National Basketball League: Wantirna South’s State Basketball Centre to host big league’s ninth club

BIG league basketball is on its way back to Melbourne’s south-east with a new National Basketball League franchise to call Wantirna South home. And, as general manager, it’s Tommy Geer’s job to get it up and running.

A LITTLE over a month ago, Tommy Greer was handed a blank piece of paper, a National Basketball League franchise and was pointed in the direction of Melbourne’s south-east.

For the first time since the halcyon days of the Nunawading Spectres, the Eastside Melbourne Spectres and the South-East Melbourne Magic, Melbourne’s basketball heartland will have a seat at the national league table.

And, as general manager, it’s Geer’s job to get it up and running.

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The newest NBL franchise will call Wantirna South’s State Basketball Centre home. Picture: James Ross

Early this month, the NBL announced that a ninth club, based in Melbourne’s south-east, would take to the court for the 2019/20 season.

The new franchise — owned by Romie Chaudhari, a co-owner of English Championship soccer team Swansea City — will base its training and administration at the State Basketball Centre in Wantirna South and, though its home games will be played at Melbourne Arena, the club has committed to playing two home games a season at the Wantirna South venue.

While as excited as a young kid handed a brand new box of leggo and told to get building, Greer admits there’s still an element of panic as he eyes the massive job ahead.

Name, colours, coach, playing roster — there’s a few things to get done.

“At the moment, we’re a blank piece of paper,” Greer, himself an NBL premiership player with the Melbourne Tigers, laughed. “It’s very exciting to be a blank piece of paper.

“Although, I wouldn’t mind a few more things on that piece of paper at the moment.

“Everyone keeps telling me it’s still 12 months away but really it’s only about five months away. Everything (the search for name, colours, coach and players) starts going at once, now it’s a matter of making sure everything is moving forward incrementally.”

Former Melbourne Tiger Tommy Greer has been charged with the responsibility of getting the new club up and running as its inaugural general manager

While the new club will have to wait until the end of the 2018/19 season in February to court current NBL players ahead of the 2019/20 season next October, Greer said there were other avenues to keep an eye on.

“There’s plenty of Australian players who aren’t playing NBL” he said.

“There’s plenty of players who are overseas and we need to identify the best returning college kids.”

Robert Rose during the halcyon days of the South East Melbourne Magic

With a demographic that will take in some of the country’s great associations, including Knox, Nunawading, Kilsyth, Dandenong and Frankston, Greer said his club would live and die by whether it could establish a partnership with grassroots basketball in the region.

“It’s the heartland of basketball,” he said. “The Nunawadings, the Knoxs, the Kilsyths, the Frankstons, now Casey. Even out to the Latrobe Valley and those regional areas that have been forgotten, those areas that are so basketball driven.

“And that’s what it’s all about, we want them to be part of our journey and we’re reaching out for them to be part of it.

“It’s going to be critical that we have their support.”

While many have been trumpeting the need for a second NBL side in Melbourne, preferably-based in the south or east, Greer felt the announcement is anything but overdue.

The landscape is littered with the remains of clubs that started with great fanfare only to fall by the wayside.

“I would say it’s the right time,” he said. “When you look at the NBL at the moment, it’s gone from strength to strength. Attention, audience, TV rights .. the timing is perfect.

“And because Melbourne United has done such a fantastic job re-energising basketball engagement, now the timing is perfect for a second team in that heartland to really build some great (Melbourne) rivalry again.”

Much of the NBL’s decision to place its ninth club in Melbourne’s south-east came down to the announcement of plans to develop and expand the State Basketball Centre precinct.

If re-elected, the Andrews state government plans to fund the project to the tune of $82 million while Knox City council has earmarked $25 million.

The redevelopment would allow for Basketball Australia’s centre of excellence to move to Melbourne from Canberra while the possibility of improved showcourts would benefit the new NBL franchise as well as WNBL’s Melbourne Boomers, who already call Wantirna South home.

“It really could be incredible,” Greer said. “I would argue it could be the best venue (of its type) anywhere in the world.

“Two professional teams, a centre of excellence, a great domestic competition all under the same roof.”

Greer said it was hoped the new club’s name and colours would be announced by the end of the year.

Andrew Parkinson and Chris Anstey celebrate a South-East Melbourne Magic win.