- SA go back-to-back at 2025 Survivor Jultopia Wollongong; Jonty Smith with second league B&F
- Thunder win 2025a by 21 points v CFC Stars; Jonty Smith with second league B&F
- Thunder forward Daniel Smith joins Jultopia teammate Jordan Peel at Central Wyoming for 2025-26
- Thunder win 2024b by 4 points v Futures Hornets; Jonty Smith with first league B&F
- SA win first title for 10 years at 2024 Survivor Jultopia Geelong; Jonty Smith with first league B&F
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Massey Ratings lift Central Wyoming to 131st nationally
This is what we're here for - rankings, opinions and proving people wrong. The good folk at Massey Ratings published their preseason rankings and listed Central Wyoming at 155th overall. Wrong and after last weekend's 3-0 preseason trip with wins over 92nd-ranked Colorado Northwestern and 95th-ranked Southern Nevada, they've noticed and lifted Central Wyoming to 131st nationally. Keep going because the Daniel Smith effect has only just begun. We know. We've been there. Central Wyoming's rankings are now as follows, by category:
CENTRAL WYOMING RANKINGS (followed by preseason, then last season)
Overall: 131st-155th-175th
Power: 134th-159th-182nd
Offence: 169th-285th-358th
Defence: 75th-81st-45th
SSF: 83rd-89th-64th
Like we said, we have no idea what most of these things mean but you can bet your bottom dollar we'll be tracking their progress at https://masseyratings.com/cb/njcaa/ratings - come back each Thursday because Thursday is now Massey Ratings day. Sorry WCB NBA Fantasy, blame our Jultopia veterans Jordan Peel and Daniel Smith. WCB NBA Fantasy can wait. Go Rustlers. Good times, good times.
WCB Round 12 ladder

Each Wednesday we'll publish the WCB A Grade Men premiership ladder here because well ..... just because. OK, it's because we're getting older by the minute and can't work out the app but fortunately we do know how websites work. Next stop is to give away our Puma Lufts and tape cassettes and start wearing Nike Air Force Ones and using CDs but we're not sure neither will take off. We shall see. With no further adieu, here's the full A Grade Men premiership ladder. Enjoy.
1 (1). Gateway Thunder 12-0, 36pts, +259
2 (2). CFC Stars 9-2, 29pts, +179
3 (3). Air Journey 7-1-3, 26pts, +118
4 (5). Futures Warriors 7-4, 25pts, +68
5 (6). Futures Pioneers 7-4, 25pts, +7
6 (4). Supernova Sigmas 7-4, 24pts, -20
7 (9). CFC Warriors 4-8, 20pts, -48
8 (7). CFC Sasquatches 4-7, 19pts, +4
9 (8). North Western Mustangs 3-1-7, 18pts, -41
10 (10). Gateway Tsunami 2-9, 15pts, -130
Game review: Gateway d North Western Mustangs

There's been some memorable games over the years. Triple overtime semi-final win over Portside in 1994 with just four players on the court for the final overtime, double overtime grand final win over Portside in 1994, Daniel Smith's buzzer-beater to win the grand final over Futures in 2023, Albert Viranatuleo bank triple to win the preliminary final over Arndale in the late 2010s .... the list goes on and whilst we might be caught up in the moment a tad, this was a big victory. With six players out and only one big remaining on the roster, it was desperation station time for the good guys. Enter Downpour star Jack Sheppard and the Thunder's latest father-son selection, Brodie Sleep. The two answered the call and it was a close game all the way until North Western jumped out to lead by 8 with minutes remaining. The Thunder never gave in and in the dying seconds North Western tried to milk the clock but turned it over. In a late flurry, guard Josip Vucetic missed a three, Lucas Brook snatched the rebound and was fouled on the put back, and calmly sank both free throws for an Epic win. Yes, epic wit a capital E. We weren't at the game but the details relayed to us say it was something special and perhaps a sign that we could have another one, young Sleep showing poise well beyond his years in what would have to be the first Thunder game since the mid 2000s to not feature a Smith. Final score Gateway 53 (McKinnon 12, Brook 11, Shepperd 11, T.Sleep 8, B.Sleep 7, Vucetic 4) d North Western Mustangs 51. Amazing times, amazing times.
Game preview: Gateway v North Western Mustangs

