When’s our turn in NBL?

Phoenix arrive but Coast hoops will have to wait

The NBL continues its rise to prominence in the Australian sports landscape with the addition of a new franchise for season 2019-20.

As much as Gold Coasters would have been hoping for a return to the NBL with a hometown franchise, the move makes sense for the league.

Basketball in Victoria has always had massive support and the roots run deep in southeast Melbourne.

The NBL has done a great job of reinserting itself in the national sports discussion, with the teams getting stronger and the production of the NBL taking a massive step up from five years ago.

The league made an effort to retain the rights for the production of the telecast and have done a fantastic job getting it to look as close to an NBA gameday presentation.

So, what about the Gold Coast? We are now clearly the largest city without an NBL franchise.

Sure, there are some diehards that make the trip up to Brisbane to watch the Bullets but a return to the Glitter Strip would be what the league wants in due course.

Unfortunately, NBL franchises have not been known to fill pockets of investors but with the boom of basketball popularity now, some smart business people should be able to see the opportunity in the future.

I won’t go into the usual rhetoric about the lack of success of major Coast sporting franchises. That’s been done.

But the fact is if you have a successful sporting team here the crowds will turn out.

■ The Bullets last night hammered Illawarra 104-85 in their NBL clash in Brisbane. Name: Dom

Bensley

Age: 16

Club team:

Somerset Spartans

Rep Team: Under-18 Gold Coast Rollers

School: Somerset College

Ambition: US college

Comments: Dom’s has improved dramatically. He has a competitive nature and he loves to learn. Sky is the limit.