Pregnant teen jailed for attack on Opals player

By court reporter Sarah Farnsworth

Updated August 03, 2012 14:31:39

A pregnant teenager who attacked Opals basketball player Rachel Jarry has been sentenced to three years in youth detention.

Jessica Croucher, 18, from Brunswick, pleaded guilty to seven charges resulting from a series of attacks against six people in January.

Her baby is due in November.

Rachel Jarry was punched and kicked to the ground during a bashing that lasted 90 seconds in Melbourne's CBD.

Her friend, Megan Hustwaite, suffered a fractured nose and black eye in the attack.

Outside court, Ms Hustwaite said her friend was lucky not to be seriously hurt.

"I'm really glad that she didn't have anything to her knees or her legs," she said.

"I was thinking that at the time, because it would just be horrific when you're trying to make an Olympic campaign to be sidelined because of something so awful as this."

Jarry, 20, is currently in London with the Opals basketball team.

Tags: law-crime-and-justice, courts-and-trials, basketball, assault, melbourne-3000

First posted August 03, 2012 11:05:45

View the original article here

Boomer Maric unhurt in Greece rock attack

Updated May 18, 2012 17:59:30

Australian Boomers star Aleks Maric says he is unhurt despite a rock-throwing attack on his team bus that forced two Greek club team-mates to go to hospital in Athens.

The Europe-based basketballer was travelling with his Panathinaikos team-mates to a Greek play-off game against rival Olympiakos when hooligans threw rocks at the bus.

The rocks broke windows and injured local player Stratos Perperoglou and American import Steven Smith.

The pair were treated for cuts from broken glass, with photos posted on Maric's Twitter account depicting brick-sized rocks which had come through the windows and landed on the seats of the bus.

The opening game of the best-of-five series between Panathinaikos and Olympiakos has been subsequently postponed by Deputy Minister of Culture and Sports George Nikitiadis.

Basketball Australia officials are seeking to make contact with Maric to ensure he is safe.

Maric recently led Panathinaikos to the Euroleague Final Four and is expected to join the Boomers after the Greek Finals series as the Australian team prepares for London.

A critical part of that preparation will be The Farewell Series, in which see the Boomers will take on Greece in a three-game series in Victoria in June.

The series will begin with a double-header with the Australian Opals at Melbourne Park on 24 June.

AAP

Tags: basketball, sport, greece

First posted May 18, 2012 17:59:30

This service may include material from Agence France-Presse (AFP), APTN, Reuters, AAP, CNN and the BBC World Service which is copyright and cannot be reproduced.

AEDT = Australian Eastern Daylight Savings Time which is 11 hours ahead of UTC (Greenwich Mean Time)

View the original article here

Breakers prepare for torrid Taipans attack

Posted April 23, 2011 18:01:00

New Zealand Breakers coach Andrej Lemanis is bracing his team for an "absolute war," as it stands on the verge of making trans-Tasman sporting history by becoming the first Kiwi side to win a major Australian competition.

Leading the best-of-three finals series 1-0 after an 85-67 home victory last Wednesday, the Breakers can deliver an expectant nation the NBL title by winning game two at the Snakepit on Sunday.

The Breakers have won all four of their games against Cairns this season, but Lemanis expects a torrid clash in front of a passionate sell-out crowd.

He echoed the sentiments of his Cairns counterpart Aaron Fearne, who on Friday said he expected Sunday's game to be a war.

"This thing will be an absolute war in game two," Lemanis said before flying to Australia.

"All the finals series have gone to three games because in game two the teams with their back up against the wall have been desperate.

"We've just got to make sure we match the desperation of Cairns, that they will bring."

The Breakers' exploits have inevitably elevated expectations back home, but Lemanis believes his team has done a good job of handling those external pressures.

"I think that's a really good strength of ours, all season we haven't got distracted by the external influences, we've focused on the day to day," he said.

The Breakers boast a league best 11-4 road record this season and are one of only two teams to have won in Cairns.

While Cairns has not beaten the Breakers this season, Fearne did not feel his side would start Sunday's game at a psychological disadvantage.

"The worst was that they beat us, they kicked our butts pretty much in that first finals game," Fearne said.

"The three games during the regular season were great games and were pretty close contests.

"If we'd been had four times in a row then it might be a bit different, but we definitely don't think that. We've played some excellent ball against them."

He was expecting a bigger contribution from forward Alex Loughton, who averages 13 points a game through his NBL career but was held scoreless on Wednesday.

"He's got to come out and play well for us," Fearne said.

"I'm sure he just can't wait to get back on the court after Wednesday's game."

Fearne reiterated rebounding would be a key area for Cairns after it got beaten 38-29 on the boards in game one.

"If we can get the advantage on the glass, that puts us in a good position to win the game," he said.

"If we don't it's going to be a struggle, so that would be the big key for me."

- AAP

View the original article here