In this modern day world of technology, gadgets and advanced weather warning systems man is still unable the stop the natural force of lightning. The path that a lightning bolt chooses to take can have devastating long lasting affects. Perhaps Andy Stewart and his staff have modelled the Lakeside basketball programme more closely on the natural wonder than many first thought. This week in the Scoop we take a look a closer look at the man made unstoppable force of the SBL, the Lakeside Lightning.

The Dynasty

A dynasty is defined as ‘a succession of rulers from the same family or line or a family/group that maintains power for several generations’. However, over the years in the world of sports the definition of a dynasty has morphed into meaning ‘a period of domination or successive championships’. The definition is open for interpretation which makes it a great topic to debate, and fun to discuss whether your favourite team has achieved a dynasty. Some examples include the Boston Celtics of the 60’s (10 rings in 12 years is not bad), the Chicago Bulls of the 90’s (with that guy Michael someone?), the show time Lakers of the 80’s and of course the Kobe Bryant era with the Los Angeles Lakers.

No matter what your personal interpretation of a dynasty is, if we take a closer look at the last six and a half years for the Lakeside Lightning there is simply no disputing the facts – they are a dynasty.

2011 – Currently 1st on ladder (18 wins and 2 losses)
2010 – Runners Up (1st on ladder after regular season)
2009 – Champions (1st on ladder after regular season)
2008 – Semi Finals (7th on ladder after regular season)
2007 – Runners Up (1st on ladder after regular season)
2006 – Champions (5th on ladder after regular season)
2005 – Champions (2nd on ladder after regular season)

Five grand finals appearances, three championship medallions and making the semi finals are statistics you can’t dispute and clearly demonstrate the Lightning’s period of utter domination since 2005.

Let’s now break down the path this team took to achieve so much, and endeavour to identify their formula for success.

Building the Foundation

Entering the competition back in 2000, the Lightning experienced growing pains and suffered many heavy defeats; however, there was always one eye on the future. With Andy and his coaching staff secure in the knowledge that a flippant, inexperienced and ill-informed board would not break the terms and conditions of a binding contract they could be patient and lay deep solid foundations for the future.

Mastermind Andy Stewart set about building this foundation with purpose and patience. The coaching staff recruited quality characters, players willing to play a certain role and buy into the system, those that exhibited a strong work ethic and most importantly people willing to play sustained, relentless pressure defence and rebound the basketball.

Playing Squad

Role Clarity

An important part of any team, whether you work for a large organisation or play basketball in the SBL is to have role clarity. There is no better example in the league than the individuals on the Lightning squad being very clear on their specific role; from train on squad members hustling hard at practice and wiping Ben Beran’s sweat off their shoulders through to Jarrad Prue collecting every single rebound.

Quality of Character

Jarrad Prue or Kenny ‘Really Bad Santa’ Brunner? Ron ‘World Peace’ Artest or Dirk Nowitzki? Damien Martin or Rashad Tucker? I think we all know the type of character we would choose to have along side of us when we go into battle. In team sport surrounding yourself with players you can trust and who are quality characters is vitally important to success on and off the court.

There is an old saying that you find a person willing to work hard, fit into the team and make sacrifices then you can teach him to play basketball. I think following this adage can assist in achieving your team goals and the recruiting scouts at the Lightning have had this at the top of their list since the beginning.

Style of Play

• Defence – the Lightning is synonymous with relentless pressure defence. They play full court denial defence, pressuring the ball and fronting the post. Importantly they do this for 48 minutes wearing the opposition down over the course of the game.
• Rebounding – with the greatest rebounder on the planet they are guaranteed to win the rebound count and have endless second chance attempts. As discussed in an earlier Scoop if you win the rebound count you put yourself in a very good position to win the game. Rebounds are a by-product of great defence, and the Lightning has mastered both of these skill sets.
• Possessions – forcing turnovers and owning the offensive glass results in 20-30 more shot attempts each game. This shear weight of numbers in possessions and shot attempts normally results in one thing for the Lightning – a win.
• 3PFG Shot Attempts – as you would have read in last week’s Scoop, the Lightning attempt an incredible amount of 3PFGs. They have great shooters, supreme confidence and the ultimate green light. Plus with the chairman of the boards swooping on any miss, they know there is a fair chance it will be getting shipped straight back out for another open look.
• Discipline – the coaching staff has instilled discipline across the board with the whole squad and this leads everyone walking on the same path, in the same direction – to the championship.
• Aura – aura is one of those intangibles that you can’t clearly explain or define but the Lightning certainly has it. It is a swagger, a feeling of invincibility and certainty that a team will win. If you are a looking for this in an individual check out the Black Mamba next time he pulls on the #24 jersey for the Lakers. Many teams facing the Lightning are defeated the week before the game. Just the thought of facing the full court pressure, a barrage of 3 balls, two of the best imports in the league and never being able to get a body on Prue is enough to concede for many lowly ranked teams.

Key Players in 2011

The core of the current squad has been together for a number of years now which has tremendous benefits – knowledge of each others roles, individual strengths, weaknesses and intricacies ensure they are on the same page and play great team basketball.

