“Well it’s finally here !!!!  After several months of running, on court practice, more running, strategizing, more running, recovery, practice games and finally more running, our Premier League Teams get the chance to put all they have learned into action this weekend and play against another team with premiership points on the line. Our first up opponent is Eastern (away), one of the four teams we will play three times this year, so a great opportunity to make a statement of our intent.

The men’s team has “enjoyed” a very demanding pre-season in an effort to get off to a good start, and cope with the demands of a 22 game home and away season. That’s four more games than previous seasons, and we have drawn Eastern, Centrals, Woodville and South for those extra games.  And, in an effort to generate some more interest and give everyone the opportunity to attend games, BSA have scheduled matches on the occasional Wednesday,Friday, and Sunday on top of or normal Saturday night event, with a blockbuster rivalry round on Anzac Day. So certainly something different.

Our team this year is a mix of veteran talent, some up and coming NABC juniors and some exciting new faces.

Tom Rowe (Team Captain), Brett Collins, Luke Mapunda and John Wernham all qualify as quality veterans, who have proven they can compete at this level over a number of years. We are confident what this group will bring to the games, and that is a massive positive for us.

Big improvers last year Daniel Goodluck (winner of last year’s MVP), Luke Pike and Adam Schild (last years Most Improved) are looked upon as opportunities for continued development. Big things are expected from these three, as more is demanded from them on a week to week basis and opponents recognise the need to pay them a lot more attention.

There’s also a group of players who successfully made their debuts in the last year or so, who are still learning about the demands of the Premier League, but are expected to take another step forward this year. All very talented and fighting for a chance to show they can compete at this level. This group includes Joel Pitt, Matt Freeman, Kane DellaPia, and Jono Lloyd. Given the chance, they are certainly capable of playing valuable minutes when required.

There are also a couple of brand new faces this year, with import Aric Miller at the top of the list. Aric showed in the pre season tournament (top scorer for all teams), that he is capable of anything. He can certainly score and is a great passer, so big things are expected. Another new face is Isaac Nyembo, who comes to us from Eastern. Isaac is a point guard who can provide some valuable minutes off the bench and create some havoc with his defence.  

Our group of juniors, recently out of U18 and U23 ranks includes Brad Jonnek, the Daniel boys (Madit and Ngor), Daniel Pomery, Jordan Goggins and Jake Crammond. All these boys are getting their first taste of the demands of Premier League basketball, and are having to adapt quickly. They have realised the fitness demands are high and this is a big commitment for them. They are hoping for a taste of what it is like to be on court during a game, and establishing themselves as players who can contribute off the bench in the short term.

On our long term injury/recovery list is Josh Bond who continues to astound with his improvement. Bondy is a club favourite, and slowly but surely getting himself back into shape. He rarely misses training and we are expecting that improvement to continue over the coming months.

Coach Nathan Hawkes, assistants Steve Denton and Matt Sparkman are expecting and demanding a big effort this year in a push to finals. Get on board and follow us on the journey to the tourney !!!!!

See you Sunday (Ladies start 1:15pm, Men at 3:00pm at the Adelaide Hills Arena), or at our first home game on the 21st.”