Basketball: Returning keen and with chemistry

Twelve months ago, the Otago Nuggets had to grit their teeth as they watched the National Basketball League tipping off without them. Now, after a year's hiatus, the runts of the league make their return tonight.

The question is how far the Nuggets will get with a shoestring budget, a mostly amateur playing roster, some No 8 wire and an abundance of enthusiasm. Basketball writer Adrian Seconi reports.

If enthusiasm counted on the scoreboard, the Alf Arlidge-coached Otago Nuggets would have one hand on the NBL trophy.

The reality is that trophy will probably be the wooden spoon.

But, in many ways, it is a minor miracle the Nuggets have even made it back into the league. The franchise's future looked bleak 15 months ago when parent body Basketball Otago decided, for financial reasons, against entering a team in the 2009 league.

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It was tired of propping up the franchise at the expense of grassroots programmes.

An outraged basketball community rallied around the franchise and tried to keep the team on court. The bid failed but the community's resolve remained and that persistence paid off when the team was accepted back into the league this season.

Who would have thought there would be such passion for a team which had finished last for four consecutive seasons?

But getting back into the league is one thing; competing is another. The Nuggets open their campaign against the North Harbour Heat in Auckland tonight and will go into the match as rank outsiders.

The Heat has a line-up stacked with talent, including Rick Rickert, BJ Anthony, Dillon Boucher and Corey Webster. Sadly, the Aucklanders have also snaffled two of Otago's promising players in Sam King and Junior Tall Black Morgan Nathan.

First-year coach Arlidge is only too aware of the challenge ahead. The Nuggets have won just nine of their past 72 games.

But while Arlidge is a realist, he is certainly not a defeatist.

"The majority of people I speak to are just grateful to have the team back in the league and have no expectations at all. That's OK for the public, but as a team, we do," he said.

"If you look at the past results and consider we were out for a year, and have none of the nucleus left from the [2008] team, then we are back to square one.

"But in saying that, I can honestly say this is the tightest group of guys I've been with since high school. Chemistry is a big thing in basketball."

The Nuggets will rely heavily on their two American imports, Antoine Tisby and Tyler Amaya. Tisby played for the Nuggets in 2008 and averaged 24 points and led the league with close to 11 rebounds a match.