PG – Steve ‘Nash’ Butler A senior player, leader and the floor general for the team. Butler does the simple things well; playing solid defence, pushing the ball on the break, finding open shooters and getting the team into the offence. With the ability to hit the open three he commands respect from the opposition.

SG – Ryan ‘Skinny’ Sofoulis The quickest lateral mover in the SBL, Sofoulis can lock down the best guards in the league. Regularly posting big numbers in steals and assists he is a valuable contributor to the starting line up. The most awkward shot in the SBL has been off target in 2011 but the ‘Lurch’ has been a dagger for many teams over the years.

SF – Luke ‘Cash Money’ Payne One of the best restricted players the league has seen in recent years. Pain is what opposition teams feel when this guy is fit and healthy. Often flying under the radar compared to other high flying imports he has posted exceptional numbers in his time down under. Posting career high numbers in recent weeks, Payne has one of the quickest and sweetest pull up jump shots you will see. He is positioning himself for Tim Duncan’s nickname when he retires as the next ‘Mr Fundamental’.

PF – Ben ‘Dirk’ Beran Super fit, athletic, strong, can shoot the three, has a beautiful pull up jump shot and an array of post moves. Beran is a nightmare match up and can drop 50 on any given Sunday. Paired up with Payne it makes for a better one two punch than Danny Green could ever land.

C – Jarrad ‘Chairman’ Prue Now that Denis Rodman has retired, Prue is the best rebounder on the planet (Kevin Love a close second). When asked to explain Prue’s ability and feats, Andy Stewart sums it up simply saying – ‘The guy is a freak’. With a career average close to 20 rebounds a game it is an important part of the game taken care of and with his uncanny ability to sweep the ‘O’ glass the shooters just get there feet set and hands ready to release another 3 ball.

PG – Kyle ‘JJ Barea’ Armour Like JJ from the championship winning Mavs, Armour has been a huge spark off the bench this season for the Lightning. This former AIS scholarship holder is a defensive weapon, and what a treat it is to have someone of Armour’s ability coming off the bench. He brings energy, relentless pressure and can take you off the dribble offensively. He has found his stroke of late notching some great numbers. Most teams in the competition would have him starting at the point, and it doesn’t bode well for your second string PG when Armour’s number is called.

PG – Chris ‘Johnny Cool’ Sofoulis A defensive specialist who applies excellent full court extended pressure, Sofoulis causes head aches for all opposition point guards. He can also knock down the open three and penetrate to the rim making him a dangerous all round player.

SG – Brad ‘New Jack City’ Jackson This kid is instant offence and Jackson has never seen a shot he doesn’t like. His role is simply, if you are open shoot it and if you are not open still shoot it. Has the ability to drain numerous threes in a hurry and if he is on song it can blow a game a part.

C – Simon “Mantis’ Lokan As a back up big, Lokan has seen limited minutes behind two of the best big men in the game. With Beran out injured for a number weeks earlier this season Lokan saw some court time and filled his role very well, posting double digits in rebounding and points on more than a few occasions.

Head Coach

Andy Stewart has masterminded this from the beginning. Over time he has created the programme to where it is today and along the journey has developed into an excellent coach. He has worked his way into an Assistant Coaching role with the Perth Wildcats over the last few seasons, further adding to his learning and development.

Andy’s strengths are his planning and preparation. The team is so well prepared and drilled that Andy is sometimes seen kicking back reading a book on game nights. He spends of lot of extra time in the gym working individually with each of his players, improving their skill sets and moulding them into complete players.

Restricted players Each and every year the Lightning has two of the best restricted players in the league. They do the bulk of the scoring and creating for the team while the remainder of the squad fill vital roles around them. Look out for Team America down the stretch if the game is on the line, because you and everyone else in the stadium know who will be taking the last shot!

Home Court

The Lightning has an incredible home court advantage. The ‘Purple Army’ packs out the Church and support their side with unbridled passion. This creates a very tough atmosphere for opponents to walk into.

If you’re a basketball fan or looking to take someone to an enjoyable night out you can’t go further than Lakeside for a game of basketball. It’s nice enough for a spectator but the Church holds demons for opposition teams.

Road Warriors

On the flip side, the oppositions’ home courts hold no fear for this current Lightning group. The Purple Road Army takes their drum kits and singing voices, often drowning out home teams with their support.

The Lightning play equally well away from home and this has led to their incredible win loss record over the last few seasons.

Future

What has taken years of hard work and careful, patient planning is now coming to fruition, as the Lightning are well on track to make an astonishing sixth grand final in seven years.

Clearly what Andy and co have put together is an ark stronger than what Noah built and can not only withstand any Tiger or Wolf attack, but is a formula for sustainability and ongoing success.

It is fair to say that the Lightning is smack bang in the middle of a dynasty and there appears to be no immediate end in sight. If their core group stays fit and healthy I don’t believe there is any team in the league that can stop them from going all the way in 2011.

So this begs the question, is there anyone that can knock this powerhouse off their mantle? And who are your favourite all time dynasty’s?

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Article written by Mark Shipley

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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.