Look, we're nervous. We know we're supposed to model ourselves on Never Nervous Pervis Ellison but we're nervous. The number of missing Thunder players tonight saw the game in jeopardy before two youngsters came to the rescue but more on that later. North Western meanwhile come in steady and composed and ready to take the win. Two teams enter, one team leave. With no further adieu, we present to you Gateway v North Western Mustangs.
LAST FIVE GAMES HEAD-TO-HEAD
25/8/2025: Gateway 65 (Jon.Smith 23, Penn 17, Sleep 8) d North Western Mustangs 51
2/5/2022: Gateway 53 (D.Smith 20, J.Smith 13, Jon.Smith 7) d North Western Mustangs 41
21/2/2022: Gateway 69 (Jon.Smith 23, Vucetic 15, D.Smith 10) d North Western Mustangs 42
30/8/2021: Gateway 74 (Vucetic 22, Jon.Smith 16, D.Smith 15) d Marion Mustangs 58
17/5/2021: Gateway 39 (Vucetic 14, J.Smith 10, B.Smith 9) d Marion Mustangs 34
LADDER
1 (1). Gateway Thunder 10-0, 30pts @ 146%
8 (9). North Western Mustangs 3-1-6, 17pts @ 93%
OUR PREDICTION
Six players out tonight and we're excited. Now we know that might sound odd but crisis creates opportunity and there'll be plenty of opportunity tonight as the Thunder debut two first-timers alongside a rookie and three veterans, drawing on their feeder club Gateway Downpour and unveiling their latest father-son selection. You see, the past is the past, now is now and the future is John Butcher and that makes all Port Adelaide supporters smile, ironic given Logan Evans may be making an appearance alongside a player who is asleep most of the game but we digress. North Western will compete hard and will totally not let up against the Thunder tonight but to be fair, this game will be won and lost not in the paint, not on the perimeter but on the scoreboard. Facts. Can the Thunder's mix of valiant youngsters and weary veterans deliver the dub or will the Mustangs rain supreme like they did at Bathurst yesterday (see what we did there?). Our tip? We're a Thunder website but we're also sports journalists so accuracy and attention to detail is our middle name. Mustangs by 6 points. Let's hope not. Nervous times, nervous times.
Central Wyoming clean sweep the Salt Lake Jamboree 3-0

They came, they saw, they conquered. As predicted by the luminaries at leaguelineup.com - based on our considerable experience in the NJCAA - the Central Wyoming Rustlers clean swept the Salt Lake Jamboree to finish with a 3-0 record courtesy of an impressive effort from our own D.Smith. Look from where we sit - and we'll stand corrected - he was best on in each of the 3 games and if you're wondering if we can keep this up for the whole season, the answer is yes. Best on, and that's without the games even starting. It's just the way it is. And while we're at it, someone please update the Massey Ratings. 155th indeed. Motivational times, motivational times. Daniel's stats (admittedly in Aussie format) were as follows:
d Treasure Valley, 13 pts @ 83% shooting, 3 reb, 3 ast, 2 stl
d Southern Nevada, 11 pts @ 83% shooting, 6 reb, 1 stl
d Colorado Northwestern, 6 pts @ 50% shooting, 3 reb
Hopefully this means we'll get some more media articles or previews or something. Anything. That'd be great. Good times, good times.
Salt Lake Jamboree tomorrow

Exciting times as the 2025-26 season gets underway tomorrow for the Central Wyoming Rustlers as they compete in the Salt Lake Jamboree. According to the gram, 11 schools will be in action this weekend at the 2025 @slcc_basketball Jamboree on Saturday (our Sunday). Each school plays three games throughout the day. Both courts will be streaming live on @ballertv and for those who don't have an account, give us a minute as we have one but for obvious reasons will be using it ourselves. Early to be tonight as we get up ready for the action starting at 4am. Treasure Valley (ranking n/a), Southern Nevada (105th) and Colorado Northwestern (102nd) are up against the Rustlers (155th) and frankly, they aren't gonna know what hits them when our Jultopia duo appear. Get into 'em, lads and go you Rustlers! Exciting times, exciting times.
FCA's Friday Fellowship: not because of me

