As the first round of the NBA playoffs starts to wrap up it seemed only fitting to shine the spotlight on one of our avid hoops bloggers. I was intrigued to discover that Mookie, owner of the basketball blog A Stern Warning, grew up in Australia, resides in the UK, and covers both the NBA and the NBL (Australia’s national basketball league). With American high school ballers heading overseas to start their careers early, one of the top draft prospects this year coming from Spain, and the abundance of nationalities and languages filling NBA team rosters these days, the international popularity of the sport keeps him plenty busy. And thanks to the Internet, staying up on his Trail Blazers from across the Atlantic makes Mookie’s job that much easier. Read on to learn how he got started, how he keeps up and what he blogs about when the season ends.

BallHype: When did you start your blog and what were your original goals? Have you achieved them?

Mookie: A Stern Warning was born in December 2007. This however was not my first foray into the world of basketball blogging. In July 2006 I started a blog devoted to the Portland Trail Blazers, called Rose Garden Blog. This was really a “dipping my toes in at the shallow end” move and I really enjoyed it for the year that I kept the blog alive (until July 2007). At that point I just “wasn't feeling it” and stepped away for six months, ‘til I realized I had the urge to start a broader reaching basketball blog—A Stern Warning.

Motivations for starting the blog? I used to find myself writing lengthy diatribe emails to my circle of basketball-loving friends... and I had the thought that perhaps it would be a nice idea to trouble the rest of the world with my observations and theories, rather than only sharing the “privilege” with a select few! Outside of that, my motivations were a little vague and open-ended. I’m pleased to say that I have achieved a whole lot more through the experience than I originally intended or expected. Foremost on the list of unexpected benefits was the great variety of people I have met, across the world, with all manner of amazing skills that I would not have been exposed to otherwise.

BallHype: Where did the name come from?

Mookie: The name A Stern Warning came to me in a quick brainstorming flash and is a clear pun on the name of the NBA's fine commissioner, David Stern.

BallHype: Your blog features both NBA and NBL coverage. So what do you do when these basketball seasons ends?

Mookie: Often the time outside of the actual basketball seasons in both the States (NBA) and Australia (NBL) can be the most interesting and intriguing time of the year—especially for a basketball blogger. I see the perspective of a blogger as no different to the average guy in a sports bar, discussing his local team with his buddies. Basically my passions swirl around rating the past performances of players/teams and attempting to project the way the future will pan out for a player/team.

During the off-season is when the majority of team changes occur and the greatest amount of speculation is made by bloggers predicting and projecting the season ahead—a very exciting time! In Australia's NBL, there has been a particularly large amount of upheavals of late, with the whole league concept being re-jigged, teams collapsing financially and more uncertainty than ever. There is no end to the blogging material on that sort of situation.

Outside of my interest in basketball, I do have a keen interest in all aspects of design (graphic design, product design etc), photography and technology. From that perspective, I have some Web site projects ahead of me in those areas—to say I'm excited about them would be an understatement...

BallHype: Are you interested in other sports?

Mookie: American Football is a game I've enjoyed for some time, both playing and watching—though I can't profess to be anything close to an expert in the sport. Soccer (aka "football") is another interest of mine—I've played it most of my life and don't mind keeping up with the English Premier League from time to time. The Australian Socceroos are on the rise and I love watching them at any opportunity. Tennis, cricket and Rugby League are all on the radar as well—I grew up in Sydney, Australia where Rugby League is THE sport to watch. For anyone in the know, the Parramatta Eels are my team.

BallHype: What are some sites that inspired you when you got started?

Mookie: This is a diverse bunch. Back in the day, before I integrated into the “blogging community,” the daily read for me was always Lang Whitaker's Daily Links over at SLAM. I loved the bite-sized pieces of information you could glean just from that read... plus it was put together in an entertaining, engaging way. Unfortunately, from my perspective, SLAM underwent a Web site re-design and Lang's Daily Links lost their previous format. However then I came across the man who I regard as the foremost

blogger in the NBA world (and perhaps in any sport) in Henry Abbott, with his Truehoop blog. Henry's ability to drill down into an issue and find the underlying story that many miss, whilst keeping an entertaining commentary, is a joy to read. I would love to be even a quarter of the blogger that Henry is—so I would definitely rate him as a key influence.

