spot.

However, Kyrgios is excited to now have joined the ownership group running the Phoenix and it’s a lifelong dream of the basketball fanatic to further dive into the spot.

Kyrgios has long talked about his love of basketball, he is always adorned by Jordan clothing and famously wears Jordan shoes onto the tennis court, and now is a part owner of an NBL club.

He will now no longer be seen in the purple and gold of the Sydney Kings instead in the black and green of the Phoenix, but for the world No. 21 tennis player, he is excited to be hands on with his role with the club.

Whether it’s taking the chance to come work out with the team when they’re in Melbourne, to help build the profile of the Phoenix through his social media and public profile, or whatever it is, Kyrgios expects to throw himself into his part in the team.

Kyrgios expects to be on hand in Melbourne a lot too noting the positives of not travelling year-round like the rest of his fellow players on the ATP Tour.

“Mitch Creek’s giving me the feels every time I’m watching him play and I feel like I’ve got some great relationships within that team already,” Kyrgios said.

“I was actually watching the Sydney Kings a bit because I’m living up there, but this is the team at heart now and I’ll be backing them until the hills come home.

“Obviously for me this is a big opportunity. My good friend Romi is a big part of it and everyone knows my basketball roots so I’m excited to be a part of the NBL.

“There’s been so much growth over the last two years and I’m pretty much tuning in all the time. It’s a massive move for me personally in my career and I’m super excited to jump on board and do anything I can to help the team and enjoy the success really.”

More immediately, the Phoenix play their first game in eight days on Monday night against the Brisbane Bullets at Melbourne’s State Basketball Centre.

The Phoenix had lost four straight following last Sunday’s loss in Cairns, but now welcome back import duo Trey Kell III and Gary Browne, and must beat the Bullets or find themselves outside of the top six at the expense of Melbourne United.


This report addresses: Tai Chi & Fall Prevention

The arrival of new cards can mark a change in the meta for the popularity factor and it is necessary to keep in mind that any deck that wants to use may need the addition of cards to combat this meta.

On reveal is an archetype accessible to players since pool one so Black Panther is a relatively easy addition for many players, but some combos and interactions can be especially surprising, especially when gaining access to pool three cards.

(Photo by Cyrille Choupas)

  • Guslagie Malanda stars as Laurence in director Alice Diop’s “Saint Omer.” (Photo courtesy of Super)

  • Kayije Kagame as Rama in director Alice Diop’s “Saint Omer.” (Photo courtesy of Super)

  • Kayije Kagame as Rama in director Alice Diop’s “Saint Omer.” (Photo courtesy of Super)

  • Kayije Kagame as Rama in director Alice Diop’s “Saint Omer.” (Photo courtesy of Super)

  • Kayije Kagame as Rama in director Alice Diop’s “Saint Omer.” (Photo courtesy of Super)

  • Guslagie Malanda stars as Laurence in director Alice Diop’s “Saint Omer.” (Photo courtesy of Super)

of

Expand

“Saint Omer” is the film that eventually developed from Diop’s obsession with the story.

Skip to content
PUBLISHED: | UPDATED:

French filmmaker Alice Diop at first didn’t understand why she felt so drawn to the true-life story of a French woman of Senegalese origin on trial for the drowning death of her daughter.

It started with a record thumping from the Sydney Kings of the Brisbane Bullets, and along the way both Sydney and Cairns moved further clear in the top two spots, the Tasmania JackJumpers, Perth Wildcats and Melbourne United kept winning, and the New Zealand Breakers and Adelaide 36ers didn’t.

The final month of the NBL23 regular season was always going to be chance to define the fortunes of the eight teams still in the playoff hunt, and it certainly did that in a lot of ways.

This report addresses: Tai Chi & Fall Prevention

Title:

Content: Black Panther deck guide | Best Black Panther decks in Marvel Snap

“Wakanda forever.”

Image via Nuverse

The new ranked season of Marvel Snap has arrived, bringing with it the Warriors of Wakanda update and more importantly Black Panther as a card purchasable through the Battle Pass.

That means there could be players in every card pool with decks utilizing Black Panther’s monstrous strength.

