NBL1

[laughs] So that should be interesting as well.

But, um, a quick note before we move on, something really exciting that happened during the week, and we were fortunate enough to sort of work with the NBL on the announcement, Jase, Geraldton, uh, Women's NBL1 team.

Now again, we cover everything in Australian sport on this podcast, and I just wanted to mention it briefly because I think it's a special moment for the NBL1, 'cause it means across the league and across the conferences in Australia, every team has both a men's and women's team, which I think is, is really special for the NBL1 to achieve, Jase.

Yeah.

I think I just saw Tyrone's thing actually on the way home.

And so for me, it just gives these kids a chance to see, like, there's levels to the sport and there's levels everyone gets to reach.

And I think for men and women, having that at your own club is such a pivotal part to growth.

And I think for our, us as a country with that NBL1 concept, I've said it many times, that is what basketball was supposed to be before money got tipped in and it became a business.

I'm curious when you're talking about what you're seeing in the young men that you've got walking in and then how you're going to mold that.

How do you balance? Because there is the expectation that the COE athletes are going to go to the Asia Cups and the opportunities to represent the green and gold, and then just the simple fact that you are playing weekly in the NBL One competition as well.

With the fundamental aim, I suppose, of the COE of preparing future Boomers and Opals across the programme, how do you balance preparing winning today with developing the player, they need to be at 22, 23, 24.

Yeah, and

it goes very much hand in hand, but we can't ever get confused by the fact that regardless of whatever games or tournaments that we are playing in as 15, 16, 17 year olds, our job is to develop these young athletes into a player prototype that can contribute to our senior men's and women's national teams one day.

So even with the fact that we have NBL One games, that the boys and girls go away to Junior World Cups for three, four weeks at a time, nothing will get in the way of us making sure that we are planning and creating periods of training.

that are focused on their physical development, weight room, nutrition, physiotherapist, conditioning that we're doing now, and their technical abilities on the floor.

And that is definitely the focus.

He's a good trainer, mate, and they're tough boys, mate.

I've got three of them, and my oldest fella as well is the captain of Maitland's NBL1 team.

Basketball-wise, he's a copper in Maitland now, a policeman in Maitland, so...

They're pretty tough boys, mate.