I have managed to secure a piece of time with the ever busy point guard Simon Lee before his brothers 21st Birthday Party.

AM - Ready for the first pitch.
SL - Ready.

AM - Uniform Number
SL - No. 41

AM - Full Name
SL - Simon Terry Lee

AM - Date of Birth
SL - 25 September 1986

AM - Nicknames
SL - Cucumba Kid, Pocket Rocket/Dynamo and Sime

AM - Position
SL - Guard, not to much else to play at 4"

AM - Signature Move
SL - Getting the long pass just after half court where I dash, duck, dive, dip and dodge the entire defensive team and then put it up for a Spud Webb reversal.
AM - Very well put Sime.

AM - Likes
SL - Basketball, Footy, Pearl Jam and Beer

AM - Dislikes
SL - The Boss, cats, skaters and arrogance

AM - Career Highlight
SL - Playing in the semi-final whilst in U18's where we were seated 4th and had to face the top team who went through the entire season underfeated. We managed to walk away with a 3 point win and move on to the final where we later lost. The game had everything.

AM - Cheers Sime, all the best for the last game of the season and tonights festivities.
SL - No worries.

Game 14 had the Sovereign Knights face the higher placed Drummond Street for the 2nd time this season. A big win for the Knights would see the team hold on to their boarding passes for the post season.

The team was nearly back to full strength, only missing key position player Matt Lee with his troublesome ankle injury. The Pocket Rocket and Blondie returned to the line-up after their previous weeks absence. The great man Chunka suited up although still trying to shake the ‘bug’ that has kept him away from training sessions all week.

With Ro winning the tip-off the Sovs swung swiftly into their offensive structure, quickly dicing the Drummond St D up with quick passes. After some quick points the Sovs moved back into their galvanised zone defence with Mark and Alex working in sync covering both the guard and base positions.

The old workhorse, Chunka, soon put his stamp on proceedings by controlling every aspect of the game with tough post moves, drilling 3 pointers, stalwart defence and even managing to create a highlight tape for the Harlem Globetrotters with some fancy dribbling.

The tempo seemingly lifted once the athletic Azz joined the game lining up with Simon at the guard positions. The 2 reaped havoc on the Drummond St inbound causing countless turnovers, much to the delight of their team mates who were applauding their efforts.

The Sovs went into the half time break with exhausted lungs but with an impressive 27-13 lead over the dazed lads from Drummond St. The direction from Coach Lee – much of the same, and lets try and reach 50 again this week.

The Sovs entered the 2nd half with the thought of post game frothies, as the attack on the ball in the early stages of the half was substandard by all accounts, with less ball pressure defensively and over rotation on the offence.

The lads from Drummond St began to press the Sovs inbound, which caused initial shock and resulted in a couple of unwanted turnovers. Soon the Sovs stopped the ship from rocking and managed to pass the ball quickly through the press.

Simon lit up the scoreboard with 8 pretty points, leading all scorers in the 2nd half by dashing, ducking, diving, dipping and dodging the would be defenders on every fast break opportunity.

With Azz staying out of foul trouble it led to the fans seeing some Ben Wallace like defending, with countless steals and in one play a count of 3 straight blocks on a hapless Drummond St outfit.

The Sovs walked away with a 39-24 point win, not overly impressing anyone in the 2 nd half – yet enough to possibly propel the Sovs into the post-season

Game 13 of the Regular season saw the much-fancied Sovereign Knights going up against cellar dwellers Field Air, who have been struggling with the competition all season.

The Sovs went into the game without the Pocket Rocket (Simon) who was interstate spreading the Sovereign Knights franchise and with Age again working tirelessly in the evening.

Field Air won the tip-off, but the ball was quickly stolen which ensured that the Sovs would move into their offensive structure early. In a play emulating the previous weeks first points the ball was passed to Chunka who nailed a 3 straight up.

After the previous nights training session the Sovs were organised both defensively and offensively by forcing the opposition into taking tough shots or causing turnovers. This allowed the Sovs to play with more confidence, which saw crisp passes being made into the low posts for some hard fought baskets.

Without too much trouble the Sovs were up 11-0. Consequently the Sovs began to become a little complacent, as they knew they had the opposition on Ice.

The Sovs were playing strong in every position with Ro crashing the boards, Azz sublimely stealing the ball and Alex working hard for loose ball gets. With this strong defensive play the Sovs went into the half time break with their tails up, leading 17-6.

After the half time break, a smooth move made baseline by Mayo with a dish to Ro caused Field Air’s most impressive player to foul out. This made life a little easier for the Sovs who pressed even further. Azz, Mark and Mayo applied fair restrictive D that forced poor passes that led into fast break opportunities.

A timeout was called by Chunka, which enabled the team to regroup and reorganise their offensive structure, as the scoreboard was not ticking over fast enough for the great man. In a unanimous decision the team decided to set a target of 50 points by the games end.

In a ridiculous decision made by the referee, big man Ro was charged with a foul that forced him to leave the game. This was undoubtedly one of his most impressive performances this season as he secured 8 tough points and pulled down 17 rebounds.

