Bounce in step as basketballers prepare for return of sport

THE short run basketball had on court has it well prepared for when tip off returns, according to Geelong United Basketball boss Mark Neeld.

Geelong United held six weeks of casual shooting and snuck in two weeks’ worth of junior competition before sport was shuttered by state government coronavirus restrictions at the start of this month.

The chance to return to the court gave United a chance to work through some hitches to be ready to play as soon as restrictions ease again.

“Everyone did an exceptional job in providing the opportunity for people to be able to play in the safest possible way that we could, so we learned a lot and I’m looking forward to getting back into it,” Neeld said.

“We learned a bit. We will modify a couple of things but overall we were really happy to come back to sport and play.”

While the season was cut short, he said there was no doubt it was worth the effort to see the young ballers in action on the court.

The last basketball games played in Geelong were in the Surfcoast Basketball Association on August 5.

“Beforehand we were really confident and did all the planning and I must commend everybody involved,” Neeld said. “It was certainly worth it. It was great to see people back playing and everybody again. All those key people from the players to the parents, everybody had so much great feedback to give each other for us to look forward to them doing it again.

“For the people that wanted to participate, the basketball community feels they were provided the safest environment they could.”