Basketball: Courting Australian counterparts

By Peter Jessup

The owners of the Auckland basketball team yesterday confirmed a $2.15 million push to take a city-based national side into the Aussie league, one of the conditions of entry meaning Auckland will get a bigger indoor stadium.

The team, to be named via a public competition as the Auckland Warriors were, will join the 11-team Australian NBL for the summer 2000/2001 season if it can meet financial and other criteria.

Auckland backers Ian Shaw, president of the local basketball association, and Ari Hallenberg, expressed confidence in their bid being accepted and the NBL chief executive John Rymarz backed that.

"The NBL has always viewed Auckland as an attractive expansion possibility," Rymarz said, confirming the existing clubs were not only supportive but keen, seeing transtasman rivalry as a valuable addition in terms of television audience and therefore marketability.

The Auckland entry is dependent on: 75 per cent backing from the existing Australian clubs (Sydney Kings, Western Razorbacks, Brisbane Bullets, Canberra Cannonballs, Wollongong Hawks, Cairns Taipans, Townsville Crocodiles, Perth Wildcats, Victorian Titans, Melbourne Tigers, Adelaide 36ers); purchase of a $1 million franchise licence (open-ended and able to be on-sold, or sent back for a refund should the team fold); a viable business plan based around solid spectator support; a stadium to support that viability; competitive ability; and a juniors development programme.

Shaw and Hallenberg plan to take on "high-profile" business partners and don't rule out iwi partners as the Tainui are in the Warriors. National governing body Basketball NZ will have a representative on the board and is a possible shareholder, the new franchise keen for a good relationship with the Tall Blacks national squad.

They're looking for 3500 bums on seats at fortnightly home games as the break-even point but with television rights and a stadium that can hold up to 6000 on the drawing board, eventually hope to do much better than that financially.

The North Shore Events Centre, assuming planned expansion goes ahead, is the frontrunner as the home court.

Current Auckland Rebels coach Tab Baldwin, with three national championship scalps, is the favourite to take the team. But Shaw said they wouldn't yet rule out contracting an NBA-level coach from the United States, or an existing NBL coach.

The players will largely be New Zealanders - if with an NBL team in winter their contract will encourage that to continue - though they'll probably take the allowable two imports, Shaw said.

There was thought from Australia that the Aucklanders would need an extra import allowance in their playing squad of 12 but both Shaw and Baldwin expressed faith in local talent to make the grade - once players have had the chance to get up to NBL speed.

NBL sides work under a salary cap of $A725,000. The Auckland team will need around $2.15 million in income a year, Shaw indicating Rebel Sport had an option to pick up their support of the city team in the local NBL to take the new squad to Australia.

Players at yesterday's announcement at the events centre in Glenfield expressed unqualified support and indicated they'd be going for the opportunity to play as fulltime professionals.

"Obviously that could only help our fitness and skill levels for the Tall Blacks," said the newest national rep, guard Paul Henare, keen to swap his job as a video store manager.

Going up against the Aussies, their men's team ranked fifth in the world, would be a huge challenge, the 20-year-old said. But not scary - "more exciting. It's a great opportunity," Henare said.

Likewise, Tall Blacks and Auckland captain Pero Cameron, signed to an English club for the coming summer off-season, said he'd aim for the new side.