The remaining players managed to stay out of foul trouble with Azz controlling his thieving hands for the game. His performance highlighted his claim for the All-Defensive Award with an unheard amount of steals totalling 8.

In the end the Sovs set an impossible pace. With one commentator liking the scoring feast to somebody throwing down shots on their 21st birthday, then throwing down some more, and then some more.

The Sovs ran the game out with the veterans, Mark and Chunka scoring impressive totals for the match, namely 20 and 14 points respectively. Mayo claimed that this was due to his pivotal passing game where he broke the team record of assists in a game with 15.

The game ended with the Sovs scoring a much-needed win over Field Air, 54-18.

I am (Matty) currently sitting with the highly regarded pass master and defensive magnate Alex Makings, a few hours before tip-off against the last placed Field Air.

ML - Shall we get started.
AM - Why not, I'm pumped.

ML - Player Number
AM - Number 22, previously worn proudly by Clyde 'The Glide" Drexler.

ML - Full Name
AM - Alexander James Makings

ML - Date of Birth
AM - 1 January 1984

ML - Signature Move
AM - Well it would have to be an awesome pass...
ML - Would it
AM - Starting at the top of the key, where a defender so kindly comes out to greet me. I burn him with a head fake, then put his ankles on ice with a blistering cross-over towards the centre of the key. Draw a couple more would be defenders and off lay a crisp behind the back pass to the cutting Mr. Magic (Matty) himself for the reverse lay-up.
ML - A little extravigant

ML - Nicknames
AM - Well... Al, A-Man, Chief, Mayo, Schmak and/or Schmak Daddy, AJ, Pubes or Fro Boy

ML - Likes
AM - PD's (Beer), Nearly all types of Music, Basketball and any other Sport going around.

ML - Dislikes
AM - Kia Rios, Gluggly Rice and ballers who can play good D

ML - Career Highlight
AM - It was 2001. Backcourts of Mt Clear Secondary College, where Rainbow Age, the Pocket Rocket and myself held the court for an hour straight - beating all competitors with some of the cleanest and spectacular plays seen to mankind. Now that my friend, was a sight to behold.

ML - Cheers A-Man, and all the best in whipping the opposition tonight
AM - No probs Yets

Game 12 was built to be an epic for the Sovereign Knights with a win against the second placed Hornets galvanising their chances to reach the post season in their first franchise year.

It has been said “with big games comes big names” and this was true as the Sovs welcomed back their favourite son Chunka from his devastating mid-season ankle injury. Coach Matt Lee was delighted with the return of his defensive magnate and could not wipe the smile of his face during the pre-game warm up.

With Simon experiencing transportation issues it allowed quick hand Azz to start in the backcourt with Alex for possibly the first time this season. The 3, 4 and 5 positions were held by Mark, Chunka and Ro in what looked a very impressive starting line-up on paper.

Ro lost the tip-off to the lanky No. 5 from the Hornets who would cause further troubles for the Sovs later in the game with his sheer hight and shooting touch.

Regardless the Sovs started out well applying their patented intense D to the opposition that prevented them from scoring down low early in the game. Yet again big man Ro was a dominant force in defence just glaring and daring the opposition to come inside his key.

The scoreboard remained close throughout the first half and with the arrival of the Pocket Rocket a sense of speed was added to the team as both Simon and Age ran the court with blistering speed.

The Sovs came into the half time break only 5 points down still with an intense thought of winning the game. Plans were made at the half for Mark to play a tight man D on Lanky who was the Hornets “go to” man, whilst the remainder of the team play a 2/2 zone.

The new D set-up worked effectively early with the ball being turned over in the early parts of the second half, but the Sovs couldn’t capitalise as many ugly passes were thrown and poor dribbling turned the ball back over to the opposition. Disgusted with his performance Alex dragged himself from the court to regather his thoughts.

After a brilliant effort defensively Mark appeared gutted and like a man searching for a mirage in the dessert and handed his duties to Blondie. With the change in the defensive structure the Sovs looked confused with a lack of understanding in their positions.

This allowed the Hornets to grab the game by it’s horns and control the tempo of the game, scoring at ease and placing the Sovs offence under some of the best defence seen to date this year.

After what was a closely fought first half the Hornets ran away with a 44-23 victory and possibly crushing the Sovs dreams of a first year finals birth.

Forget the Brownlow Medal because the Sovereign Knights are holding it's presentation gala at the conclusion of the regular season to present the individual awards available to its players.

The award system is based around the overall performance of a player throughout the year. With awards including – MVP, All-Defensive Player, Most Improved Player and the Club Man Award.

Each Member of the squad is granted 2 classes of votes for each award, being Class A votes equal to 2 points and Class B votes equal to 1 point. These votes must be forwarded to acting coach Matt Lee after the conclusion of the final game against Version 2.

Who has been the backbone to the Sovs success this season? Does this player exceed expectations offensively and defensively? Is he the on court leader? These are the questions you need to ask yourself when determining your votes for the MVP award.

