Basketball bombshell as Southern Huskies withdraw from NZNBL and NBL1

Just one year into a five-year agreement with the New Zealand NBL, the Southern Huskies have made a shock decision about their future in the league.

Southern Huskies Tiri Musunda during the game against Taranaki at Launceston. PICTURE CHRIS KIDD

THE Southern Huskies have dropped a bombshell by withdrawing from both the New Zealand NBL and NBL1 competitions just one year into their existence.

In a stunning development, club officials sent a press release saying the decision was effective immediately.

The Huskies signed a five-year licence agreement with the NZNBL, and entered the NBL1 after the Hobart Chargers withdrew their application.

“We believe our relationship with Basketball Tasmania is untenable and after investing over $1.7 million dollars in the Tasmanian Basketball market since 2017, we have made the difficult decision to remove ourselves,” the Huskies said.

“We have enjoyed our time in Tasmania and believe we have had a positive impact in a short period of time.

“We’re proud to have provided significant investment to keep the pathway program running for NBL1 after the previous incumbent went into administration and to have completed a very difficult first season across all three of our teams.

“We believe there’s a lot to be proud of in what we have achieved since the start of this journey but circumstances over the past month have made it impossible to remain a part of the Basketball program in Tasmania.

“We’d like to thank our supporters, volunteers, sponsors and partners for their support.”

The Huskies will provide a detailed exit report explaining the circumstances in full to the State Government, which provided a $200,000 grant to the club.

New Zealand NBL General Manager Justin Nelson expressed his disappointment in the decision, but was quick to turn his focus to the growing strength of the league in New Zealand.

“While we know there is a lot unfolding in Tasmania with regards to the possible arrival of the ANBL (Australian NBL), it is unfortunate our league seems to have been caught in the crossfire between the Huskies and the ANBL,” Nelson said.

“Clearly there is a lot going on between the two parties and that situation is rapidly unfolding, but it’s not our problem and we’ll focus on the strong and viable teams we already have in our league.

“New Zealand basketball is strong, this is an issue off our shores and we feel disappointed for the Tasmanian fans who enjoyed following their team in our league.

“Though we have been let down, we’ll get on and focus on the growth we have in our own backyard.”

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