'Flushed': Coach Stu taking his lashes in first year

• Javon Freeman-Liberty departs after two games by mutual agreement while injuries hit Mitch Norton, Sam McDaniel, and rookie Jacob Holt
• Bullets drop four straight after opening-round win as Stu Lash vows to “flush and move on” after 116–89 Hawks loss‍
• ‍McDaniel and Holt not expected back until Round 11

Import guard Javon Freeman-Liberty gone, guard Sam McDaniel injured, veteran Mitch Norton injured, rookie bigman Jacob Holt injured, a four-game losing streak after winning on road in the first game of the season and a first-year head coach.

Not a first-year head coach in the NBL but a career first-year head coach — that's the 2025-26 1-4 Brisbane Bullets with Stu Lash roaming the sideline.

Four straight losing press conferences without one of his players at his side, the latest after getting hammered by the defending champion Illawarra Hawks, themselves struggling, 116-89 in Round 4. The norm at the post game presser is coach and player.

"Over the course of a season, you’ll always have probably two or three games that you want to flush away really quick and move on," Lash said on the weekend, ahead of tonight's clash against the Perth Wildcats.

"This is probably one of them, just given where we’re at from a scheduling standpoint and with our bodies.

"But understanding there are a few key details that we need to improve on — and we will. We will address that.

"The schedule and the travel — there’s never a gripe from me. It’s a privilege to play professional basketball and coach professional basketball.

"There are people in this world dealing with real challenges, and there are people that work really hard jobs. The worst day in the NBL is still a pretty good day for a lot of people.

"I know there’s a lot of complaining going around in the league right now. We talk about a positive mindset in our organisation, and maybe we fell into that trap a little bit tonight — with the whistle.

"But all in all, we embrace what we have in front of us. We’re going to go back to Brisbane, get to work on Monday, then fly out West. It’s obviously a great challenge to play at Perth.

"Then we come home — we play Wednesday, and then we play United on Friday. So if you’re a competitor, which I know our guys are, you want this."

Warning signs are ringing loud after just five games and the challenge difficult even for an experienced veteran head coach.

Freeman-Liberty, 25, and the Bullets separation was mutual. JFL averaged 19 points, 5.0 assists and 3.0 rebounds in two games.

"The wellbeing of our players always comes first and we are fully supportive of this outcome," Watts said.

"We are grateful for Javon's contribution to the club and wish him all the best."

Lash added: "We are appreciative of how open the communication has been, and we will continue to support him as he takes this time for himself. While we are sad to see him go, this timing allows us to move decisively on improving our roster."

Freeman-Liberty said: "I enjoyed my time in Brisbane. I will always appreciate the support I have had here and I will be cheering the Bullets on from afar."

Coaches know its a trap to be drawn into questions about refereeing but Lash was drawn into talking about bad calls in his last press conference.

"You know, I said it last game — the consistency and the communication, I just feel it needs to improve," he said.

"There are calls that are made on one end, maybe not always on the other. They’re fouls — I don’t think anyone’s debating whether the calls are actually fouls or not fouls. It’s just the consistency of it that seems a little off."

But he has bigger problems, admitting his team wasn't ready to play against Illawarra.

"I think they came out with a sense of urgency that we did not," Lash admitted.

"And you know, I felt our offense tonight put a lot of pressure on our defense. When you play like that, and you give up that kind of gap early in the game, you’re playing uphill the whole way.

"I look at the box score — and if you strip away that first quarter — in the second and third quarters it’s a two-point game. We even win the third. But that start, you know, we just weren’t able to sustain it.

"They played with a pace and an urgency that we just did not match."

Added to the pressure, the Bullets shot just 3-from-22 from deep and were just 1-from-18 before making two of their last four attempts.

"It’s not that we’re not good shooters — it’s the type of threes that we’re generating that’s the problem," he again admitted.

"When it’s coming off a one-pass shot and it’s coming quick — and when you get down early, you know, we have competitive guys, they want to win — and sometimes you can fall into that trap of trying to get it all back too early.

"And if you do go down by a lot, it’s better to have that early in the game, stick with it, chip away. Let’s get to half maybe with a 12 or 15-point deficit.

"You know, and I just felt like we put too much pressure on ourselves to try to get it all back. That then resulted in the amount of pressure put on our defense in transition.

"I’ll have to go back and watch it, but we talked about it during the game — when the ball doesn’t move for us, we’re putting ourselves in a really tough position."

Lack of intensity and lack of ball movement means a lack of chemistry.

McDaniel is expected back until at least Round 11 and Holt, Lash said is "probably around that same time frame. His injury is not one that you can rush, so we just want to be really cautious with that and make sure that once he’s back, he’s back and ready to go."

The Bullets face Perth, Melbourne twice, New Zealand twice, South East Melbourne twice, Cairns, Sydney, Tasmania in their next 10 games. The face the stark reality of being at best 4-12 at the midway point of the season ... if they take care of the Breakers and Taipans. If they split those games, it could 3-13 or worse and their NBL26 campaign over before December 2025.

Brisbane boss Mal Watts was staunch in his defense of Lash when NBL legend Mark Worthington heavily criticised him early in the season but for Bullets fans when will it be one too many "flushes" for their new, first year head coach?

Brisbane Bullets

Head Coach: Stu Lash

Potential Line-up

1. ‍PG: Jaylen Adams (IP) | Tad Dufelmeier (IRP)
2. SG: Taine Murray | Tristan Devers (DP)‍
3. SF: Alex Ducas | Sam McDaniel | Jack Purchase | Lamar Patterson (IRP)
4. PF: Casey Prather (IP) | Jacob Holt | Jensen Bradtke (DP)‍
5. C: Tyrell Harrison | Tohni Smith-Miller | Callum Dalton (IRP)

Injuries

• Mitch Norton: Tibial plateau contusion following a knee hyperextension injury sustained during last week’s clash with the New Zealand Breakers).
• Sam McDaniel: Ankle surgery, out for at least six weeks.
• Jacob Holt: Hip injury. No timetable

About the Author

Peter Brown is the head coach of the Sydney Comets Women’s Youth League team in the Waratah Basketball League in NSW. He is also the assistant coach for the Comets NBL1 women’s team in the NBL East Conference. Peter is a 30-year journalist, starting as a sports reporter at the NT News in the early 1990s. He played junior basketball for the Northern Territory at national championships from U16 to U20 and for the Territory’s senior men’s team at numerous international tournaments. Peter has been a basketball fan since the early 80s, especially the NBA. Basketball is his passion — and his opinions his own. Email peter.brown@basketball.com.au with feedback. Any email feedback on articles sent to Peter can be published on basketball.com.au for others to read.