Huskies keen to add hustle to Kiwi NBL
New Zealand’s National Basketball League is getting an exciting new addition in the problematic Auckland area with a decided Australian twist.
It was confirmed yesterday that the Auckland Huskies will become the newest member of the Kiwi NBL, set to debut in the truncated, revamped 2020 competition that will be unveiled early next week and stay on board for 2021 and beyond.
They will be coached by American Kevin Braswell, who took charge of the Breakers for the 2018-19 Aussie
NBL before being dumped.
Aussie businessmen Mike Sutton and Justin Hickey are the money men behind the new addition to the Kiwi hoops landscape and are vowing to leap boots-‘n-all into the challenging Auckland NBL market and capture the imagination of New Zealand’s largest city.
The new entry into the league comes via the licence held by the Tasmania-based Southern Huskies who made an historic appearance in the 2019 NBL as the first Aussie sports franchise to cross the ditch. They withdrew at season end because of logistical difficulties, but Sutton and Hickey have essentially moved the club into the vacant Auckland metropolitan market where they also have growing business interests.
They have announced rising young Kiwi coaching talent Matt
Lacey as their first General Manager with Braswell (ex-Sharks and Saints) bringing his considerable experience as a player and coach in the league to the key sideline role.
The addition of the Huskies to the NBL doubles the intake of new clubs in the greater Auckland region, with the Franklin Bulls also set to make their debut in the contentious hybrid league being put together by general manager Justin Nelson to fill the void in the severely disrupted Covid-19 landscape.
Sutton said the move into Auckland fitted with their desire to see the Huskies brand continue in the New Zealand NBL, though prolonged talks with the league had originally centred on them coming on board for the 2021 season.
‘‘Then Covid has thrown a huge spanner in everyone’s works,’’ he said. ‘‘It’s created an opportunity for innovation and change for those willing to act quickly and do something different. Credit to Justin and what he’s been working on in the background.
‘‘It wasn’t our intention to come in for 2020, because we wanted to take the time to do this right. But in a very short time we have realised this is a good opportunity. This will be a world-leading competition, with no other live basketball happening, and we’re delighted to be part of it.’’
The nature of Nelson’s hybrid 2020 league – just five-to-six weeks, a draft to disperse the bulk of talent, central contracting, one location – made it easier for the Huskies to fast-forward their entry, put an early stake in the ground in Auckland and help fill the void created by the withdrawals of Wellington’s Saints and the Southland Sharks.