Upon getting more involved with BallHype (after it evolved from Lowpost.net), I met a whole array of great people. The first of those was Carolyn Hastings of Cleveland.com's And One blog. I am yet to meet a more articulate, better-researched blogger than Carolyn. More importantly,

she is a great person. She inspired me greatly and gave me courage to continue in my blogging pursuits—particularly by interviewing me very early on in A Stern Warning's existence. Ethan Jaynes of NESW Sports was another great person I met through BallHype. Whilst being an extremely mellow dude, the Ethanator always manages to dig up the best videos on the Internet—something that made me want to do the same. More recently, I was fortunate enough to meet Jeff Wong of Pete Marasmitch and he has become a great friend and keeps me up-to-date on how my Aussie boy, Nathan Jawai is (or isn't) doing in Toronto. Jeff's ability to stick to his scruples in blogging is inspiring.

BallHype: What do you like best about sports blogging?

Mookie: Blogging forces you to form an opinion on a topic. It's one thing to say, "I think the Blazers will beat the Rockets in the first round of the playoffs." It's completely another thing to write a blog post on your prediction and justify why it will happen—this is the extension of the debate in the sports bar with your mates, or the email exchange between a few passionate NBA fans. It's taking it to the next level—that is the first thing I love about sports blogging.

The second, unexpected consequence of blogging that I love is the interaction with other great bloggers. If not for this little site I would not have met any of the people mentioned above, nor would I have had the great fortune to meet and share ideas with John Rillie, a top professional basketball player in Australia, who maintains the stellar blog, JR, On Fire. This kind of interaction is dreamlike for a longtime basketball fan like myself.

BallHype: Living in the UK is it hard to cover the NBA and the NBL? How do you keep up?

Mookie: Spending most of my time in London does increase the level of difficulty in keeping up with my beloved basketball leagues—but like a gymnast or diver, I like to think that the increased difficulty level adds points in the eyes of the judges. In other words, it just adds satisfaction when you have to work harder to achieve something. That makes my ties to those leagues even stronger, in some odd way. I occasionally get back to my native Australia (as I am right now, on holiday) and inhale as much Aussie basketball action as I can during that period. I've been over to the States on a number of occasions and did live in New York for a few months at one point, so have had a taste of the NBA that way—however I do feel fortunate that the wonders of the internet allow me to keep up with the NBA in ways which never would have been imaginable for previous generations. NBA League Pass Broadband and the fine work of my fellow bloggers make me feel like I am right in the thick of the NBA action every single day.

BallHype: What are the general reactions from your friends, family and coworkers when you tell them you’re a sports blogger?

Mookie: It definitely has produced a shocked response at times, particularly when I slip that fact into the conversation with someone from the "non-sports" part of my world—such as my co-workers, or friends from other parts of life. There was a "Seinfeld" episode once about the worlds colliding that encapsulates the type of situation I'm referring to quite nicely. Most people are very supportive of the idea and I must say that over the years, that level of support has increased, as the idea of blogging has become more mainstream and less "geeky" or unusual. Friends that are into sports love the opportunity to grill me on some of my opinions, where they are sitting there for the world to see.

BallHype: Who is your favorite NBA player and why?

Mookie: Brandon Roy is hands down the player I most enjoy watching right now. A lot of that is definitely a product of my Portland Trail Blazers bias, but more than that, B-Roy is the quintessential in smooth. As soon as he entered the league it became apparent to me that we had a very special player in Portland and that opinion has only grown in the last couple of years as he has progressed from Rookie of the Year to All-Star to full-blown Superstar. He has the ability to make the difficult look incredibly easy and his performance under pressure is nothing short of world-class. On top of that, he is not your stereotypical big-headed NBA star. His focus is on the court and on his performance, not on looking good or the "bling" culture that many of his rivals embrace.

Other players I have had more unexplained man-crushes on in recent years include José Calderon, Mike Miller and James Posey. My all-time fave player is Clyde "the Glide" Drexler—the ultimate in smoothness and fluidity.