Black Panther’s ability activates on reveal, so he’s a natural addition to on-reveal decks that already existed prior to his arrival. With a power that can reach hundreds with the right cards, here are the best Black Panther decks to use in each pool.

Related: Marvel Snap destroy deck guide | Best destroy decks in Marvel Snap

Best Black Panther decks in Marvel Snap

Black Panther is a card designed to accumulate large amounts of power with its on-reveal effect. On reveal is an archetype accessible to players since pool one so Black Panther is a relatively easy addition for many players, but some combos and interactions can be especially surprising, especially when gaining access to pool three cards.

The decks listed here should be viewed as suggestions for players to adapt to their own unlocked collections and personal playstyles. The arrival of new cards can mark a change in the meta for the popularity factor and it is necessary to keep in mind that any deck that wants to use may need the addition of cards to combat this meta. In the case of Black Panther, cards like Cosmo and Shang-Chi are especially effective.

Best pool one Black Panther decks in Marvel Snap

Players have access to powerful cards with synergies on reveal from the start of the game. The most relevant card to use along with Black Panther is Odin, with its powerful effect of reactivating effects on reveal in the location.

The addition of other cards with on-reveal effects that can receive Odin’s effects should be considered as they can pose a challenge for opponents in cases where you cannot draw a Black Panther.

Black Panther pool one

Screengrab via Marvel Snap Zone

The central strategy is to have Black Panther and Odin together to use them in sequence in a location to secure it. Ideally, this is done after using Forge to further increase Black Panther’s power.

Meanwhile, the other cards will be used to accumulate power in another location, mainly Wolfsbane which has good synergy with Mister Sinister and Ironheart buffing low-cost cards.

The ideal time for a Snap is to have Black Panther and Odin in hand, along with Forge and another two-cost card on turn four. This way it is possible to play two cards on turn four, Forge last so that on turn five he strengthens Black Panther who will grow even more with Odin in his location during turn six.

Scarlet Witch works as a tech card that can fix problematic locations and America Chavez provides solid power during turn six while helping to draw the necessary cards throughout the game.

Some notable combos available are using Mister Sinister on turn two followed by Ironheart on turn three to get the most out of his buff effect by buffing three other units. As well as the simplicity of strengthening Mister Sinister with the Forge effect and getting a good amount of power in a location.

Best pool two Black Panther decks in Marvel Snap

Pool two brings some of the best counters to Black Panther through Shang-Chi, as well as cards like Scorpion and Iceman that can disrupt your opponent’s turns. Nakia can also be considered to be added to the deck since its effect could buff a Black Panther in the hand, but its attributes are not worth it in most cases, especially considering it is necessary for Black Panther to be in a specific position in the hand to receive the buff.

Black Panther pool two

Screengrab via Marvel Snap Zone

The additional pool two cards in this deck are Iceman, Scorpion, Okoye, Storm, and Shang-Chi.

The cards present in pool two open up some possibilities of interesting strategies to win a second location beside the one where Black Panther will be. The main strategy remains the same: buff Black Panther before he enters the board so he can be buffed again on turn six.

To guarantee a second location we have a very useful combo through Storm and Jessica Jones. They can be played on turns three and four and guarantee good results for a location that was previously empty. If the opponent doesn’t have a quick response and you have Black Panther and Odin in your hand it’s definitely a Snap opportunity. For this strategy, Okoye’s buff is extremely useful as it allows strengthening a Black Panther without using Forge first.

Iceman and Scorpion are cards to hinder your opponent and Scorpion is even more useful if you are facing a Black Panther deck. As well as Shang-chi is present to counter Black Panther and Devil Dinosaur.

Best pool three Black Panther decks in Marvel Snap

Pool three is where accounts get really exciting with cards capable of doubling effects and increasing Black Panther’s power exponentially.

There is a version of the deck that uses Armin Zola to create two Black Panthers in other locations, activating their power in a similar way to what Odin does, but its effect depends on a little luck of the card choosing a Black Panther for its effect so we chose for a more solid deck.