READY:
“But when the kindness of God our Savior and his love for mankind appeared, he saved us —not by works of righteousness that we had done, but according to his mercy — through the washing of regeneration and renewal by the Holy Spirit.” - Titus 3:4-5
SET:
We are taught that hard work pays off in athletics. The more reps you do in the gym, the stronger you become. The stronger you become, the more you increase your ability to perform well. If you keep performing well, you will likely receive more playing time. This chain of events starts and ends with the work you put in. Ultimately, you are in control of your improvement due to the amount you work. With this mindset, it’s hard to imagine how anything in life wouldn’t be able to be gained through an increase in the amount of good work you put in. That’s why it’s easy to develop a works-based approach to our faith. A works-based approach means that we believe the “better” Christian we are, the more God will love us, thus earning our salvation. That’s the beauty of our faith. None of us can earn our salvation. All of us are sinful and deserve death (Romans 6:23). Only through the grace and mercy of God do we even have the chance of salvation. Even this chance at salvation doesn’t revolve around our good works but is centered around the belief in the one true work of Christ: His death and resurrection. The only action required to accept this gift of salvation is belief in His wonderful gift. Good works matter, but don’t let yourself slip into thinking you gained access to heaven through your works. Only through acceptance of Jesus as our Lord do we get to live forever with Him.
GO:
-
Does the truth that you cannot work your way into heaven make you feel relieved or sad?
-
What does it look like to accept God’s free gift of salvation?
WORKOUT:
OVERTIME:
Lord God, what an amazing gift to know that there is nothing more or less I can do to make You love me. Remind me of my sin so I can rely fully on your mercy and grace today. In Jesus' name, I pray. Amen.
WCB draft completed
The draft has been and gone, teams are assembled, waiver wire additions have been made and we're ready for the upcoming season. We won't list all the players here but there were surprises early as Cooper Flagg and Ivica Zubac found their way into the first round. We've listed the first round below and may the Hoxley Tigers win. Good times, good times.
1 | Hoxley Cubs | Nikola Jokic C, Denver Nuggets |
2 | Wacko Jacko Elite | Shai Gilgeous-Alexander PG, Oklahoma City Thunder |
3 | Hoxley Tigers | Victor Wembanyama C, San Antonio Spurs |
4 | Mr 66 | Giannis Antetokounmpo PF, Milwaukee Bucks |
5 | Blaming Injuries | Luka Doncic PG, Los Angeles Lakers |
6 | Mr 70 | Domantas Sabonis C, Sacramento Kings |
7 | Ctrl+Alt+Defeat | Anthony Edwards SG, Minnesota Timberwolves |
8 | Sam Bowies Left Leg | Cade Cunningham PG, Detroit Pistons |
9 | My Team is a Jokic | Anthony Davis C, Dallas Mavericks |
10 | North Tower | Karl-Anthony Towns C, New York Knicks |
11 | Irritable Bol Syndrome | LeBron James SF, Los Angeles Lakers |
12 | Fart Simpson | Cooper Flagg SF, Dallas Mavericks |
13 | D Major | James Harden PG, Los Angeles Clippers |
14 | Poole Party | Devin Booker PG, Phoenix Suns |
15 | Tanking For Wembanyama | Jalen Williams PF, Oklahoma City Thunder |
16 | Highbury PIP | Trae Young PG, Atlanta Hawks |
17 | Giddey Party | Ivica Zubac C, Los Angeles Clippers |
18 | Fli On Zion | Donovan Mitchell SG, Cleveland Cavaliers |
Introducing Central Wyoming's Jordan Peel

With Central Wyoming's preseason kicking off this coming weekend, we introduce to you Central Wyoming's Jordan Peel.
Number 2
Sophomore
Guard
From Hobart, Australia
Introducing Central Wyoming's Daniel Smith

With Central Wyoming's preseason kicking off this coming weekend, we introduce to you Central Wyoming's Daniel Smith.
Number 33
Freshman
Forward
From Onkaparinga, Australia
Labour Day Public Holiday bye

Happy Labour Day to everyone as we celebrate all the labours with a night off from basketball, the last bye for the year. One week to Central Wyoming begin their preseason so enjoy the break before all the fun starts. Exciting times ahead.
WCB NBA Fantasy draft tomorrow
Exciting times with the WCB NBA Fantasy draft tomorrow afternoon, at least for those in South Australia. With coaches interstate in the Northern Territory and overseas in Wyoming, USA, we have no idea how they're going to draft but we wish them well. Last day of preparation, folks. The draft is nigh. Exciting times, exciting times.
Central Wyoming internal scrimmage tomorrow

