Chris Goulding can’t wait to get back on Melbourne United’s home floor.
By the time the reigning NBL champions hit John Cain Arena against Tasmania on Sunday, it will have been 49 days since they played in front of a home crowd.
United had stitched together an eight-game winning streak, before it was ended by the Adelaide 36ers on the weekend.
“We’ve only had a couple of home games this season and everyone’s just been waiting to get back to those weekend Melbourne games where the families are out, the fans are having a good time and it’s that environment that we know and love,” Goulding said.
Watch Every Game of the 21/22 NBL Season Live & On-Demand with ESPN on Kayo. New to Kayo? Start Your Free Trial >
After seven weeks on the road, United could be forgiven for dropping a tight one against the Sixers, but Goulding isn’t making excuses.
“A lot of our decision making was poor but, whether that was fatigue, I don’t know, we’re not a group that has any excuses,” he said.
“We weren’t good enough, Adelaide were better. It’s time for us to try to get back in the winning column and if we can do that on our home floor in front of our fans, even better.”
There is added incentive for the United boys to show out, with Aussie pop star and No.1 ticketholder Tones and I set to perform at halftime.
“A couple of the boys have already asked (coach) Deano (Vickerman) if we can do our halftime speech out on the court if we’re going all right,” Goulding said.
“There’s a bit of interest there. A big thank you to Tones, she’s a big supporter of the club and a big supporter of basketball and, for her to do a performance for us and our fans, it shows how tight the connection is.”
Launceston-born Goulding admits he has a soft spot for the new Tassie franchise, but any sentiment will be out the door at tipoff.
“I’ve watched them in the early stages and found myself hoping they do well, but that will certainly be out the window this week,” the 33-year-old, who needs 25 points to pass Melbourne Tigers legend Dave Simmons for 46th on the NBL’s all-time scoring list, said.
“I was really impressed by the game-night experience down there when we played and they’re selling out games, their fans are engaged.
“I’m interested to see how their organisation’s ticking along because I want it to be a successful franchise for a long time to come.”
The league’s No.1 three-point shooter had a rough night against the Sixers, missing all 14 of his field goals, but believes his meticulous preparation will help him bounce back on Sunday.
“There’s nothing I can do about that now and I’ve really tried not to dwell on it,” he said.
“You don’t want to have a poor performance like I did, but the most disappointing thing was we lost. My mindset is just do whatever you can to try to win this weekend.”
To do that against the JackJumpers, Goulding says the key is to make better decisions in transition and limit any lapses in a defence that remains the best in the NBL.
“We’re a team who likes to play defence and get out on the break and score quickly, tick the scoreboard over that way with easy layups and threes,” he said.
“But, when you’re decision-making in that area wanes, it puts pressure on other areas.”
***Two Melbourne United development players in 19-year-old David Okwera and Zac Triplett, 20, have been named in an extended Boomers squad for Australia’s World Cup Asian qualifiers.
Melbourne United 8-3 (2nd) v Tasmania JackJumpers 4-6 (6th)