Black Panther pool three

Screengrab via Marvel Snap Zone

The additional pool three cards in this deck are Psylocke, Electro, Wong, and Taskmaster.

The strategy in this pool three deck takes on a new form. The main idea is still to strengthen Black Panther, but guarantee a second location with the Taskmaster effect of copying the power of your played card. The ideal way to achieve this result is to use one of your cards that grant bonus energy so you can play Wang before Black Panther and then use Taskmaster in a different location to secure it.

Armor is present to prevent Black Panther from being destroyed by cards like Shang-Chi. Psylocke and Elektro are two powerful cards to allow you to trigger the effects of the more expensive cards a turn early.

The use of the other cards continues in the same way. A notable new combo, however, is to play Scorpion in a location with Wong so that the cards in your opponent’s hand receive two less power.

Title:

Content: Skip to content
PUBLISHED: | UPDATED:

French filmmaker Alice Diop at first didn’t understand why she felt so drawn to the true-life story of a French woman of Senegalese origin on trial for the drowning death of her daughter.

“I was obsessed by this case for a very long time without knowing exactly,” Diop says through a translator on a recent video call. “In fact, it was a sentence that I read in a newspaper that caught my attention.

“I read that when she was asked why she did this terrible gesture she said that she did not understand why she did it,” Diop says. “But that she lay her daughter, her young daughter on the sand because she wanted the ocean, the sea, to take her away with the rising tide.

“This image absolutely haunted me and intrigued me,” she says.

  • French filmmaker Alice Diop’s new film “Saint Omer” is shortlisted for Academy Award consideration in the best international feature category. (Photo by Cyrille Choupas)

  • Guslagie Malanda stars as Laurence in director Alice Diop’s “Saint Omer.” (Photo courtesy of Super)

  • Kayije Kagame as Rama in director Alice Diop’s “Saint Omer.” (Photo courtesy of Super)

  • Kayije Kagame as Rama in director Alice Diop’s “Saint Omer.” (Photo courtesy of Super)

  • Kayije Kagame as Rama in director Alice Diop’s “Saint Omer.” (Photo courtesy of Super)

  • Kayije Kagame as Rama in director Alice Diop’s “Saint Omer.” (Photo courtesy of Super)

  • Guslagie Malanda stars as Laurence in director Alice Diop’s “Saint Omer.” (Photo courtesy of Super)

of

Expand

“Saint Omer” is the film that eventually developed from Diop’s obsession with the story. Her first fictional feature film after a career making documentaries, “Saint Omer” sticks closely to the facts of the trial of Fabienne Kabou, who in 2013 left her 15-month-old child on the shore near the northern French city that gives the film its name.

While the film mostly takes place on a courtroom set recreated inside the actual courthouse where the trial took place, “Saint Omer” is nothing like a typical trial movie.

The French media had focused on the sensational aspects of the case – Kabou, a brilliant doctoral student, said she’d been compelled to kill her daughter by “witchcraft.” Diop, who attended the trial, wanted to dig deeper into what made her able to commit such a terrible act.

“When I went to watch the trial, I had no idea to what extent it would overwhelm me emotionally,” Diop says. “How it would open some very intimate doors within that I didn’t know where there.

“Also, I noticed how much many women were touched in the same way that I was, and I realized that this affair brought about a very deep and universal concern for women,” she says.

In September, “Saint Omer” won the Grand Jury Prize at the Venice Film Festival, and Diop the award for best directing debut. In December, the film was one of 15 short-listed for consideration for the 2023 Academy Award for best international feature, making Diop the first Black woman ever to represent that country in the Oscars competition.

Guslagie Malanda, who joined Diop on the video call, plays Laurence Coly, the mother on trial on “Saint Omer.” Kayije Kagame plays Rama, a teacher and novelist drawn to the courtroom to watch the trial every day, much like Diop herself had done.

Here, in an interview edited for length and clarity, are Diop’s and Guslagie’s memories of making the film and their thoughts on a range of topics including motherhood, isolation and the representation of Black women in French film.

Q: How did you come to see the story of Fabienne Kabou as a potential film?