As you are thinking about this next award, please take on board the following characteristics. Do they swat shots like Alonzo Mourning in a children’s playground? Do they swipe the ball as cleanly as the Glove (Gary Payton)? Are defensive boards being tared down with the ferocity of Dennis Rodman? Answer these simple questions and you will have your All-Defensive Player nominee.

At the beginning of the season there was a caterpillar and now a butterfly. Who is it? It is the Most Improved Player. This award is for the player who has developed their overall game more than any other player over the course of the season and who has gained the praise of his teammates.

Lastly, but surely not least – the Club Man award. Who is the player who lives and breaths Sovereign Knights basketball? Who has their Number cross-stitched into their underwear? Who fostered the development of the Sovs and has helped the team pull together? Surely the answers to these questions will provide you with a candidate for the award.

So get your thinking caps on lads, and reminisce on the season so far.

* Please note the vote is completely confidential, unless the voter discloses their nominations themselves. To provide fairness in the ballot the voters may not nominate themselves for any award (this is to ensure the concept of 'as nominated by their peers').

In a press conference held today Sovereign Knights management saw it appropriate to raise a plethora of issues facing the club at present including injury updates, post season possibilities and additional training sessions.

The board firstly addressed the issues surrounding the injuries suffered by Matt Lee and Shaun ‘Chunka’ Heyworth in game 7 against the Rockers. It was indicated that management were happy with the progress of both players saying, “both of the ankles are healing quite well.”

Insider information available reports that Matt Lee’s ankle came out of plaster after 4 weeks and that he is greatly looking forward to slipping the jersey back on. When questioned about Matt’s return date, Sovs management simply replied, “Matt is a crucial component to the success of this basketball club and we won’t be doing anything rash to jeopardise the longevity of the franchise.”

In a barrage of questions from the gallery as to the whereabouts of Chunka, and his likeness to the extraverted Dennis Rodman. Sovs management rebutted in saying “Chunka is an unique individual who deals with injuries behind closed doors, and this might be why you have not seen him around the club.”

After the loss reported against the Saints on Wednesday night many fans are questioning whether the Sovs would make it to the playoffs in their first season after such a promising start.

Although it is still probable that the Sovs could make the post-season they are required to win the remaining 4 games to clinch a playoffs birth. In a statement made by acting coach Matt Lee at the press conference, “It is not that we have been playing terrible basketball, we have been competitive throughout. It is simply that the team chemistry has not evolved as quickly as anticipated.”

Asking if further training sessions would be implemented to ensure the Sovs reach the post-season and increase their chemistry. Matt Lee answered “Simply? Yes, the team as a whole will be required to attend further training sessions to iron out the issues in our game. Including our full court pressure and offensive movement.”

The press conference was ended with nearly all quarters of the media expecting greater things from the Sovereign Knights towards the end of the season and in seasons to come.

Game 11 saw the 5th placed Sovereign Knights go up against the shoulder and knee strapped lads from Saints Blue. This game was built to form a pivotal part of the season for the Sovs, with a win bolstering the chances for the team to cement a place in the post-season activities.

This week’s cast included the reappearance of Rainbow Age along with the usual suspects of Ro starting at the 5 and the Widdison boys in the frontcourt, whilst the Pocket Rocket and Al started in the backcourt.

The game started seemingly at a casual pace with Ro rising above his grey haired opponent to win the tip to Simon, which put the Sovs straight into offence. The ball was passed around quickly and with some quick slide of hand, Mark was able to get the first 2 points for the game.

Throughout the first half the Sovs and the Saints were travelling neck and neck on the scoreboard with all of the points coming from Mark and Simon through superior inside work and perimeter shooting respectively.

In defence the Sovs were hanging tough with Ro and the Widdison boys and stoping any shot that was taken from inside the paint. Unfortunately the passing around the 3-point line by the Saints was running the guards ragged and created numerous opportunities for No. 32 (Fuzzy Wuzzy) to shoot some clean net.

Things remained somewhat tight coming into the halftime break with the Sovs only down by 9 points due to the crisp shooting from Fuzzy Wuzzy. Coach Matt Lee decided to implement the full court man-to-man pressure in the 2nd half to force further turnovers from the Saints and run their old weary legs off the court.

The Sovs came into the 2nd half looking to share the scoring load and big man Ro took it upon himself to the fire the team up by dominating the boards at both ends, throwing up shots and drawing fouls. To summarise one fan said “I wouldn’t want to be anywhere near the ring at the moment, you’d get hurt!”

With the increased aggression in defence the Sovs began to slowly peg the lead back as Age prevented Fuzzy Wuzzy from getting to the ball and scoring. This didn’t last for long as the defence plummeted into disarray as the Saints slowly picked it apart with timely passes.

The Saints piled on the points and created an insurmountable lead towards the end of the game. The only highlight of the final passages of play was from the housemates yet again, with Alex driving hard to the basket and drawing players towards him. The sixth sense of Age told him to cut baseline just in time to jump and receive a perfectly delivered ball over the Saints defence for an impressive alley.

In the end the Saints triumphed with a 44-26 win over the Sovs, and perhaps dousing their final hopes at the same time.