It's happening! Your Central Wyoming Rustlers open their season debut tomorrow against ..... well, not really but it must be close. There's an internal scrimmage at 5pm Mountain Daylight Time which is ..... look, we don't really know and we hope to get our times sorted out before the season begins or things could get really awkward. Meanwhile, we await news of the intersquad scrimmage and for obvious reasons, go you Aussie Rustlers. Exciting times, exciting times.
FCA's Friday Fellowship: every tear

Ready: “You yourself have recorded my wanderings. Put my tears in your bottle. Are they not in your book? Then my enemies will retreat on the day when I call. This I know: God is for me. In God, whose word I praise, in the Lord, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I will not be afraid. What can mere humans do to me?” - Psalm 56:8-11
Set: In 1947, Jackie Robinson broke the color divide of Major League Baseball by becoming the first African American player in the league. Up until this point, African Americans only played in their own league due to segregation. When the Dodgers signed Robinson, the MLB changed forever. Being a part of history is a monumental achievement that doesn’t come without its hardships. Robinson faced harsh criticism from those opposing racial integration. He was mocked, yelled at, attacked and threatened. I’m sure there were many moments when He broke down and cried over the hardships He was enduring. Through every hardship, God was with Jackie. He held every tear he cried in His hand. What a marvelous image that is. God isn’t going to take away all the hardship in our life. We live in a sinful world full of hate. But God will be there right next to us, comforting, supporting and loving us through each tear. We become strong when we understand that because God is for us, the world cannot touch us. The world can injure us, but God is more significant than that and has already defeated sin through Jesus. The end of our psalm should be our battle cry as believers. What can mere humans do to me? The blood of Christ covers me. I have been adopted into His family, and the God of the universe fights for me. The world will try to take you down, but God has already won. Rejoice in that truth today!
Go: How does it feel to know God holds each tear you cry in His hand? Do you feel strengthened by knowing God is fighting for you?
Workout: James 1:2-4: 2Consider it a great joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you experience various trials, 3because you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance. 4And let endurance have its full effect, so that you may be mature and complete, lacking nothing.
Thunder lose another player to a long-term injury

Would someone wake us when this nightmare is over? Despite an unblemished record so far this season, the Thunder's injury list continues to grow with news this morning that yet another player will be lost long-term to injury. Shirley, you can't be serious? We are serious and don't call us Shirley. With more players seemingly sidelined than healthy, this is not good. The full injury list reads as follows:
Player A - out to May 2026
Player B - out to February 2026 tbc
Player C - out to December 2025
Player D - out to mid-November 2025
From everyone at leaguelineup.com and the Thunder, we wish these players all the best and hope they return soon. Meanwhile, the rest of the team better be ready and available to play or ..... could we see another debut in the Thunder colours? Exciting times, exciting times.
WCB Round 11 ladder

Each Wednesday we'll publish the WCB A Grade Men premiership ladder here because well ..... just because. OK, it's because we're getting older by the minute and can't work out the app but fortunately we do know how websites work. Next stop is to give away our Puma Lufts and tape cassettes and start wearing Nike Air Force Ones and using CDs but we're not sure neither will take off. We shall see. With no further adieu, here's the full A Grade Men premiership ladder. Enjoy.
1 (1). Gateway Thunder 10-0, 30pts @ 146%
2 (2). CFC Stars 8-2, 26pts @ 132%
3 (5). Air Journey 7-1-2, 25pts @ 128%
4 (3). Supernova Sigmas 7-3, 23pts @ 101%
5 (4). Futures Warriors 7-3, 24pts @ 116%
6 (7). Futures Pioneers 6-4, 22pts @ 99%
7 (6). CFC Sasquatches 4-6, 18pts @ 102%
8 (9). North Western Mustangs 3-1-6, 17pts @ 93%
9 (8). CFC Warriors 3-8, 17pts @ 91%
10 (10). Gateway Tsunami 1-9, 12pts @ 78%
Game review: Gateway d Gateway