Diop: When I went there, I didn’t really know I was going to make a film out of it, but towards the end the overwhelming emotion that I felt and the way it opened extremely intimate questions to me really stirred something.

And also, beyond the story being a magnet for me, I have to say that when I watched the trial I realized that it was an opportunity to talk about Black women in a way that had rarely been talked about. And to bring out the complexity, the humanity of such a character in a way that was never talked about with the story of Kabou.

Q: Guslagie, did you follow this story in the media at the time?

Malanda: So my parents, they remember that story, and a lot of people in France do. But I was too young. I remember something like a noise, but no, I didn’t follow the case.

Q: What made you decide that the role of Laurence was one you wanted to take on, and how did you find your way into the character?

Malanda: Something happened during the casting when Alice told me to be a woman called Mary Lou in Jean Rouch’s movie ‘Chronique d’un été’ (‘Chronicle of a Summer’). It’s a young woman, and she talked about the beginning of a kind of depression, a delusion.

Something happened with this text and the interpretation of Mary Lou because I understand maybe something regarding that loneliness of Laurence Coly. It was the first door to work on the film.

Q: Alice, this is your first feature film – what was it like to shift from documentaries to a fictional way of storytelling?

Diop: I really do not make a clear distinction between my work of directing fiction or a documentary. For me, I am the same person. I am the same director. Besides, this film has a lot of elements that are of documentary quality. For example, we used dialogue, particularly in the courtroom, very closely based on the court transcript.

What is important, the most important for me, is my approach to the direction. And that doesn’t change for me very much between a documentary or a fiction film.

Q: Guslagie, your role requires you stand in front of the camera for long takes as you testify. How did you prepare for this kind of subtle yet demanding kind of acting?

Malanda: So, one, two months before shooting I was training with a tai chi master regarding the breath, breathing. What it is to speak and have a very clear manner to an audience. Because the set was in the real courtroom, and everybody was there, all along the shooting, so it was important for me to work on my breath.

Also, one of the main rules Alice gave me, it’s you have to be straight in your body and to speak really clearly, but without anything that we can call a performance – not to perform, not to act. So yeah, it was intense, and during the shooting, because of that work with Alice, we found the attitude of the character.

Q: I want to ask you, Alice, about portraying the complexity or universality of Black women in this film, and what Laurence and Rama might provide that people have not seen in other films.

Diop: I really suffered in France to see how limited the portraits of Black women were, and how enclosed in a very clichéd manner it was. So this is very important to me to express a much wider dimension of Black women.

Q: The film feels like anyone could relate to the story – you could be a woman or man anywhere.

Diop: I completely agree. For me, the Black body is a universal archetype. And I think that everyone can connect – that’s one of the main subjects I wanted to present. I think all over the world, white women or otherwise, can recognize themselves in this character.

This film was shown all over the world, even in China where there are no Black women. And they could relate to it also in that universal dimension. Men also.

Q: You end the film before the jury delivers a verdict. Tell me about that choice.

Diop: For me, ‘Saint Omer’ is not principally a story of a trial. It’s a story of listening. Of listening to a woman and the complexity of what is taking place in her. And I felt that when I was in the trial, listening to these women, it was the opening of the door towards the most hidden, the most terrifying thing relative to the deepest fear inside us, that she brought the reflection to.

My goal in this was not really to decide how we judge this woman but more for the audience, for each spectator, to go within and listen to her and bring up the question that it opened within each of us.

Obviously, there is a miraculous thing that takes place in the movie. You have the occasion to scrutinize a human being the way you look at it, the way you frame it, that of course doesn’t exist in real life. That gives the audience the occasion to interrogate themselves.

Yes, at the end she was condemned; she received 20 years. But I’m nearly certain that if we had interviewed the people that followed the trial – that were in the audience (for the film) – they would find her not guilty or excused her at about 90 percent.

Title:

Content: Tough reality for contending United; ultimate underdog defying the odds: NBL Talking Points

Taipans make it SIX in a row! | 00:57
Chris Pike from Fox Sports

Melbourne United and the Perth Wildcats are rolling in the NBL right now but still not guaranteed of playoff action while the Sydney Kings and Cairns Taipans further consolidated their top two positions, and the Adelaide 36ers just about fell right off a cliff.

