A match against the Southland Sharks may be just the first on the schedule for Otago this year.
Basketball Otago general manager Justin Ludlow yesterday confirmed a pre-season match between the Otago men's team and the NBL's Sharks, to be played in Gore on April 14.
He added he was in talks with other associations in the hope of organising several games later in the season.
''If we can get another three or four games against a quality opposition - whether that's Canterbury, Southland, up in Central Otago - I think that's a really good opportunity to keep those guys running around as well.
''It gets to the point that you get to the end of club season and there's not much else happening for our club players.
''So we're working really hard at BBO to put a programme in place that gives some extra games for our guys.''
There was the potential for a second NBL pre-season match, against the Canterbury Rams.
That however, would depend on how it fitted with the Rams schedule and the Dunedin club season, which begins late next month.
Already locked in was the Sharks game, which Southland would host, after Dunedin hosted last year's match.
Otago won 104-85 on that occasion, beating a team missing its key players, although still one with three Tall Blacks.
That game had made the Sharks keen for more and this time around Otago would put the ILT Shield - the trophy formerly played for between the Sharks and Otago Nuggets - on the line.
''[Sharks coach] Judd [Flavell] said he got heaps out of it,'' Ludlow said.
''It was a good hit-out for his guys heading into the NBL.
''We've just been lucky with him and [general manager] Jill Bolger. We've been able to keep that relationship pretty tight and lead into another game this year.
''We're going to chuck the ILT Shield up for grabs and use that
as a pre-season bit of silverware between Otago and Sharks going forward.''
The Otago team would be coached by Brent Matehaere, with Greg Brockbank his assistant, the same duo who coached last year's team.
A team would be chosen in the coming weeks.
It is understand the Sharks are unlikely to have their imports for the game, although all the New Zealand-based players are a good chance of playing.
