Trevor Jackson
The Millicent Basketball Stadium lit up over the weekend with the annual Four-Team Challenge, a tournament devised to provide pre-season games for the Mount Gambier Pioneers as the NBL1 season fast approaches.
Up against Adelaide sides, the Pioneers men and women have the chance to ply their trade in a real-game scenario, with three games set down.
For the men’s coach Richard Hill it was a successful outing, with the majority of his side on the floor.
“The first game we were really good, considering most of the guys have never played together,” he said.
“We had six new guys – we really only had Kane from last year who had played – so it was very encouraging and it served its purpose.”
Hill said the new players gave him what he expected, which was a good result considering the side had only been together for a week.
That has now changed, as Nick Marshall arrived mid-week, with everyone now on board, apart from Tom Kubank, who is expected back mid-season after his season in Europe is finished.
It has been a big turnaround for the club, which Hill said was a challenge in itself.
“To have to bring in that many guys is difficult,” he said.
“But I like what I see, I like the imports – they are very good players – Nick Marshall is a very good player and we have a bunch of players I think could be good.
“We have some potential but we are really young – 27 is the oldest guy on the team.”
Once Kubank returns the roster will run deep, right down to number nine, something the Pioneers have not enjoyed for several years.
“Back in 2017 when we won the last SEABL championship we went down to nine,” Hill said.
“Last year we struggled with depth and we ran out of depth in the final, so hopefully we will be a bit better this year.”
With that in mind the hard work now begins in earnest, as the Pioneers prepare for the NBL1 season kick off on April 1.
Hill said the Millicent tournament was a big part of that.
’You try to learn as much as you can,” he said.
“We will have time to get it together but it will be a lot of work.
“We have four weeks, three training sessions a week and another four games in Ballarat and Melbourne.
“It is an awful lot of stuff to get done in a short time, but we will get it done.”
