Plans to boost the NBL from seven to eight teams have gained momentum, with Basketball Victoria emerging as a potential saviour for the embattled league.Basketball Australia (BA) chief executive Larry Sengstock met representatives from the seven clubs in Melbourne yesterday to allay any fears about the validity of the new competition.
Names shortlisted for top Hawks roles "There is still a great deal of hard work to undertake in the days, weeks and months ahead, but we have come away from this meeting feeling considerably heartened by the progress made," Sengstock said last night.Wollongong Hawks delegates Mat Campbell and Wayne Morris left the marathon meeting believing the soon-to-be re-named NBL was heading in a positive direction.The 28-game season will start in October, with play-offs scheduled for February.It is understood the summer season will be buried after the 2009-10 campaign and replaced by a winter season getting under way in June or July next year.Teams will be obligated to fit their respective playing rosters under a million-dollar salary cap."It's been a great day. I'm a lot more optimistic than I was initially," Campbell said."Our concerns were that it was going to just be a Mickey Mouse league that would just be there to fill in time, but those feelings have been squashed. It's going to be a fully-fledged, fully professional league."Nine teams were originally slated to comprise the restructured competition before the shock withdrawal of the South Dragons and Melbourne Tigers.The remaining teams are Wollongong, Perth, Adelaide, Gold Coast, New Zealand, Cairns and Townsville.While yesterday's meeting was ostensibly convened to canvas the thoughts of club delegates and promote solidarity among BA and the seven teams, it also focused heavily on adding an eighth side to the competition.Sengstock said BA intended to "explore every possible avenue for the establishment of a Melbourne-based team". Basketball Victoria chief executive Wayne Bird believes it is crucial for Australia's sporting capital to be represented."The sad thing is, of the three major cities, none of them are going to have representation," Bird said. "If the window of opportunity is there, as the largest basketball state in Australia, we have to consider the opportunity."In further good news for BA, pay-TV broadcaster FOX Sports is almost certain to continue its basketball coverage.BA will make a major announcement next week, including the unveiling of the competition's new working title.Campbell said the Hawks were confident of moving ahead."Our goal is to make sure the Wollongong Hawks compete in the top elite competition in this country but also operate in a commercially sustainable manner," he said.
