Nothing But Royal Treatment For The Slick Kings
Sydney Morning Herald
Thursday July 6, 1989
Mark Dalton recalls with a smile the time his team arrived in Devonport to find the stadium in which they were due to play had been double-booked and they had been shunted to a ramshackle gym down the road.
It may not have amused the Canberra Cannons five years ago, but the 24-year-old forward, now with the Sydney Kings, can afford to grin today. Like everything else in the National Basketball League - the crowds, facilities and sponsorship - road trips have improved immeasurably.
Nowadays, Dalton can anticipate a trouble-free run with nothing to distract him from the job at hand - winning basketball games.
No more double bookings. In Melbourne and Hobart last weekend the Kings'games at the 6,500-seat Melbourne Entertainment Centre and the 5,000-seat Derwent Entertainment Centre were almost sold out. A last-minute change of venue would have caused a riot.
No more budget accommodation. The Kings stay at Travelodge hotels and similar lodgings when away from home.
No more slap-dash meals and occasional drinking binges between games. The Kings had the regulation carbohydrate-rich mid-afternoon meals and were constantly reminded to imbibe sensibly between engagements.
The two assistant coaches, the team doctor, the assortment of club leisure wear and the brief acclimatisation visit to the home court on arrival offer further reminders of the game's progress. As befitting an American product, it is a very slick operation.
The Kings' most recent road trip was no exception. From start to finish it was rigidly held to a carefully considered itinerary.
If you ever thought a weekend away for a sporting team was an excuse for a knees-up, think again. This is the Kings' weekend that was:
FRIDAY, 9.30am - Breakfast at the airport.
10am - On the flight to Melbourne the players are handed statistics sheets of their last game against that night's opponents, North Melbourne.
11.15am - On arrival in Melbourne two of the players find themselves signing a teenage boy's basketball shoes as the luggage is loaded on to a mini-bus. Coach Bob Turner takes the wheel while the players peruse the Melbourne and Hobart newspapers for mention of their game. They ask Carfino, "are we in the (Hobart) paper", to which he replies: "Not we, I am." The former Devils favourite is definitely the dry wit of the team.
Turner drives directly to the night's venue, the Melbourne Entertainment Centre (or The Glasshouse) only to find that a few of the Giants players are on court. In the only disruption to the schedule, the Kings are forced to drive to their hotel, where they book in and are greeted on the 11th floor by some of the 20-strong supporter squad who have followed them out of town for the first time.
1pm - Return to The Glasshouse for 45 minutes to "put their minds on basketball" says Turner. Players have a lighthearted shooting competition before Turner calls them in for a talk about the game and the need to win. He ends with: "Other than that, go out and have fun".
1.45pm - Back at the hotel the players retire to their rooms to nap and watch television.
4pm - The squad gathers for a specially prepared meal of lasagne, salad and fruit salad, arranged by the team doctor, Dr Bill Webb. Webb has been with the Kings since last year, although it was only this season that he started to travel with them. Before 1988 he was with the West Sydney Westars for two years, with Parramatta Rugby League Club during the Jack Gibson years and he has been doctor for the Australian rowing teams for the past 10 years.
The fruit salad, with generous dobs of cream, is lauded as their "winning dessert" after three wins out of three in Melbourne this year. The menu may be different for the next visit.
5pm-6pm - Players group in Turner's room, where he guides them through a video of their overtime win against North Melbourne at the beginning of the month. While pointing out some failings of his own players he is predominantly non-critical and the atmosphere is jokey.
7pm - Arrive at The Glasshouse, change and listen to pep talk from Turner before taking the court for a 20-minute warm-up.
8pm-10pm - Play and lose an often bad-tempered game before a large, vocal crowd after leading for three quarters.
10pm-11.30pm - Shower and gather with supporters and Giants players for post-match drinks at the stadium's bar.
11.30pm - Crowd into team bus for trip back to hotel. The players are not too disconsolate, although one is moved to say "we're going to get Hobart" as they analyse the loss.
SATURDAY, 9.15am - The players gather in the foyer before taking a 15-minute stroll to loosen up.
11.55am - The plane lifts off, bound for Hobart. Turner hands players sheets detailing the way he wants them to play their opponents that night, the strengths of the Devils' players and a reminder to "keep pressure on Hobart for 48 minutes" and "be a team on the road".
1pm - The team is driven straight to the new Derwent Entertainment Centre to get a feel for the court surface and let off a few shots. Turner pulls them together at the end of the half-hour session to emphasise the importance of a win that night.
1pm-4pm - The players rest before sitting down to a spaghetti meal.
5pm-6.45pm - More R&R as Turner dispenses with the video, reasoning that the addition of Paul Stanley has made Hobart a completely different side to the one the Kings beat in mid-May.
6.45pm - Drive to the stadium. Change as Turner once more, with the help of a blackboard, hammers home the need to win.
8pm-10pm - The Kings are rarely headed in a spiteful game after which both coaches appear displeased with the refereeing performances. The 98-95 win, built on a 46-point game by Carfino, keeps the Kings on top of the ladder.
10.45pm - Showered and spruced up, one group of players heads to the hotel with its adjacent bar while the balance head to a supper nightclub. Later that night they meet at the Wrest Point Casino, where Mark Dalton proves to be the canniest gambler by sticking to the unfashionable "Chocolate Wheel", as he calls it, and walking away with almost $200.
SUNDAY - Turner catches an early flight to Melbourne to watch the Melbourne v Canberra game. Most of the team catch an afternoon flight to Melbourne, then on to Sydney, arriving at 5.30pm. Damian Keogh, Brad Dalton and Tim Morrissey join other Australian team members for the flight to Canberra, where they are due to train for a week.
© 1989 Sydney Morning Herald