BallHype: And NBL player?

Mookie: Currently my most respected NBL player has to be John Rillie. As mentioned above, JR is a helluva a great guy—a real ambassador for the sport in Australia. He has represented Australia at the Olympics, pushed all kinds of shooting records in the NBL and managed to do it for over a decade, whilst gaining nothing but respect from his opponents. He has never played for my home team (the now defunct Sydney Kings) and has always scared me when he has matched up against my boys. If we're talking all-time, then current Euro-leaguer and Sydney native, Matt Nielsen would take the trophy from me.

BallHype: Why do you think the other world leagues get so little coverage in the United States?

Mookie: It's well known that Americans have a relatively insular perspective in comparison to other parts of the world, so the lack of understanding of foreign leagues is not unexpected. In the past there also has been little reason for Americans to follow basketball leagues outside of the NBA, since the standard was so good in the States. However the performance of Team USA in international competition from the mid-90s until recently has forced basketball fans to sit up and take notice of ballers from all over the world, which is nothing but a good thing for fans everywhere. It is slightly disappointing that it has taken this long, as I'm sure that players such as Aussie (and former Seton Hall star) Andrew Gaze in their prime would have been quality NBA players, but we all learn from past mistakes.

BallHype: What are your favorite kinds of stories to write? And what stories tend to get the most response from your readers?

Mookie: I really enjoy writing analysis articles, where I delve into a question and support my theories with statistics and other forms of evidence. I like producing original material like that, which won't be found elsewhere. As a blogger, I don't have the same access to resources that a professional journalist will have, but an analysis article, which combines opinion with evidence which is freely available to the public is one form of contribution that a blogger such as myself can make to creating a better world for sports media fans.

The articles that readers tend to enjoy the most vary. I seem to find that most readers can be split into two key groups: the purists and the more casual fans. The purists will stand up and applaud an analysis article, as mentioned above. Meanwhile the more casual fans are looking for a quick fix and some entertainment, so a funny or spectacular video or a piece of juicy gossip from the personal lives of the players will tend to please those fans the most.

BallHype: Do you have a lot of regular readers? How did you build up your fan base?

Mookie: I don't see my blog as one with a great deal of regular daily readers —A Stern Warning is not a Truehoop, Ball Don't Lie or Ballerblogger. And that suits me just fine, as if that were to change, I would feel compelled to blog, even on days where I don't have something that is striking enough to blog about. At the end of the day, I blog for enjoyment and nothing else. If it became an obligation, then it would become a job. Whilst I would love for it to be a full-time job, I don't see it being a source of income that is capable of sustaining me any time soon, so I'm happy with the casual fan base that I have right now—a great network of friends and co-bloggers who make the blog that much more rewarding for me. I know that there are a number of returning visitors and I appreciate all of them and love to interact with them. That "fan base" has come about mainly through interaction on Ballhype and through the occasional piece I write which grabs the attention of people who then reach out to me.

The outstanding network, Bloguin, which I am a founding member of, has been invaluable in building a greater fan base for the site too. I have nothing but respect for my fellow Bloguin.com bloggers and have made some great friends through the network—a collection of great blogging minds from sites that are too numerous to start listing. I encourage readers to check out the array of great sites on offer at Bloguin.com and drop me a line if you are interested in becoming a member of the network.

BallHype: Do you have any other blogs or contribute to any others?

Mookie: As mentioned, I am delving into some other blogging areas at the moment and two sites that are in production (and may or may not be "live" at the time of publication of this interview) are www.DigitallyUnlimited.com  and www.UlteriorMotif.com. If photography, art, design, visual entertainment or technology interest you, then hopefully there will be something to grab your attention on those two new sites.

A huge thank you to Robyn for this interview and an even bigger show of gratitude to anyone who took the time to read everything I had to say here. I appreciate all of the connections I have made through Ballhype over the years and look forward to many more!

To check out BallHype's previous blogger profiles click the links below:

Fanhouse

The Ethanator

Scooter McGavin's 9th Green

Hip 2 Da Game

Sports2Debate

And One