The final month of the NBL23 regular season was always going to be chance to define the fortunes of the eight teams still in the playoff hunt, and it certainly did that in a lot of ways.

It started with a record thumping from the Sydney Kings of the Brisbane Bullets, and along the way both Sydney and Cairns moved further clear in the top two spots, the Tasmania JackJumpers, Perth Wildcats and Melbourne United kept winning, and the New Zealand Breakers and Adelaide 36ers didn’t.

Watch every game live of the 2022/23 NBL Season on ESPN on Kayo Sports. New to Kayo? Start your free trial now >

Cellar dwellers scare mighty Kings! | 00:54

It was another fascinating round of NBL action that started way back on Tuesday night with the Tasmania JackJumpers beating the Illawarra Hawks 92-89, and the Perth Wildcats defeating the New Zealand Breakers 93-90.

Then on Wednesday night, the Sydney Kings recorded their biggest win of the 40-minute era thrashing the Brisbane Bullets 116-67.

There were two more games on Thursday night with Melbourne United downing the New Zealand Breakers 77-65 and then the Tasmania JackJumpers beating the Adelaide 36ers 98-82.

Friday night saw the Cairns Taipans hold out the brave Illawarra Hawks 89-84 before on Saturday, Melbourne United beat the Brisbane Bullets 101-91, and the Perth Wildcats defeated the Adelaide 36ers 112-97 with the roof open at RAC Arena.

There was another two matches on Sunday beginning with the Cairns Taipans moving clear in second spot defeating the New Zealand Breakers 85-83, and then the Sydney Kings staying top beating the Illawarra Hawks 84-79.

It’s not quite done yet either with the South East Melbourne Phoenix returning to action to take on the Brisbane Bullets at Melbourne’s State Basketball Centre on Monday night.

NON-AUSTRALIANS DRIVING WILDCATS’ SWAGGER RETURNING

The Perth Wildcats put up 67 points under the open roof at RAC Arena in the first half on Saturday as their full starting five made up of non-Australians showed that they could still take this team a long way in NBL23.

When you are a franchise with a history as rich as what the Wildcats’ is, it’s not easy to set new landmarks but on Saturday night they opened the roof to The Jungle for the first time, and it’s a non-Australian starting five that is lighting things up.

The addition of Tai Webster to the Wildcats late in the season had the potential to make them the most lethal offensive team in the league when you put him alongside prolific scorers Corey Webster and Bryce Cotton, the dangerous Brady Manek and strong inside presence of TaShawn Thomas.

It hasn’t taken long to click. In just Tai’s third game of the season, the starting group of the Webster brothers, Cotton, Manek and Thomas were just on fire on Saturday night in front of a sold out crowd at RAC Arena with the roof open.

Wildcats shine at home in push for top 4 | 01:01

The ‘Cats piled on a season-best 67 points in the first half shooting a phenomenal 63 per cent from the field while connecting on 9/13 three-point attempts with Manek putting up 18 points, Cotton 16, Thomas 11 and the Webster brothers combining for 17.

By the end of the night, Perth beat the Adelaide 36ers 112-97 to improve to a 12-10 record to stabilise themselves in the top six with an offensive arsenal that could still take them a long way.

It’s the first time in the rich history of the Wildcats that they have not had an Australian in the starting line-up. There’s still a chance for Luke Travers to replace Tai Webster in that group moving forward, but it’s making them dangerous.

For coach John Rillie, it’s all about having quality players out on the floor and trusting them to be good enough to make the offence flow. He knows it has to start at the defensive end for it to work though.

“When you put good basketball players out on the floor and they enjoy playing with each other, and sharing the ball, I don’t need to draw up tricky plays,” Rillie said.

“They share the ball and play to each other’s strengths. I think when I have to try to manipulate the game too much, that takes away from their instincts and in this game you saw them playing purely on instinct.