Now that was a game. The Thunder came into the match minus four previous league B&Fs in B.Smith, D.Smith, J.Smith and Jon.Smith, as well as exciting rookie Lucas Brook. That left McKinnon, Penn, Sleep, Jos.Smith and Vucetic to carry the torch against a full strength Tsunami side needing a win before the playoffs slip away. Whilst we didn't attend the game so can't say too much, we can say that the talk of the town after the game was young centre Josh Smith, whose 5 blocks created a keyway presence not seen since all the missing players last played and despite the best efforts of the Tsunami, they couldn't get it done. Final score Gateway Thunder 53 (Penn 25, Vucetic 12, Sleep 10, McKinnon 4, Jos.Smith 2) d Gateway Tsunami 45 to leave the Thunder undefeated on the season despite too many player absences. Exciting times, exciting times.
Game preview: Gateway v Gateway

Exciting times as the Thunder come up against Sue Narmi, a Twitch gamer which is someone who streams and games according to Thunder forward Josh Smith. Thanks mate because we had no idea and thought it was someone who kept twitching at a casino. Yep, our version is better. A depleted Thunder began life AJDnC (after James, Daniel and Chog) with Sue Narmi sure to put up a fight in the third local derby of the season. Two Gateway teams enter, one Gateway team leave. With no further adieu, we present to you Gateway Thunder v Gateway Tsunami.
LAST FIVE GAMES HEAD-TO-HEAD
1/9/2025: Thunder 96 (Jon.Smith 35, Brook 18, Penn 16) d Gateway Tsunami 44
21/7/2025: Thunder 85 (Vucetic 22, Brook 15, McKinnon 15) d Gateway Tusnami 62
23/6/2025 (semi-final): Thunder 83 (Jon.Smith 32, D.Smith 17, Vucetic 11) d Gateway Tsunami 67
19/5/2025: Thunder 50 (Penn 16, Vucetic 14 Sleep 9) d Gateway Tsunami 43
14/4/2025: Thunder 98 (Jon.Smith 36, Vucetic 22, McKinnon 15) d Gateway Tsunami 38
LADDER
1 (1). Gateway Thunder 9-0, 27pts @ 148%
10 (10). Gateway Tsunami 1-8, 11pts @ 77%
OUR PREDICTION
Their first game without veteran centre and coach James Smith will see some adjustments to the game plan and rotation as the Thunder lose their third big for the season, the result being just 3 bigs remaining on the roster. The Tsunami meanwhile have had some tough breaks but remain a team to be reckoned with, a combination of high scoring guards and multi-talented bigs. Hopefully someone has the livestream on because we'd love to watch this game but we're otherwise disposed tonight. Our tip? Thunder by 9 points. Let's hope so. Exciting times, exciting times.
WCB NBA Fantasy draft lottery results

Exciting times as the 2025-26 WCB NBA Fantasy draft draws near, likely to be held next weekend with exact details to be announced. With coaches now all over the globe, it'll be interesting to see how league HQ gets the timezones to match but as for us at leaguelineup.com, we're unashamedly supporters of the Gateway coached teams and can't wait for the season to begin and your Hoxley Tigers to return to the top of the table. Meanwhile, the draft lottery was held today with the draft order as follows. Exciting times for the Hoxley Cubs whilst the Tigers would be pleased with the 3rd overall pick too. Good times, good times.
1. Hoxley Cubs
2. Wacko Jacko Elite
3. Hoxley Tigers
4. Mr 66
5. Blaming Injuries
6. South Tower
7. Big Girls Don't Kawhi
8. Sam Bowie's Left Leg
9. My Team is a Jokic
10. North Tower
11. Irritable Bol Syndrome
12. Bart Simpson
13. Captain Collo
14. Perkins for MVP
15. Tanking for Banana-Bread
16. Highbury PIP
17. Giddey Party
18. Fli on Zion
Massey Ratings rank Central Wyoming 155th nationally

This is what we're here for - rankings, opinions and proving people wrong. The good folk at Massey Ratings have published their preseason rankings and we're excited. Central Wyoming come in at 155th overall, well behind number Snow College, South Plains and Panola. However, there are more categories than just the overall ranking and we have no idea what any of them mean but we're excited. Central Wyoming's preseason rankings are as follows, by category:
CENTRAL WYOMING PRESEASON RANKINGS (last season in brackets)
Overall: 155th (175th)
Power: 159th (182nd)
Offence: 285th (358th)
Defence: 81st (45th)
SSF: 89th (SOS 64th)
Like we said, we have no idea what most of these things mean but you can bet your bottom dollar we'll be tracking their progress at https://masseyratings.com/cb/njcaa/ratings Good times, good times.