Dan Boyce sits down with the final coach of the Townsville Crocodiles, Shawn Dennis.

The former NBL coach of the year provides an update of the growth of basketball in Japan, how it parallels Australia's NBL in some ways and what kind of money players can make playing in Japan's premier basketball competition, the B-League.

Dennis, who played 197 games in the NBL for Newcastle and Hobart before coaching becoming a head coach in the NBL with both the Newcastle Falcons and Townsville talks about the demise of both clubs and the struggle which players, coaches and fans all faced.

The Crocodiles were renowned "giant killers" defeating top tier teams like the Perth Wildcats and Melbourne United during their final years in the league but due to financial support, they weren't able to continue in the competition.

Shawn outlines exactly how the final days of the club went down, what could have been done differently and the great things players like Mitch Norton, Todd Blanchfield, Nick Kay, Harry Froling and Clint Stiendl all achieved in Townsville and how they continue to impact the NBL landscape today.

Topics include...

• The rise of basketball in Japan as the 2020 Olympics approaches (2:00)
• Similarities between the Shiga Lakestars and the Townsville Crocodiles of 2015 (8:30)
• Helping players "learn how to win (12:00)
• The growth of Japan's B-League and how it's growth parallel's the NBL (15:00)
• How money compares in Japan's B-League to what players get in the NBL (21:30)
• How financial difficulties hurt the Townsville Crocodiles recruiting from 2013-2016 (23:00)
• How did Shawn Dennis find out the Crocodiles had folded (27:00)
• Todd Blanchfield's NBA potential in 2014 (31:00)
• Townsville's recruiting strategies during their "cash strapped" final years in the league (39:00)
• Townsville's final season in the NBL, the highs and the lows (44:00)
• Junior development within Townsville and how it generated talent like Mitch Norton, Chris Cedar, Harry Froling and more (53:00)
• The biggest highlights and the toughest moments of the Townsville Crocodiles final years in the NBL (57:00)

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All of this and a whole lot more...

Listen to our previous interviews with the biggest stars in Australian Basketball, head to Aussiehoopla.com. Check out previous podcasts featuring;

Australian Basketball Legends - Luc Longley, Andrew Gaze, Shane Heal, Mark Bradtke, Leroy Loggins, David Andersen, Andrew Vlahov, CJ Bruton, Chris Anstey, Brett Maher, John Rillie, Tony Ronaldson, Brad Newley

Current NBL Stars - Kevin Lisch, AJ Ogilvy, Damian Martin, Daniel Kickert, Thomas Abercrombie, Jason Cadee, Bryce Cotton, Chris Goulding, Mitch McCarron, Cam Gliddon

Our Finest Coaching Minds - Brian Goorjian, Joey Wright, Adrian Hurley, Aaron Fearne, Rob Beveridge, Phil Smyth, Ian Stacker, Shawn Dennis, Dean Vickerman, Trevor Gleeson, Lindsey Gaze, Ken Cole

NBA Stars Past & Present - Andrew Bogut, Matthew Dellavedova, Stephen Jackson, Randy Livingston, Torrey Craig, Acie Earl, Josh Childress, Reggie Smith, Todd Lichti, Ryan Broekhoff

The NBL's Greatest Imports - Darryl McDonald, Ricky Grace, Derek Rucker, Leon Trimmingham, Scott Fisher, Lanard Copeland, Mike Mitchell, Darnell Mee, Isaac Burton, Shawn Redhage, Willie Farley, Al Green, Corey "Homicide" Williams, Andre Moore, Steve Woodberry, Mike Mitchell, Dusty Rychart

And the men who run things - Larry Kestelman, Paul Maley, Vince Crivelli, Jeremy Loeliger, Chuck Harmison, Jeff Van Groningen, Bob Turner

All that and much more. Follow @AussieHoopla on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and email at [email protected]