“You look ahead and we’ve got the Sydney Kings next who are the barometer. I want our team to enjoy this win because that was a great performance, but the barometer is the Sydney Kings so let’s re-evaluate and this week we’ll spend preparing for them.

“Obviously we want to keep building momentum because we’re in the thick of it so we have to keep trending forward. But I would say is that when our defence is locked in at a good level, that allows us to play great offence.”

UNITED’S CHAMPIONSHIP CALIBRE TEAM THAT COULD STILL MISS PLAYOFFS

If you look at the way Melbourne United is playing right now with their stars delivering and still dealing with some injuries, you can make a strong case that they are a good enough to team to win the championship.

The only problem is United left themselves such a hole to climb out of with a slow start to the season. With three games remaining over the final three rounds, even if they keep winning their destiny isn’t in their own hands in terms of sneaking into the top six.

You can argue Melbourne’s basketball is on the level of top two teams Sydney and Cairns, and you wouldn’t rule out United being able to make a real run for the championship.

However, it’s still going to take some luck for Melbourne to be part of the post-season action after starting the season losing 10 of the opening 15 matches.

Coming back from being 5-10 was always going to take something special, but right now Melbourne has won eight of the last 10 games to be knocking on the door of the top six. In fact, if Brisbane beats South East Melbourne on Monday night, United will close Round 15 in sixth position.

Melbourne Utd take down Bullets | 01:03

The reality, though, is that Melbourne will need some luck to make it and to win its last three matches, starting in Adelaide against an equally desperate 36ers on Saturday.

United then finish off back in Auckland against New Zealand Breakers and then in the last game of the season at home to the Sixers once more – which could still decide which of the two teams makes the playoffs.

All United can do is win those last three games and hope things fall their way, but there’s no question should they make it, they would be every chance to win their way into a semi-final clash. From there, anything would be possible.

On Saturday night alone in Brisbane, every time Melbourne was challenged their stars stepped up with Rayjon Tucker finishing with 30 points, Chris Goulding 21 on five three-pointers, Xavier Rathan-Mayes 20 points, five rebounds and five assists, and Shea Ili 11 points and seven assists.

They did it without Isaac Humphries and David Barlow as well but now that this Melbourne team is clicking and found some chemistry, they have a lot of weapons and are mighty impressive.

With Ili and Rathan-Mayes finding their groove as the playmakers, Tucker’s improved shooting and working out how he can be effective in the NBL, and the shooting prowess of Goulding, that United backcourt is terrific.

Marcus Lee was in foul trouble in both games this weekend, but both against New Zealand and Brisbane he was important despite his numbers not standing out. Then Brad Newley, Mason Peatling and David Okwera are playing important roles.

There’s two things now with this team. Tucker announced himself this season as feeling he was the best new import coming into the league. That became a bit of a running joke early on, but now he might well be right.

Tucker has proven himself a match-winner for United with him improving his outside shot and being unstoppable in the open floor and when aggressive going to the rack.

He is fresh off a 30-point performance against Brisbane on Saturday and he credits the Melbourne coaching staff for helping him find the form he is in.

“I’ve been settling in better but it’s just the confidence that my teammates and Deano have given me,” Tucker said.

“The extra work that I’ve been putting in with Rhys Carter and D-Mac too just working on my shot to expand my game, and different aspects to have the scouting report on me kinda change to open up things for other guys on our team. To do what I do at a high frequency level has been good.”

In the bigger picture, Tucker has no doubt this Melbourne team can go all the way if they reach the top six.

“We’re super desperate to get to the playoffs, that desperation is what we’ve been playing with for the last couple of weeks,” Tucker said.

“Just that relentlessness and desperation to give ourselves the best opportunity to make that playoff berth because we do feel like we’re a championship calibre team.”

UNDERDOG ROTH DRIVING JACKJUMPERS CULTURE

As a self-confessed white kid from Cleveland, Ohio, Scott Roth knew the odds were against him to reach the NBA. He did it.

He now sees the odds against the Tasmania JackJumpers and that’s why he is so proud of the home he’s found and is driving the development of their culture.

Roth has felt like an underdog his whole life and is proud that he’s continued to defy the odds.

He grew up in the suburbs of Cleveland, went to the University of Wisconsin and then for the 1987/88 season, he found his way into the NBA to live out his dream.

He would end up playing 166 games in the NBA between the Utah Jazz, San Antonio Spurs and Minnesota Timberwolves, and will forever be proud of what he has accomplished.

However, Roth has continued to want to break new ground. That’s why has fully embraced being the inaugural head coach of the JackJumpers, and why at nearly 60 years of age, he has found home.

Jackjumpers take down 36ers in Hobart | 01:29

It might be on the other side of the world from where he started and in a place he’d never heard of when he was that NBA player. Or that didn’t even have an NBL team two years ago, but what Roth has found in Tasmania has been life-changing for him.

It hasn’t been all smooth sailing. Because of COVID, becoming an NBL head coach meant that Roth was isolated from his wife Lorie and daughter Dene, and the only way to survive was fully embracing life at the JackJumpers.

Having been an underdog his whole life, Roth loved being part of an organisation that was battling above their weight and that nobody had any expectations of.

That’s why reaching the Grand Final last season meant so much and that’s why the fact they are in the hunt again this season in fourth position at 13-10 after Thursday’s win against the Adelaide 36ers means so much to him.

Roth couldn’t be prouder to be part of the NBL’s underdogs because that’s what he has felt he’s been his whole life, which he does reflect on at times on his NBA journey.

“It brought back memories of the flowing mullet and really tight shorts that I had, but it lets you reflect,” Roth said.

“I was lucky to play in the NBA really at that time and play with some great players, and it’s a nice reflection to bring back really good memories.

“I worked my entire life to become an NBA player which was quite hard to do in my era with not as many teams, and it just wasn’t something that a white kid from the suburbs of Cleveland, Ohio would ever have the chance of doing. People would count you out and that’s why I’m so passionate about this stage.

“My underdog story is still being written in some fashion or form, but it started when everyone said I couldn’t do anything in basketball. It just progressed from there to the NBA and the few moments I had there. I’m proud of it and it’s a legacy for my family to see which is fantastic.”

When talking about why the JackJumpers mean so much to him and why he has embraced Tasmania so much, it’s simply because of how welcoming the whole state has been to him.

“It took me 58 years to find home and this is home. This state has been off the charts in welcoming me and my family with the passion they’ve shown us,” Roth said.

“This is a wonderful place to be living and then to represent the entire state as a foreigner coming in here to get this kind of love and friendship from everyone that’s been part of this organisation is quite unique, and quite special to me and my family. I found home.”

LITTLE USED TAIPANS STEP UP HUGE WITHOUT PINDER

When even a player who has barely hit the floor all season can come on and turn the tide of a game with second spot on the line like Lat Mayen did for the Cairns Taipans on Sunday you know you’ve got something special.

It’s impossible to not get caught up in what the Taipans are doing this NBL season. With three rounds to go, they are clear in second position with a 16-7 record having now won their past six matches, all in the absence of superstar Keanu Pinder.

When you consider where they came from after winning just nine games last season and it’s a hell of a story, and one in which they continue to do simply because of the vision coach Adam Forde had and the players fully buying in.

Taipans management listened to the vision Forde had of the team he wanted to build and how he wanted them to play in the off-season. He will forever be grateful that they entrusted him to go put that into place.

Taipans snatch victory from Hawks | 01:37

The end result is that Forde has built a team to play how he wants. He wanted them to play at the fastest pace in the league, to take more three-point shots than anyone else and to all start by them playing at a high intensity at the defensive end.

The key to that was having players who fit that style, but who were also willing to be unselfish enough to put the good of the team first and not let their egos get in the way.

It’s certainly worked and that’s why missing Pinder and his 17.9 points and 9.9 rebounds a game hasn’t stopped them winning in his absence winning all six matches since he’s been out with an ankle injury.

Forde knew he wanted Tahjere McCall to be his leader and that’s why he came back. He also trusted McCall to help build this team and new imports DJ Hogg and Shannon Scott have been outstanding in not only their production, but proving themselves unselfish team first players.

Adding Sam Waardenburg to provide that size up front has worked too, Bul Kuol might very well be their most important and consistent performer even if his numbers don’t stand out. Ben Ayre, Majok Deng, Mirko Djeric, Jonah Antonio and Josh Davey have had their moments.

Perhaps the best indication of just how strong the culture is with this Taipans team is looking at a player who has barely played at all.

Before Sunday’s game in New Zealand, Lat Mayen had only played 40 minutes the entire season. He had scored just four points and none of those since November 4 against Melbourne United.

However, Forde has taken note of the positive attitude Mayen has kept up in his first NBL season. He has seen the work he’s put in and wanted to give him a chance, and that happened in the third quarter on Sunday.

With the Breakers making a run, it was Mayen who proved the steadying influence to close the third quarter. He ended up with four points and three rebounds in his eight minutes of court time.

Mayen’s impact to stop New Zealand’s charge was crucial before his good mate Ben Ayre hit a three to put the Taipans back up by nine points before they went on to win by two.

For Forde, he was glad to give Mayen the chance and to see him deliver what he described as the most important eight minutes of the game from any player.

“Lat has had a string of DNP’s and I was sitting back in my hotel room thinking about when I’m going to give him a crack at this,” Forde said.

“I thought this was a game with a great match up for him because of his length and size. He was instrumental for us to retain that lead in the third quarter.

“I’ve given Lat nothing. There’s a lot of guys in the league, past and present, who would just quit and start showing up only when they need to and be the first guy to leave the gym.

“But Lat is still getting in there first to work out before everybody else and the same with Ben, and they’ve got a great synergy. The cool thing about it is that this a lot on Lat, and I’ve given him donuts but he’s stayed ready.

“He’s stayed hungry and this is the result you get and I felt like he played the most eight important minutes of the game. He nailed it, he killed it.”

KYRGIOS ON BOARD AS PHOENIX RETURN TO ACTION

Tennis superstar Nick Kyrgios is on board as a part owner of the South East Melbourne Phoenix as they play their first game in over a week on Monday night in a must-win affair against a Brisbane Bullets fresh off an improved performance.

Their focus won’t be aligned so much right now with Kyrgios preparing to being his Australian Open campaign while the Phoenix will be returning to the basketball court across town trying to secure their playoff spot.

However, Kyrgios is excited to now have joined the ownership group running the Phoenix and it’s a lifelong dream of the basketball fanatic to further dive into the spot.

Kyrgios has long talked about his love of basketball, he is always adorned by Jordan clothing and famously wears Jordan shoes onto the tennis court, and now is a part owner of an NBL club.

He will now no longer be seen in the purple and gold of the Sydney Kings instead in the black and green of the Phoenix, but for the world No. 21 tennis player, he is excited to be hands on with his role with the club.

Whether it’s taking the chance to come work out with the team when they’re in Melbourne, to help build the profile of the Phoenix through his social media and public profile, or whatever it is, Kyrgios expects to throw himself into his part in the team.

Kyrgios expects to be on hand in Melbourne a lot too noting the positives of not travelling year-round like the rest of his fellow players on the ATP Tour.

“Mitch Creek’s giving me the feels every time I’m watching him play and I feel like I’ve got some great relationships within that team already,” Kyrgios said.

“I was actually watching the Sydney Kings a bit because I’m living up there, but this is the team at heart now and I’ll be backing them until the hills come home.

“Obviously for me this is a big opportunity. My good friend Romi is a big part of it and everyone knows my basketball roots so I’m excited to be a part of the NBL.

“There’s been so much growth over the last two years and I’m pretty much tuning in all the time. It’s a massive move for me personally in my career and I’m super excited to jump on board and do anything I can to help the team and enjoy the success really.”

More immediately, the Phoenix play their first game in eight days on Monday night against the Brisbane Bullets at Melbourne’s State Basketball Centre.

The Phoenix had lost four straight following last Sunday’s loss in Cairns, but now welcome back import duo Trey Kell III and Gary Browne, and must beat the Bullets or find themselves outside of the top six at the expense of Melbourne United.